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Ordway Blog: Stay connected here with what is happening at Ordway and take a look at what is going on behind the scenes.

Wednesday Webisode: Ordway staff go behind the scenes of Elf!

Wed, Dec 19, 2012 10:36 AM by Emily Kudrle

This week’s Wednesday Webisode is brought to you by our very own Ordway staff!  We took a camera behind the scenes of Elf the Musical on Tour this week to bring you the inside scoop from the cast and crew!

Watch on YouTube.com >>

Posted in Behind the Scenes, Musicals, Theater Season, Elf the Musical

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The Reviews are in for Elf The Musical

Mon, Dec 10, 2012 2:46 PM by Luke Anderson

Critics are raving about Elf The Musical at the Ordway! Below are several local reviews from last weekend’s performances. 

Star Tribune, “‘Elf’ is a sweet holiday treat,” By Rohan Preston

Pioneer Press, “‘Elf’ review: Ordway’s musical could become Christmas classic,” By Rob Hubbard

HowWasTheShow.com, “Elf at the Ordway,” By Janet Preus

TCJewfolk.com, “Elf The Broadway Musical - A Christmas Extravaganza,” By Monica Routman

WCCO Online, “Curiocity: ‘Elf’ Strays From Film, But Provides Festive Fun,” By Sara Boyd

Twin Cities Daily Planet, “Elf the Broadway Musical”: The Ordway delivers a holiday gift—wrapped in brown paper,” By Jean Gabler

Elf The Musical is at the Ordway through December 30. For ticket information, click here.

Posted in Theater Season, Elf The Musical, Ordway, Musicals, Reviews

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Wednesday Webisode: Every "Buddy" Loves Elf the Musical!

Wed, Nov 14, 2012 10:54 AM by Emily Kudrle

Every“Buddy” loves Elf the Musical! See what fans have to say about the hilarious tale of an orphan Elf in New York City 

Watch on YouTube.com >>

 

Posted in Behind the Scenes, Musicals, Theater Season, Elf the Musical

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The Reviews are in for Billy Elliot the Musical

Thu, Oct 11, 2012 2:20 PM by Luke Anderson

Critics are buzzing about Billy Elliot the Musical at the Ordway! Below are several local reviews from Tuesday night’s opening performance.

Star Tribune, “This engaging ‘Billy’ takes gorgeous flight,” By Rohan Preston

Pioneer Press, “Glitz and grit: The musical ‘Billy Elliot’ soars with perfect balance,” By Rob Hubbard

BroadwayWorld.com, “Billy Elliot Pirouettes with Stunning Grace at the Ordway,” By Kristin Frosch

HowWasTheShow.com, “Billy Elliot The Musical at the Ordway,” By John Olive

Lavender Magazine, “Billy Elliot sets the Soul to Dancing,” By Kathleen Watson

Twin Cities Daily Planet, “‘Billy Elliot’ at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts: Entertaining, but challenging,” By Jean Gabler

 

Billy Elliot the Musical is at the Ordway through this Sunday, October 14 only. For ticket information, click here. 

Posted in Theater Season, Billy Elliot, Musicals, Dance, Reviews

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Why Dance Makes You Shine Contest Entries

Fri, Oct 5, 2012 1:47 PM by Emily Kudrle

As our Billy Elliot Multi-Media Essay Contest comes to a close, we would like to share some of the entries we recieved from people telling us why dance makes them shine!

 

First we have a collage from Hannah, age 10

 

Next is an essay from Elise, age 14

Why Dance Makes me Shine!

Billy Elliot Essay Contest

By Elise 

 

Dancing makes me feel alive. When I dance I feel like a whole person. Dancing is my safe home where I always feel comfortable and welcome. Dance is not just an after-school activity for me. It is a passion.

Although I love dance now I did not always think of dance as something to do forever. I started at age three. I loved the bright lights and costumes, the excitement and the nervousness. When I performed I loved telling the audience a story. It was not until I was about ten that I realized how much I appreciated dancing. Suddenly dance was no longer just a set of fun steps to a beat. It became a way to release emotions I could not put into words. Even though I often struggled to learn new steps and was not the best dancer in my class, dancing made me feel physically challenged and exhilarated.

Today I look at dance as a way of life. I want to be that sugar plum fairy that I was inspired by when I saw my first ballet. Dancing makes me shine as I forget my prejudices, concerns, and worries. When I dance I do something that totally envelopes me. The stage is my second home. The dance studio is where I live and breathe. No matter how I’m feeling on the inside, I can let those thoughts go and feel nothing.

Dancing brings me to a place like no other. I especially relate to the song from Billy Elliot called “Grandma’s Song”  in which Billy’s grandmother speaks of the magic of dancing.

We’d go dancing…. From a moment my heart was aglow...

We were free from an hour or three from the people we had to be.

That’s how I feel about dancing. I can’t imagine ever giving up dance. It’s something that I go to during rough times. Dance is my passion and it makes me shine.

 

Finally, here is a picture/story from Stella, age 9

 

Stay tuned for more contest entries and remember to keep shining!

Posted in Billy Elliot, Theater Season, Musicals, Contest

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Wednesday Webisode: On the Road with Billy

Wed, Oct 3, 2012 12:20 PM by Emily Kudrle

Ever wonder what it takes to bring a broadway show like Billy Elliot to Minnesota? Hear from Production Manager Kimberly Fisk about all the ins and outs of bringing this show to life city to city! 

Watch on YouTube.com >>

Posted in Billy Elliot, Theater Season, Musicals

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The 1984 Miners' Strike: The history behind Billy Elliot the Musical

Fri, Sep 28, 2012 11:55 AM by Emily Kudrle

Billy Elliot the musical is set in a tumultuous time in British history.  Set in a small English town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising talent for dance that inspires his family and his whole community, and changes his life forever.

During this time the coal miner’s strike of 1984/1985 was in full force and spurred one of the county’s most enduring conflicts in recent history.  In 1984, the mineworkers’ union, with 250,000 members, was among the most powerful unions in Britain. The battle began in March of that year when, after an economic recession exposed the industry, the government announced pit closures. 

Billy Elliot is set in a town where coal mining had been the life blood of the economy, and a certain way of life for hundreds of years.  To the people of this town, this strike seemed less like an industrial fracas and more akin to a civil war. As the strike spread and the demands of the National Union of Mineworkers became more defiant, the government reacted with intransigence and intimidation. Police and pickets played out almost daily confrontations and by March 1985, when the strike was finally defeated, 11,291 people had been arrested.

“Solidarity, solidarity,
Solidarity forever
All for one and one for all”

In a time of so much turmoil and strife, Billy teaches us that we are all capable of making the lives we want for ourselves.  Whether it be ballet dancing or some other form of self-expression, we are in control of living a life full of joy and happiness. He also teaches us that whatever our circumstance, there is always the opportunity to create a better life, no matter what comes in our way. Keep on dancing!

Posted in Billy Elliot, Theater Season, Musicals

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Wednesday Webisode: From Stage to Screen

Wed, Sep 26, 2012 12:23 PM by Emily Kudrle

Hear from director Stephen Daldry and composer Elton John as they discuss the process of bring Billy Elliot from the small screen to the big stage!

Watch on YouTube.com >>

Posted in Billy Elliot, Theater Season, Musicals

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Wednesday Webisode: Family and Community

Wed, Sep 19, 2012 2:31 PM by Emily Kudrle

This week's Wednesday Webisodes gives us a look into the heart and soul of Billy Elliot and we get to hear what makes the show so special to its cast and crew!

Watch on YouTube.com >>

Posted in Musicals, Billy Elliot, Theater Season

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The Words and Music of Rogers & Hammerstein & Hart

Fri, Sep 14, 2012 1:24 PM by Emily Kudrle

        Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were an influential, innovative, and successful musical theatre writing team of the early 20^th century.  With such great shows like Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music, their music and lyrics have stood the test of time.

Before teaming up, both Rodgers and Hammerstein had enjoyed plenty of success on their own.  Richard Rodgers started his career fresh out of Columbia University.  Along with fellow classmate Lorenz Hart, he wrote many unforgettable hit songs including, “My Funny Valentine,” “Blue Moon,” “Manhattan” and hundreds of others. 

Oscar Hammerstein also had a collaborating partner before joining forces with Rodgers.  With the help composer Jerome Kern, Hammerstein wrote many successful musicals including “Show Boat,” which is considered to be one of the masterpieces of American musical theatre.

Drawn together by a desire to create a musical based on Lynn Riggs' stage play, “Green Grow the Lilacs,” Rodgers and Hammerstein began their first collaboration, Oklahoma! in 1943.  While it was not the first musical of its kind to tell a story of emotional depth and psychological complexity, Oklahoma! was instrumental in introducing a number of new storytelling elements and techniques.  The use of song and dance to convey plot and character rather than act as a diversion from the story created a new way for musicals to integrate every song into the plotline of the story, while still maintaining the musicality of the show.

Other notable works of Rodgers and Hammerstein include: Carousel, The King and I, South Pacific, Cinderella, and their last work together, The Sound of Music. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein have left their legacy in the world of musical theatre.  Because of the success of their shows, many musicals that followed contained similar elements of mature themes and storytelling that included all aspects of dance, song, and drama to create an enriched theatre experience. Because of all this, the words and music of Rodgers and Hammerstein will continue to delight audiences for years to come.

 

Posted in Theater Season, Musicals, Rodgers & Hammerstein

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This blog is a group effort by Ordway staff, actors, artists, musicians, dancers and all those involved in the creative process of performances, programs and events at the Ordway to provide a behind the scenes look at what happens onstage, backstage and in support of the work presented at the Ordway. We also hope to  discuss pertinent topics in our industry.

The purpose of this blog is to engage with you in the blogosphere. We wish to let you know that our posts do not go through any official editorial process for spelling, grammar or fact checking, therefore errors may occur – please be kind! Every blog post is open for public comment, questions or suggestions and the Ordway chooses not to pre-screen these responses. That being said, we do reserve the right to remove any offensive, illegal, or inappropriate content at the Ordway's sole discretion.

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