"Sleuth" at the Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie's new offering playing on their proscenium stage is the 1971 Tony-winning play Sleuth, which I've never seen or even heard of (it's never been revived on Broadway). Written by English playwright Anthony Shaffer (twin brother of two-time Tony winning playwright Peter, for Amadeus and Equus), it's an unclassifiable thrill ride of a play. Part mystery, part psychological thriller, part relationship drama, and full of inspected twists, I could not figure out what this show was or where it was going. At the end of Act I, I thought, what now? When Act II began I thought, wait, what's happening? And the twists and turns just kept coming, with tons of theater tricks that I won't spoil here. I can't tell you too much about this play without spoiling the delightful surprises, but I can tell you it's gorgeously designed, fabulously acted, and fully engrossing from start to finish. See it now through May 10.

"Art" at Guthrie Theater

What inspires someone to spend $200,000 (or francs) on a piece of art, especially one that to others looks like a plain white canvas with some marks in a slightly different shade of white? This question is at the crux of the play 'Art' by French playwright Yasmina Reza, most famous for the play God of Carnage (which played at the Guthrie 12 years ago, and a few other theaters since). Both plays won the Tony, and both plays are of the talky variety (my favorite kind). Not much happens and the play is pretty much just people sitting around a room talking. But that talking is some pretty deep and intense conversation and confrontation, in this case ostensibly about the nature of art, but in reality more about the nature of friendship.* The Guthrie's new production features a fantastic trio of actors (two of them local favorites), crisp and clear direction, and a stunning "modern" design. This is often a quiet time in #TCTheater, after the holiday show rush and before things get moving again in mid to late January, but thankfully we have some great 'Art' to fill in that gap. See it in the Guthrie's proscenium theater now through January 28.