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Continuing their programming of plays in the black box theater at Bloomington Center for the Arts this season, Artistry is bringing us the never more relevant play What the Constitution Means to Me. Until it becomes more relevant tomorrow, or next week, or whenever another one of our rights is stripped away by the current administration. Although it premiered nine years ago, this play feels like it was written specifically for this moment in our country, with the recent Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act, discussions of overturning birthright citizenship (guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, which features heavily in this play), and the gross violations of due process (also the 14th Amendment) in Minnesota earlier this year, just to name a few. It also feels a great time to really examine our founding document as America is about to celebrate its 250th birthday. This is such a brilliantly written play, in the way that it discusses the very foundation upon which our nation is built, but not in a dry textbook kind of way (although there are lots of facts and dates), but in the most personal way that makes me see just how much the constitution shapes our daily lives, and the unfair way it treats many American citizens.* It's also funny and relatable, chock full of pop culture references (especially for us Gen Xers), and thoroughly engaging for the 95-minute or so runtime. I highly recommend that you check out this smart and relevant new(ish) play that's not been done much since the original Broadway production and tour (continuing through June 7).

Stephanie Cousins as Heidi (photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography)Written by Heidi Schreck, who also played the role of herself on Broadway, What the Constitution Means to Me is part civics lesson and part very personal story, as it very seriously (and humorously) explores the issues of domestic violence, abortion rights, and generational trauma. It is simultaneously depressing and hopeful about the state of our nation. Which is pretty on track for the world right now [even moreso than when I first wrote these words in 2021]. The fun thing about it is that it doesn't pretend it's not a play; there are several fourth-wall breaking moments throughout the show. It's like a great solo Fringe show, in which the playwright/actor tells the story of her life in a funny, emotional, and relatable way. When Heidi was 15, she toured the country competing in debates about the constitution, which paid her way through college. She starts off being her 15-year old self, on a stage that looks very much like a small town American Legion hall in the '80s. She gives the speech as near as she can remember, full of all the teenage excitement and angst. But as things get tough, she drops the artifice and continues as her current self. Heidi's family tree includes violence and mental illness, and she skillfully connects those issues to the constitution and its amendments in clear and precise ways. Our constitution was not set up to protect women or people of color, in fact it barely considered them, and amendments have only come so far in remedying that.*

Mackynzie Ganbaatar and Stephanie Cousins debate
(photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography)Amanda White directs this piece that is essentially one long scene, much of it just one person talking, and makes it feel dynamic and vital. Although it's not, at times this feels like a one-person show, and Stephanie Cousins really owns it from the moment she walks into the room and introduces herself as Heidi. She's so natural and vulnerable, it feels like she really lived Heidi's life, or at least feels it deeply, which makes the audience feel it deeply too. She's joined on stage by a legionnaire, played by Dan Hopman, who's amusingly strict as he reads us the rules, but later gives Stephanie a break with a moving monologue. At the end of the show, Stephanie drops the character and tells us her name and a bit about herself, and introduces the legionnaire as Danny, so it's difficult to know where the characters end and the actors begin. The final scene is a debate with a local student, Mackynzie Ganbaatar, playing herself (or a version of herself), and along with the whole play, it feels so organic and extemporaneous (to borrow a great word from the show). But of course it must be scripted, or mostly in any case. It's a testament to the director and the actors that it feels so real and immediate.

Stephanie Cousins and Dan Hopman
(photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography)The set is dominated by a huge wall showcasing photos of legionnaires, mostly if not all white men (i.e., the people who wrote the constitution and still are largely in control of its applications). The dark wood of the floor and wall, podium with microphone (occasionally utilized for comic or dramatic effect), and flags in the corner really set the scene. The simple costume design references Heidi's yellow blazer in the original production, with an authentic-looking legionnaire's uniform and plaid school girl dress for the other characters. We occasionally hear recordings of actual Supreme Court proceedings (and the late, great RBG), which adds a level of reality and gravity to the play. (Scenic design by Eli Sherlock, props design by Katie Phillips, lighting design by Shannon Elliot, sound design by Nick Mrozek, costume design by Meghan Kent.)

This is definitely not the escapist kind of theater, that helps you forget all the pain and darkness in the world for a little while. Rather, it's the kind of theater that holds up a mirror to the darkness in the world, and doesn't offer a solution, but starts a conversation and inspires us to hopefully work for change. The constitution is supposed to protect us, and it's up to all of us to make sure that it protects everyone, not just those in charge. A great companion piece to this play (that I'm seeing later this week) is Lee Blessing's play Courting Harry, currently being remounted at History Theatre. It's about Minnesota-raised Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote the majority opinion for Roe v. Wade, and is referenced in this play. Two relevant constitutional plays in #TCTheater at the same time?! What better time than now.

*Some text borrowed from my reviews of previous productions.

Worm Teeth is a sweet and silly little play written by Scotland-based playwright Kelsey Sullivan, but it feels very much like a Melancholics Anonymous show. Meaning a little weird, a little dark, but with a lot of heart and a deeper message about finding oneself and loving who you find. The play itself is only about an hour long (and very Fringey), but it's preceded by a half hour or so of music by "The Buggy Band," joined by a guest musician at every performance. It's a great evening of music and laughter, continuing at Phoenix Theater through June 24.
Everything about the show is on the theme of nature, of a cartoonish variety. The set is comprised of 2D greenery and giant mushrooms (since we're on a worm scale), the pre-show entertainment includes a game of "hang-ant," and the band members wear hats with buggy eyes and antennas. Bee Davis (music director), Claire Chenoweth, Hawken Paul, and Mason Tacke lead us through a couple of old timey / bluegrass / Americana classics like "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" and "Inchworm" (natch). On the night I attended, they were then joined by local bluegrass musician Helen Forsythe, playing banjo and accordion, and singing a few of her songs. I'd not heard of her before, but she's great, and this is totally my kind of music. She encouraged the band to join in, even if they didn't previously know the song, and even allowed for solos. It reminded me of sitting around the campfire at Storyhill Fest, listing to the musicians jam together, which I dearly miss.
Once the play begins, we're introduced to Worm (played by the delightful Laura Marie, who was "a true find as Olaf" in Frozen at Children's Theatre Company). The entire plot revolves around her desire for teeth; she's happy with her smooshy gloopy worm body, but she'd love to have some hard teeth to bite and chew and smash. The play involves her quest to find the teeth, encountering Frog (Alex Cavegn), Fox (Will Schroeder), a Dentist (Josh Wilczyk), and even the Tooth Fairy (Kate Cosgrove) along the way. But when she finally gets them, she learns what Glinda knows, that "getting your dreams, as strange as it seems, is a little, well, complicated." She has a bit of an existential crisis, but with the help of the audience (there is some voluntary audience participation throughout the show), she remembers that she loves "me."
Rachel Ropella and Samantha Miller co-direct the piece with much playfulness, and the cast fully leans into the silliness and heart of the show. They match the cartoonish set in different character-specific monochromatic outfits, including Worm's adorable pink striped overalls. Props include a log, a giant snake head, dentist equipment, a tooth fairy puppet, and of course, giant teeth. I'm not sure if we'd call this a musical, or a play with music, but there area couple of cute songs sung by the cast and accompanied by the Buggy Band, who provide a soundscape throughout on multiple instruments (costume design by Anneliese Garner, scenic and puppet design by Mady Smith, lighting design by Timothy Kelly).
Check out a video preview here, and then head to the Phoenix for this sweet, fun, silly show and some great live music (allow plenty of time because there is construction surrounding the Pheonix, including on 26th which eliminates most of the parking there).

As part of Park Square Theatre's 50th Anniversary season, they're bringing us the quintessential musical about musicals, A Chorus Line, which is also celebrating its 50th Anniversary. I had the privilege and the pleasure of attending a rehearsal with my fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers less than one week before opening night, where Park Square's Artistic Director (and director of this piece) Stephen DiMenna told us that he chose this show not just for the serendipity of 50 years, but also to fit in the "behind the scenes" theme of the season, and because he has a personal connection to the show. As he notes in the program, the original production was the first Broadway show he saw, and Robert LuPone (original cast member, and Patti's brother, who passed away a few years ago), was a friend and mentor; he dedicates this show to him. To help recreate this iconic piece of music-theater-dance history on the Park Square stage, he enlisted Eddie Gutiérrez from the Michael Bennett Estate to serve as associate director and choreographer. What you will see in downtown St. Paul in 2026 is very similar to what audiences saw on Broadway in 1976, in terms of choreography, music, direction, and even lighting and costume design. That is not to say this is a cookie cutter reproduction; a lot of very talented (and mostly local) artists are bringing their own talents to the piece and making it sing in a way that makes this a unique production, or as one might say, a singular sensation. It's an outstanding show that is funny, moving, relatable (even to non-dancers), and danced with precision and heart (playing Wednesdays through Sundays until June 14).
A Chorus Line is based on stories of actual chorus line dancers in the '70s, and is brilliantly constructed (it's one of only ten musicals to win a Pulitzer Prize). Creator, director, and choreographer Michael Bennett, himself a former chorus boy, taped conversations with dancers that were used to shape the story. Atypical for a Broadway musical, it doesn't really have a big overarching plot or the usual love story. Taking place in one day at an audition, it's instead a character study of these 17 people all fighting for eight jobs on the chorus line of a Broadway show. We learn something about each one of them - their past, how they got to where they are, and where they want to go. The book (by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante) and score (by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban) are also atypical; it doesn't follow the usual structure of 3-5 minute song followed by dialogue followed by another song. Rather the music and dialogue are organically interwoven, some songs just a line or two, some, like the "Hello Twelve" montage, last more than 15 minutes. There are funny moments (the troubles of adolescence) and heartbreaking moments (a young gay man inadvertently coming out to his parents). Perhaps the biggest character arc is Cassie, a former chorus girl and former lover of director Zach who's returning to the chorus line after trying to make it in Hollywood. But every character feels important and specific.*
Zach (Tyler Michaels King) leads "the kids"
(photo by Dan Norman)This huge and mostly local cast is just perfection. Notably, nine of the 28 (including the two swings, both of whom went on opening night due to illness amongst the cast) also performed in Lyric Arts' fabulous 2023 production, most of them in the same role, which just shows how perfect they are (and what great work Lyric did finding their cast). Many of the others have performed locally with Collide Theatrical Dance Company or Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (the talent pool in this town runs deep). Highlights in the cast are truly too many to mention, each one of them is so great and specific in their character choices, even the intentionally not as strong dancers who are cut in the first round near the beginning of the show (shout out to Cody C. Carlson who performs the wrong movements with such confidence and glee). Leading the proceedings is Tyler Michaels King as the director Zach, crisply performing the audition routine as an example, and then spending most of the show out of sight, just a voice coming from the back of the theater as he leads the auditions, yet creating a full character who feels like he's there even when he's not. Noah Coon beautifully dances the role of Zach's assistant Larry, who leads the dancers through their moves. 
on the line (photo by Dan Norman)Amongst the 17 dancers left to dance for the job, each has a moment or two to shine at center stage. To name just a few: Steven Rada with the most moving monologue of the show as Paul, just standing alone center stage and making us all cry; Camryn Buelow with just the perfect sardonic attitude as Sheila; Dayle Theisen hilariously and adorably performing "Dance 10, Looks 3" (Sandra Dee's all grown up!); Chris Owusu with unbelievable energy in "Gimme the Ball;" Marley Ritchie as Diana (reprising her role from Lyric's production) leading the signature song "What I Did for Love" with much emotion; and understudy Anna Novak, who stepped into the dance shoes of Cassie on opening night and danced her heart out. But really everyone is spectacular and if there's a flaw in this show, it's that there's so much happening on stage it's impossible to watch everything at once (and may require repeated viewing). And that there's no curtain call during which to leap to your feet and heap praise upon these triple threats, or rather, the iconic final number (brilliantly rendered here) is one long curtain call, the lights fading to black during the final kickline.
the chorus line (photo by Dan Norman)Another downside to the show is that you can't see the terrific twelve-piece band, but there's simply no room. Music director Wesley Frye leads them on keys somewhere backstage, and they sound awesome on this big brassy '70s era score. Choreographer Eddie Gutiérrez does an amazing job recreating the original choreography, perhaps slightly tweaked to fit the space and the cast. We also got to chat with him at the rehearsal last week about his history with and love for the show (he played Paul in the 50th Anniversary celebration last year). Watching him work with the dancers was revelatory; the precision and specificity in the dance moves, down to the turn of the foot, or lean of the shoulder, or placement of the elbows, is unbelievable. The placement of the dancers on stage, from standing in the iconic line, to various vignettes throughout the piece, is just perfection. And this care and attention to detail is what has kept Michael Bennett's choreography alive for 50 years. It's truly a privilege to experience this historic piece of theater that's still so vital and vibrant. 
The set design is necessarily and appropriately sparse; the play takes place on a theater stage, and that's where we are, no embellishment required. Other than a row of mirrors at the back of the stage sometimes covered by black curtains. The lighting design creates dramatic moments, highlights certain performers, and provides for quiet emotional moments. The '70s-tastic costumes strongly hint at the original design, tailored for this gorgeous cast, with lots of leotards and bellbottoms, and of course the iconic gold suits and top hats. (Scenic design by Benjamin Olsen, lighting design by Karin Olson, sound design by Sean Healy, costume design by Mathew LeFebvre.)
Very few of us can relate to the life of a Broadway dancer, but everyone has something that they love, that they spill blood, sweat, and tears for, that even if/when the day comes you can no longer do it, you won't forget, can't regret, the time you put into it. Whether that's running, or writing about theater, or caring for your family, or a career in your chosen profession. That's what makes this show resonate so strongly. It's not just an inside look at the world of musical theater; its themes of adolescence, acceptance, figuring out who you are and what you want to be, and dedicating your life to something that you love, are universal, told with raw honesty and unabashed sincerity.* So much thoughtfulness  and heart went into creating this uniquely wonderful version of this musical theater classic (I witnessed it firsthand behind the scenes), and it shows in every golden moment.


*Some text borrowed from my reviews of the previous productions.

Frank Loesser's most popular and frequently produced musical Guys and Dolls is currently playing at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in a big, splashy, "fantastically fun" production, full of jaw-dropping dance numbers and catchy familiar songs. But for the next few weeks you also have a rare chance to see his lesser-known musical The Most Happy Fella receive the opposite treatment - meaning quiet and intimate and exquisitely lovely. As much as I love a big splashy musical, I have a special place in my heart for a Ten Thousand Things production of a musical, which like all of their worked is stripped down to reveal the truth and heart of the piece, but for musicals also features stripped down music that's unamplified in an intimate space, and gorgeously pure. This is my third experience with The Most Happy Fella, and my favorite to date. This version really touched me; it's such a sweet and hopeful story about love, friendship, community, and finding happiness in life, even if it looks different from what you expected. It's also incredibly timely and relevant in its centering of stories about "women, elders, immigrants, and the working class" (as noted by TTT Artistic Director Caitlin Lowans). But the word is already out - many performances have already sold out and others are close to it, so get your tickets now to experience this lovely classic musical the way that only TTT can do it! (Continuing at Open Book this weekend, Hennepin United Methodist Church next weekend, with best availability at the Capri Theater and 825 Arts the following weekends, through June 7).
the townspeople (Julia Diaz and Maje Adams) welcome Rosabella
(Suzie Juul), with Joe (Sasha Andreev, photo courtesy of TTT)Nominated for multiple Tony Awards in 1957 (but losing out big time to My Fair Lady, tough competition), The Most Happy Fella was based on a play from the 1920s called They Knew What They Wanted, about an Italian immigrant winemaker in California's Napa Valley who leaves a note and a piece of jewelry for his waitress in the big city of "Frisco." A bit advanced in age, Tony decides it's finally time for him to marry and start a family, and even though he doesn't know her, he proposes to the waitress, whom he calls Rosabella because he's too afraid to ask her name. This being the 1920s, a sweet written courtship ensues, and Rosabella (not her real name) decides to leave her job, her home, and everything she knows to make a new life with this man in the country. When she arrives to discover that Tony is "an old man" and sent her a picture of his young foreman Joe, she marries him anyway, because she's a woman with no job, no home, and no other options. She soon learns to love this kind and good man, but their new marriage is not without obstacles due to the aforementioned Joe, and Tony's jealous sister. This only makes the ending that much sweeter, an ending of love and acceptance and opening one's heart, despite the risk that entails.

Caitlin Lowans directs just their second show since taking the lead at TTT, and their first musical, and once again displays a playfulness and and understanding of the heart of the piece. With movement by Kyle Weiler, the story flows from the big city to the country, from poignant heart-breaking scene to riotous party scene, with characters and intentions that are clear. The brilliant seven-person cast of #TCTheater favorites features many making their TTT debuts, although you wouldn't know it by their comfort and ease performing in TTT's unique in-the-round all-the-lights-on up-close-and-personal style. 

celebrating the wedding (Sasha Andreev, Phinehas Bynum,
Maje Adams, and Norah Long, photo courtesy of TTT)Pedro R. Bayón is so lovely as the titular happy fella, although the character is more complex than the title implies, and Pedro plays all of the layers of fear, uncertainty, longing, and love. Suzie Juul (who BTW was "underused" in the ensemble of Second Fiddle Productions' one-night-only reading of this musical in 2015, my first experience with it) is as radiant as always as Rosabella, with a gorgeous soprano and a clear understanding of the character's complicated loves and motivations. Sasha Andreev is charming and a little dangerous as Joe, an advocate for workers' rights who delivers perhaps the most eerily relevant line of the play, about how the only freedom we have now is the freedom to choose which right to go to jail for standing up for. Norah Long makes the most of the thankless role of Tony's sister Maria, who tells him "no one will ever love you like I do;" Julia Diaz is a delight as Rosabella's waitress friend Cleo whom Tony sends for to keep her company (among other characters); Phinehas Bynam reprises his role from Skylark Opera Theatre's 2019 production as the farm hand Herman who truly lives up to the title; and Maje Adams impresses in a number of roles.

Even though this was my third time seeing The Most Happy Fella, I was mostly unfamiliar with this beautiful and operatic score. Since many of the characters are Italian, some of the songs and dialogue are in Italian, which makes it feel more melodic and mysterious. But there are also some fun country-western style songs, as well as the by far most well-known song from the show, that has become a pop standard, "Standing on the Corner." In this version, it's sung by both the guys and the girls, watching all the girls and the guys go by, making it much more charming and less creepy. Everyone in this cast has a beautiful voice, and hearing them ring out solo and blend in perfect harmony in this intimate unamplified space is a rare treat. Isbella Dawis music directs and plays keys, the band amplified by ensemble members picking up an instrument or two, particularly Maje on sax and guitar, Phinehas on accordion and melodica, and Norah on fiddle.

Sets and costumes are typically sparse in TTT productions, to make it easier to travel to prisons, shelters, community centers, rural locations, etc., bringing theater to people who don't usually have access to it. By that standard the design feels fairly elaborate, with some large set pieces including a wagon, several crates, tall signs, and a couple sawhorses with a long board. Many of the cast members have multiple costume changes, including several pretty summer dresses in jewel tones for Rosabella and Cleo, and both working wear and suit jackets for the men. (Costume design by Sonya Berlovitz, scenic design by Eli Sherlock.)

Ten Thousand Things musicals have a special kind of magic, the stripped-down style making it feel more organic as dialogue seamlessly blends into song and back into dialogue again. And hearing these talented musicians and singers in this intimate setting is like nothing else. The Most Happy Fella is a great choice for TTT, and this production makes me appreciate this rarely done classic even more.

One of the most popular longtime Minnesota Fringe shows is playing at Theatre in the Round this season (and just announced - next season too). The Bearded Company's improv show Swords & Sorcery is always a fun time, even if you're not into D&D. In fact, everything I know about the game known as Dungeons and Dragons (which I still don't understand) I've learned from Bearded Co over the last nine years. This "campaign" (as they call it) runs in rep with The Hobbit this weekend only, with four shows of a continuing story that began last night. You definitely don't need to see all of the shows, or have any familiarity with this group or even D&D, to enjoy an episode of Swords & Sorcery, but you can also go back multiple times to continue the fun, and see a completely new story created before your eyes. And there are two opportunities to see both The Hobbit and Swords & Sorcery on the same day - Friday night back-to-back, and Sunday with a dinner break at one of the many nearby restaurants in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. So if you're visiting Middle Earth this weekend, stick around for more fantasy fun. And if you don't have tickets for the virtually sold-out The Hobbit, it's definitely worth going to TRP to enjoy a little improv (click here for info and tickets).
As per usual, Allen Voigt serves as the game master, setting up the scenes, introducing characters, describing the action, and rolling the dice to determine the strength (or weakness) of characters' actions. The main characters (or whatever the D&D lingo is) are played by Anna Tobin, the evil but still heroic Shasta, and MJ Matheson, the half-elf Phalen (a character he also played in their podcast Break the Dice, which is basically an audio version of this show). All of the other characters, and creatures, are played by improvisors Maria Bartholdi (co-creator of Endometriosis: The Musical, produced by TRP last season), Richie McLarn, Joe Rapp, and Lucas Vonasek. The fully improvised continuous 60-minute story is one of magical objects, noble quests, heroes and villains, and alligators (crocodiles?).
I unfortunately don't have time to see a lot of improv, but The Bearded Company is definitely one of my favorite improv troupes, and one that I see every chance I get. While adding some new improvisors along the way, the core of this group has performed together for many years, and they're so comfortable with each other and play so well together, it's sometimes hard to believe the story is all made up on the spot. They're very funny (and sometimes crack each other up), and also manage to create a cohesive and compelling story. The rolling of the dice adds another element of the unexpected, on top of the improvisation, adding a bit of chance that guides the performers towards success or failure of their character's mission. It's a clever concept for an improv show, expertly executed by this troupe.

It was just a year ago that Theatre Pro Rata introduced us to something called simultaneous theater, meaning they did two different plays, at the same time, in the same building, with the same cast! While Chekov's Three Sisters was playing out on the main stage at the Crane, the minor characters not on stage in that play were doing their own play out in the lobby. It was a brilliant creative and logistical feat, and something I've never seen before. This year they're returning to that concept, except that it's just one play, but with scenes happening simultaneously in different locations. The site-specific production of Fefu and Her Friends takes place in the gorgeous historic Searle Mansion near Lake of the Isles. We begin and end the play in the sitting room, and in between the audience is split into four groups and led to four different rooms in the house, where scenes play out simultaneously with different characters. It's a fascinating character study of a group of women in 1935, brought to such vivid life by this fantastic cast and setting that it feels like we're eavesdropping on these very realistic and unique women. I highly recommend spending a little time with Fefu and Her Friends, who will be in residence at the Searle Mansion through May 28. Since it's also an event space, performances are weeknights only. They also rent out a couple of bedrooms via Airbnb, so maybe you could even stay overnight at Fefu's house after the show - what fun!
Fefu and Her Friends was written to be performed in this style, known as a "promenade production." I've been to a few such shows in my theater-going career (most memorably Mixed Blood's production of Safe at Home at CHS Field), but it's extremely rare, and very cool. As are site-specific productions, which take away the need to imagine we're visiting friends at a stately home, because we actually are. The story centers on Fefu, who invites a group of women to her home to rehearse and plan for a charity event advocating for education. We spend about 90 minutes with these women, which doesn't feel like nearly long enough. There are so many fascinating characters and relationships introduced that this play could easily be turned into a ten-episode Netflix series to explore them more fully. But we get a good idea of who each one of them is in this play, if not their full story, thanks to the clear writing by Cuban-American playwright María Irene Fornés, who worked extensively off-off-Broadway but whom I've never heard of before. Thanks to Theatre Pro Rata for introducing me to her work and excavating this rare gem and making it shine.
Fefu (Jessica Wingingham, right) and her friends Christina
(Christy Johnson) and Cindy (Brettina Johnson)
(photo by Alex Wohlhueter)Pro Rata's Artistic Director Carin Bratlie Wethern directs the piece and makes everything flow beautifully from scene to scene, conversation to conversation. The transitions are smooth, a ringing bell indicating it's time to move on. There is some sound bleed from other areas, but it just forces you to pay closer attention to where you are. Interim scenes take place in the study, the kitchen, a bedroom, and a lovely terrace, surrounded by the sounds and smells of spring. The bonus is you also get to admire this beautiful historic home with enjoying the story, and the home makes it feel that much more real. The short middle scenes are typically between two characters, or sometimes a monologue, with Fefu walking through all of them at some point. The dialogue shifts from very grounded and realistic, to some more fantastical or lyrical scenes.
Emma (Gracie Nayman) performs while the group cheers
(Chesa Greene, Nissa Nordland, Christy Johnson,
and Jessica Winingham, photo by Alex Wohlhueter)Half of this eight-person cast is new to me, and they're all great, nowhere to hide in this up-close-and-personal intimate setting. Jessica Winingham reigns supreme as Fefu in all her endearing forthrightness; she really sets the tone for the play and absolutely commands the room. Brettina Davis plays her closest friend Cindy, who loves her in spite of herself, with an easy chemistry between the two actors. They're joined by Christy Johnson as the nervous Christina, Jhax Berryhill as the wheelchair-bound Julia, Gracie Nayman as the life-of-the-party Emma, Nissa Nordland as the helpful unassuming Sue, and Nora Sonneborn and Chesa Greene as two women with a past. It's so rewarding to watch all of these actors just being these characters right in front of us, oblivious to us as they go about their lives.
The characters are dressed in beautiful '30s era dresses that suit each one, from Emma's dramatic sequined top and flowy pants, to Sue's neat suit dress, and everything in between. They use a few choice props, like cocktail glasses, or books, or an eerily relevant needlepoint, but the majority of the scenic design is accomplished by this beautiful house. (Costume design by Andrea Gross, props design by Jenny Moeller.)
Once again, Theatre Pro Rata is bringing us a unique and inventive way to experience theater, while also exposing us to an important American playwright most of us have probably never heard of. This play is a fascinating exploration of women, their relationships, and their place in society, then and now. Find details about the production (including directions and parking) and purchase tickets here.

In 2019, Children's Theatre Company commissioned Greg Banks to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, and he did so using just five actors to play all of the many characters, and added original music. Unlike the bloated movie trilogy, it's a charming, playful, and succinct version of this classic hero story. Now Theatre in the Round is bringing us their version of this same script, but with ten actor/musicians, and a framing story. It's a clever and inventive take on this beloved tale of adventure, courage, and friendship. I've read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy countless times over the last 40 years, and have even visited New Zealand twice (not because of LOTR, but also not not because of it). This is a story and a world I love very much, and will take any opportunity to spend a little time in. I found TRP's version of The Hobbit to be fun, playful, inventive, and very satisfying. Check it out through the end of the month - if you can get tickets.
Walking into the in-the-round space, actors are already milling around the set that looks very crude and industrial, like some sort of fallout shelter, not the green and lush Shire one would expect. We soon find out we're in a community center 30 years in the future, after some apocalyptic event. We are gathered for some good old-fashioned storytelling, the only sort of entertainment available in this world. The actors play actors who are enacting this story for us, when the usual actors who do the story are unable to show up, reluctantly throwing them into a makeshift version of the story. This feels so real, so organic, because humans have been telling stories to each other since time began, and will continue to do so no matter what we are faced with. And why not one of the most popular stories of the 20th Century?! It reminds me of the time the power went out at the cabin, so for evening entertainment we read The Hobbit out loud to each other. The Hobbit is that kind of story, and I absolutely believe that it will withstand the test of time, and any apocalypse we may be heading towards. I last read the LOTR trilogy in 2020, and it was a great source of comfort and inspiration, as it is for these people in this dystopian future.
The play-within-a-play framework allows for lots of fourth wall breaking and participation, as we're occasionally recruited to make noises or throw things, particularly in the Battle of Five Armies in the second act. But first, we join Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves on their adventure as they journey from Bilbo's cozy hobbit home, past trolls, over the Misty Mountains, through Mirkwood Forest, and finally to the Lonely Mountain. All of the plot points and characters of the novel are there, if in abbreviated form. And part of the fun is watching the cast scurry to play multiple characters, changing from one to another sometimes within a scene, with a wink to the audience as we and they are fully aware of what they're doing.
Scott Gilbert directs the play, with help from artistic advisors Noah Bremer and Mark Benzel from the physical theater world (you can watch Noah and friends reenact the entire LOTR trilogy in 8 minutes here). The result is a very physical telling of the story, as the cast runs up and down stairs and all over the space, and creates not just characters but shapes and objects with their bodies. The set feels very much like they're making due with whatever is available in this world - scaffolding, hockey sticks for swords, shuttlecocks for weapons, painted tin cans for treasure, etc. There's even a pantry supply shelf on one end of the stage, posters of other productions around the space, and a bulletin board listing events in the community. But even with this makeshift theme, the depiction of the dragon Smaug is really something, from a large wire dragon head to a small puppet flying on a stick (set design by Keven Lock, lighting design by Todd Reemtsma).
Everyone in the cast leans into this playful "we're putting on a show" spirit, with Isabelle Hopewell (the most reluctant of the "actors") being recruited to play our reluctant hero Bilbo, and all other roles played by Kelly Desireé, Nathaniel Brelsford, Derek Dirlam, Wini Froelich, Adam Iverson, Bryce Kalal, Troy Lowry Jr., Courtney Matula, and Sasha Rapacz. About seven of them do most of the heavy lifting of the story, while three are mostly in the band above one of the entrances playing any number of instruments and noise-making devices, but everyone takes part in the action at some point. While not a musical, there are a couple of charming hobbity songs played by the band and sung by the ensemble, with lots of fun sound effects, sometimes bolstered by recorded sound (sound design by Samuel Poppen and composition by Dietrich Poppen). The "actors" are dressed in casual utilitarian apocalyptic clothes, with hats or capes added to represent different characters (costume design by Constance C. M'allowince and Hunter Goldsmith).
The Hobbit has been delighting readers and audiences for nearly 90 years, with its classic hero story featuring the most unlikely of heroes, and I have no doubt it will continue to delight for 9 times 90 years into the future. Because sometimes it's not elves or kings or politicians that will save us from the evils of the world, we have to save ourselves. And even the King Under the Mountain will learn that he needs to let go of his ego, and his gold, and his power, and join with all the creatures of Middle Earth to defeat darkness before it destroys our world. That's a lesson we will never stop needing to learn.
Journey to Middle Earth via Theatre in the Round, complete with a non-alcoholic cocktail called "Pear and Back Again," and Hobbit-themed art by Jason Folkerts in the lobby. And for another fun and inventive take on fantasy storytelling, check out Swords & Sorcery by The Bearded Company, an improvised D&D fantasy campaign running in rep with The Hobbit this week/end only.


at Bilbo's house in Hobbiton (February 2020)
hiding from the Nazgûl (outside Wellington, March 2020)
on the road to Isengard (outside Queenstown, November 2013)

There's a new theater company in town, and they have the boldness to call themselves Minnesota Shakespeare Theater. But it's true that we don't really have a theater company dedicated exclusively to Shakespeare. Classical Actors Ensemble mostly does Shakespeare (including their annual outdoor Shakespeare in local parks), but as their name implies they occasionally do other classics. Great River Shakespeare Festival has been doing great work by the river in Winona for over 20 years, but they're a summer festival and also do non-Shakespeare plays. So maybe it is time that #TCTheater had its own Shakespeare company, and judging by their first production, the historical tragedy Julius Caesar, Minnesota Shakespeare Theater (from the people behind Shakespearean Youth Theatre) is the one to fill that niche. The play is very well done, with impressive design, a talented cast of #TCTheater veterans and newer actors, and most importantly, a clear presentation of the dialogue and the story. This Julius Caesar is compelling and urgent, and like so many things these days, feels like an eerily prescient warning call about the dangers of unchecked power. But MST's inaugural production runs for two weekends only, with pretty full houses on opening weekend, so don't snooze if you want to check out the new Shakespeare game in town. I for one am impressed and intrigued, and can't wait to see what they'll do next.
Julius and Calpurnia (Craig Johnson and Tinne Rosenmeier)
(photo by Dan Norman)Julius Caesar is Shakespeare's retelling of the historical story of the power-hungry Roman general who was assassinated by several members of the senate, but the main character of the play is Brutus, depicted as an honorable but conflicted man who reluctantly agrees to the assassination in order to save the republic. They achieve their goal, but at what cost? A civil war breaks out which leaves most of our characters dead (this is a Shakespearean tragedy, after all). This is the second historical war play I've seen in a week, and both are a reminder that the history of humanity is a history of war and violence, and there are no winners in war. It feels like we're very much still mired in that history today, and this play shows us that even if the intentions may be noble, violence only leads to more violence.
photo by Dan NormanArtistic director of MST (and SYT) Logan Verdoorn directs the play, and it all feels very thoughtful and intentional and clear. The entire cast shows an understanding of the text and the story, and therefore the audience understands it as well. The bold design choices also contribute to the clarity and urgency of the piece. The performance space at the Crane is strewn with what look like huge chunks of concrete, red paint splattered on the walls and floors, confetti littering the space (and spoiler alert - this set is not stationary). Startling lighting changes and loud noises punctuate scenes, so that the story resonates in the bones. The cast is dressed in modern classic clothing, but during battle they use those old timey radio phones like in WWII, setting us perhaps somewhere in the last century, or really anytime in the modern era. Caesar wears a classic white trench coat (the better to show the red red blood), the conspirators in black, the wives in beautiful dresses. For the Act II battle scenes, the cast is dressed in khaki colors of army uniforms, with some impressive and very physical fight scenes. (Scenic design by Logan Verdoorn and Maria Signorelli, lighting design by Jake Otto, sound design by Kevin Springer, costume design by Eleanor Schanilec, movement and fight choreography by Annie Enneking.)
Zachary Hodgkins as Brutus
(photo by Dan Norman)#TCTheater veteran Craig Johnson anchors the cast in the title role (with a memorable entrance), the confident and powerful Julius Caesar, but not without doubts and uncertainty as he faces "the Ides of March." But as mentioned above, Brutus is the heart of this story, and new-to-me Zachary Hodgkins is lovely as the thoughtful and sensitive senator, who does what he thinks is best, and is horrified by the chaos that results. Lukas Brasherfons (associate Artistic Director of MST and SYT) is also strong as Brutus' right-hand-man Cassius, who convinces him and argues with him, but is ever loyal. On the other side of the war, John Stephens is an imposing Antony, powerfully delivering perhaps the most well-known monologue of the play, that beings "friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." Other highlights in the across the board great 15-person cast are Madeline Wall in a pants role as Caska, another conspirator in the assassination; Jasmine Harrick in a too brief role as Brutus' wife Portia; Tinne Rosenmeir as Caesar's wife who begs him not to leave the house (advice he doesn't take, walking into almost certain death just like Jamie Fraser); and August Chaffin bringing some much-needed humor to the role of Brutus' servant. 
photo by Dan NormanIt's rare to see a theater company come right out of the gate with a clear vision and point of view as MST has done, with an obvious understanding of Shakespeare. It's great timing for their debut, when the Guthrie recently announced their first season without a Shakespeare play in... maybe ever. As evidenced by this story of power, greed, loyalty, regret, and violence begetting violence, Shakespeare still has things to say to today's audience. And I'm excited that we have a new company dedicated to doing just that. It remains to be seen how often they'll be producing plays (I'm hoping for more than just one a year), but in the meantime I may need to finally check out a SYT play - they're doing Henry IV Part 1 this summer at the Crane.

I love outdoor ambulatory theater. I'm not sure if there's anyone who does it besides TigerLion Arts. There's definitely no one who does it better. I first fell in love with their outdoor walking play Nature, about the life, work, and friendship of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in 2014, and have seen it every chance I get (5 times total, in different locations). Then in 2023 I saw the remount of the piece that predated Nature - The Buddha Prince, celebrating the life of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan culture. Now they're adding a new outdoor theatrical experience to their repertoire - Big World, with a workshop performance this weekend only at Theodore Wirth Regional Park on the West side of Minneapolis. This one has less of a throughline narrative story than the other two pieces, and is perhaps geared more towards children, although all of their work can truly be enjoyed by people of all ages. The theme of a group of scientists trying to save the world with love (what a concept!) is the loose structure that provides a framework and an excuse for being in Nature, being in community, and laughing at the things humans have laughed at since the beginning of time. If you're free tonight or tomorrow night, I highly recommend you head out to Theodore Wirth on this perfect spring weekend to experience the joy. And follow TigerLion Arts for updates on the future of this piece, as well as (hopefully) a return of Nature.

The show begins inside the pavilion on the hill, after some pre-show music and shenanigans outside. An in-the-round stage is set up inside, where we're introduced to five scientists from different countries (which allows for some fun accents) who have found through their research that love is the most powerful force, because it has no limits, and can be used to save humanity from all of the fear, hatred, and violence we are plagued with (and wow do we need it). After a brief summary of the history of humanity and where it went wrong, they try to explode their "love bomb" to unleash love upon the world, but it doesn't quite go as planned. Then someone throws a small red ball into the space, and we're off chasing it around the park. We follow the performers to two different locations in the park, via paved path, with the red ball appearing, disappearing, shrinking, expanding. Until eventually we're led back to the pavilion, where a young boy reminds us what love really is, and the whole thing devolves into one big joyous dance line.

TigerLion Arts' co-Artistic Director Markell Kiefer directs the piece and created it with the ensemble -  Tyson Forbes (the other Artistic Director), Sarah Agnew, Kenzi Allen, Benjamin Domask-Ruh, and Kate Tobie. They're all so incredibly playful as these delightfully odd and specific characters, totally at ease with the unpredictable nature of this sort of theater as they mingle with the audience traversing the park, dressed in cute colorful clothing (designed by Sarah Bahr). The performance style leans heavily into commedia dell'arte - clowning, physical comedy, and exaggerated expressions and emotions. The use of physicality and movement (choreographed by Kimberly Richardson) is vital to the storytelling and so much fun to watch. This is the kind of comedy, people throwing balls at each other, falling down, slight of hand, that always has been and always will be funny, in its simplicity and its expression of the things that connect all humans.

TigerLion Arts partnered with several other organizations on this piece - Circus Juventus provided a couple of clowns on unicycles and stilts, The Brass Messengers provide the music, and Big Animal Productions (aka Chris Lutter-Gardella) created the most amazing puppet of, you guessed it, a big animal. Keep your eyes peeled when you're in the woods, there are some big and potentially scary creatures about.

Big World definitely fits in with Nature and The Buddha Prince, and feels like the joyful community healing experience the world desperately needs. Not that we can solve the world's many problems by throwing a ball around in a park, but maybe it can remind us of our humanity, our connection to each other, and our connection to Nature. Perhaps my favorite moment was when the ensemble led us in a singalong, just a few repeated wordless notes, and we were all one in the music and the trees and the setting sun. Watch a brief snippet of the magic below:

I hadn't been to Musical Mondays at LUSH in almost a year, but when they used a photo of the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture as the May show image, Cherry and Spoon had to go! And I'm so glad I did. I love this monthly cabaret series started by BFFs Max Wojtanowicz and Sheena Janson some 12 years ago, and would attend every month if I weren't so busy seeing 4-5 shows a week in this busy #TCTheater season. But take it from me, if you're ever free on the first Monday of the month, head to LUSH in Northeast Minneapolis for what is always an amazing display of talent and a fun community event. Max is always an amiable host (before and after cocktails), the bartenders always have a strong pour (food also available before and during the show), the band is always solid on a variety of music styles, and the cast of performers always blows me away, whether or not I've ever seen them before. It's so fun to see performers in this environment where they can sing whatever they want to, whatever means something to them, maybe from some show they'd never be cast in; we get to know the person behind the characters they play. Most of the songs are recognizable (to musical theater nerds), but also include some deep cuts, and the song list is always posted on Musical Monday's Facebook page after the show in case there were a few you didn't recognize. So make plans for the next Musical Mondays on June 1, bring a script or two you want to get rid of in the Script Swap, and get there before the doors open at 6:30 to get a seat in the always crowded room.
Here's a list of this month's amazing performers and where you can see them next:

• Camryn Buelow - paying Sheila in A Chorus Line at Park Square Theatre, opening next week!
• Josiah Fagerstrom - auditioning for the next season of The Traitors ;)
• Kaia Fitzgerald - currently in Guys and Dolls at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, playing through September 26
• Danté Murray - (casting spoiler alert!) playing Daddy Warbucks in Annie at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, opening in October and playing through February
• Jon Michael Stiff - paying Tom in A Chorus Line at Park Square Theatre, opening next week!
• Bella West - currently in The Wizard of Oz at Children's Theatre Company, playing through June 14

They were accompanied by a three-piece band:

• Bob Kelly (keyboard and music director) - music directing a new musical for which he wrote the music, Confessions of a Gay Priest: A Memoir of Sex, Love, Abuse, and Scandal in the Catholic Seminary, at the new works festival at New York Theatre Barn, also available for streaming (and hopefully coming to #TCTheater soon!)
• Kyle Baker (bass) - playing in the Come From Away band at the Guthrie Theater, opening in June (I got a sneak peek of the show and it's going to be amazing!)
• Beth Varela (drums) - playing around town including with the band Rebel Queens

Here's the playlist (I require at least one song from RENT at every Musical Mondays I attend):

• Opening (Songs for a New World) - all
• Neverland (Finding Neverland) - Josiah
• Donny Novitski (Bandstand) - Jon Michael
• Everybody Loves Louis (Sunday in the Park with George) - Camryn
• First Date Last Night (Dogfight) - Kaia and Josiah
• Azure Te (Five Guys Named Moe) - Dante
• Flowers (Hadestown) - Kaia
• Maybe This Time (Cabaret) - Bella
• What You Own (Rent) - Dante and Jon Michael
• Sister’s Pickle (Amélie) - Bella
• All This Time (The Last Ship) - Josiah
• If I Were a Bell (Guys and Dolls) - Kaia
• Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag (Chicago) - Bella and Camryn
• It All Fades Away (The Bridges of Madison County) - Dante
• Where Do You Belong (Mean Girls) - Jon Michael
• Hopelessly Devoted (Grease) - Camryn
• Unruly Heart (The Prom) - all

Musical Mondays typically includes a preview of a currently running or upcoming show, and this month we were treated to Suzie Juul singing a song from Ten Thousand Things' The Most Happy Fella, now playing at various locations through June 7 (accompanied by music director Isabella Dawis).
Musical Mondays is donation-based (all money going to the artists), and for every $5 you throw in the pot you can enter your name for a drawing to win free tickets to any number of shows around town. This year, lucky winners are going to see these upcoming shows:

• A CHORUS LINE at Park Square Theatre
• CLUB DAY MONDAY CABARET at Crooners
• COURTING HARRY at the History Theatre
• HOME, I'M DARLING at Lyric Arts
• JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE at Penumbra
• THE MOST HAPPY FELLA at Ten Thousand Things
• RAINBOW FESTIVAL Pre-Pride Party at Maggie's Farm Theater
• WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Artistry

photo credit: @cherryandspoon Instagram

Open Window Theatre's latest original play takes on the legendary figure of Joan of Arc, warrior saint of France. It's an epic and complicated story, and while there's a lot to like about this new play, at three and a half hours (including intermission), it's just too long. Written by Artistic Director Jeremy Stanbary in modern language that's easy to follow and understand, with even some lightness and humor, the characters are interesting and compelling. But there's just too much of it, and in particular the almost two-hour long second act feels like it, with a dragged out ending. The website lists the runtime as three hours, so maybe it'll tighten up throughout the run, but the script could also use some editing to condense characters, streamline (or cut out) some scenes, and focus the story more on Joan, who doesn't even show up until halfway through the first act. The cast is great, the design impressive, and I'd love to see a more condensed version of it someday. If you have three and a half hours to spare, check it out and see what you think. Grab a coffee or a nap, bring snacks, and head out to Inver Grove Heights for Joan of Arc through May 31. 
The play begins at the end of Joan's life (referred to in the play as Jehanne d'Arc), facing execution by fire for the sins of blasphemy and cross-dressing. We then flash back to the beginning, or even before the beginning, of Joan's story. The famous Battle of Agincourt from Shakespeare's Henry V (which, BTW, is shorter than this play) sets the scene. But it's 1415, and Joan is just a toddler. We hear about this English King whose God told him he's the rightful King of France. Then we flash forward some 14 years to when there's a civil war in France, the now dead Henry V's young son the king of part of France, the Dauphin Charles the king of the other part. This is where teenage Joan comes in, when her God tells her that Charles is the rightful king, and it's up to her to save him, and France. What to do when God is telling both sides they're right? Personally, I think God would be on the side of peace, but She's never spoken to me directly, so I can't say for certain. This conflict sets up many battles and much political maneuvering by the many factions fighting for power, and at the center of it stands a brave and confident teenage girl, who does in fact change history. We eventually get back to the beginning, and Joan pays the ultimate price - another woman caught in the scheming of men in power, and blamed for the ills of the world.
Joan goes to battle (Audryn Hegewald with Rob Ward)
(photo by Richard Mailand, Up North Creative)Fortunately, much of the too-much-exposition is charmingly delivered by Michael Quadrozzi as a French Herald, which allows him to speak to the audience directly, with an occasional wink or a nod or a "did you get all that?" As Joan, Audryn Hegewald looks like a teenager, and embodies all of Joan's clear-thinking confidence as she enters this world of powerful men. And even though Joan is advocating a righteous war, she's not without awareness of the cost and compassion for souls lost on both sides (maybe if we had more women in power, we'd have fewer senseless wars in the world).
Other highlights in the strong ensemble cast (many of whom play multiple characters) include Josh Zapata-Palmer as the Dauphin-turned-King of France, who accepts Joan and becomes stronger because of her, yet still betrays her in the end; Faith Winship Smith as his wife, whose crystal-clear voice begins and ends the play in song; Meg Bradley as the King's strong mother-in-law; Dawson D. Ehlke, Jonah Smith, and Rob Ward as the King's supporters who gradually warm to Joan (the latter quite humorously); and Sam Sweere embodying the enemy in the Duke of Bedford (Henry V's brother and representative in France).
the Duke of Bedford schemes (Keith Prusak, Ian Hardy, and
Sam Sweere, photo by Richard Mailand, Up North Creative)The set is dominated by an impressive structure that looks like part of a medieval castle, with multiple levels, beautiful ironwork gates, and tiny doors that look like they lead to secret passages. Lighting and sound effects create the atmosphere of the story. Soldiers are bedecked in armor, the women in long gowns with elaborate headwear, and Joan in her boys' peasant gear. There are several gripping fight scenes, the clash of sword and shield ringing out through the air. (Scenic design by Robin McIntyre, lighting design by SueBerger, sound design by Jeremy Stanbary, costume design by Bronson Talcott, fight direction by Mason Tyler.)
Joan of Arc is almost like a sequel to Shakespeare's History Plays, from the other side of the battlefield. It brings to life a legendary woman from history in a way that is at times compelling, but could be done more succinctly to greater effect.

Back in 2021, the Artistic Director of Six Points Theater (then called Minnesota Jewish Theatre) Barbara Brooks created a virtual musical revue called Promise of America: A Celebration of Jewish American Song as part of their "Theater Six Feet Apart" season (which also included outdoor programming). I watched it, but have no recollection of it; the COVID years are a blur at this point, five years removed. Barbara noted in the program that she's gotten many requests to bring this show back, live and in person. She decided to do it now, to conclude Six Points' 31st season, in honor of America's 250th birthday, as a celebration of the many contributions of Jewish Americans to this country, specifically in the area of songwriting. In this new, expanded, and LIVE version of Promise of America, four excellent singers perform songs from the early 20th Century through today by artists from Irving Berlin  and the Gershwin brothers, to Nissim Black and Regina Spektor. Jewish people and Jewish culture are an inextricable part of America, and this show beautifully highlights their contributions in the area of popular music. Join the musical celebration at Six Points Theater now through May 17.
The title Promise of America feels a little ironic right now, when it seems like America is failing on many of its promises to those who need it most (immigrants, women, people of color). But this show is full of stories of immigrants, and children of immigrants, who came to America for a better life, and found it, making America better in return. Barbara Brooks wrote the book for this show, which proceeds more or less chronologically through the 20th Century and into the 21st. The show is well constructed, the songs well chosen to give us a few dozen highlights from this rich and deep catalogue of music. We also get to learn a little bit about each songwriter, their history and inspiration, before we hear their music.
Imani Harris, Ben Dutcher, Kim Kivens, and Randy Schmeling
(photo by Sarah Whiting)Kim Kivens and Ben Dutcher return from the 2021 virtual production, joined by Randy Schmeling and Imani Harris. This fab four are all great singers and storytellers, as they pass the narration back and forth, taking turns singing solo, and the best part - join together in gorgeous harmonies. They're unmiked in the intimate theater space at the Highland Park Community Center, nothing coming between their voices and our ears. Music director Raymond Berg (who also provided the musical arrangements) leads the three-piece onstage band on keyboard, joined by Joey Van Phillips on percussion and Christian Wheler on guitar and other stringed instruments. They're seated center stage on a raised platform, against a backdrop of weathered red, white, and blue squares, some of which light up in different colors. Director/choreographer Shelli Place makes good use of the space, with the performers moving around in front of and on the raised platform, sitting on stools or the side of the set, and performing some fun, appropriate, but not too showy choreography. The focus is the music, as it should be. (Scenic design by Brady Whitcomb, lighting design by Reemtsma.)
The song list includes early 20th Century standards, lots of mid-century musical theater, and the Brill Building musicians of the '60s and '70s. Almost every one of these songs is familiar, and it's so great to hear them in this space with these performers. Highlights include Imani's lovely "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (Kern/Hammerstein), Randy's funny "Mack the Knife" (Weill/Brecht) and sweet "Edelweiss" (Rogers/Hammerstein), Ben's gorgeous "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon), Kim's heart-rending "Send in the Clowns" (Sondheim) and "The Way We Were" (Hamlisch/Bergman/Bergman), as well as songs from Lieber and Stoller, Carole King, Billy Joel, Leonard Cohen, and the obligatory "Sweet Caroline" (Diamond) singalong. This would be a great 90-minute no intermission show... if not for the intermission. But the intermission does allow for a costume change, the performers dressed in chic cocktail attire in jewel tones (costume design by A. Emily Heaney).
There's nothing really new or revelatory about this compilation of songs, I'm not sure I learned anything I didn't know before (except about the modern artists), but it's a nice overview of 20th Century Jewish American songwriting. And hearing these familiar and beloved songs from many different decades, all together in a historical narrative and performed by this fab group, is a treat.

Once again, Theatre Elision is bringing us the regional premiere of a new piece of music-theater, just two years after it's NYC premiere, that most people have probably never heard of. And friends, this one is truly special. In Terce (pronounced ter-chay), NYC theater artist Heather Christian (who was raised Catholic, as I was) has reimagined a 9am mass as a celebration of the divine feminine and connection to nature. Something that has mostly been ignored for the last few millennia since the invention of male monotheism, but has always been with us. And this 60-minute piece of constant music invokes that beautifully. It's the most moving spiritual experience I've ever had at a mass (and I've sat through a lot of them!). A cast of performers too large to count (but around 20-ish) singing, dancing, moving, playing instruments, filling the intimate space at Elision Playhouse with music and wonder. If you're one of the many people who attended Elision's sold out run of Great Comet last fall, or one of the many people who couldn't get tickets, go see this show. You will see some of Great Comet in it, in the size of the cast and the intimate in-the-round setup of the black box space. If you're a fan of their annual Ghost Quartet, this piece is similar in its non-narrative song cycle structure. And if you loved In the Green, a musical about 12th Century nun Hildegard von Bingen, you're my people, and you will love Terce. Do yourself a favor and go see Terce weekends through May 17, with special Mother's Day pricing on May 10, and a 9am closing show on May 17.
photo by Jolie Morehouse OlsonAfter getting a decaf coffee from the adorable self-serve coffee bar in the cozy Elision Playhouse lobby, with people sitting around and chatting, I entered the theater space and immediately knew I was in for something special. It felt like walking into a sacred garden, and I instantly felt calmer. Choral music and nature sounds played softly, and the space was draped in nature. Branches full of leaves and flowers hang from the ceiling, greenery tucked in every corner, with soft dappled lighting. A grand piano takes center stage, with a half circle of chairs on either side, and a split in the riser seats for performers (like in Great Comet). 
The show begins in soft singing, as the cast enters one by one (by one by one...), a veil draped over their heads. As their veils are lifted, they greet each other like old friends, and we proceed through the distinct but related songs, each one of them accompanied by a projection of the title with a gorgeous image (created by Christine Wade). Drawing on the work of female mystics (including out friend Hildegard) but including her own original thoughts and poems, Heather Christian has created something that feels so modern and relatable, while also tapping into that ancient tradition of ritual, that I had tears behind my eyes for most of the show.
photo by Jolie Morehouse OlsonI can't call out any of the performers, because they were all excellent and vital in making this gorgeous full surround sound that filled the space. It's a true example of an ensemble (I've tagged as many as this platform will allow in this post). I will credit Elision's resident director and designer Lindsay Fitzgerald for creating this beautiful space and setting up distinct and interesting formations of cast in and around it. The piece is never stagnant, always fluid, which is also aided by the choreography by Joni Griffith (also a violinist and ensemble member). I'm obsessed with the costumes (by Cally Ahlin), each actor in a different flowy skirt or loose pants, with tunics, sweaters, scarves, the color scheme the soft multi-shades of the green of spring with neutrals, bits of greenery hanging from some of the costumes, as if this cast emerged from Nature herself. And I also loved the abundance of natural curls of every texture in this cast (and beautiful straight hair too).
Credit is also due to resident music director Harrison Wade (keys) and resident vocal director and ensemble member Christine Wade for the gorgeous sound of the music, the parts divided well amongst the ensemble, with harmonies that send chills down the spine. Many of the ensemble members also played various stringed or percussive instruments, a true melding of cast and band. It's only a one-hour show, but a lot of work, practice, and attention to detail went into creating it.
Terce is a one-of-a-kind musical/theatrical/spiritual experience, exactly what I've come to expect from Theatre Elision.

I'm not a huge Harry Potter Fan. I have read all the books and watched all the movies and enjoyed them, it's just not something I go back to, and have forgotten a lot of it. These days, consuming any Harry Potter content brings up the complicated issue of whether or not we can separate the artist from the art, or should. Since the last book of the Harry Potter series was published in 2011 and the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was published in book form in 2016, author J.K. Rowling has made increasingly concerning anti-trans statements, and funded anti-trans organizations and movements. Can we still love Harry Potter if we find her views on human rights egregious? I don't know the answer to that, but I went to see the Broadway tour of Cursed Child (playing at the Orpheum through May 17), which is the product of so very many artists. I received complementary tickets as a member of the press, but I donated the price of the tickets ($290 for two) to nonprofit organizations that support the trans community* in order to counteract any ill effects of my decision. And I'm glad I did see it; I loved the play and found it to be not only an incredible technical achievement in theater, but also such a beautiful message about friendship, family, community, and banding together to fight against evil and injustice. I cannot make it make sense that someone who created such a beautiful and inspirational universe can also spout such hateful things about trans women in the guise of feminism (BTW, it's not feminist to narrowly define "woman" and vilify anyone who doesn't meet that definition). In the interest of not throwing out the baby with the bathwater, maybe we can take in, admire, and emulate the words and actions of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and their kids (as this play features) instead of those of their creator. And use it to inspire us to continue to fight against the very real and scary evils in our world that are continually acting against the most vulnerable and most in need among us. That's what Harry would do!
Harry (Nick Dillenburg) and his son (Adam Grant Morrison)
(photo by Evan Zimmerman)OK enough about that, on with the show! I had read the script/book when it came out, but remember nothing about it. And as mentioned, I am not a Harry Potter expert. This play jumps right into the world without stopping to take a breath, and I was struggling to stay on the train as it barreled through the first couple years as Harry and Ginny's second son Albus Severus (named after Dumbledore and Snape) follows in his parents' footsteps by going to Hogwarts. But I hung on, and was able to follow it fairly well after that. Albus is having a tough time of it, living in the shadow of a father who "saved the wizarding world," and finds his only friend in his father's arch enemy Draco Malfoy's son Scorpius, who is as unlike his father as Albus is. Harry and Hermione now work for the ministry (Ron runs a joke shop, natch), and sense that evil is brewing. They're not wrong - when Harry's scar starts hurting, it's best to listen! To make a three-hour long story short, Albus and Scorpius get their hands on a time-turner, which allows them to travel back in time. They decide to help out an old man by saving his son from dying in the Tri-Wizard tournament (featured in the 4th book in the Harry Potter series). But as we've learned from every time travel story from Back to the Future to Outlander, bad things can happen when you mess with history. In this case, very bad things happen, and these two teenage boys need to save the world, while their frantic parents look for them across time and space to save them and the world.
which Hogwarts house are you? (don't ask me I have no idea)
(photo by Matthew Murphy)This massive ship is helmed by director John Tiffany (who won a Tony for this and for directing Once, which couldn't be more opposite in scale), keeping all of the many moving pieces impossibly in place. At nearly three hours long, the play flies by with every moment action-packed. It's one of the most impressive technical feats I've seen in theater, with every element of design contributing to create this wizarding world full of magic. Most of it is done practically, with video projections used sparingly for things like an underwater scene. It's a combination of old-fashioned theater tricks, slight of hand, and illusion, and high-tech effects like fire, smoke, and flying. The set easily transforms from King's Cross Station, to Hogwarts, to a forest, simply by changing the lighting and the focus of our eyes. Which seemed to play tricks on me on several occasions, especially when our friends time traveled, and the very air seemed to waver and move, accompanied by an ear-splitting sound. But don't close your eyes for a second, or you might miss the disappearing characters, the people who transform into other people (ironically), and the objects disappearing and then appearing elsewhere. The use of movement and physical theater is also a huge and hugely effective part of the storytelling, with lots of furling of capes, moving in unison, and graceful scene transitions. And the costumes are as elaborate and specific as you would espect from this world. (Movement design by Steven Hoggett, set designed by Christine Jones, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Neil Austin, sound design by Gareth Fry, illusions and magic by Jamie Harrison.)
Ron and Hermione (Matt Harrington and Rachel Leslie)
are adorable in every reality! (photo by Evan Zimmerman)This may be the hardest working ensemble on tour right now, a few dozen people populate the world of Harry Power with such skill and athleticism, many of them playing multiple people (and other creatures). In the title role is Minnesota native Nick Dillenburg, who fully embodies the grown-up Harry Potter, more serious and world-weary, but still the boy we know and love. Rachel Leslie and Matt Harrington are also great as his BFFs, the now-married Hermione and Ron (who was kind of always my favorite, and still is). In a particularly delightful scene, three young people transform into this trio of friends, which is a cool effect, and allows these three adults to act like kids. But this story really belongs to Albus and Scorpius, and Adam Grant Morrison and David Fine fill those roles well, with a beautiful chemistry between them, Adam the angsty and angry Albus, David the squealing and excitable Scorpius. The cast of characters includes many callbacks to the original series, including Professors McGonagall and Umbridge played by Katherine Leask, and Dumbledore, Snape, the grieving father all played by Andy Pogson, both actors creating such distinct characters (in distinct wigs and costumes) that the double- and triple-casting was a surprise upon reading the program. And it was fun to see former #TCTheater actor Torsten Johnson in the ensemble.  
BFFs (or more?) Scorpius Malfoy (David Fine) and Albus Potter
(Adam Grant Morrison, photo by Evan Zimmerman)There's so much of this play that is relatable and resonant in today's world. The difficulties of being a teenager and growing up amidst expectations of parents and society, the love of parents for their children even when they don't know how to help them, the evil lurking around every corner that we have to constantly fight against, and the fact that when we work together, love will win out over evil. When the boys change the past so greatly that they wake up in a world of darkness and evil and lack of individuality - that's kind of how I feel every day waking up in this world. And maybe if we could turn time back to 2016 and change a few things, we'd be living in a different reality. But alas we cannot, the world only spins forward, so we have to use our best wands and spells to defeat evil every day. Teenage Harry taught us that, and grown-up Harry does too.


*Here are the organizations that I donated to. If you see the play, or if you don't see the play, consider making a donation to these or other organizations that support and defend transgender people and/or other communities facing hardship during these challenging times.

• Transforming Families Minnesota
• The Trevor Project
• The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Five-Fifths of 9 to 5 was everything I wanted, and everything that's good about Minnesota Fringe. The annual fundraiser for the 11-day August festival takes a popular movie, divides it into five parts, and gives each part to a different Fringe artist or company, who then perform their fifth in chronological order for the weirdest and most wonderful Frankenstein version of the movie you've ever seen. It's truly astounding how you can give five artists the same inspiration, and they will do five completely different things. And that's the great thing about our beloved Fringe, now in its 33rd year - artists are supported in making and presenting their own unique kind of art, and we audience members can sample a little of everything! For this year's Five-Fifths, Artistic Director Dawn Bentley gently bullied her staff into choosing the 1980 Jane Fonda/ Dolly Parton/ Lily Tomlin revenge comedy 9 to 5, and it was the perfect choice for 2026. Each one of the five theater companies, all of whom have performed at the Fringe in the past and will do so again this year, did something that was so totally them. It was truly a delightful smorgasbord of theater performance. Keep reading for a brief summary of the companies and what they did, and mark your calendar for this year's festival August 6-16. You can even buy your passes now, and watch social media for announcements of shows and schedule. See you at the Fringe!
This year's event was hosted by comedian Jason Schommer, whom I have not previously had the pleasure of seeing on stage. He told his own delightfully charming story of meeting the legend Dolly Parton, introduced each of the five companies, and stretched when needed to cover the tech changes between them.
Third Space Theater - "The company that brought you Golden Lanyard winning Breach in 2025, known for to connecting communities, encouraging conversation, and providing opportunities for engagement and action."This was perhaps the most straight-forward narrative of any of the fifths, but still done in Third Space style. They told the opening of the movie in solo monologues from each of the main characters, with the other actors frozen in a workplace tableau, using cool lighting effects. But they tweaked and exaggerated the story enough to make it sharp and relevant, and a bit absurd.
Songversations - "Dynamic duo Rhiannon Fiskradatz and Shanan Custer relate intersectional feminism through song, story and ritual."I've seen Shanan many times on stage, and Rhiannon a couple of times, but I've never seen them together, and now I will make a point to see Sonversations whenever I can (hopefully May 9-10 at Bryant Lake Bowl). They completely forwent any pretense at narrative storytelling and instead used the movie as a jumping off point to provide biting commentary and righteous rage on the state of the world today, with songs, stories, and history. We even got to participate in a singalong directed at a few of the most egregious men in the current administration that make the movie villain look tame.
an Alleged Theatre Company - "Creators of original, artist-driven theatre, comedy, and variety performances that have landed them seven Golden Lanyard awards (so far) at Minnesota Fringe."This group (whose upcoming Fringe show is called A Fast Death of a Salesman, yes please!), applied their usual meta, fourth-wall breaking, ridiculous style to fourth fifth of the movie, playing a theater group who planned to do a fifth of the wrong movie, and then reenacting a version of the women in 9 to 5 thinking they killed their boss. So wacky and funny.
The Mess - "Veteran improvisers Rita Boersma, Mike Fotis, Jake Scott, Molly Ritchie, and James Rone bring gleeful, inane nonsense backed by hearts of gold and a national treasure (Rita)."After a quick intermission, this fifth went off the rails very quickly. The above five goofballs all came out dressed as the boss in chains, and then they proceeded to slapstick improv their way through a list of plot points, while a clock ticks down and Rita gets more and more angry (which is kind of the best thing ever) at what the others are doing, mostly driving. This group is a "Mess" for sure - a delightfully chaotic mess.
Mermaid Productions - "The driven, determined, and dexterous Ariel Pinkerton, who brought you The Abortion Chronicles in 2025, is back with friends to smash the patriarchy."We swiftly transitioned from the hilarity of the last two fifths and returned to the depressing, but cathartic, relevance of the first two. Ariel told a bit of the closing scenes of the movie in storytelling style, with a cast acting it out, but then jumped back into reality. She noted that the movie's "happy ending" wasn't so happy, because the boss took credit for the workplace improvements that the women made. Something that happens all too often throughout history and today, so Ariel gave us a few dozen examples of women whose accomplishments were credited to men, read by as many women from #TCTheater. It really sucks that this happens so often, but it was cathartic to boo at every instance, and then join in singing the movie's anthem "9 to 5" together.
The very different five fifths of 9 to 5 showed us the many things art can do - entertain, engage, make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, bring us together, and inspire us to make the world better. I guarantee the 33rd Minnesota Fringe Festival will do the same. I'll be there, will you?

The only thing I know about the 1960 Tony-nominated musical Once Upon a Mattress is that it was Carol Burnett's Broadway debut. I've never seen a production of it... until last weekend at Lakeshore Players Theatre. It's a weird and wacky show for sure, but I found it to be a lot of fun. And maybe also ahead of its time in its depiction of a princess who isn't the typically demure and obedient type, but rather one who is brash and strong and decidedly unladylike. This production leans into the weird and wackiness, with a fantastic cast (that's mostly new-to-me) singing and dancing and performing their hearts out. Once Upon a Mattress continues at the Hanifl Performing Arts Center in White Bear Lake weekends through May 17.
The musical is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's story The Princess and the Pea, in which a potential bride for the prince is tested by having her sleep on a bed with 20 mattresses, a pea placed under the bottom one. Because only a true princess could detect the hard pea under all that fluff (sure, that makes sense). In this version of the story, the prince's mother is very invested in whom he marries, and creates all sorts of impossible tests for his potential brides. She's also declared that no one else in the realm can marry until the price marries, putting the Lady Larkin in a difficult position when she finds herself pregnant and unable to marry her love Sir Harry. So Harry goes on a quest to find a bride for the prince, and comes back with Winnifred, whom the price and everyone in the kingdom immediately loves. But the queen thinks no one is good enough for her boy, so she gives Winnifred the hardest test of all, and is shocked when she passes. And like in all fairy tales, everyone lives happily ever after.
the cast of Once Upon a Mattress (photo by Fred Sobottka)#TCTheater actor/ director/ designer/ theater owner/ et al Eric Morris directs the piece and infuses it with a zany energy, with which the large and talented cast complies. There are references to pop music, probably more than I identified, including the minstrel that begins the show at the piano like Elton John (a fabulous Devin Dolquist, who also jumps into the band to play clarinet), the mute Elvis-impersonator King (a hilariously miming Chris Klekamp), and a '90s boy band chorus. Sophie La Fave is a revelation as Winnifred - confident and funny, embodying all of Fred's brash bold qualities, with a great voice. Maya Vagle is a hoot and a half as the overprotective mother of a Queen, I almost felt bad for her when she was bested in the end. Other highlights include Nick Richard as the sweet and docile Prince Dauntless, Lizzie Stuebs as the sweet-singing Lady Larkin, and Thomas Friebe as her arrogant Sir Harry. But the entire cast is great, with lots of physical comedy, props comedy, and goofy little bits, throwing themselves into the fun, playful, and modern choreography by Annika Isbell.
the cast of Once Upon a Mattress (photo by Fred Sobottka)The glitzy and impressive set puts the seven-piece orchestra, led by music director Jack Johnston on keys, at center stage, as they should be, playing this really fun score composed by Mary Rodgers (daughter of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and mother of composer/lyricist Adam Guettel). Staircases lead to the elevated walkway above them, one of which spins around to reveal the stack of mattresses for the final scene. A platform, piano, and trunk are also rolled around by the ensemble, always in character, and a gauzy red curtain is occasionally pulled across the stage to create some shadow effects. The costumes are an eye-popping, if at times perplexing, mix of princess dresses, show girl outfits, and casual modern wear. (Scenic design by Justin Hooper, costume design by Sarah Christenson.)
Once Upon a Mattress is a fun and silly musical that turns the traditional fairy tale on its head. Winnifred shows us that princesses can be strong, princesses can burp in public, princesses can choose their own future.

A year and a half ago, Bucket Brigade brought us an original docu-musical about the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894, entitled Survivors of the Fire. It was a thoroughly gripping tale that shared the real stories and words of survivors, from books, journals, or articles of the time, combined with music of the period. I loved it so much I traveled to the Hinckley Fire Museum last Labor Day with some of my fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers to watch a shorter version of piece, tour the museum, and visit the burial site and memorial. During his research for Survivors, Bucket Brigade Co-Founder and playwright Jermiah Gamble, who lived in Hinckley as a child, ran across the story of one fire survivor who later published a collection of traditional songs of the North Woods, and was inspired to write another original musical filled with these songs. Shanty Boys of Pine County is a sort of companion piece to Survivors of the Fire, but without the death and trauma. Instead, it shares the music and culture of the 19th Century logging camps in the North Woods in 70 minutes of songs, stories, and laughter. Check it out through May 9 at the charming former church known as Art House North in St. Paul's 7th Street neighborhood, with free cookies and coffee in the cute basement lobby. Or visit the Hinckley Fire Museum this Memorial Day Weekend to watch a shorter version of the piece and tour the museum - for free!
Jeremiah Gamble wrote the play, and worked with musician and music historian Brian Miller (who recently provided the music for Whoosh! at the History Theatre) to compile the perfect song list of over a dozen traditional songs sung by the lumberjacks of Northern Minnesota in the late 19th Century. Jeremiah is joined by Nathan Cousins as the two main storytellers, playing immigrants from Ireland and Scotland, respectively, who travel to Minnesota to work in the logging camps. They tell us about their lives working at the camps during the winter months (the better to transport logs over frozen ground), and farming or doing odd jobs in the off times. Life in the camp was hard work over long hours, but this piece emphasizes the camaraderie amongst this group of men from various parts of the world, and specifically the way they entertained themselves and found common ground through music.
Shanty Boys Jeff Zupfer, Nathan Cousins, and Jeremiah Gamble
(photo courtesy of Bucket Brigade)Directed by Jeff Miller, the play feels immersive and inclusive, as if we're all at a storytelling session, even invited to sing along at times, and join in on a toast. The storytellers walk up and down the aisles, the story all around us. They're joined by two musicians on stage, Jeff Zupfer and Eric Thurstin, who play guitar, mandolin, fiddle, accordion, and bodhrán, for an authentic and traditional sound to the music (with music direction by Michael Pearce Donley, who also provided arrangements along with Jeremiah, Jeff, and Eric). The performers are blissfully unmiked in the intimate Art House space, and the sound is gorgeous. And as great as it is to hear these traditional instruments, the most memorable musical moments are the a capella harmonies achieved by this group. 
The wood-focused simple and rustic set design (I swear I even could smell the cut wood when I walked into the space) consists of a dozen or more cut logs, as well as raw wood planks, constantly rearranged as Nathan and Jeremiah climb on and over them, yielding their ax handles (without blades). Wood siding adorns the walls, with a couple of period props, like tin cups used for beans or something stronger, as well as strings of twinkling lights in the sanctuary space, to complete the look (scenic design by Jeremiah Gamble and Dalen O'Connell, lighting design by Shannon Ellion). Denim pants tucked into wool socks and boots, with button down shirts, suspenders, and jackets, look like they could have been worn in the logging camps, but also wouldn't look that out of place today.
Shanty Boys as a follow-up to Survivors of the Fire is bit ironic, considering that the practices of the logging industry, which we see now were not sustainable or kind to the environment, in part caused the Hinckley Fire, which resulted in over 400 human lives lost and over 200,000 acres burned. Not to mention the fact that this land, these trees, were stolen from the Native people who have lived here for countless generations. But the logging camps are an important part of our history, and helped to make Minnesota what it is. This piece pays tribute to the hardworking shanty boys, many of them immigrants, who helped to provide the needed lumber to build Minnesota and surrounding states. (I recommend a visit to the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, where you can tour a replica of a logging camp, to learn more about this history.) In particular this show highlights the legacy of music, brought from the Old Country, that this piece, and musicians like Brian Miller, are keeping alive.

Children's Theatre Company is returning to The Wizard of Oz, one of the classic adaptations in their repertoire, but one they haven't done in over ten years. This production features brand new design and direction, and a mostly new cast (with the exception of returning company members, because why mess with perfection?). For those of us who grew up with the 1939 Judy Garland movie version of Frank L. Baum's novel (the first in a series of 14 books), it feels nostalgic and familiar, like the beloved movie live and in 3D. From the display of the credits at the beginning of the show, to the tornado sequences, it feels very cinematic. This adaptation (by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company) hews very close to the original movie, and all of the songs are from the movie, with no attempts to make it anything different from the story we know and love, just brighter and more full of life. The Wizard of Oz continues at CTC through June 14, recommended for the young, the young at heart, and those who want to feel young again. Keep reading for highlights of this production.

• This cast. The role of Dorothy is shared by a couple of high school seniors with bright futures - Aniya Bostick and Harriet Spencer. I saw Aniya, and this 2025 Spotlight Triple Threat is incredibly self-possessed and mature for her age, with a beautiful voice and a natural stage presence, playing the moral center of the story and going toe-to-toe with these seasoned pros. Namely, CTC company members Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund who have played Lion and Scarecrow, respectively, in every production I've seen. They are both so centered and secure in these roles that they are able to play and find new dimensions. Dean is impossibly loose-limbed as Scarecrow, Reed milks every moment as the Cowardly Lion, channeling Bert Lahr from the movie but making it his own. Regina Marie Williams joins the cast this year as the tender-hearted Tin Man in a (metal) pants role; CTC company member Autumn Ness dons the black cape and hat as the deliciously evil Wicked Witch, with parallels to nosy neighbor Mrs. Gulch; Becca Claire Hart transforms from the drab but kind Auntie Em to the glamourous Glinda the Good Witch; Riley McNutt is the stern Uncle Henry, the happy mayor of Munchkinland, and the OZ Gatekeeper; and JoeNathan Thomas is the charmingly befuddled Professor Marvel in Kansas as well as the showman Wizard of Oz.
• Dorothy and friends (Regina Marie Williams, Reed Sigmund,
  Aniya Bostick, and Deal Holt, photo by Glen Stubbe photography)The music! Every song is a delight and will remain stuck in your head for days. Victor Zupanc orchestrated and serves as music director, leading the eight-piece pit orchestra as they bring the movie score to richer, deeper life.
• The design. This production makes ample use of video projections to create the tornado effects, the Wizard of Oz talking head, and a scary message from the Witch. Practical sets include a frame of the farmhouse, the witch's lair, the gates of Oz, and various plants that inhabit the magical land. Lighting and sound effects help to create the immersive feeling of being inside the movie, and the transformation from colorless Kansas to technicolor Oz. (Scenic design by Adam Koch, lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, sound design by Reid Rejsa, projection design by Kylee Loera.)
• poppies! (Becca Clair Hart as Glinda)
  (photo by Glen Stubbe photography)The costumes. We open on the sepia-toned Kansas, everyone dressed in grays and browns,
  Dorothy's iconic blue gingham dress reimagined as blue patchwork shorteralls (with a fun Ozian transformation into something more reminiscent of the movie dress). The munchkins are dressed in blue, Ozians in every shade of green, and Dorothy's friends' Oz costumes parallel their Kansas farmhand looks, which at the end of the play are in brighter color.
• The direction/choreography. With direction by CTC Artistic Director Rick Dildine and choreography by Christopher Windom, the story clips by at a good pace, the huge and talented youth and adult cast moving like a well-oiled machine, recreating all of our favorite movie scenes in a fresh way.
• Toto. The premiere Broadway animal trainer William Berloni returns to CTC and brings along professional theater dogs Alfie and Nessa (understudy). I'm not sure it's an overstatement to say that Alfie is the best trained actor on the stage, always hitting his mark, emoting, never barking, compliantly being carried to and from by various people, put in boxes, and running on and off stage on cue. 
• To be reminded that there truly is no place like home, and that we have everything we need within us.

we welcome you to Munckinland! (photo by Glen Stubbe photography)

Lousia May Alcott's 1868 novel Little Women has been adapted into countless movies, plays, TV series, even a Broadway musical, and our own Collide Theatrical Dance Company recently turned it into an original dance musical. Now Lauren Gunderson, one of America's most produced playwrights of recent years, with a penchant for writing female-focused historical or literary-inspired plays that are fresh, funny, and feminist, has thrown her hat into the ring. And friends, this may be my favorite Little Women adaptation yet. Gunderson (who was in the house opening night) frames her play as a story within a story, placing Alcott and her real family on stage as they transform into the March family, which allows for context and commentary on this beloved tale. Now and in the past, women and girls are hungry for stories that center us in all our complexities and messiness, because for so long we've been marginalized in stories, in history, and in our own lives. In that respect, Lousia May Alcott and Lauren Gunderson are a match made in literary theatrical heaven. The Guthrie's production features a fantastic local cast and gorgeous design, and had me in tears multiple times throughout the story. Whether you're a fan of this story or not, don't miss this fresh new take on a classic that's still respectful of the source (continuing through June 21 - I'll be going back to see it again).
The story begins with Louisa May Alcott (who preferred to be called Lou) reluctantly beginning to write a book for girls, at the encouragement of her publisher. She then begins to introduce each of her three sisters, or rather, they enter and introduce themselves. Then they transform into the March sisters, which are more heightened and dramatic versions of themselves. We then plunge into the familiar events of the novel, until the end of Act I brings the end of the first half of the novel as originally published, and Lou's family encourage her to keep writing. Act II recounts the second half of the novel, leaving childhood behind for marriage, travels, careers, and death that comes with adulthood. 
Marmie and her "little women" (May Heinecke, Audrey Parker,
George Keller, Stephanie Anne Bertumen, and Isabella Star LaBlanc)
(photo by Dan Norman)Maybe I'm still basking in the glow of opening night, but this may be my favorite adaptation of Little Women that I've seen. The story has never felt so fresh and immediate, the characters so sharply drawn and breathtakingly alive. The play is written with the characters often narrating their actions, which gives greater insight into their inner lives, and makes the language of the novel come alive. I'm not sure how much of the play is Alcott and how much is Gunderson, but it's funny and surprising, tender and sad, moving and delightful at every turn. And it's really fun to hear the Alcott sisters talk about the reception the book received (people were not happy that Jo didn't marry Laurie, but she made up for it with the umbrella moment), and what happened in their lives after the events of the novel. #bringtissues
the umbrella moment between Jo
(Isabella Star LaBlanc) and her Professor
(Joe Bigelow, photo by Dan Norman)It's a beautifully and smartly written play, but much credit must also be given to director Jackson Gay, making her Guthrie debut, for lifting it off the page and breathing life into this story that never lags, that flows from one scene to the next. Under her direction, this truly wonderful ten-person cast feels like a family, and also distinct and specific individuals. The four sisters are perfectly cast, three of them new to the Guthrie but not new to #TCTheater. Isabella Star LaBlanc has been seen at the Jungle and other stages around town, and on TV in True Detective: North Country (in which she played Jodie Foster's daughter) and Dexter: Resurrection, and is finally on stage at the Guthrie. She beautifully embodies all that is our Jo - smart and strong and impulsive, desperately in love with her family, and always searching for something more. Stephanie Anne Bertumen (the one March sister returning to the Guthrie stage) is the epitome of sweet eldest sister Meg; Audrey Parker is an adorable spitfire as youngest Amy, who gets to mature a little in Act II; and May Heinecke is good gentle Beth who had me in tears from her first entrance to her early exit. George Keller is the warm and maternal Marmee, which doesn't stop her from dryly firing off a couple of comedic zingers, and also in one scene transforms into the dour Aunt Marsh. I don't think Bill McCallum has a single line of dialogue, but he is still able to portray everything we needed to know about the kindly Mr. Lawrence and the beloved father. Daniel Petzold is charming and energetic as Laurie, the perfect foil to Jo; recent U of M/Guthrie BFA graduate Logan Lang makes his debut on the big stage as the awkwardly charming John, Meg's future husband; and Joe Bigelow, who doesn't show up until Act II, is so lovely as Jo's German-accented Professor Bhaer that it's easy to see why he's the one to finally win her heart.
the sisters go on an adventure with their friends
(photo by Dan Norman)The Guthrie stage has been transformed into the woods of the New England, with huge trees towering over a grassy field with different colored patches of grasses and flowers. The period furniture of the March home is strewn around the open area, so that we are both indoors and outdoors at all times. The language is so descriptive as to create a picture in the mind's eye, whether a grand ballroom, an icy river, or a crowded boarding house. The change of seasons is marked by the gentle fall of snow, or flowers, or leaves, as well as warm lighting. Music is a part of the March's life, and we hear snippets of it when the sisters play piano, or as an underscore, along with sound effects of nature or an approaching carriage. The period costumes are gorgeous but not over the top, that is until we get to grown-up Amy's Act II look with mountains of pink ruffles. But mostly they're modest and muted, as much as can be with huge hoop skirts, with matching coats, hats, or scarves. (Scenic design by Junghyun Georgia Lee, costume design by Jessica Ford, lighting design by Paul Whitaker, sound design and composition by Matthew M. Nielson).
In the bathroom line at intermission, I heard a couple of little girls discussing which March sister they each were (I'm a Jo, in cast that wasn't already obvious). I'm not sure there's better evidence for the lasting legacy of Louisa May Alcott, that nearly 160 years after it was first published, girls still see themselves in this story. And now, with a fresh new take by one of our best playwrights Lauren Gunderson, it's even... I won't say better, because how could it be better than a novel that has never gone out of print and is an ever-present part of our culture? But perhaps with this adaptation the story speaks more clearly to today's audience, and feels more alive and present than it ever has before.

Almost 20 years ago I joined an REI guided hiking trip in Northern Alaska. The trip began in Fairbanks and ended on the Arctic Ocean. We would drive North a few hundred miles, then stop, pitch our tents, and go hiking, repeating the cycle until we ran out of road. In addition to being immersed in nature, we also got to meet some locals, including a visit (via small airplane) to an Iñupiaq village. Northern Alaksa is a harsh place, but incredibly beautiful, and the people who live there are a hearty bunch, especially those who have lived there for countless generations. New Native Theatre's new play The Bird Blind tells the story of one such family living in a small village in Alaska. It's funny and sad, tragic and hopeful. Our Native communities are disproportionately plagued with alcoholism and violence due to a multitude of reasons dating back a few centuries, and this play does not shy away from that. But these sorts of family dynamics and difficulties, as well as the sense of community, are resonant through all communities. The Bird Blind officially opens this Friday and runs through May 10 at 825 Arts on University in St. Paul. It's a gripping story that's hard to watch at times, but rewarding as you get to know and love these characters and their community.
Spruce (Frank Katasse) and Tim (River Lane)
in the bird blind (photo by Rhiana Yazzie)The play opens with Spruce sitting in the titular bird blind, cursing God for his bad luck at hunting geese, and in life. His luck changes when a young boy named Tim comes into his bird blind, and into his life, running away from an abusive home. Dad Nak drinks too much and is abusive towards mom Ellen, who finally decides to leave. She heads to Anchorage to look for a job, hoping to send for Tim when she's settled, and becomes closer to village resident Jason who's going to college in Anchorage. This angers Nak, despite the fact that he's had multiple affairs, and doesn't really seem to like Ellen much. Nak is also jealous of Tim's relationship with Spruce, somewhere between friend and the father figure he desperately needs, and threatens to reveal some darkness in Spruce's past if he doesn't stop spending time with Tim, just when he's started to get his life together. Tim feels like everyone has left him, which leads to a desperate situation. You could just feel the impending tragedy throughout the play, and when it arrives, it's devastating. But the community is resilient, and finds healing and strength in their relationships.
Tim (River Lane) with his dad Nak (Mato Wayuhi)
(photo by Rhiana Yazzie)Founding Artistic Director Rhiana Yazzie found this play, written by Alaska Native Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler, at a Native American playwrighting lab, and brought it to New Native for the world premiere production. She's assembled a great cast of local and national talent. Frank Katasse, also an Alaska Native, is the heart and soul of the story as Spruce, down on his luck and self-deprecating, but so endearing due to the tender heart he wears on his sleeve. In many ways this is Tim's story, he connects all the characters together, and local actor River Lane is up to the task, really charming and present and childlike. Mato Wayuhi (last seen in New Native's Christmas in Ochopee) is so good at being the abusive alcoholic Nak that I detested him for three-quarters of the play, until he too showed an inner pain that perhaps explained (although not excused) his behavior. In contrast, NYC-based Iñupiaq actor Susanna Lowndes is sympathetic from the beginning as Ellen, the young mom who's just trying to do right by her child, even if that means making some difficult choices. Rounding out the cast is local actor Nathaniel TwoBears as good guy Jason, representing a way out.
The set cleverly depicts both the beauty of Alaska and the harsh living environment of these characters. Four panels depict gorgeous mountains, with beautiful lighting that changes with the time of day. Three of the panels rotate to reveal sets - the bird blind, a living room and kitchen, all with detailed and specific props. Characters are dressed in casual clothes, appropriate for the weather and lifestyle, with some lovely Native elements for Ellen. (Set design by Evan Crain, lighting design by Dylan Zeilinger-Johnson, sound design by Juleana Enright, costume design by Lucia Callender.)
The Bird Blind is, like Northern Alaska, both harsh and beautiful. I was swept up in these very specific characters' stories from the beginning, and wanted things to go well for them. The ending isn't without hope, as the characters form new connections, and Ellen finds work helping her community to heal and connect with its history. It's an impressive debut from the playwright, beautifully brought to life by the team at New Native Theatre.
my visit to an Iñupiaq village in August, 2007

Theater Mu's world premiere new play HMong Futures: The Future of Us tells the specific story of three generations of HMong women in rural Minnesota, that is universal in its depiction of a family with conflicts and misunderstandings, but great love and a sense of tradition that keeps them together, even when things get hard. Written by HMong American playwright Katie Ka Vang, whose work has frequently been seen on Mu and other stages around town (most recently Sixpack at the Jungle), it's a story that resonates in any time, but particularly now when our HMong community was one of those targeted by the recent ICE invasion. It's a sweet, funny, hopeful story about how we move forward into the future, featuring a fantastic five-person cast and a gorgeous design that's bursting with spring. HMong Futures: The Future of Us continues at Gremlin Theatre through May 3. Now that food truck season is upon us, come early to see what's parked outside Vandalia Tower (I had some great Thai food for lunch), or order OG Zaza Pizza and eat it at Lake Monster Brewing, King Coil Spirits, or on the lovely patio under the tower.
mother/daughter connection (Sharon Omi and Nancy Ma)
(photo by Rich Ryan)The play takes place at Zong's home on the co-op farm she runs with her neighbors. Her daughter Fhoua returns after five years away, having left after a fight between mother and daughter that we'll learn about later. Her teenage daughter Maly is at a camp nearby, learning about NVC (non-violent communication). Fhoua wants to move home, but has a hard time asking her mom for help, especially after learning that she's showering with the neighbor, and there's a young stranger named Aben living in the house with a surprise connection to the family. This is a play in which not a lot happens, but everything changes for these characters. There are a lot of arguments and avoidance that eventually lead to some heart-to-heart conversations. This multigenerational family of three very different women connect through nature, food, and their cultural traditions.
Maly (Melody Her) and Fhoua (Nancy Ma)
working in the garden (photo by Rich Ryan)"Bicoastal" director Reena Dutt makes her debut with Theater Mu, and has worked with Katie and Mu on the development of the play. The script and the direction are very polished and smooth, the story playing out in scenes inside and outside the family home over the course of a couple days. Sharon Omi and Nancy Ma make their Theater Mu debuts as Zong and Fhoua, respectively, and are very believable as mother and daughter, with a prickly and familiar chemistry. Local actor Melody Her completes the trio as granddaughter Maly, a smart and sweet teenager. Greg Watanabe is funny and natural as neighbor "Unclefriend," and Mason Yang (a high school senior!) is so endearing as Aben. It's a tight ensemble that works together very well.
the cast of HMong Futures (photo by Rich Ryan)This is one of the more elaborate sets I've seen at Gremlin in a while, with a full structure built out of warm rich wood, with some beautiful open slats on the back wall and a porch extending out into the space, surrounded by a realistic garden. The floor is covered with turf and dirt, cabbages grow in the garden, a raised flower bed is filled with herbs, and vines trail up the walls. It's incredibly detailed, even to moss growing on the corners, and sweet little flowers growing under the porch, lit up with twinkling lights in some scenes. Inside the home there's a comfy couch, a kitchen island filled with items and instruments for cooking, and photos and artwork hanging on the walls. Characters are dressed in casual wear appropriate for working in the garden, which most of them do at some point, and I love the detail of everyone taking off their shoes and putting on house shoes when they enter the home. (Scenic and costume design by Sarah Bahr, props design by Sarah Harris, lighting design by Ellie Simonett.)
HMong Futures: The Future of Us is a well-written slice-of-life play that doesn't tell us everything about these characters, their lives, or their history, but it does give us a clear picture of who they are and what they mean to each other. It shows us the possibility of connection, of moving forward while still honoring traditions, and it kind of makes me want to go live on a farm co-op in a community of people helping each other, living in and tending to nature.

One of the best things that theater can do is put a human face on an abstract political issue. That's what The Jungle does for the refugee crisis. Commissioned by London's National Theatre from Good Chance Theatre and premiering at the Young Vic in 2017, it's an immersive experience that tells the story of a refugee camp in Calais, France in 2015 known as The Jungle. Mixed Blood Theatre's production is the first since that original production, which moved to the West End, then Off-Broadway, then a few other US locations. It's a nearly three-hour play that flies by in what feels like half that time, telling the stories of so many different characters that feel like real people. A cast of 18 actors and two musicians fill the historic firehouse that is Mixed Blood Theatre, with perhaps the best use of this space I've seen. It felt like I was inside the camp, and I didn't want it to end. This is a truly special one-of-a-kind piece of theater that we're so lucky Mixed Blood is bringing to us. It's playing Tuesday through Sunday for the next two weeks and I highly recommend you spend a little time in The Jungle. With Mixed Blood's "radical hospitality" program you can attend the show for free, but if you're able, please pay whatever amount you can for the ticket to support important work like this.
Walking into the Alan Page Auditorium, which is a black box theater, I could already tell this was going to be something different. The space was totally open to the firehouse doors at the back, which I don't think I've ever seen before. Two square raised platforms are placed at a diagonal in the center of the room, a few rows of chairs on three sides. The play begins when our narrator enters, whom we would later learn is a Syrian refugee named Safi, and throws open the doors to let in the residents of the Jungle and the crisp cold air (or warm humid air, whatever this wild spring is serving on the day). From there we're immediately immersed into chaos as the residents and volunteers grapple with the news that half the camp is being evicted, and someone has died. We don't know who these people are or what's going on, but we're immediately captivated. Then Safi stops the action, telling us that a good storyteller starts at the end and then goes back to the beginning (and playwrights Joe Robertson and Joe Murphy are good storytellers). The room clears out, and we begin at the beginning when the camp is first formed in early 2015 and migrants and refugees arrive from various countries in the Middle East and Africa. We learn each of their stories, all different but all the same, and we watch them form a community. We see the volunteers arrive from the UK, the destination for most of these refugees as they "try" in various ways to cross the channel into England. The camp becomes organized, a functioning society with homes, restaurants, businesses, and places of worship. It's both home, and an in between place. In what feels like no time, we arrive where we started, except that now we know these people, which only makes the ending more devastating.
the camp (photo by Rich Ryan)Mark Valdez must be commended for directing this beast of a play and corralling 20 humans in this not very big space, and making it all feel smooth and graceful and viscerally real. Scenes flow from one to the next, connected by the narration from Safi, beautifully portrayed by Tony Larkin. Safi is not just an impartial observer, but a character in the story with stakes in the game, and Tony plays all of those nuances. He's our guide into this story, this world, and I'd follow him anywhere. He's surrounded by an ensemble in every sense of the word, a group of actors with varying levels of experience from all over the world, including many familiar faces from #TCTheater. They work together so well and truly feel like a cohesive (and sometimes antagonistic) community. Mohamed Yabdri and Bruce A. Young play leaders of the community who are at first at odds but then become close as brothers. Ahmad Maher is so endearing as a 15-year-old on his own who's adopted by everyone in the camp, Abdoul Manaf-Kondo tells a heart-breaking migration story, Avi Aharoni shows us the dangerous side as (human) smuggler Ali, and Comfort Dolo is Helene, a woman of faith. Paul LaNave represents the (not so helpful) French government, and the British volunteers (all with different reasons for being there) are played by LA-based Eric Staves as the de facto leader, Cheryl Willis (an actual Brit) as the tough-talking Paula, Sophina Saggau as the idealistic young Beth, Alex Mitchell as the eager Sam, and Jim Licthscheidl as a tender-hearted drunk. And special kudos to 9-year-old Miko Ekisola representing the hundreds of unaccompanied children, with few lines if any, but always present reminding us of the stakes.
Helene (Comfort Dolo) and other residents (photo by Rich Ryan)The use of the firehouse doors, and the outdoors, is unlike anything I've seen in this space. Characters frequently enter and exit through the doors, and the outside world is referenced and seen through the doors. A bank of lights shines in through the doors to great effect, with great lighting design inside the theater as well. The sound design helps with the immersive feeling, as we hear rain, storms, sirens, and jarring noises. Set pieces include mismatched chairs, tables, crates, and boards, with a few detailed props like maps or flags or signs. The walls of the theater are painted with colorful words, pictures, and signs, like the way people would decorate their makeshift home. Costumes are simple and appropriate to the time and place and character. And credit goes to dialect coach Isa Condo-Olvera for the many different authentic accents spoken by the cast; the surtitles, which Mixed Blood always has for accessibility reasons, come in handy sometimes. (Scenic design by Joe Stanley, costume design by Zamora Simmons, lighting design by Marcus Dilliard, sound design by C Andrew Mayer, props design by Abbee Warmboe.)
The Jungle doesn't offer any solutions to the continuing migrant crisis around the world, but what it does do is show us the humanity behind the facts and figures, the political arguments and sound bites. No one wants to leave their home, their family, their country, and everything they know and love. They do it when they have no other choice, for survival, for a chance at a better life for themselves and their family. Maybe the solution starts with treating migrants as humans, and not a problem to solve. This play does more to convey that humanity than any article or news story could do, because it puts us squarely inside of it. 
The Jungle is an incredibly well-written and well-constructed play that shines light on one of the biggest crises in the world today, and Mixed Blood Theatre's production simply couldn't be better.

For their first solo show, #TCTheater artist Em Adam Rosenberg presents a new take on the fable of the boy who cried wolf, describing the show thusly: "When the boy cries 'wolf,' what if he is really crying for life itself? His voice feels less like a warning and more like a plea to be seen and to be believed. That cry feels familiar to me now, echoing as a demand for connection in a world that fosters isolation. To reshape the story as a space of empathy, I return to the boy to give him the affection he deserves." Em is a talented artist who over the past five years continues to show more colors in their palette. I first saw them in a number of Theatre Pro Rata shows, then a couple of musicals showcasing their gorgeous voice, culminating in a star turn in History Theatre's "Whoa, Nellie!" last year, and also directing and choreographing with Third Space Theater. And now Em shows us that they're also a talented writer/creator/performer who can hold an audience in the palm of their hand while putting a new, modern, relevant spin on a children's tale we thought we understood. The Boy Who Cried is as playful and fun as it is dark and deep, and just the kind of show The Hive Collaborative was made for. There are only three more performances on scattered dates through April 26 (the Hive has a full calendar), check it out if you're interested in up-and-coming talent and an original Fringey kind of show.
Em starts the show appropriately, howling like a wolf in a great wolf fur coat. Then they tell the story of "The Shepherd Boy & the Wolf" (read the short, concise, traditional version here) from the point of view of the boy. They talk to us as if we were the sheep, even encouraging a few "baaas." Em fully embodies the childlike boy, rolling around on the floor, eagerly telling us about their awkward "date" with the neighbor girl, and complaining about the boredom of the job. The traditional story plays out, with the multiple "wolf" cries bringing help, until the villagers and the boy's mother no longer believe him, with a lot more substance (and some silliness) to fill in the sparse story, including a ridiculously hilarious trial. But when the real wolf really arrives, it's devastating, and the boy is forever traumatized. Fast forward 20 years, and now the shepherd man is still looking for that wolf, estranged from his family, until a journey of transformation and healing brings him home, bringing new meaning and new depth to the simple children's lesson-story.

Em wrote and performs the piece, with direction by Ben Lohrberg. They make great use of the intimate Hive space, with rows added on the sides (beware of some gentle participation if you choose to sit there), and Em occasionally leaving the space and returning via the two aisles, sometimes to signify different characters. Because they not only play the boy, but also his crush, his mother, his little brother, the big bad wolf, and more, and Em expertly transforms into all of these characters with just a gesture or placement on the stage or slight change of voice. They also make great use of the wolf fur coat (and the only other prop - a wooden chair), using it as a blanket, a sheep, or to differentiate characters. In the scenes with two characters interacting, both played by Em, you can almost see the two different people/animals. It's a performance that feels effortless, but is obviously very thoughtfully constructed and rehearsed.
The sparseness of the design suits the storytelling, with some subtle lighting changes, playing off of the blank white screen at the back of the space, to help set the tone. One small quibble is I wish they'd drop the intermission, which would make for a gripping 75 minutes of continuous storytelling. The intermission does have a narrative purpose, delineating the more playful childlike shepherd boy from the adult revenge-driven man 20 years later, but I think it could be done in a way that doesn't break the spell like the intermission does, and allows us to stay immersed in the story.
The Boy Who Cried is creative and inventive, well and concisely written using both narration and dialogue, and skillfully performed by Em with great pacing and playfulness, balancing darkness and light.

I first heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe when I saw Park Square Theatre's regional premiere production of the play Marie and Rosetta in 2018. Known as the "godmother of rock and roll," she certainly should be more well known, and this play makes sure that she is. Yellow Tree Theatre was scheduled to do the play last season, but had to reschedule it to this season, and it was worth the wait. Written by Playwrights' Center affiliated writer George Brant, Marie and Rosetta imagines the night of the first performance of Rosetta and her protege/duet partner Marie Knight. A night in 1946 Mississippi when there was no room at the inn for two black women singers, so they rehearsed and slept in a funeral home with a kindly owner. This play with music paints a beautiful picture of these two very different women, their music, and their relationship, as well as the hardships both faced in their lives and careers, and brings these two musical legends to vivid life.* Unfortunately I caught the show at the end of the run - there are only four more performances before it closes this Sunday, so get out to Osseo soon to catch this great two-hander! 
Sister Rosetta (Adair Gilliam) and Marie
(Chaz Shermil Hodges, photo by Alex Clark)When Rosetta met Marie, she was already a gospel recording and performing star. Marie was a young singer just starting out, singing in a quartet and trying not to stand out. But Rosetta saw something in her and asked her to join the band. The play opens with Marie nervously doing Rosetta's make-up in the funeral parlor where they're also going to rehearse for that evening's show. Rosetta slowly draws Marie out of her shell, and it turns out she's not quite as innocent as she seems. Rosetta wants Marie to make the act a little more "church," but also wants to bring out the "swing" in Marie. As they try out songs for their performance, they settle somewhere in the middle of their two styles, and the result is magic. This is a play in which not a lot happens, but much is learned and shared in the exploration of these two lives.*
Sister Rosetta (Adair Gilliam) and Marie
(Chaz Shermil Hodges, photo by Alex Clark)Ansa Akyea and Richard Thompson join forces to direct the piece, and the result is 100 minutes of more or less one long scene that flows seamlessly from music to dialogue and back again, from reality to... somewhere else. The cast features two relatively new performers to #TCTheater in star turns. Adair Gilliam has impressed in a couple of supporting roles at Artistry the last couple of years, and it's great to see her in a lead (or co-lead) role here. She's excellent as the more experienced musician, full of life and spirit, with a great voice and truly impressive guitar skills (acoustic and electric). The last time I saw Chaz Shermil Hodges on a #TCTheater stage was coincidentally also in 2018, and she is perfectly cast as the less experienced Marie, sweet and naive but also standing up for herself.
The two women sing about a dozen gospel standards, including "Up Above My Head," written by Rosetta and Marie, while accompanying themselves on piano and guitar (gospel guitar? oh yes!).* Adair and Chaz are a great duo, and their harmonies are outstanding. From where I was sitting, it looked and sounded like they both were actually playing the piano too, or else they do a great job faking it. But I wish they had been able to be unmiked in Yellow Tree's intimate space. (Music direction by Gary Hines, who also music directed Park Square's production, and vocal direction by Jamecia Bennett, who played Rosetta in Park Square's production.)
Yellow Tree's tiny stage has been transformed into a realistic funeral parlor, with a piano and a coffin, wainscotting and funeral home appropriate wallpaper on the walls, somber drapery over the door. Lighting varies subtly, with a couple of glowing sconces on the walls. Both women are dressed in lovely period dresses, shoes, and wigs. (Scenic design by Sarah Brandner, lighting design by Alex Clark, costume design by Samantha Fromm Haddow.)
This play is a great portrait of an important figure in the history of American music, who doesn't get the credit or recognition that she deserves. Although she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2018 shortly after this play premiered. Yellow Tree's production does justice to the legend, the musician, and the woman.

*Some text borrowed from my review of Park Square's production.

It's only April, and already we've been treated to two new original small-cast one-act musicals starring #TCTheater veteran Bradley Greenwald, paired with younger performers. Just over a month ago, Open Eye Theatre premiered Strange Heart: The Dream Songs of John Berryman, an odd and dreamy musical in which Bradley played the titular poet, with Anna Hashizume and Sam Albright (and some puppets). Now Illusion Theater is premiering the lovely and touching musical The Postman's Daughter, in which Bradley again plays the title character, with Katherine Fried as his (spoiler alert but not really since it's in the title) daughter. In a year when only one new original musical premiered on Broadway, it's heartening to see that new original musicals are flourishing in our own theater community. At just about 80 minutes, this one gives us a sweet little story that feels like the beginning, and leaves you wanting more, but also feels satisfying. It's mostly sung-through, has the feel of a modern musical, and is beautifully performed in the intimate theater at Center for Performing Arts. Playing through April 25 only, go see it if you're interested in the future of music-theater.
Katherine Fried (photo by Aaron Fenster)The story opens on a young pregnant woman moving into a new home, and a postman delivering her mail with a "welcome to the neighborhood" note. Soon it's mom and baby, and it becomes obvious that she's isolated in her home in a new neighborhood, her only contact phone calls with her mom who is living in some kind of memory care facility. The postman also seems lonely, or else just friendly with everyone on his route, as he continues to leave her notes with news of the neighborhood. They exchange notes, then texts, then meet for an awkward lunch. This is the only speaking scene, like we've moved out of the lyrical written relationship to the real world, which is often not as polished or pretty. It's here that we learn about the surprise relationship between the two, which throws a wrench into what was an endearing relationship. Nothing is resolved by the end, not all questions are answered, but we arrive at a beginning.
Bradley Greenwald (photo by Aaron Fenster)All of this story plays out in song and music (book and lyrics by Danielle Koenig, music by Justin D. Cook). Even the daughter's conversations with her mother, which are more like dialogue, are sort of sung to music. Musical themes, like the sound of a clarinet for the baby's cries, and a guitar when the postman appears, recur throughout the piece. It's less of clearly defined songs, than one long musical story, which doesn't allow for too many applause breaks to interrupt the flow. The score includes some interesting melodies, lovely harmonies, and lyrics that feel like dialogue, played by a three-piece onstage band led by music director Benjamin Larson.
If I were going to cast a two-person musical, Katherine Fried and Bradley Greenwald would be at the top of my list. Both are powerful singers with gorgeous voices (I wish they weren't miked in this intimate space), and both are also experts at conveying emotion through song, so that we feel every bit of the young mom's desperation, the postman's self-deprecating humor and attempts to make up for past mistakes.
Bradley Greenwald and Katherine Fried (photo by Aaron Fenster)The piece is well-staged (by director Michael Robbins) on the simple set (designed by Sarah Harris). The daughter's comfy and lived-in home is represented by a door with an all-important mail slot, the means for communication, a couch, boxes of baby items, and a bassinet. The daughter rarely leaves, the postman walks past the audience and up to the door, across the front (where she can watch him through the imaginary windows), with another small set area in front of the band. Some beautiful lighting effects (designed by Dante Benjegerdes) create the illusion of the passage of time, daylight fading to evening and back again. She's dressed in the comfy kind of clothes that require no effort, like a new mom would throw on, he's in the dark blue of a postman's uniform, complete with the USPS patch, and winter gear (costume design by Amber Brown).
The Postman's Daughter is a small and lovely new piece of music-theater that tells an intimate story of two strangers and their developing relationship, with themes of loneliness, connection, and atypical families. And as much as I love an 80-minute musical, if they wrote an Act II, I would eagerly go back to see it!

In February of 2020, just before the world turned upside down, Daleko Arts produced the regional premiere (and to date only production) of Lauren Gunderson's play Ada and the Engine about Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer. Now nimbus theatre (a company that almost exclusively does original work) is bringing us a new original play about Ada written by #TCTheater's own Nissa Nordland, because we can never have too many plays about historical women of science. Especially Ada, a particular favorite of mine as a woman with a BA in math, an MS in statistics, and a day job as a statistical programmer. Ada lived a short but full life with many accomplishments that weren't always recognized in her lifetime, but provided the foundation for our world today. Nissa has written a lovely, funny, moving, inspiring play that gives us a full picture of Ada and her world, beautifully brought to life by a talented five-person cast and clever design. Only four more performances remain at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis.
Gabi Jones as Ada Lovelace
(photo courtesy of nimbus)Playwright Nissa Nordland has done a great job condensing Ada Lovelace's life into about two hours, taking us from Ada's infanthood, born in 1815 to the famous playboy poet Lord Byron and his wife Anabella, an educated woman of science, to the end of her life. As the years tick by via a clever scroll with block numbers in negative space, we watch Ada grow from a curious and playful child into a scholar of math and science. When she meets Charles Babbage, they become partners in something called the "analytical engine," a never-built prototype for the modern computer. Despite her marriage to (in this version of the story) a loving and supportive husband, the Earl of Lovelace, which produced three children, Ada's first and greatest love was science. But she was also the daughter of a poet (who she charmingly talks to after his death), and her creative thinking comes from combining poetry and science, what she called "poetical science." As I've long known, math and science are not dry and boring, they can be beautiful and magical. This play, and Ada's work, draws connections between science and poetry, between mathematics and music, between our world and the stars.
the Countess and Earl of Lovelace (Gabi Jones and
Derek Lee Miller, photo courtesy of nimbus)nimbus' co-Artistic Director Josh Cragun directs the play and infuses it with some lovely movement and physical theater elements, particularly in the motion of the engine, and the play moves gracefully through time. This is a really strong five-person cast, with most of them playing multiple characters. Except for Gabi Jones, who only plays Ada, but does it to perfection. From the child Ada to the woman at the end of her life, she fully embodies this smart, passionate, vibrant woman and scholar. So much so that it wasn't until intermission that I realized she was @gabis_vintage, who wrote and performed one of my favorite Minnesota Fringe shows last year, and wrote the book How to Dress Vintage. The native Minnesotan no longer lives here, but I'm so glad nimbus convinced her to come back for this. Tara Lucchino is also great as Ada's mother, another smart and accomplished woman. Derek Lee Miller plays both Ada's charming father (as he literally steps down from a portrait) and her loving husband, with some impressive guitar playing. David Tufford portrays Charles Babbage as a brilliant eccentric, and Victoria Pyan brings humor to every role she plays, including Ada's mentor Mary Somerville, an accomplished scientist in her own right.
The set is also a lovely mix of science and poetry. In addition to the clever way of marking the passage of time, the set also features a huge punch card, used to program early computers and a plot point. Butterflies and huge purple roses adorn the set, representing Ada's poetic side. Characters are dressed in period clothing, a series of beautiful dresses for Ada, 19th Century suits for the men, including a recreation of a famous portrait of Lord Byron. And I may be biased, but I love the intro of the show, which overlays sound clips of real women in STEM (including yours truly), because we are Ada's legacy. (Scenic design by Ursula K Bowden, costume design by Krista J. Weiss, sound design by Forest Godfrey.)
Ada Lovelace is an important historical figure who deserves to have many plays written about her, and Nissa Nordland has beautifully captured her life and her essence in this play, well realized by the cast and creative team at nimbus. Themes of technology and how we interact with it, and women fighting to be respected and credited for their work, are very relevant today. Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science continues through April 19.

The 2001 9-time Tony nominated musical The Full Monty, with book by acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally (five Tonys, including one for Lifetime Achievement) and music and lyrics by David Yazbek (Tony-winner for The Band's Visit) has only been done once in #TCTheater, to my knowledge. Theater Latte Da's 2009 production in the old Ordway McKnight Theatre was fantastic (pre-blog so no record of my experience exists), but we haven't seen it since. Until now. Theatre 55, the company that does musicals with actors age 55+, has chosen it for their spring show. It's a great choice for this time and for this company, and it's one of my favorite shows that they've done. The story of working-class men struggling with unemployment, loneliness, mental health issues, and redefining masculinity is incredibly relevant. As the title implies, these average guys decide they're going to earn some money by stripping. One of the benefits of aging (I'm only a few years away from joining the 55+ club) is that you feel more and more comfortable in your own skin, and care less and less about what other people think. So why not go "the Full Monty?" To be clear, I won't be doing it, but it's inspiring and a lot of fun to watch this fantastic cast of men and women own the stage in this way. The bad news is there are only four shows left, so act fast if you want to have a great time and learn a few things from our elders.
The musical is adapted from the 1997 British film of the same name, the action moved to Buffalo, NY (but could really be anywhere in 2026 America). The steel mills have closed down, leaving divorced dad Jerry and his best friend Dave out of work, along with many of the men in the town. Jerry's wife informs him that if he can't pay child support, he may lose custody of his son. After watching the excitement that a touring Chippendale's performance generates, Jerry decides he and his buddies can make some easy money by stripping. This begins a journey of self-discovery, self-confidence, emotional growth, and community-building, so that in the end, taking their clothes off means so much more. The guys start out pretty misogynist and homophobic, but they learn what it is to live as a woman under the male gaze when they take they contemplate getting naked in front of an audience full of women and that gaze is turned around, and when a couple of the guys make a romantic connection, their friends are happy for them. It's a beautiful thing, especially right now, to see that people can change and grow and become better people.
Theatre 55's Artistic Director Richard Hitchler directs this fantastic cast with just the right mix of humor and heart. It's worth noting that not all of the actors in Theatre 55 shows are professional actors, but they're all so present and passionate and invested in the storytelling. Brian Driscoll is great as our protagonist Jerry, kind of a jerk sometimes but you can't help but love him. Zakary Morton is so adorable and believable as Jerry's kid Nathan that I'd like to see his ID to prove he's eligible to be in this show. Steve Ramirez is so endearing as Dave, who goes on a journey of self-love. Joining them in the strip show are Dave Dubin as former boss Harold who's also been let go, Ed Williams Jr. as Malcolm (with the most touching moment in the show), Brent Berheim as Ethan who keeps throwing himself at the wall attempting a Singin' in the Rain dance move, and David Young with some impressive dance moves as Horse. But this show isn't all about the men, the women are pretty great too, including Fawn Wilderson as Jerry's ex, Lori Milbrandt as Dave's frustrated wife, Lisa Ramos as Harold's wife, and Susie Killeen who is a hoot and a half as the experienced pianist/music director who whips these guys into shape.
The show is performed with minimal set, which it doesn't really need. A stage with a catwalk and a couple of folding chairs, the rest is up to our imagination. I love that the six-piece band (led by music director Shirley Mier) is onstage which gives the whole thing a concert feel. The choreography (by Rik Kutcher, who also believably plays the professional stripper) is fun and appropriate for the show and the cast. The costumes (designed by Alicia Vegell) include not just the easy rip-away security guard stripper costumes (and what's underneath), but working class clothes for the guys, and some fun "girls night out" clothes for the women.
I don't know why we haven't seen The Full Monty more often (well, maybe I can guess why), but I think it's very relevant for today, it's a sweet heart-warming message about friendship and self-worth, and it's hilarious and a ton of fun. And this 55+ production is a great one.
the cast of The Full Monty taking a bow (photo courtesy of Theatre 55)