"Scarecrow on Fire" by Illusion Theater at Center for Performing Arts

Illusion Theater is closing out their 50th anniversary season with the most delightful show, Minnesota treasure Kevin Kling's Scarecrow on Fire. It's a sequel of sorts to The Wizard of Oz, presented as a radio play and featuring live music and archival footage from the 1925 silent film version of The Wizard of Oz (I know, I didn't know that existed either!). Kevin originally wrote this piece for Minnesota Public Ratio, recorded in front of a live audience and broadcast on the airwaves. They've maintained the radio play style for this production, and reunited the original team - actors Simone Perrin, Stephen Yoakam, and Dan Chouinard (who also plays piano and accordion), and musicians Michelle Kinney (cello) and the House of Mercy Band. The mix of all of these artists, with the source material that is so beloved to so many of us, creates something so unique and special. It's funny and silly and charming, but also really heart-warming and even a little profound. It may just bring tears to your eyes as it highlights the beauty and frailty of life. The bad news is it's a short run, with only six performances remaining, two of which are sold out. So act fast to catch this special event!

"Anything Goes" at Lakeshore Players Theatre

Get ready to set sail with the classic Cole Porter musical Anything Goes at Lakeshore Players Theatre. In only the second local production I've seen in the 15 years of Cherry and Spoon, director/choreographer Kyle Weiler (whose work was last seen at Lakeshore in the charming She Loves Me last season) leads the team in this fun escapist show full of clever and witty songs, madcap humor, and fabulous dancing. It'll leave you with a smile on your face and a melody stuck in your head. Anything Goes plays Fridays through Sundays until May 18 at the Hanifl Performing Arts Center in White Bear Lake (click here for info and tickets).

"Joyful Noise" by Bucket Brigade at Art House North

The play with music Joyful Noise tells the story of the creation of Handel's Messiah, "one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music." Who knew there was so much scandal and controversy in the creation of this beloved work which, even if you don't think you know it, you will recognize. Affairs, censorship, rivalries, disagreements between the creators, all threatened to derail this project. Playwright Tim Slover has compiled these stories into some funny and entertaining historical fiction, brought to life but a great cast at Bucket Brigade, even if it does feel a bit too long (the free coffee at intermission helps). See it at the charming and intimate Art House North through May 10.

"Waitress" at Artistry

I've been waiting for the #TCTheater premiere of the Tony nominated musical Waitress since I first saw it on tour in 2017. I'm a big fan of the quirky little 2007 movie of the same name upon which it was based (written by and co-starring Adrienne Shelly, who was tragically murdered before its release). When I saw the tour at the Orpheum Theatre, and later the Ordway, I found the musical adaptation to be a successful one, but one with an intimate story that would probably play better on smaller and more intimate stages. The regional premiere is finally here, and I was right! Artistry's production does feel more real and intimate and heart-wrenching, and so beautifully done that I wish I had time to go back and see it again. Go see this all-star cast in Waitress at Bloomington Center for the Arts now through May 11, they'll rip your heart out and make you laugh.

"Frozen" at Children's Theatre Company

When the National Tour of the stage adaptation of the hit 2013 Disney movie Frozen came to Minneapolis in the fall of 2021, it was a true celebration of the return to theater after a global pandemic closed all theaters for nearly a year and a half. Now three and a half years later it feels like the pandemic truly is in the past, although today's world is not without its own unique and scary challenges. But now we have Children's Theatre Company's glorious regional premiere of this sisterhood love story to remind us that we can get through hard times if we work together and have an open heart (and door). The movie is beloved by many (expect to see lots of little Elsas, Annas, and Olafs in the crowd), and the thing CTC does best is make the experience the best it possibly can be for the little ones. They present this story with such care, thoughtfulness, passion, and love that it's also a joy for the grown-ups, and will melt even the most frozen of hearts. As the outdoor world continues its slow melt into spring, the world of Arendelle will continue to freeze and thaw and freeze again on the CTC stage through June 15.

"Sister Act" at Lyric Arts

The 1992 Whoopi Goldberg hit comedy movie Sister Act was adapted into a stage musical in the late aughts, with music composed by frequent Disney composer Alan Menken. Lyric Arts is bringing it to their stage this season, and it's a whole lot of fun, with a wonderful message of sisterhood, faith, friendship, community, and standing up for what's right. What's not to love about that?! Lyric's production features a large and talented cast (many of them newcomers to Lyric's stage) and is a joyful and high energy celebration. It's playing through May 11, but musicals do well at Lyric Arts, especially a known name, so don't wait too long if you want to experience the joy.

"Close to Home" at Pillsbury House + Theatre

The new play Close to Home is a beautiful story about a chosen family. Three people who are estranged from their birth family for various reasons find each other, and despite differences and disagreements, they give each other the love and support that they need. This is a story about immigrants, trans people, gay people - all of the people whose stories and history and existence in the world the current administration is trying to erase. In other words, it's exactly the kind of play that we need right now, and it's beautifully acted, designed, and directed. See it at Pillsbury House + Theatre now through April 27.

"Lettice and Lovage" at Theatre in the Round

The play Lettice and Lovage by British playwright Peter Shaffer was basically written as a showcase for Dame Maggie Smith, and she fittingly won a Tony for it in 1990. It's a very funny and very British play and has two great roles for women over 50, and a real live cat on stage, all great things. The one challenging thing is that it's a three-act two-intermission play, a rarity these days, but as long as you're aware going into it that you'll be sitting in the theater for three and a half hours or more, it's a lot of fun. Theatre in the Round is staging it in their 73rd season, dedicating the production to #TCTheater actor Maggie Bearmon Pistner who starred in their 2001 production and passed away in 2023. They've cast a couple of great actors as this buddy comedy duo, so take a nap or have a coffee before the show, get up to get a snack at intermission, and settle in for an entertaining evening (or afternoon if you're a morning person like me). Lettice and Lovage continues through April 27.

"The Birds" by TheatreX at the Hive Collaborative

Irish playwright Conor McPherson's play The Birds could be a series in The Walking Dead Universe, but with birds instead of zombies. Like the ever-expanding TV world, the real trouble comes from the humans, not the dangerous creatures that have launched humans into a post-apocalyptic world. The play is based on the same short story that the 1963 Hitchcock movie is, but from my understanding (never having seen the movie), the characters and plotline are different. This story is an intimate, almost claustrophobic, one, focusing on just four characters and how they react to this new world order. This is the first production I've seen by new-ish #TCTheater company TheatreX, which launched in 2018 with an adaptation of the novel The Haunting of Hill House, staged in St. Paul's own Hill House, which I somehow missed. I'm happy to have finally caught one of their productions, the slow build tension filled examination of the human psyche that is The Birds. See it at The Hive Collaborative through April 27.

"Fun Home" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

The long-awaited #TCTheater premiere of the 2015 Tony winning best musical Fun Home is finally happening! I was lucky enough to see this brilliant and moving musical on Broadway and have loved it ever since, even driving to Duluth for the Minnesota premiere by an intrepid theater company known as Renegade in 2019. I'm thrilled to finally see a production in the Twin Cities, and no one better to do it than Theater Latte Da. The smartly and succinctly written 90-minute musical is perfectly cast, perfectly staged, and perfectly designed, for an emotionally satisfying and epic journey through one person's story of coming of age, coming out, and coming to terms with her parents' flaws and humanity; a specific story that feels so real and relatable. Apparently I am not alone in this opinion; some performances are already selling out and they've extended it a week. Don't wait - get your tickets now to see this modern musical theater masterpiece (through April 11 at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis).

"The Tin Woman" by 100 Percent Human Theatre at the Historic Mounds Theatre

The topic of organ donation is one that sounds simple in theory - who wouldn't want to donate viable organs to save someone's life (or lives)? But to be faced with the decision in reality is unimaginable. Such is the subject of The Tin Woman, about a woman facing an existential crisis after receiving a donor heart and the family of the man who donated it grieving their loss. It's a personal story for director Joy Donley of 100 Percent Human Theatre, whose son died at age 16. They donated his organs to over 60 recipients, which is a truly remarkable gift. As good artists do, she's taken her tragedy and turned it into art, partnering with the local organization LifeSource to produce this play and raise awareness about organ donation. The Tin Woman is a funny, poignant, and relatable story about the messiness of grief, loss, family, and life. The super short run closes this weekend with just a few performances remaining at the Historic Mounds Theatre in St. Paul.

"Rhinoceros" by Pangea World Theater at the Southern Theater

"I am not capitulating!" The final line of Eugene Ionesco's absurdist masterpiece Rhinoceros, and in fact the entire play (written in response to the rise of Fascism in pre-WWII Europe), have never felt more relevant. I first saw this play in early 2017 as a response to the first Trump presidency (7th House Theatre's "pop up production"), and again the following year at Theatre in the Round. It felt so timely and urgent then, but here we are eight years later, and everything is so much worse. All around us people are turning into rhinoceroses, falling in line, and trampling over the things we hold most dear. Millions of Americans protested across the country in the "Hands Off" protests last weekend, and Pangea World Theater is doing their part by mounting a production of this important allegory. With a strong ten-person cast, it's well-staged at the gorgeous Southern Theater, and feels like it was written for this moment. A handful of performances remain over the next two weekends - click here for info and tickets.