Twin Cities Theater Bloggers

08/22/2026

FREE! GHOST QUARTET by Theatre Elision at the Overlook at Fort Snelling ONLY through tomorrow (August 23, 2026)! You do need to register if you're attending. From Theatre Elision: Cast members present the story and music as a "concept album" and accompany themselves on a wide variety of instruments, including keyboard, ukulele, guitar, mandolin, banjo, autoharp, dulcimer, and more percussion instruments than you can count. This year, we have a new twist for you. Ghost Quartet 2026 will be a free outdoor event, "under the stars" so to speak.

Register and Tickets: https://www.theatreelision.com/ghost-quartet

Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/cs_gq26
"If you've never seen Ghost Quartet before, this is a great introduction to the piece. And if you have seen it, one or a dozen times before, this is a totally new way to experience it. The elements of Nature surrounding us heighten the effect the music-theater ghostly storytelling."

Lettered in Theatre: https://bit.ly/LIT_GQ26
"Dave Malloy’s Ghost Quartet is a haunting song cycle about love, sisters, death, and revenge, weaving together multiple stories that span centuries.

Looking for an unforgettable outdoor experience this weekend to soak in these perfect summer nights? Head to Historic Fort Snelling for Ghost Quartet, presented by Theater Elision under the setting sun. It’s an incredible evening of music, storytelling, and community."

Photo credit: Theatre Elision

08/20/2026

CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES: A SECOND HELPING by Rags to Rags Productions at Plymouth Playhouse. From Rags to Rags Productions: It's 1969. The world is changing, and the ladies of the church prepare for changes of their own below the House of God. As always, you'll laugh until your side-dish hurts with their hilarious antics and down-to-earth charm from within the church basement. This is most certainly true! See Cherry and Spoon's review below.

TICKETS: https://ragstorags.ludus.com/index.php

Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/cs_cbl26
"Once again the original score (by Drew Jansen and Dennis Curley, who also music directs) is fun and catchy (the repeated theme "cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and clove" will live in my head for a while), with a variety of musical styles of the era, and funny and clever lyrics about whatever the ladies are going through. And once again the ladies perform some charming choreography (by Lexie Swenson based on Wendy Short-Hays' original choreography)."



Pastor (Paul Somers), Mavis (Greta Grosch), Vivian (Janet Paone), and Karin (Dorian Chalmers) Photo credit BTE Media.

08/20/2026

Cherry and Spoon's favorite Minnesota Fringe shows and wrap up!

Another fantastic Minnesota Fringe has come and gone, specifically the 33rd, and my 16th year in a row attending this beloved local festival with a connection to similar festivals around the world. Read about my favorite shows at the link below (and check out all the theater T-shirts I have that I finally had an excuse to wear!).
https://bit.ly/cs_ffaves26

Including but not limited to:
Third Space Theater
Bury The Leads
The Winding Sheet Outfit
The Improv Movement Project
Melancholics Anonymous
and many solo artists both local and touring

08/17/2026

PRIVATE LIVES at the Guthrie Theater through August 23, 2026. From Guthrie Theater: Two ex-lovers. One hotel. Total chaos.
It’s been five years since divorcees Elyot and Amanda called it quits. It wasn’t that they didn’t adore each other — their union was just too tempestuous for their own good. Now they’re both on marriage number two and honeymooning at a popular resort town in France with their new spouses, Sibyl and Victor, who remain unconvinced that the flames between the former dynamic duo have fizzled.

TICKETS: https://www.guthrietheater.org/whats-on/private-lives/

The Stages of MN: https://bit.ly/TSOMNPrivateLives
"Private Lives one of many knots in the thread between Shakeaspeare and Moonlighting supplies many laughs."

Play off the Page: https://bit.ly/3ToxooA
"It’s breathless and witty, and full of zingers towards each other as they rubber band between love and loathing, passion and repugnance."

Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/4ceELW2
"The cast is fantastic, the design is positively luscious, and the three acts fly by at a breathless pace."

Ernest Goes to the Theatre: https://bit.ly/4cahvZB
"This comedy is delicious. It’s got some bite to it. You can definitely sink your teeth into this one."

Tracy Sees Stuff: https://tinyurl.com/mutubd8p
"A lighthearted buzz and excitement filled the air around the opening night of Private Lives. I couldn’t wait to see it! But I ended up having mixed feelings."



Photo by Dan Norman: William Connell (Elyot Chase) and Laura Odeh (Amanda Prynne).

08/17/2026

Best of Fest award at Minnesota Fringe from The Stages of MN!

Congratulations to Melancholics Anonymous winners of The Stages of MN Best of Fest Award for the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival!!

08/17/2026

Minnesota Fringe wrap-up from Cherry and Spoon!

Well friends, we've survived another Minnesota Fringe. You can read my reviews here (https://bit.ly/cs_fringe26) and watch for my festival wrap-up and favorites coming this week.

After a brief rest, I'll be back out there seeing more shows, including Dirty Dancing: The Musical, which began performances at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts last week and officially opens this week, continuing through September 6.
https://ordway.org/events/dirty-dancing/

I'll also be seeing these two shows beginning performances this week:

Theatre Elision: a remount of the annual hit GHOST QUARTET, outdoors at The Overlook at Historic Ft. Snelling, 8/19/2026 - 8/23/2026
https://www.theatreelision.com/ghost-quartet

Dark & Stormy Productions at Gremlin Theatre: WAIT UNTIL DARK, 8/20/2026 - 9/13/2026
https://www.simpletix.com/e/wait-until-dark-tickets-282855

08/15/2026

Yes! There's still time. Enjoy the weekend!

I am having a slightly truncated MN Fringe this year but still hoping to make it to about 15 shows! This is one of my absolute favorite times of year, the energy walking through each venue and gett…

08/15/2026

It's the last weekend of Minnesota Fringe! What are you going to see?

Three great shows again at Minnesota Fringe last night, including my favorite so far, the beautiful new folk musical adaptation of WATERSHIP DOWN by Melancholics Anonymous.
Read all 25 mini-reviews here: https://bit.ly/cs_fringe26

08/11/2026

IN THE HEIGHTS at Artistry MN is extended through August 30, 2026! Our TCTBers loved it. From Artistry MN: From the creator of Hamilton comes In the Heights, a Tony Award-winning celebration of family, ambition, and home. Read Twin Cities Theater Bloggers' quotes and reviews below!

TICKETS: https://artistrymn.org/intheheights

FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS: https://bit.ly/4w7z3g3
"Theatre is about telling stories, music is about capturing emotion, and art is about representing life. Artistry MN has accomplished all of that with their new production of In the Heights."

The Stages of MN: https://bit.ly/TSOMNIntheHeights
"In the Heights at Artistry reminds us that movie theaters are not the only places to find summer blockbusters."

Ernest Goes to the Theatre: https://bit.ly/4yUcY75
"This musical is timely for 2026. It is a sizzling sensation on the stage."

Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/cs_heights26
"Timely and timeless, intimate and epic, exciting and heart-warming."

Play off the Page: https://bit.ly/4xnhhq6
"The entire ensemble of this show is very strong with amazing vocals and killer dance moves. Choreographer Abby Magalee created incredible movement for all these characters. It was a joy to watch!"



The Cast of In the Heights Artistry 2026 Photo by Dan Norman

08/08/2026

Minnesota Fringe is in full swing!! 💜 Twin Cities Theater Bloggers' The Stages of MN and Cherry and Spoon have already been to multiple shows. See the links below to check them out! We will add more in the comments as TCTBers share reviews.

TICKETS: https://minnesotafringe.org/

The Stages of MN: https://thestagesofmn.com/

Cherry and Spoon: https://bit.ly/cs_fringe26