2026 Audience Reviews

Company: MN Moving Arts Dance Ensemble
Show: Noise
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

a good dance and music show

i decided to attend this dance show as i was impressed with dance shows in previous years. the dancing in it was really good, but i was also impressed with the song choices for each vignette. a good mix of piano tunes and what one might find at a nightclub. seven dancers, sometimes all were onstage, sometimes just one, sometimes a number in between. hard to ignore how the show ran short, though. as i was leaving i said they could have done 10 minutes more and i would have been fine with that.

Company: Peake Productions
Show: When I Was Afraid
Venue: Phoenix Theater

some stories were better than others

this was five vignettes of storytelling, and some of the stories were better than others. liked the ones about 'throwing up on a midway ride' and 'trust fall' the most. although the original premise of it being a 'moth' storytelling show didn't work for me when there was only one name in the hat. when i arrived i was thinking i had missed my chance to get my name in the hat. that being said, there was the need for a second character to chat with the storyteller between vignettes, but it would have been better to present her differently, such as a friend or relative- or even a therapist- instead of someone listening to what the judges were saying through headphones saying, 'you need to tell another story'. because i have been to a 'moth' show before and there are definitely multiple storytellers per night, not just one.

Company: CHRISDAVISDOESSTUFF
Show: ROAD TRIP!
Venue: Bryant Lake Bowl

a good improv show

i hadn't seen many 'improv' shows before but this was pretty good. wanted to see it when i like 'road movies' and i knew the premise would be comparable. five vignettes, all suggested by the crowd. some were funnier than others. i liked seeing the range of these two dudes from Alabama, playing multiple characters to tell the story. when the banjo player was performing in the interludes i said it reminded me of 'price is right' seeing the car move on the map.

Company: Local 574
Show: HELL ON WHEELS: The Winter Strike of 1934
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

covered history i hadn't previously read about

i knew I'd want to see this one when history was my college major and my favorite era to study was the Depression, the era that this show covers. the character i liked the most was the one calling herself 'Mrs. Claus' as she was the most convincing to me, by being the most persuasive. the one i liked the least was the accordion player, but not due to musical talents. it was when this man took a turn as a speaker at a union meeting and laughed at his own jokes. as a stage performer i am not impressed by anyone who does this. a little odd to see some characters with their back turned to the crowd when not speaking, i figured they'd just be completely offstage. but overall, i liked this show as it covered some history i hadn't previously read about. i had read about other strikes from this era, but not this one.