RtS: A Prairie Home Companion

3894 · 04-16-2007, 04:44 PM

Rank the Swank - Theater and Movies

Overall Swank Rank

A Prairie Home Companion
The Fitzgerald

St. Paul, MN
April 13

The Lowdown
The energy doesn't translate to radio

__________________________________________________

The Scene
Garrison Keillor is the Midwest's answer to Mark Twain - that's how venerated he is in these parts. So you can imagine how very difficult it is to score tickets. The tickets are not expensive - about $18 - but rarer than hen's teeth. You can attend a live broadcast or a dress rehearsal the night before. The show travels around the country from time to time. If he comes to your town, you owe it to yourself to go.

We jumped at the chance to see him on his home turf, the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. We opted for the dress rehearsal simply because it fit into our schedule better. On hand were Keillor's regular company of talented radio actors (very fun to see them do the sound effects, too), his excellent band, an okay singer named Prudence Johnson whose main job seemed to be to make Keillor sound good, and musical guests the Finnish-Norwegian progressive folk "explosion", Frigg (named after a goddess, I think). Keillor had obviously never heard them play before and was as blown away as his audience.

As you might imagine, Keillor's latest installment of the Lake Woebegon saga was the highlight of a night of memorable performances. He tells the story completely without notes, obviously with a main idea in his head but seemingly crafting the story extemporaneously. Keillor's energy and charisma are only half-evident on the radio. He really is something.

A very memorable evening.

04-16-2007, 04:44 PM	#1
3894 Next Stop: Funkytown! Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cheeselandia Posts: 1,907	RtS: A Prairie Home Companion Rank the Swank - Theater and Movies Overall Swank Rank A Prairie Home Companion The Fitzgerald St. Paul, MN April 13 The Lowdown The energy doesn't translate to radio __________________________________________________ The Scene Garrison Keillor is the Midwest's answer to Mark Twain - that's how venerated he is in these parts. So you can imagine how very difficult it is to score tickets. The tickets are not expensive - about $18 - but rarer than hen's teeth. You can attend a live broadcast or a dress rehearsal the night before. The show travels around the country from time to time. If he comes to your town, you owe it to yourself to go. We jumped at the chance to see him on his home turf, the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. We opted for the dress rehearsal simply because it fit into our schedule better. On hand were Keillor's regular company of talented radio actors (very fun to see them do the sound effects, too), his excellent band, an okay singer named Prudence Johnson whose main job seemed to be to make Keillor sound good, and musical guests the Finnish-Norwegian progressive folk "explosion", Frigg (named after a goddess, I think). Keillor had obviously never heard them play before and was as blown away as his audience. As you might imagine, Keillor's latest installment of the Lake Woebegon saga was the highlight of a night of memorable performances. He tells the story completely without notes, obviously with a main idea in his head but seemingly crafting the story extemporaneously. Keillor's energy and charisma are only half-evident on the radio. He really is something. A very memorable evening.
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