the new guthrie theatre

During a recent visit back to Minneapolis to see the family I discovered that the major theatre in the city had relocated. I'm not sure how I missed this piece of news. I must admit I was a little saddened by the news. The old Guthrie, even though I live in New York, is still the best theater I've visited. Seeing a play there was a deeply intimate affair.

What I didn't expect was that the new Guthrie Theatre, relocated from next to the Walker Art Center in the south-eastern part of the city to the north near the Mississippi, is stunning. I would even make the claim that the Guthrie and the new Seattle Library are probably two of my favorite buildings of all time right now (vying closely with the Bradbury Building in L.A.). Most impressive is the insane phallic cantilever coming out the back. It is simply awesome. I'll admit the blue color gives it an Ikea look (there are even a few spoof photos out there), but it's a bold color and it really works with the building. How did this news escape my attention? The architect is Jean Nouvel who I had never heard of. I've since done some reading and seeing. Very interesting work. Worth a look.

The most disappointing part of my visit to the theatre though is I stumbled on it while making a visit to the Mill City Museum (highly recommended) and didn't have my camera. Arghhh! This building is a photographer's wet dream as you can tell from the shots I stole from Flickr below. Note to self - must visit parents again soon.