All is not calm in the company of “All Is Calm” as Theater Latté Da’s play prepares for national exposure.
On Dec. 9-11, PBS will tape four invitation-only performances of the musical. The results will be edited together and made available to TV stations for the 2020 holiday season.
Read MoreAll is not so calm in the world of “All is Calm,” the Theater Latte Da show that is currently popping all over the world.
by CHRIS HEWITT, Star Tribune
The Latte Da production, which played here in early November, has earned raves in a 53-performance New York run that concludes Dec. 30 at the Sheen Center. The New York Times called the show “tremendous” and the New Yorker dubbed it “heartbreaking.” For Peter Rothstein, who wrote and directed the show, the coolest thing is that the production was entirely designed by Minnesotans and features a cast of ten, eight of whom are Minnesotans and the other two of whom have close Minnesota ties (both David Darrow and Mike McGowan used to live here and worked often at Latte Da).
Read MoreIs there such a thing as an instant classic? No, but there are elements that help explain why some pieces of art demand to be seen again while others fade away.
by GRAYDON ROYCE, Star Tribune
Tyrone Guthrie might have dismissed this critic's opinion last December that after a single performance, All Is Calm was "likely to become a classic." Guthrie famously argued that new work required at least 50 years simmering in the theatrical stew pot before it could be considered a classic.
Read Moreby GRAYDON ROYCE, Star Tribune
The Christmas Truce of 1914 was long a bizarre blip on history's timeline — obscured by governments embarrassed by their soldiers' unwillingness to wage war on the holiest day of the year. Slowly, though, the story has spread into public discourse, and now Theatre Latté Da and the vocal ensemble Cantus have collaborated to tell the tale in a theatrical concert.
Read Moreby DON LEE, Minnpost.com
Along with at least two recent books, this piece of history has inspired a new stage depiction: "All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914," by Twin Cities director Peter Rothstein. The premiere production, opening Friday, combines three actors from Rothstein's company, Theater Latté Da, with eight singers from the men's vocal group Cantus. (Friday's 10:30 a.m. performance at Westminster Presbyterian Church will be broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio.)
Read Moreby MARIANNE COMBS, Minnesota Public Radio LISTEN TO FEATURE AUDIO
A new production reminds us of the power of music to make peace, even in wartime. Cantus vocal ensemble and Theater Latté Da are retelling the true story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when World War I soldiers set down their arms to celebrate the holidays with the enemy.
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