Saturday news and reviews

Art

Form + Content exhibits three women painting in abstraction

- Sheila Regan, City Pages

For "On the Cusp," Anne Davey (Memphis, Tennessee), Barbara Kreft (a German-born artist living in Minneapolis), and Ruth Piper (Bristol, England) each have divergent styles, but in all of their work, a kind of emotion is stirred through their adept use of space, pattern, and texture.

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Book arts explored at MCBA - Shelby Meyers, City Pages

The Minnesota Center for Book Arts rolls out a new exhibit featuring work from the four recipients of the "MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Fellowship Series X."

These artists prove they can really stick with it

- Erica Tasto, Pioneer Press

That's a lot of bananas. Using fruit stickers, three local artists have created unusual art that will be on display at Mississippi Market on West Seventh through Dec. 14.

'Open Door 6' opens at Rosalux Gallery

- Coco Mault, City Pages

For the past six years, Rosalux Gallery has been making it a little easier for artists to get their foot in the door to a prestigious gallery show.

Books

A new Hill bio, but not about James J.

- Mary Ann Grossmann, Pioneer Press

Book uncovers little-known story of son Louis Hill

Dance

Dancing with the Ramstad twins - Caroline Palmer, Star Tribune

Brothers examine myths about twins in a new BodyCartography work.

BodyCartography Project looks at twin dynamics in "Symptom"

By Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet

Symptom confused me. I loved it, but it confused me. And then when I went home and read the program, and then read the other program, I was confused even more (yes, there are two programs).

Music

On smaller pieces, SPCO and Graf are just right

- Rob Hubbard , Pioneer Press

No matter what the western winds bring in today in the way of weather, you can be assured that you'll find far sweeter winds inside St. Paul's Ordway Center tonight. That's because the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is performing three works with wonderful parts for the wind instruments. If the performance is on a par with Friday night's, you'll find yourself pleasantly wind-whipped.

A positive step against human trafficking -- with a little good music -- at Fallout

- Britt Robson, MinnPost.com

At the close of the same week as the recent sex trafficking indictments were handed down, a long-planned benefit concert to help combat human sex trafficking [took] place at the Fallout Arts Initiative Co-op in Minneapolis.

"My life is what it is": Al Pitrelli on Christmas, heavy metal, and the whiskey-fueled birth of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra

- Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet

Just in case you were wondering, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra are not actually from Russia.

Spoken Word

E.g. bailey: "We have been determined not to allow spoken word to be a fad in Minnesota"

Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet

Iconic spoken word performer e.g. bailey emerged in the late 90s, knocking around here, getting his presence felt there, and made a strong impression as part of the performing ensemble Sirius B when they made their 1996 Illusion Theater debut with Monday Morning Body Count, a spotty but compelling work commenting on the rate of homicide among black men.

Theater

zAmya Theater looks at homelessness in "Homeroom"

- Andrea Richards, TC Daily Planet

Fun and creative are not the first words that come to mind regarding homelessness, but the zAmya Theater Project has successfully combined the arts with the issue.

'The 39 Steps': Wonderful cast in madcap romp at the Guthrie

- David Hawley, MinnPost.com

Keeping it fresh is one of the challenges a cast faces during the run of a show, but some shows are more challenging than others. This is especially true of "The 39 Steps," the madcap riff on Alfred Hitchcock's movie spy thriller that is rollicking nightly at the Guthrie Theater.

Guthrie Theater's "39 Steps" is silly and sketchy

- Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet

The greatest compliment I can pay The 39 Steps is to say that at no other production on the Guthrie Theater's McGuire Proscenium Stage have I felt such a reasonable chance of running into the cast having a beer at Grumpy's after the show.

House of the Spirits resurrects ghosts of dictatorships past

- Lisa Peterson-de la Cueva, TC Daily Planet

For Dr. Ellen Kennedy, Executive Director of World Without Genocide, the House of the Spirits was a perfect opportunity to educate the public about human rights abuses in Latin American.

Walking Shadow's "The Crowd You're In With" explores the child choice

- Rebecca Collins, TC Daily Planet

If you're on the fence about having kids, going to see this production could be therapeutic--the characters take turns voicing the various questions and concerns that might run through anyone's head as they try to make this major life decision.

A sentimental pageant spoof - Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

The Church Basement Ladies are already celebrating the holidays with an appealing musical.

Freshwater enters the theater scene with Fringe remounts

- Ed Huyck, City Pages

The Twin Cities latest theater company began on a long trip to the Iron Range.

Minneapolis' latest sidewalk star recipient: Vince Vaughn

- David Hawley, MinnPost.com

Perhaps you're not aware that Minnesota has its own showbiz "Walk of Fame."