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 Welcome to the Critical Review blog site! We will be publishing reviews that show exemplary eye for critique. 

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Les Misérables Is a Classic For a Reason by Katelyn Keyes

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If I had to pick one word to encapsulate the current National Tour  of Les Misérables , it would be “art”. The lighting, designed by Paule Constable, transformed every scene into a painting, I could almost feel the sunlight on my face. The darkness was also used to the show’s advantage, leading to a shadowed opening; Prologue , where the low, rhythmic chorus deeply communicates the tragic circumstances the main character finds himself under. Imprisoned for simply stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family, Jean Valjean (Nick Cartell) breaks his parole and flees, leaving him to be chased by a relentless Inspector Javert (Nick Rehberger). Along the way, we meet Fantine (Lindsay Heather Pierce), her daughter Cosette (Emerson Mae Chen, Greta Scheafer, and Delaney Guyer in various ages), and others fighting for France in the Paris Uprising of 1832.  The story is told mainly through song, which, while it does demand more of the audience’s attention to follow the story, really h...
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Les Misérables: The Story We’ll Always Need - Peyton Webb

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“Prologue” - Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables . Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmeran While wandering through the Orpheum crowd on the opening night of Les Misérables , I stood for a moment and listened. Friends reminisced about the first time they saw the show. Parents told their children how it made them fall in love with theater decades ago. I couldn’t help but smile at how generations connected over this timeless story of resilience. One of the most acclaimed musicals in the world, Les Miz needs no introduction. Directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, the North American Broadway tour is in Minneapolis for a two-week run. Whether you’ve seen it a dozen times or never before, it’s more than worth a few hours of your time. Les Miz effortlessly transports its audience to 19th century Paris, catapulting them into the most exhilarating moments of the characters’ lives. While all technical aspects were phenomenal, the light and sound design completed this tra...
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Book of Mormon Review - Katelyn Keyes

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  What a show. The Book of Mormon is a riot on absolutely every level, leading to equal amounts of laughter and shock. The plot follows two Mormon missionaries on a quest to baptize the citizens of a small Ugandan village. As this show was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, one can expect crude, R-rated humor, and the show lived up to every such expectation. The actors embraced the outrageousness of the plot wholeheartedly, leading to flamboyant dance numbers that put my jaw on the floor. One of this show’s greatest strengths was the dedication of the actors, a show this off-color could easily rely on the simple shock value of the content to carry the performance, but each actor was motivated and made sure the entire plot came across, not just the jokes. This full-out commitment was especially prevalent in the dance numbers, which were just big enough to be spectacular without being over the top or ridiculous.  The best example of this would ...
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