The bad. I just returned from the Fitzgerald theatre, to watch the Cowboy Junkies. A musical…read morerevival. Unfortunately, people who didn't realize the importance of the history of this seminal musical group. I was astonished by the audience, not understanding the importance of this musical genre. I was moving to the music, although it appeared that this section of Minnesota was not interested in this musical quality of the artist. And people around me were Minnesota'nice'. I understand what Minnesota nice is : ambivalence and lack of respect, for anyone is not in 'their' group!

Beautiful historic theater in St. Paul! We went here to see Sesame Street live with our son, and…read morethe sound, stage, our seats were all perfect. Last year we went to see Labyrinth live in concert and had balcony seats which was also a great view from afar. If you can see a show here I highly recommend it.

We came here for the Fringe Festival and to watch my daughter in Waiting for Gygax. The lower level…read moreXperimental theater is very dark (floor, walls are black), and small, about three rows of 15 seats each, making the play experience much more intimate and enjoyable. The Rarig Center, which houses four theaters and several classrooms, is "brutalist" architecture, a post-modern style that embraces a lot of raw concrete. The interior lobby area includes a "floating" staircase with pretty views from bottom to top. The building is part of the sprawling U of MN campus, but (paid) ramp parking was close by and access pretty easy. There are quite a few small couches and ottomans set about in the lower level, all pretty shabby and looking like college-dorm leftovers. The whole building was humming during this year's Fringe Festival, with an excellent turnout on Saturday. It's an interesting building, but starting to show its age.

I'm reviewing this from an architectural viewpoint: reviewing the building itself…read more I haven't seen a single production here, so I can't comment on any of the stages or on the aesthetics or functionality of those spaces, but if I do, I will update this review. The Rarig was designed by Ralph Rapson in 1971 in what they call a brutalist archictural style: heavy, solid features and an excess of concrete, including the pocketed recessed cube ceilings, which are reminiscent of those at his Southeast Library, also in Minneapolis. However, this heaviness is balanced by different textures, muted colors, multiple levels and intersecting staircases, giving it an open and light feel simultaneously. To me, this is fascinating, and I think it makes for a fun subject as an amateur photographer. It feels retro-futuristic and almost dystopian in some ways, but I like it.

What a gem! The staff (volunteers l may add) are wonderful. The viewing room is only 90 seats so it…read morefills up fast but has a fun vibe. Seats are comfy. Their concessions are pretty cheap but it's cash only. Super cool, eclectic spot!

What a great venue! Came here to see a documentary for Sound Unseen and really enjoyed it!…read moreEverything about this cinema makes it perfect for anyone who loves film. It's small and intimate, so every seat in the house is a good one. The sound is great, so if you're off to enjoy a film featuring a great soundtrack, you're in for a treat. There's a small concession stand with beverages, popcorn, and candy if you're hungry, and bathrooms that are decorated with iconic bathroom scenes--a fun touch. Easy to find street parking on a Thursday evening, too!

About five years ago I saw Turandot here and I've been a fan ever since. I grant I am not a highly…read moreknowledgeable attendee. I love theatre, and I know much more about theatre than I am ever likely to know on opera. In a few of the past five years, I got the three opera season tickets ( you can also do four and five opera tickets) and I can honestly say I have not seen a bad show. The productions of The Magic Flute and Turandot were among my favorites. The modern opera, Dead Man Walking was simply amazing. It's great how you can pre order drinks and desserts for intermission, and seating is comfortable and reasonably spacious. For parking be prepared to walk a few blocks and to drop anyone needing assistance at the front door. The Ordway is of course surrounded by good places to eat and drink pre and post performance. I am unsure how I feel about their "Tempo" club, which offers steeply reduced B and below seat to those 45 and under and special events. It is supposedly to attract younger patrons as Opera fans but I think it carries its age range beyond students and the truly young in an unreasonable way. Opportunities for the "old" to save are mostly around poorer season tickets, it seems unbalanced and designed to attract prettier audience members. That said, if you are 45 or under and interested in trying opera, it's another incentive I grant. If you want to start slow on opera get yourself tickets to a modern opera like this seasons "The Fix", make sure to reserve that drink/desert for intermission and enjoy. It's a nice night out.

I got ticket to see a opera here couple weeks ago with my boyfriend who has always wanted to go. I…read morepurchased them online and sent by mail. Easy. No one told me that going too the opera you dress up like your going to the Oscars hahaha I just went with jeans heels and my northface same for my boyfriend minus the heels. Everyone looked so fancy we looked like were going to the bar Anyways we go to our seats and omg the seats are for like tiny ppl no room to move. My boyfriend was like wtf I cant let my friends get crushed down there. And the seats are so close to one another its a lil awkward. Other than that the show was great it was not in english subtitles were up on a lil screen so it was aannoying to look and read and look back at the actors I think it was in german. Lasted 2 hour long I couldnt feel my butt haha I am making it sound awful but really its not we are going back but prepared this time we will dress up like we millionaires and we will bring a butt pillow Good place to take a date my tickets were 25 each and the view is not bad at all.

This is the City of Bloomington's community arts center, part of their large City Hall facility…read more This review is based only on their theater offerings. I may have an above-average tolerance for more modest community theater productions, but I still think you can always expect the utmost professionalism from Artistry. They routinely mount productions that are both ambitious and crowd-pleasing. It is normal for them to put on four musicals each year, shows with large casts and which demand real skill from the performers. They pull off shows with enormous scope, like Les Miserables, and ones which hinge on intense performances, like All My Sons and Doubt. They do succeed with dramas like that, but the musicals are the flagship productions, and the work done by the singers and orchestra is particularly impressive. (The musicals are very popular, so get your tickets early.) They have two stages; a proscenium theater with a really wide stage, and a small black box theater. The width of the proscenium stage allows them to fit a lot of seats without any that are very far away. But there's no center aisle so it's very normal to skooch past a lot of people to get to your seat. The black box house is more intimate, but has pretty uncomfortable seats. Artistry is right to be proud of the work they do on those two stages, and if you want to see some theater with minimal mediocrity, plenty of polish, and a zeal to connect to the audience, these guys gotchoo.

Absolutely horrible, unwelcoming experience. I will not be back. It's sad when people in the arts…read morelack politeness. This behavior seems to be rampant in Minnesota.

Used this space for a community training. It was great for this purpose. The lighting was awesome,…read morethe screen was great for projection and the presenters could be very close to the audience. The people working at Red Eye were great to work with. Parking was difficult but I did find some parking on a nearby side street.

Red Eye often plays host to Walking Shadow's productions, one of which is in session at present…read moremoment. John Heimbuch's rendition of Sleepy Hollow as a comedy is worth every penny of the admission price. Due to popular demand, they added another show for this upcoming Sunday. Anyhow, back to Red Eye - it's a tiny little theatre space, tucked in behind several restaurants at the south end of Downtown. Not quite Loring Park, not quite Steven's Square, not quite Downtown...it's an interesting part of town, and not one that you would expect to find a little performance space hiding in. As others have mentioned, parking is a bear in this area. If you're lucky enough to snag a meter as someone else is leaving, you're golden. If you're on the flip side of the parking coin, you'll end up parking several blocks away (like we did this past weekend) and hoofing it back. This would be a great Fringe venue, and I hope to see more productions here soon. I've seen several of WSTC's shows, but not much of anyone else's work. It's a neat little space, and totally worth a visit.

INTIMATE AND IMMEDIATE…read more Ten Thousand Things has typically performed plays with the audience seated on 4 sides, in a small area. This makes their performances very intimate--the actors may literally brush against you if you're sitting in an end seat. Since their productions are designed to be shown to the less privileged, including in homeless shelters and prisons, decor and props are minimal, and the lights are left on through the performances. Their actors for the most part are excellent professionals, so the acting is quite good. Ticket prices are not expensive, and sometimes I've even been able to catch free performances during the week, although normal public performances are paid (and they've done virtual performances since the pandemic). They used to do mostly Shakespeare, and it was great. In recent seasons they've done more new plays & plays by contemporary authors, still worth seeing. I definitely recommend seeing them.

A quote on this theater's website is - "Theater is richer when everyone is in the audience" - this…read moreis so true! I've enjoyed every TTT production I've went to, whether a drama or a comedy. The actors and actresses are amazing, often playing multiple parts in one show, and I love to see how the shows unfold with a minimal set and props. Park and Lake is the show currently playing; I highly recommend it!

I've been an enthusiastic audience member for several shows at Art House North presented by Bucket…read moreBrigade Theater. This is a small theater company in a small space, but the experience is always a big deal. The work is well done, the cast members in the several productions I've seen are so talented. The shows are original works and include drama and comedy -- often with music. This past weekend I saw "Survivors of the Fire," which was about the great Hinkley fire. Really a creative and well done show. A memorable experience. Upcoming shows are "Till Death," and "Joyful Noise." If you're looking for a really sweet and different date night and enjoy small theater and original story telling, grab a seat here! This company lives and breaths this stuff. They even run kids theater camps in the summer. Online ticket ordering is easy, parking is close and on the street. Every production begins with free treats and coffee in the lower level will-call area. The best part is you get to support small theater, relevant storytelling, and an original experience.