Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones has ten nice things to say about the Guthrie’s new theater space in Minneapolis. And he lists them as a tip-sheet for theaters yet to be built.
For those who haven’t seen the new venue for the venerable organization, it’s worth a look on the Guthrie’s website, but even moreso on this interactive tour of the facility from the Star Tribune.
And yes, I realize the facility opened more than a year ago, which makes it ancient history by weblog standards. But Jones’ piece offered a good excuse to talk about it anyway.
Chris Jones fails to mention the cattle-chute-like escalators that you must pile onto in order to get to the performance spaces. Nor does he note the total mayhem that ensues at 7:55 when patrons realize that the lobby serves both the thrust and the proscenium stages, and they’re not sure which one they’re supposed to be going to.
There are a lot of great ideas in the Guthrie’s new building, but my friend’s 11 year old daughter described it best. She said:
“I like it Daddy, it’s like the airport!”