Alison Moffat
PDD Quiz Update
We plan to launch the next PDD Quiz, on Northland beers and breweries, on Oct. 15. Thank you for your patience!
PDD Quiz Postponed
Due to changes to Qzzr’s terms of service, this week’s PDD Quiz on Twin Ports beer and breweries is postponed. We will resume PDD Quizzes after exploring our options for a new quiz platform. Stay tuned!
PDD Quiz: August 2017
How closely were you paying attention to August headlines? Click on the quiz and test your memory!
Our next quiz, on beers and breweries of the Twin Ports, will be published on Sept. 10. Email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Sept. 7.
PDD Quiz: Sculptures of Canal Park
As the summer winds to a close, we begin to reclaim that popular tourist destination: Canal Park. How well do you know the sculptures in Canal Park and Lake Place Park? Test your art smarts in this quiz (and look for more public art quizzes in the future)!
The next PDD quiz, reviewing August news, will be published on Aug. 27. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Aug. 24.
PDD Quiz: July 2017
Another month of summer has flown by. Which headlines caught your attention? Play the quiz and test your knowledge of July news!
Our next quiz, on sculptures and statues in the Twin Ports, will be published on Aug. 13. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Aug. 10.
PDD Quiz: Breakfast Diners of the Twin Ports
Inspired by a now six-year-old PDD post, we’re serving up a heaping platter of breakfast diner trivia. How well do you know your Twin Ports breakfast diners? Can you identify them using only a photograph of the counter and a unique menu item? Dig in and find out!
Our next quiz, reviewing July happenings, will be published on July 30. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by July 27.
PDD Quiz: June 2017
Summer is here and another month has flown by. How many local headlines did you retain? Take the quiz and see what you remember!
Twin Ports diner breakfasts will be the topic of the next quiz on July 15. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by July 12.
PDD Quiz: Parks of Duluth
The summer weather is upon us and the outdoors are calling. Duluth is home to 133 parks and green spaces, according to the city of Duluth website. How many parks can you identify from photographs and brief descriptions? Fire up the quiz and find out!
Our next quiz, reviewing June happenings, will be posted on June 25. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by June 22.
PDD Quiz: May 2017
As May draws to a close, we inch closer to a Perfect Duluth Summer. Test your memory of this month’s events in the May 2017 PDD Quiz!
The next PDD Quiz, on Duluth parks, will be published on June 11. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by June 8.
PDD Quiz: Lake Superior Zoo
Test your knowledge of the Lake Superior Zoo, its history and its inhabitants in this month’s quiz. The next PDD Quiz, covering May 2017 headlines, will be published on May 28. Please send any question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by May 25.
PDD Quiz: April 2017
Another perfect Duluth April is in the books. Take the quiz to see how much you remember about this month’s happenings!
The next PDD Quiz, on zoo history, will be published on May 14. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by May 11.
PDD Quiz: Homegrown Band or Fairy Tale?
In honor of Homegrown Music Festival, which begins on April 30, this month’s quiz features a mix of Homegrown band names and fairy tales from around the world. Can you tell which is which? Take the quiz and see how well you know your field guide!
The next PDD Quiz will cover this month’s notable (and not-so-notable) news and will be published on April 30. E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by April 27.
PDD Quiz: March 2017
As Garrison Keillor observes, “March is the month God created to show people who don’t drink what a hangover is like.” Did you retain anything from the hangover that is March? Take the quiz and find out!
The next PDD Quiz will cover Homegrown band names and will be published on April 16: start scouring those field guides! E-mail question suggestions to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by April 13.
PDD Quiz: Duluth in Popular Culture
References to Duluth abound in popular culture; how many are you aware of? Take this quiz to find out! (Hint: you might have an edge if you’ve been paying attention to previous quizzes and the PDD blog.)
Our next PDD Quiz, reviewing the events of March 2017, will be published on March 26. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by March 23.
PDD Quiz: February 2017
Despite being the shortest month, February was full of stuff and things. How much do you remember? Take the PDD Quiz to find out!
Our next PDD Quiz, on the subject of Duluth in popular culture, will be published on March 12. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by March 9.
PDD Quiz: Robots in Duluth
Test your knowledge of local robotics teams (and other area robots) with this quiz, inspired by the upcoming FIRST Robotics regional competitions taking place Mar. 3-4 at the DECC.
Our next PDD Quiz, reviewing this month’s local happenings, will be published on Feb. 26. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by Feb. 22.
PDD Quiz: January 2017
How much do you remember about this first month of 2017? Take the quiz and find out!
Our next PDD Quiz, on the subject of robots and Duluth, will be published on Feb. 12. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by Feb. 8.
PDD Quiz: Ringing in 2017
Out with the old, in with the new; this quiz looks ahead to coming attractions in 2017.
Our next PDD Quiz, which will be published on Jan. 29, will review the notable things that happened in our area during this first month of 2017. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by Jan. 25.
PDD Quiz: 2016 in Review
We bid farewell to 2016 with a recap of regional happenings.
Our next PDD Quiz, which will cover coming attractions in 2017, will be coming your way on Jan. 15. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by Jan. 11.
“Don’t Feed the Plants”: Review of the Duluth Play Ground Production of Little Shop of Horrors
Originally, I hadn’t planned on reviewing Little Shop of Horrors, but I was so tickled by the preview show that I had to recommend it. The show works well with the venue: the intimacy of the Play Ground enhances the campy, B-movie qualities of the musical. Delightfully kitschy costumes, hair and make-up; excellent vocal performances; and palpable chemistry among the cast members make this a fun end-of-the-summer distraction. (more…)
“Wishes Come True, Not Free”: Review of Into the Woods
Sondheim’s Into the Woods, with its incorporation of fractured fairy tales, may seem like kid’s stuff at first glance. In reality, it’s anything but.
The first act weaves together a number of familiar fairy tales through a quest narrative that involves a Baker and his wife securing a number of objects (a cape as red as blood, a slipper as pure as gold, etc.) to undo a curse, courtesy of the witch next door, which has left them childless. (more…)
Review of The 39 Steps at the Duluth Playhouse
I won’t go into a lot of detail about the intricately convoluted plot of The 39 Steps, largely because the plot resists description, but also because part of the delight of this cinematic play is to see how it all unfolds. Needless to say, it involves the usual trappings you’d expect of Hitchcockian suspense and film noir: a femme fatale, foreign espionage, and false murder accusations. With a cast of four playing innumerable characters, The 39 Steps lovingly lampoons the genres of noir (and even, at times, screwball comedy), with many winking references to Hitchcock’s oeuvre. (more…)
Review of 13 at the Duluth Playhouse
This review is not targeted at the (justifiably) proud parents of the cast of 13, nor anyone else who has tickets to the show in hand. Rather, this review is targeted at those of you who, like me, peruse the schedule of Duluth’s many arts events and consider a Children’s Theatre productionas something to skip. Which would be a shame, because to miss this show is to miss one of the true delights of this year’s theatre season.
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“Heaven Nowadays”: Review of the Duluth Playhouse Production of Chicago
The gin may not be cold (or available), but the dancing is certainly hot in the Duluth Playhouse’s production of Chicago. Set in a Prohibition-era Windy City, Chicago is inhabited by irredeemable (yet likable) hucksters and hustlers, all dancing for their lives. The bondage-lite costumes and the spare, gritty set only rarely hint at the Jazz Age, but that’s just as well: the story at the heart of Chicago, about crime, corruption, sensational journalism, the cult of celebrity and all that jazz, feels contemporary and relatable. (more…)
Review of Duluth Playhouse’s Production of Picnic
The Duluth Playhouse kicked off 2011 with William Inge’s Picnic, a drama that reflects on beauty and its uses, restrictive gender roles, and identity. Though Inge’s play grapples with such profound philosophical themes, it does so with plenty of sultriness and a surprising amount of fun. Through its strong performances and an absorbing plot, Picnic transports the audience to the lazy, fleeting days of summer. (more…)