The Working Boys Band: Dignity of LaborBy Ed HuyckMay 9, 2014   When Hiram Titus passed away last fall, he left behind high-quality music for shows as diverse as the Guthrie’s A Christmas Carol to the musical Hormel Girls. The Working Boys Band, playing through this month at the History Theatre, is a fitting tribute…

‘The Working Boys Band’ review: New musical has all elements marching in fine harmonyBy Rob Hubbard Special to the Pioneer PressMay 6, 2014 It’s the early 20th century and a transplanted music professor wants to get boys out of the pool hall and into a marching band, evoking visions of crisply tailored uniforms, booming brass…

“The Working Boys Band” at the History Theatre by Jill SchaferMonday, May 5, 2014 In the early 20th Century in Minneapolis, when children were forced to work long hours in factories, a marching band was formed to keep these boys off the streets and improve their lives through music and teamwork. This is a subject…

“‘The Working Boys Band’ tells a World War I story at History Theatre”by Graydon RoyceMay 5, 2014 “The Working Boys Band” falls into that category of theater that is good for you, whether you like it or not. It’s an interesting slice of Minneapolis history, served with a side dish of politics about the anti-German…

“The Working Boys Band at The History Theatre” by Janet PreusHowWasTheShow.comMay 5, 2014 The History Theatre has premiered a new musical that uses a relatively obscure bit of history to illuminate a corner of the dynamic environment of Minneapolis in 1917, just as America was entering W.W. I. The show’s composer, the late Hiram Titus,…

Twin Cities Daily Planetby Matthew A. EverettMarch 20, 2014 Dramas about soldiers at war might as well be critic-proof. If you have a problem with a story of soldiers in battle, you should be ready for someone to ask, “Why do you hate America?” The reason we even have the luxury of sitting in a theater and…

Girl Meets BroadwayErin NagelMarch 20, 2014 In the History Theatre’s latest production “The Things They Carried”, based on Tim O’Brien’s best selling book, recounts a young Minnesotan’s experiences during his time in Vietnam as well as before and since the war. This one man show featuring Stephen D’Ambrose as O’Brien brings us to the front lines…

Cherry and Spoonby Jill SchaferMarch 17, 2014 The History Theatre is currently producing two plays in rep, both dealing with the effects of war on the soldiers who fight in them. The Things They Carried is based on the semi-autobiographical collection of short stories by Tim O’Brien, a Minnesota man who was drafted out of…

Pioneer Pressby Renee ValoisMarch 17, 2014 As the Vietnam War recedes in time, the shadow it casts gets longer — and its shape changes. Men who felt rejected for fighting in the war in the 1960s are today asked to rise and receive applause for serving (as with the audience of this show). But lest…

Pioneer Pressby Renee ValoisMarch 17, 2014 This is powerful stuff. It’s theater that begs for real change. “Lonely Soldiers: Women at War in Iraq” at History Theatre follows the paths of seven women of diverse backgrounds who ended up in Iraq. It’s based on accounts from interviews playwright Helen Benedict conducted that appeared in her…