Just over a year after its "Raw Stages" workshop, when
I declared it "my favorite of the three readings I saw," the new original historical musical
Whoa, Nellie! makes its debut on the History Theatre stage, and it's even better than expected! The musical is about the life, loves, and crimes of the
little-known historical figure known by many names including Nellie King, a "cowboy detective" and notorious outlaw who was the subject of many explosive headlines in the newspapers of the Midwest in the late 19th Century. Playwright/composer/lyricist Josef Evans (who created Open Eye Theatre's
delightful trilogy of
outdoor summer musicals at the Bakken Museum in the early post-pan years) has set Nellie's story as a Vaudeville show and incorporated other, more well-known, historical figures of the era. The result is a wild ride of a show that gallops through history and multiple states as it explores very 21st Century themes of gender identity, sexism, racism corrupt journalism, drug addiction, and celebrity culture. So put on your cowboy boots and head to the History Theatre in downtown, where you'll need to saddle up and hold on tight to the reigns of this fun and fantastical musical (
continuing through June 8).
After seeing this show, one could easily believe that Nellie King is the person who inspired the phrase "Whoa, Nellie!" At least in this fictionalized version, Nellie is someone who barrels through life and takes whatever she can get however she can get it - horses, babies, men, fame. Her story is introduced here by Bert Williams, a real-life Black Vaudevillian, who assembles a team of performers to bring the story to life, including reporter
Nellie Bly, female impersonator
Julian Eltinge, and
Wild West legend
Annie Oakley (who quips, "they should write a musical about me!"). Through them, we follow Nellie through many adventures, in and out of jail and marriages, oft arrested for crimes ranging from horse thieving to dressing like a man, always in search of something more. Nellie's story has a tragic ending, she burned bright for a short time before flaming out, but it's a whole lot of fun to take this journey with her.
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Em Adam Rosenberg as Nellie (with
Erin Nicole Farsté and John Jamison II)
(photo by Rick Spaulding) |
The musical is written in a very tongue-in-cheek intentionally anachronistic way, with lots of modern (and local) references and winks at the audience that let us know we're in a show. Laura Leffler directs the piece with a sense of playfulness and never-ceasing momentum, and has truly assembled a dream team to bring this show to life. Em Adam Rosenberg is an absolute star as Nellie in what I believe is their first starring role on a stage this big, after impressing in supporting roles on multiple stages around town the last few years. Em absolutely owns the stage and the character in such a way that I can't imagine anyone else as Nellie. With a big voice and incredible range and control, they also convey the full range of Nellie's emotions, from reckless abandon to regret at some of her choices. Particularly poignant are Nellie's interactions with her younger self, played by Grace Hillmyer (making the most out of a small role). This star-studded cast (all of them playing multiple supporting roles) also includes John Jamison II, a natural emcee commanding our attention as Bert Williams; Leslie Vincent with a great and unique rendition of the iconic Annie Oakley (someone please cast her in
Annie Get Your Gun); Therese Walth as intrepid reporter Nellie Bly; Jay Owen Eisenberg playing both sides of Julian Eltinge; Thomas Bevan as several of Nellie's husbands, charming and otherwise; Erin Nicole Farsté as another real-life Vaudevillian Aida Overton Walker (and a Minneapolis madam); and Tod Petersen in multiple roles making everything better.
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| John Jamison II and the ensemble ((photo by Rick Spaulding) |
Every aspect of the design supports the Vaudevillian feel of the show, and everything works together seamlessly. Joel Sass has created a Vaudeville stage on the History Theatre stage, complete with a mini weathered proscenium, stage lights, and an "off-stage" dressing area. Costume designer Bryce Turgeon appears to be new to #TCTheater but was a great choice for this show; the versatile costumes are of the period (with corsets, garter, and bloomers galore) but also have colorful modern touches, and are character-specific (e.g., when Nellie's in jail she sports a fitted black and white striped vest). The lighting (designed by Grant E. Merges) creates some really cool effects, completing the look.
Seated behind the curtain hung in the proscenium is the fabulous four-person band led by Music Director Amanda Weiss (if only there were curtain pull to reveal the band and include them). The score is really fun and catchy, with styles from rock to country (orchestration by Robert Elhai). I walked away from the theater with several songs stuck in my head (including "Boom Town" and "Sober in the Slammer Again"), and would immediately download a recording if it were available. Performers are miked for a perfect sound mix with the band (sound design by C Andrew Mayer).
Whoa, Nellie! is a really fun and fabulous historical musical that resonates greatly in this time we're living in. Nellie King is a bit of enigma to historians, with just a handful of newspaper clippings to describe her (which may or may not be accurate). But this musical depicts a trailblazer who wasn't afraid to be her authentic self, a flawed human who made mistakes and committed some crimes, but did what she had to do to make a life in a time when it wasn't easy to be a non-conforming original. Thanks to Josef Evans, the History Theatre, and this uber talented team for bringing Nellie to the 21st Century.
