Month: March 2003

It took us a long time to realize that this gem of St. Anthony Park moved—across the street—and joined up with a Dunn Brothers. Love the new space: a sunny, pine-paneled cornershop that is more true to its namesake and geographical inspiration than anything we’ve seen west of Oslo. And it’s not just the deli cases and shelves overflowing with traditional pastries (Mondays—especially fresh and legion). Check out the breakfast and lunch menu, which is a proud menage of lefse, lingonberries, salmon, and countless other true Nordic delights.

Pulitzer-winner Lanford Wilson’s latest play, getting its area premiere in this staging, cloaks itself in the guise of a murder mystery to level a critique at the tendency toward complacency in the face of abuse of power. When the cheese-factory magnate of Dublin, Missouri dies, his bookkeeper Ruth suspects foul play. Her investigation churns up secrets that the other locals would prefer to be left undisturbed. At the same time Ruth’s been cast in the lead of a community-theater production of Shaw’s play Saint Joan, and as her sleuthing turns inexorably into a crusade, she begins to take on the qualities of the French heroine in real life as well as her acting. She uncovers a conspiracy of collusion among powerful forces in the community, leading to the possibility she’ll go through Joan’s martyrdom as well. Critical consensus on Book of Days puts it a notch or two below his earlier works Hot L Baltimore and the Pulitzer-winning Talley’s Folly, but if his script’s pacing in uneven, he’s still a master of perceptive insights into character, making this a Book worth checking out. Theater in the Round, 245 Cedar Avenue, (612) 333-3010, www.theatreintheround.org

This is why we go to the theater—a skilled cast in a marvelous production of a great play. Chekhov’s tale of love, jealousy, the nature of art and theater deserves the title masterpiece, and the Jeune Lune company does its usual imaginative job of interpreting the classic. As the characters weave among the birch trees of Dominique Serrand’s striking set, they knit and then unravel relationships between them. Barbra Berlovitz as the aging actress Irina, is the center of the work both philosophically and physically. Her magnificently nuanced performance—particularly as she demonstrates the art of acting by her reading of the same line over and over—is both the comic and artistic highlight. Add the luminous Sarah Agnew as the young actress Nina and Natalie Moore’s boisterous Masha, both of whose hopes of love are dashed by Irina’s machinations, and you have an evening far more full of genuine humanity than you’ll ever find on reality TV. Jeune Lune, 105 N. 1st St., (612) 332-3968, www.jeunelune.org

Emily Johnson of Catalyst, repeatedly cited as one of the rising stars of the Twin Cities dance scene, found a good match for her imaginative, Dadaist sensibilities in local post-rock combo Lateduster. The two groups collaborated last July on “Plain Old Andrea With a Gun,” an exploration of hate and miscommunication inspired by the Eskimo storytelling of Johnson’s native Alaska. When “Andrea” got raves, they figured they were on to something and expanded their alliance into new areas. Fierce: Whole is the result, overlaying floating and ethereal neoclassical/jazz/trance over Johnson’s highly kinetic, sharply gesture-laden movement. “Andrea” makes a return appearance as well, expanded and reconfigured into cinema for a multimedia DVD project. This weekend of shows should be a fascinating experience. Red Eye Theatre, 15 W. 14th Street, (612) 870-7035, www.theredeye.org

Opening receptions, 7-9 p.m. April 26 and 1-4 p.m. April 27.
A dual exhibit from New Mexican artist Nora Naranjo-Morse, and her onetime student Henry Sosin, potter and gallery proprietor. A Tewa Pueblo Indian whose work has been shown at the White House, Naranjo-Morse is one of those many-splendored artists whose ability to work in many disciplines prompts us to envious appreciation. Besides the sculpture and printmaking on display here, she’s a published poet and video producer. So much for “those who can’t, teach.” She’s profiled alongside the likes of Roy Liechtenstein and David Bowie on a forthcoming documentary on creativity by 42-Up director Michael Apted. A doctor for 30 years, Sosin turned to pottery after retirement and has now been immersed in his art full-time for nearly a decade. His surgeon’s hands give him a deft touch in the complex construction of his pots, which draw their style from ancient forms used by Anasazi and Middle Eastern cultures. Sosin Studio Gallery, 1231 Washington Street N.E., (612) 378-0581, www.sosinstudiogallery.com

Lest ye think worthy art only comes from the art havens of our central cities, Minnesota Watercolor Society’s annual juried show will set you straight. This 20th spring exhibit will be the first one in their spacious new home in Minnetonka. Nosh on a muffin from the attached cafe and immerse yourself in the year’s best work from MWS members, vibrantly colored and diverse works that prove that although they work with watercolors, they’re not wet behind the ears. The artists chosen best in show will be honored at a reception on April 10. Minnetonka Center For the Arts, 2240 North Shore Drive, Wayzata, (952) 473-7361, www.minnesotawatercolors.com

For the artists appearing in this often amazing annual touring show, utility is by no means the enemy of beauty. Clothes, jewelry, lamps and furniture, all the art on display here is functional as well as aesthetic—adhering to a tradition of handmade household art that we too easily forget about in this age of mass production. Ikea’s nice and all, but if your bedroom furniture is painstakingly hand-carved out of maple by a guy you can actually meet and shake hands with, that’s on a whole different level. Gander at the works on display here, and you won’t think of “crafts” only as stuff you make out of yarn and construction paper. Rivercentre, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., (651) 265-4800, www.craftcouncil.org

Over the course of a rich, long career including journeyman dues paid on cruise ships and with Ray Charles’ international touring band, Jim Rotondi’s developed a rich style on trumpet and flugelhorn that launches off from groundwork laid by predecessors such as Freddie Hubbard. After four releases on the Criss Cross jazz label, he moved to Sharp Nine for 2001’s Destination Up, on which he and his quintet smolder through a set of originals by Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis and vibe man Joe Locke, and some nifty interpretations of older work like Herbie Hancock’s “Yams” and Irving Berlin’s “Remember.” Rotondi’s trumpet is the star of the show, but he knows how to give room to his sidemen, who come together to create a lively, warm sound. AQ, 408 St. Peter, St. Paul, (651) 292-1359, mnjazz.com

Making the world safe for jazz—that’s a full-time job these days, and no matter how hard a band or a program director or a club owner works to make jazz accessible, well, it’s always going to be a hard sell. Unless you’ve got grooves like Medeski Martin & Wood, who have somehow managed to carve out a special hipster niche, and attract the attention of the alt-rock contingent. Maybe its because they have great rock ’n’ roll instincts, maybe it’s the bebop underpinnings, maybe it’s the turntables and the remixes. Whatever it is, we’re filing our tax extensions now, giving us until August to figure it out. Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Ave. , (612) 339-7007.

It’s springtime in the Twin Cities, which means touring musicians are once again willing to add us to their schedule, including the talented New England singer/songwriters Dar Williams and Melissa Ferrick. On the light side, Dar Williams, with her quirky, melancholy songs about alternative radio, therapy, and how southern California wants to be western New York; on the dark side, Melissa Ferrick tearing through her songs of unrequited love, troubled father/ daughter relationships and frogs named Freddy. Both artists are tremendous songwriters who spent most of the last decade on the folk-rock fringe and deserve to get noticed. Judging by their recent live albums, they both put on formidable shows. Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave. S., (612) 338-6425; Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Ave., (612) 339-7007