Critical Review at Hennepin Arts

Last Tuesday I spent my night in the living, breathing company of a Bengal tiger. The event was a theatrical feat of poignant pacing, breathtaking performances, and pure magic, achieved by none other than 2025’s touring production of Life of Pi (LoP) .  Based on the hit novel and movie of the same name, LoP follows teenager Pi Patel surviving 227 days at sea with a tiger. After other lackluster Broadway reimaginings of popular movies (I’m looking at you, Pretty Woman! ) I was doubtful this show would make an impact. In reality, LoP grabbed its newest adaptation by the horns. It was an entirely unique and enchanting production that paid effective tribute to its movie’s wondrously vibrant style.  The first thing that stood out to me was LoP’s flawless technical effects. Unlike any other production I’ve seen, it utilizes a harmonious combination of projections, versatile set design, turntables and old school lighting effects, allowing actors to practically dance between I...

     Hyenas and Tigers and Orangutans, oh my! All of these creatures and more are featured in the Tony Award winning tour of Life of Pi. Based on the 2001 novel by Yann Martel and the 2012 movie of the same name, Life of Pi follows Piscine Molitor (Pi) Patel (Taha Mandviwala) after a devastating shipwreck that kills his family and leaves him stranded on a lifeboat with a Royal Bengal Tiger. Struggling with the loss of his family and stuck with a frightening companion, Pi must learn how to survive through unconventional means that shake everything he believes in. A story of faith, truth, and recovery, Life of Pi is a fantastical tale that comes to life on stage. The most impressive part of this play are the technical elements. Life of Pi marries Tim Hatley’s set design, Tim Lutkin and Tim Deiling’s lighting design, and Andrzej Goulding’s video and animation design beautifully to display the unique settings in the play. The scenes in Pondicherry, India combine colorful li...

Hadestown is a Tony Award-winning musical by Anaïs Mitchell that reimagines the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Set in a dystopian world, the show follows Orpheus, a musician with a gift for song, as he journeys to the underworld to rescue his love, Eurydice, from the grasp of Hades. I recently had the chance to see the Hadestown non-equity tour, and I have to say, it truly did justice to the Broadway production. Having seen it on Broadway before, I was curious how this version would compare—especially without the iconic turntable, which plays such a huge role in the staging. However, the cast and creative team worked around it brilliantly, proving that Hadestown is just as powerful no matter how it's staged. One of the standout aspects of this production was the technical design. The set was minimalistic but perfect for the story. It allowed the emotions and performances to drive the show without overpowering. The technical element of this show that stood out to me ...

  My first impression of Hadestown was that this was a party on stage. The show had been talked up to me by many of my friends and the audience was going wild as soon as the lights dimmed, and the production certainly justified all the excitement. Hermes, the host of this party, was played by the exuberant Jaylon C. Crump, who led the audience through the story with a passion that was shown equally in happy and serious scenes. He also introduces each character as they make their grand entrance into the party that is the opening number, “Road to Hell”.  One of the first characters he announces is Persephone, played by Namisa Mdlalose Bizana, who, while having a nice voice, never quite gave the energy and commanding presence needed to play the boisterous Persephone. This was proven in her somewhat lackluster performance of “Our Lady of the Underground” that failed to have the power behind it necessary to make the song effective. In striking contrast, Hades (Nickolaus Colón), th...

“It is still ongoing.” These are the words that the audience is left with on the final drum beat and blackout of the 2025 national tour of Parade. The show follows the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was convicted of allegedly murdering a 13 year old girl in post-Civil War Georgia, and his subsequent lynching. The musical, which was revived in 2023, adds new updates to Frank’s story since its original 1998 premiere, as the Fulton County District Attorney agreed to reopen his case in 2019 due to faulty testimony and new evidence that is still being considered today. But the final sentence of the show doesn’t just echo the additional truth of the story, it hauntingly echoes the present as well. Through a stellar cast, devastatingly beautiful music and captivatingly intricate direction, Parade is one of the most important, timely, and impactful stories that is being told today.   Jason Robert Brown’s exquisite lyrics and score manage to perfectly capture both the astoun...

Parade is not a show that’s easy to watch. As audiences take their seats, they’re confronted with a projection of the “Leo Frank Lynching” memorial plaque in Marietta, Georgia. The musical tells the harrowing true story of Leo Frank (Max Chernin), a Jewish man from New York accused in 1913 of murdering a 13-year-old white girl at the pencil factory he managed in Atlanta and his subsequent lynching in 1915. First premiered in 1998 under the direction of Hal Prince, Parade features a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The 2023 Broadway revival, directed by Michael Arden, brings a powerful and timely dramatization that’s unafraid to lean into its darkness to life once more. Arden, who won a Tony for his direction, excels at bringing subtext to the foreground. Mary Phagan (Olivia Goosman), the girl whose murder reignites the fury of the post-Confederate South, returns in several scenes to stand eerily stock-still atop a ladder behind the scrim, positioning her...

Through the jokes and teases often aimed at people like myself who cherish musical theater, one question has always lingered in my heart: Can musical theater truly provide a meaningful dialogue on our current society? On January 21st, as I left the Orpheum Theatre after a life-changing performance of the national revival tour of Parade , I found my answer resounding all around me: “I didn’t know about that.” “I can’t believe it.” “But who did it?”. Yet what struck me most was the bitter taste of my own lack of surprise—a reflection of how desensitized I, like so many others, have become to stories of injustice and prejudice. And that discomfort is precisely the point, making Parade not just a performance to witness, but one to let sink in. Parade tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in 1913 Georgia, falsely accused of murdering a young girl, Mary Phagan. The musical exposes systemic injustice and prejudice against the backdrop of a post-Civil War South...