Five years after the release of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and a decade after the conclusion of the original Hunger Games trilogy, author Suzanne Collins has made her highly anticipated return to the nation of Panem in a prequel following the beloved character Haymitch Abernathy in his games. 

Released on March 18, “Sunrise on the Reaping” follows 16-year-old Haymitch in the 50th Hunger Games, a special anniversary for the Capitol. To honor this anniversary, twice the amount of district children are reaped for the games with a total of 48 children, ages ranging from 12 to 18. 

Haymitch is one of four taken from District 12, along with his 13-year-old neighbor Louella McCoy, local odds-maker Wyatt Callow and the meanest girl in town, Maysilee Donner.

I went into this book thinking I knew Haymitch’s story. I read the previous trilogy religiously as a child, and then reread it during the pandemic. I thought the beats of his story would be familiar — he gets reaped, he wins the games and he is punished for his insubordination. 

However, Haymitch’s narration revealed the true story of his games. Simply put, the rebellion had been quietly at work long before Katniss Everdeen was born, starting with Haymitch’s game. 

For casual or new readers, I imagine the references to the previous novels feel heavy-handed. Without going into spoilers, many characters present in the original trilogy take on new roles in the novel. But as a fan, I enjoyed seeing familiar faces and watching relationships develop. 

However, my only real criticism or precaution for curious readers is to avoid the Audible audiobook. 

To write this review, I chose to listen to the 12-hour-long narration by Jefferson White, which at certain points became increasingly clear that it is a 30-something-year-old actor trying to sound like a teenager. 

Haymitch’s inner monologue reflects his sarcastic and snarky personality. The voice of a significantly older narrator’s attempt to match this sardonic nature felt uncanny. By no means did White do a poor job of narrating, but personally, I would recommend reading over listening to this novel as I was hyper-aware of his voice. 

That being said, I loved this novel. 

Suzanne Collins is a renowned author for good reason. Her ability to capture a character’s thought process and inner dialogue cannot be overstated. Collins is able to shift from the perspective of an impoverished girl from the poorest district in the nation to the power-hungry future president at the beginning of his career, then to a fan-favorite character in his youth before he is traumatized with ease. 

Collins seamlessly moves between familiar characters, good and evil, while making readers think about their previous understanding of them through a new perspective. 

Throughout 400 pages, Haymitch’s story never felt unjustified. We see him progress into the character we met in the Hunger Games trilogy while learning more about the history of Panem. 

Returning to a beloved world for the prequel, years after its original publication, while remaining an engaging and new take is not always a success. But I have found that Colins only writes when she has something to say about our society. 

Themes of media propaganda and revisionist history were in front of my mind while listening. It seems every day a new book is banned or a history page is archived. I felt my anxiety at this reflected in the book, as it becomes increasingly clear that what we knew about the second quarter quell is far from the true events Haymitch experienced. 

I think this novel is as relevant today as “The Hunger Games” was when it was released, and I cannot help but wonder where Collins will go next.

A mystery unfolds in the snowy English countryside after a group of travelers become stranded at Monkswell Manor and a murder takes place. 

Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery play “The Mousetrap” took the stage at the Guthrie on March 15 and runs until the beginning of May. The play unfolds like a game of Clue as each bizarre character is introduced before a murder unfolds.

Christie’s “Three Blind Mice” was written in 1947 as a half-hour radio play for Queen Mary to commemorate her 80th birthday, according to Guthrie’s website. The stage play opened five years later on the West End. 

The cast consists of eight characters, each playing a vital role in the unfolding mystery. Newlyweds Mollie and Giles Ralston, played by Monette Magrath and Peter Christian Hansen, opened the ancient Monkswell Manor as a guesthouse, welcoming their first group of travelers. 

A young architecture student named Christopher Wren, played by Greg Cuellar, is the first to arrive and is quick to befriend Mollie. Mo Perry’s hyper-critical Mrs. Boyle follows, traveling with the warm Major Metcalf, played by Pearce Bunting. The three are then joined by Miss Casewell, a seemingly wealthy world traveler played by Emjoy Gavino. 

The couple and their guests are soon joined by the eccentric Mr. Paravicini, played by Matthew Saldívar, who claims his car spun out in the snowstorm. The seven take shelter as the radio informs them a ghastly murderer is on the loose and may be heading their way. At the same time, Detective Sergeant Trotter arrives on skis for their protection, played by Matthew Amendt. His suspicions are confirmed as a guest is found dead within the manor and each character becomes a suspect. 

Visitors are encouraged to solve the mystery alongside the characters with the hidden clues in each performance. The characters are richly performed by the cast, supported by the stunning set. 

Each item and set decoration adds to the vibrancy of the archaic manor as it fights to stay warm despite the frigid temperatures. The lighting of the set creates a warm atmosphere while also highlighting clues in a comical way for the audience. 

The highlight of the show, however, was the intermission. 

The moment the actors left the stage, the theater came alive as audience members began to theorize the hidden killer or missed clues. Each group suggested a different suspect, highlighting micro actions or off-handed lines. 

This sleuthing is encouraged in the playbill, as visitors can note clues and their suspicions until the final moment when the killer is revealed. 

I wish I could tell you more, but past audiences are considered accessories to the mystery and are sworn to secrecy.

After a seven-year hiatus, two streaming services and a creative overhaul, the characters of “Daredevil” are back in “Daredevil: Born Again,” this time on Disney+.  

In 2015, the first season of Marvel’s “Daredevil” aired on Netflix. The series was heralded for its gritty realism and complex characters like protagonist Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil, played by Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio who played the villain Willson Fisk, Kingpen.

University of Minnesota student Sam Boime said he watched the original season the summer of 2016 and fell in love with the character of Daredevil. 

“I was 12 when season one came out, and I feel like I grew up watching the show,” Boime said. “So having it back? I was super happy about it.” 

The show continued for two more seasons before its cancellation in 2018, due to Disney launching their own streaming service, Disney+. A petition was started soon after, receiving over 400,000 signatures to “#SaveDaredevil.”

After six years and a handful of character cameos in other Marvel projects, season 4 was announced to be in development with Murdock and Fisk returning in a world separate from the previous seasons. After fan pushback, other favorites like Murdock’s best friends Karen Page and Foggy Nelson were included after a complete creative overhaul. 

A second season of “Born Again” was confirmed soon after. 

“Originally, it was like every character besides Fisk and Matt weren’t going to be in the show, and they were going to be the only returning characters, and that was worrying because I feel like a lot of the supporting cast really helped make the show,” said University sophomore Cameron Lowe. 

Growing up, Lowe read the comic books before watching the show. 

“But I think all of the pieces that are new and from the new creative team really do work and get me excited for the second season,” Lowe said. 

The first two episodes of “Daredevil: Born Again” released on Tuesday, returning to New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen and its celebrated characters. It also welcomed mixed reactions from longtime fans. 

“To me, it’s just more of a mixed bag,” Lowe said. “It feels like the show is kind of being pulled in two different directions to me because there literally were two different directions because of the creative overhaul.”

Boime was thrilled with the new episodes and praised the familiar call backs to the previous seasons. 

The show takes place an unknown amount of time after Season 3 ended, following Murdock and those around him through the election of Fisk as New York City’s Mayor and the ensuing chaos of his rise to power. 

The remaining six episodes will be released weekly, each episode being about an hour long. 

While pulling inspiration from classic Daredevil comic runs, as well as the iconic visuals and one-shot fight sequences of the initial three seasons, “Born Again” is against seemingly impossible odds to live up to its prior seasons. 

Regardless, fans and casual viewers, like myself, are excited for what else is to come.

Local artist Rosie performed a solo show at the new Greenway Recording studio on Wednesday, playing new music acoustically for an intimate crowd. 

The 20-year-old indie-pop musician, Rosie Castano, began performing two years ago after spending most of the pandemic writing music. 

“I was in my house, and I had a lot of feelings and writing was my way of expressing that,” Rosie said. “That was the turning point. I was just writing a lot of music and singing every day.” 

Pulling from her musical inspirations RAYE, Remi Wolf and Dominic Fike, Rosie merges her sound influences with jazz and R&B for her live performances. However, she describes her recorded music as “nature pop.” 

“It’s like you’re outside in a field, and there’s pretty flowers, and it’s a nice summer evening, but everything is electric. That’s how I want my music to sound,” Rosie said. “Everything is glowing and electronic.”

Her first performance was at a friend’s house show in 2023 along with five other bands in a tiny basement. 

“We had like 100 people in this basement, and like, people were crammed on the stairs, and my friends drove from Duluth,” Rosie said. “It was a very important night.” 

That year, Rosie played a total of 39 shows, sometimes playing two shows a week, and described it as “crazy but so much fun.” Now, she plays with band members Kellan Ireland-Niemeyer, Gavin Taylor-Stark, Evan Espinoza Robles, and Matt “Freakwhensee” Greene.

Drummer Espinoza Robles first saw Rosie perform at the Green Room.

“Something about how she likes to create and her aesthetic, how she’s very authentic to her music. I was like, ‘Oh, she’s gonna make it big. I can tell,’” Espinoza Robles said.

Espinoza Robles said that playing with Rosie encouraged him to be more precise in his playing. 

“It’s really cool to have that kind of more supportive background role and serve the singer as the front person,” he said. 

Guitarist Ireland-Niemeyer praised his bandmates’ talent, saying their abilities make him want to play better. 

“When we perform, we tear it up,” he said.  

Looking to the future, Rosie hopes to add to her live performances and incorporate her pop-music roots. 

“I’d love to have backup singers,” Rosie said. “But also incorporating pop and dance music.”

In 1896, the first horror film was made by French magician, actor and director Georges Méliès. “Le Manoir du Diable,” or its English title, “The House of the Devil,” pioneered the horror genre with animated skeletons and ghosts. 

Over a century later, the genre has stretched to thousands of movies, but few have garnered critical acclaim — until this year’s 97th Academy Awards. 

Horror movie “The Substance” has been nominated for four awards including Best Actress and Best Picture, alongside other horror films such as Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” and Fede Álvarez’s “Alien Romulus.” 

“I think it’s one of those movies where you watch it, your jaw is on the floor,” said Tanner Deml, a member of the Minneapolis Film Society and avid horror fan. “The second you leave the theater, you’re already texting your friends.” 

Unpacking the topic of ageism and unattainable beauty standards in Hollywood, Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” plays with its themes in a horrific and gory manner. 

“Compared to other horror movies, I think ‘The Substance’ does something very different,” said University of Minnesota student Lila Swedzinski. “The direction style is so different. Even if it’s not a gory scene, it still can be striking and disturbing.” 

Swedzinski watched the film after hearing about its critical acclaim and discussing it with classmates. However, she has been a fan of horror for years, citing Jordan Peele’s 2017  “Get Out” as one of her favorites. 

“It was ‘Get Out’ that really got me into it because it was horror with actually good acting and a really interesting plot,” Swedzinski said. 

Deml attributes a shift in critical acclaim of the genre to the success of “Get Out,” which received the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. 

“It won an Oscar through the script,” Deml said. “And I think that really opened people’s eyes to take horror seriously.” 

Prior to this win, only five horror films received nominations at their respective Oscars — “The Exorcist” in 1973, which was the first horror film nominated for Best Picture, followed by “Jaws” two years later. 

The first and only horror movie to win the award for Best Picture was “The Silence of the Lambs” in 1991. It was not until eight years later that “The Sixth Sense” would be nominated, followed by “Black Swan,” both of which failed to win the award. 

Eight years later, “The Substance” has swept the 2025 award season. Lead actress Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe for her performance, a much-deserved win according to University student Lynniah Weddington. 

“I feel like she was the perfect person because, if anything, she has personal experience with this,” Weddington said. “I really enjoyed it. I feel like it was something fresh.” 

The 2025 Oscars have passed, but those within the horror film community feel hopeful about the future of the genre. 

Deml said his generation is making the type of horror films they craved when they were younger. 

“They have this deep love for the genre, and now they’re actually creating them,” Deml said. “It’s not just about making money, it’s about telling a great story and creating an amazing film that will scare people.”

Local band SoulFlower made their headlining debut at Icehouse two months after their last performance at the venue. 

Lead singer Inayah El-Amin, drummer Ezekiel Cowan, and guitarists Victor Wedden and Matt Greene danced in the crowd with family and friends to openers ChocVillah, LASALLE and GR3G played before taking the stage themselves. 

“It’s funny, people keep telling me and the boys they’re excited for the set and I don’t know, maybe because we haven’t headlined a show and been who people come to see,” El-Amin said. 

Eva Nisswandt was one of those people. The 27-year-old came from Eden Prairie to support SoulFlower. 

“I live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of queer people or people of color,” Nisswandt said. “I’ve just been looking for excuses to get out into the city and be around people that are a little more my vibe. And I just recently started listening to SoulFlower and I really love them.” 

Nisswandt said shows like this are reminders that every kind of person exists, and variety makes life more interesting and fun. 

Opener William Strum, also known as ChocVillah, said shows like this are everything to him. 

“I’m always grateful to get out, whether it’s a Monday night or a Sunday late-night where some people can’t make it,” Strum said. “I’m always happy to play music.”

Warming up the crowd with live mixed house songs, Strum encouraged everyone able to dance to take to the floor. One dancer was Zhané Jackson, a professional dance instructor and artist in the Twin Cities. 

As a curator for the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s “City Hour” project, Jackson was drawn to the band through El-Amin’s lyricism. After watching their musical journey from afar, Jackson chose to see them in concert for the first time.  

“SoulFlower was one of those artists that I had chosen, because I feel like (El-Amin) has so much dynamic, and she was extremely ethereal and just really sweet and has really progressed in her artistry,” Jackson said.

Performances highlighting local artists are important to Jackson. She said they’re necessary for connection and to be able to gather in spaces together without it being extremely high pressure.

“We’re open to whatever comes next and aligns,” El-Amin said.

A line wrapped around the foyer of the Minneapolis Convention Center this weekend as visitors gathered for the traveling Totally Rad Vintage Fest. 

The two-day event brought together local and traveling vintage sellers in one of their event halls. After weaving through winding skyway tunnels, a dance competition and a golfing exhibit, visitors could walk the packed vendor stalls on Saturday. 

Janine Munson and her husband Paul had a table for their shop, the Gypsy Wagon, with an assortment of watches, jewelry and trinkets. The couple opened the shop and named it after discovering Paul’s ancestry dated back to a Russian Romani tribe. 

“It’s a nice place to come,” Munson said. “The clientele is great, the vendors are so awesome and helpful. We enjoy coming here.” 

Siblings Manny and Isabel Monegro, 18 and 22 respectively, said they were excited for the variety of styles available. 

“I really wanted to connect with the fashion community and see all the vendors and different shops and stories,” Manny said. 

The online shop Blue Tuesday Thrift had a physical booth where owner Andrea Diens sold her curated collection. 

“I source vintage blank sweatshirts, and I embroider mental health quotes on them because I’m a therapist as my day job, and I do this for fun,” Diens said. “So it’s the combination of the two loves of my life.” 

Diens’ friend, Acacia Flowers visited the fest to show her support and find new pieces for the closet. 

“I love coming here just to see all the personalities that come through with this stuff that we all find and collect,” Flowers said. 

Those outside the Twin Cities also visited and participated in the fest, like vendor Brooke Harris. Her and her husband’s shop, ROADKILLERS Consignment and Upcycling, operates out of their van, going from city to city selling their vintage pieces. 

This year, the pair has been participating in each pop-up location as it travels. 

“I’m from Ohio, but we live out of our truck and travel and do events,” Harris said. “What drew us to Totally Rad itself is that they care a lot about their vendors.”

In celebration of the season of love, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) provided valentines to visitors to place under their favorite pieces. 

For the past decade, MIA has handed out heart-shaped notes at its entrance during the week of Valentine’s Day for the “Institute of Hearts.” The event was created for visitors to show their appreciation for the art throughout the museum. 

“The idea came from finding a new way for visitors to connect with the art,” Evan Gruenes, the event orchestrator, said. “I think a lot of people have favorites in the galleries, but there isn’t always a way to share that love visually.” 

This year, special hearts were made to highlight staff favorites. 

Walking through the galleries, piles of hearts are scattered under the museum’s most popular pieces. Last year, Raffaelo Monti’s “Veiled Lady” and “Yamantaka Mandala” by the Monks of the Gyuto Tantric University were among the most beloved pieces. 

MIA security guard Mary Scott placed her heart under “Ganymede and the Eagle” by Bertel Thorvaldsen. The marble statue depicts the Greek myth of Ganymede, who served as a cupbearer for the pantheon of gods. 

“That’s always been a personal favorite, the marble is so stunning,” Scott said. “There’s a lot of different Jupiter pieces here, and that’s the biggest one, so I just feel very drawn to it.” 

Throughout the week, MIA hosted a dinner event to celebrate the Institute of Hearts and a themed tour called the Lonely Hearts Club. 

“It’s MIA’s most tragic love story, as a fun spin because not everyone is into the lovey-dovey Valentine stuff,” Gruenes said. “It’s nice to have a little bit of something for everyone.” 

Another staff favorite was the abstract mixed-media sculpture “Soundsuit” by Nick Cave, picked by Meg Ubel. For nine years, Ubel has volunteered at the MIA leading guided tours for visitors and students, and she has seen many pieces come and go. 

Gunnar Gronski, another security guard, said his favorite piece was Richard Parkes Bonington’s oil painting “Rouen Cathedral, Sunrise.” 

Gronski said he was drawn to the soft but intentional brush strokes. 

“It’s not a super detailed painting, but there’s a lot of work and expression,” Gronski said. “You just get a lot of information about the time of day and the exact moment that the sun is casting the light.”

The event invites visitors to spend time with each art piece and celebrate their fascination publicly. 

“I could stand there for a whole lot of time,” Gronski said.

The train to the Underworld has stopped at the Orpheum Theatre for the first of eight performances of “Hadestown” on Tuesday. 

The Tony Award-winning musical opened at the Orpheum, starting its national tour. Originally written in early 2006 by Anaïs Mitchell, the show gained popularity during its workshops six years later for its unique composition and storytelling before premiering on Broadway in 2019. 

Full of horns and biting violin, the sound of “Hadestown” takes inspiration from the traditional jazz of New Orleans. Riffs fill the room, transforming the theater into a New Orleans bar scene from the 1920s, according to the Broadway Teaching Group.  

The musical retells the stories of Eurydice and Orpheus against this backdrop, as the in-love mortals try to survive encroaching poverty. The two must travel through a fading mortal plane into the industrial and hungry Greek underworld, run by an embittered King Hades and his despondent wife Persephone. 

For those who did not go through a Greek mythology phase in elementary school, the story of Eurydice and Orpheus is a doomed love story. 

A highlight of the musical is its personality. Every character is uniquely inhabited, lively and spirited despite the increasingly dark circumstances. 

There were many highlights of the show, one being the incredibly enthusiastic gaggle of high school theater kids clapping, singing and sobbing their love for the performance for the last 20 minutes of the performance.

Honestly, I get it. 

From the individual performances to the on-stage live band that stole the show and Hermes’ crip walking immediately after his introduction, the musical is something to be experienced live. 

The live performance captures what a cast recording cannot. 

Each character is introduced at the start of the play by the messenger god Hermes, played by Jaylon C. Crump. The audience is made aware these characters have played out this story before and will continue on the railroad line to the same ending every time. 

The cast is made up of five key players. Hermes acts as the audience’s guide through the story. Persephone and Hades’, played by Namisa Mdlalose Bizana and Nickolaus Colón, love faded after centuries together. And the lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, played by Megan Colton and Bryan Munar.

There are many interpretations of the ending of Orpheus and Eurydice’s love story. Sometimes Orpheus turns around early in his excitement, in others he instinctively turns to help Eurydice after she trips. 

And sometimes he turns around when doubt comes in. 

Ultimately, we know how the story ends. We know he will turn around no matter what and for whatever reason. But they continue to tell the story, despite its ending.

On Monday night, three local bands played for a crowd of friends, family and a few regulars at PILLAR Forum Cafe & Bar. 

Playing a mixture of folk and atmospheric indie rock, the Twin Cities-based bands Sine Iris, Bad Diver and Alpine Shepherd Boy performed in the small blacked-out venue to the soft clink of dishware of the closing-up coffee shop. 

University of Minnesota student Daniel Walsh, or “Sine Iris,” opened the intimate concert with a solo performance. Blue painter’s tape affixed all of PILLAR’s clean spoons to his on-the-ground keyboard in a make-shift pedal system, allowing him to play guitar, harmonica and keyboard throughout the songs. 

“That show was only my second solo show that I’ve done, and I’ve never played the keyboard before,” Walsh said. “Most of that show was very new, and it was satisfying because I was able to be in complete control over the keyboard, the expression pedal, the drum machine and all those different elements.” 

When writing music, Walsh draws inspiration from his childhood of folk music and his experience of teaching himself how to play. His older brother, Neil, often plays guitar when Walsh is working on a song. 

“I mean a lot of the stuff from yesterday’s show, like the expression pedal, I was basically borrowing his gear for that,” Walsh said. “He’s kind of a guitar wizard.” 

Following Walsh was a performance from local band Bad Diver, who advertised their performance by handing out coloring sheets and crayons with a design made by their guitar player Thomas Hallzoh at Como Tap. 

The band, made up of Hallzoh, bass player Ethan Gallant and drummer Eric Fons, brought a moody but comedic taste of rock to the venue, introducing portions of their set with, “Hit ‘em with that Batman shit.”

At the end of the night, the trio Alpine Shepherd Boy took the stage. 

Having played with both bands previously, Alpine Shepherd Boy modified their sound to fit with the night’s performance. 

“We made the decision to try and go more jazzy and a little softer to fit the vibe better,” drummer John Bruch said. 

After only playing together for eight months, the band released an eight-track demo and played a handful of local shows. 

Guitarist Thomas Schroeder and bassist Ogden Miller met the summer before high school and played in multiple bands together before going separate ways for college. Schroeder created the band with Bruch, playing as a duo before Miller joined in June 2024. 

“I plugged my guitar into a bass amp to compensate for the fact we didn’t have one,” Schroeder said. “We played one show in our friend’s garage with just the two of us and it was great. But it motivates us to keep going. So when (Miller) got back, it was like the ball was rolling a little bit.” 

In the future, the trio is looking forward to developing their demos into a full album to bolster their setlists.