"Whoa, Nellie!" at the History Theatre

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).

"Triassic Parq" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at LUSH Lounge and Theater

Minneapolis Musical Theatre is back with another rare musical, well done. Triassic Parq is another in the vein of the campy spoof musical (see also Silence! The Musical), which is not my favorite kind of musical, especially when I'm not that familiar with the source material, but it's a lot of fun. This rock musical is a loose retelling of Jurassic Park from the point of view of the dinosaurs. I don't really know the movie (I pretty much only watched it recently when Minnesota Fringe did it for their annual Five-Fifths fundraiser), so I can't speak to the plot similarities or references. But it's probably kind of like what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is to Hamlet (for my fellow theater nerds) - showing us what's going on with the minor characters on the other side of the main action. In this case, those minor characters are dinosaurs, who are also going through some challenges and transitions of their own. Triassic Parq is a celebration of community, friendship, identity, and finding oneself. It's playing Saturdays and Sundays (plus one Monday night pay-what-you-can performance) through April 13 at LUSH Lounge and Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, which is the perfect venue for this show. You can also arrive early and have dinner or brunch in their dining room before heading into the event space for the show.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "Gasthaus"

Day: 6

Show: 21

Title: Gasthaus

Category: Drama / Original Music / Historical content

By: TROMPE L'OEIL

Written by: Kevin Bowen & Lynn Bowen

Location: Phoenix Theater

Summary: The story of an inn on the border between West and East Germany not too long after WWII.

Highlights: Inspired by a true story, the playwrights tell the fictional tale of a family trying to run their inn and dealing with border patrol inside their home. It's a compelling story, if a bit cliche, in which the West German daughter falls in love with one of the East German soldiers. The charming German-themed set, authentic period costumes, and live accordion music help set the scene, with the cast speaking Germlish (English with a few German words thrown in like Nein, Guten Morgan, Ost, and Danke - the language I used to speak with my friends when studying abroad in Austria). Directed by Amanda Weis, the cast is talented and engaging in this look at a fascinating time in history in which families and friends were separated by an arbitrary border (which has happened a lot throughout the history of this planet). An overall enjoyable show, even if the ending is a bit too easy and abrupt.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

"The Boy Wonder" at History Theatre

I had never heard of Minnesota's youngest governor, Harold Stassen, before seeing a virtual reading of the musical The Boy Wonder as part of History Theatre's Raw Stages new works festival a few years ago, when I declared it to be "Minnesota's Hamilton." A progressive Republican elected at the age of 31 in 1938 who resigned during his third term to enlist in the Navy and serve in WWII, and later ran for president a record nine times, Stassen is a perfect candidate for a History Theatre original. Recently retired Artistic Director Ron Peluso wisely asked Keith Hovis, whom one might call the "boy wonder" of #TCTheater musical theater creators, to write his story as a musical. It's finally receiving its world premiere at the downtown St. Paul theater, and it's a wonder indeed. A historical piece that feels timely and relevant, at a time when there's such divisiveness, corruption, and turmoil in our government and political process, it makes one long for a government and elected officials that work for the people instead of for themselves. But this is no staid period piece or preachy sermon, it's a dynamic, modern, exciting musical for today. Well-written, well-acted by a dream cast, with smart and sleek design, it's another in a long line of hit original musicals from History Theatre. You only have one weekend left to catch this fantastic new locally created musical - don't miss it!

"Daddy Long Legs" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at the James J. Hill House

The first act of Minneapolis Musical Theatre's Daddy Long Legs, playing at the historic James J. Hill House, is perfectly lovely. I assume the second act is too; I didn't get to see it because I had to move my car due to a snow emergency and there was nowhere else to park. I had no other choice but to go home, which breaks my heart because never in my life have I left a show at intermission and I never voluntarily would, I think it's disrespectful. But despite the unfortunate early end to the show, I still enjoyed the experience. This regional premiere of the 2015 Off-Broadway musical, based on the 1912 novel of the same name, is well worth seeing; it's a charming story with a beautiful score, and this is a lovely and intimate production by MMT.

"High Fidelity" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at Electric Fetus

High Fidelity, the Broadway flop musical adaptation of the 2000 film (it ran for 32 performances only), is the perfect choice for Minneapolis Musical Theatre, whose motto is "Rare musicals. Well done." They have a knack for bringing out the best in a show and staging it in a way that works. So they're staging High Fidelity, which mostly takes place in a record store, in an actual record store! And an iconic Minneapolis record store at that - Electric Fetus. Maybe this show didn't/wouldn't play well in a traditional theater space, but in this intimate site-specific space that makes you feel like you're part of the story, it's a unique theatrical thrill. With a fantastic and hard-working 14-person cast, a rockin' band, and great use of the space, it's a sure-fire hit. With only six more performances and limited space, act fast so as not to miss out on the fun! (Click here for more info and tickets here.)

"Black Death: The Musical" by Apostasia Productions at Sabes JCC Theater

The new original musical Black Death: The Musical runs for three performances only, just in time for Halloween. I was invited to attend the final dress rehearsal a few nights ago. Writer Susan Woehrle and composer Scott Keever have created a well-researched piece with a unique musical style. They originally intended it to be for the Fringe Festival (read my fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Kendra's interview with Susan here), and it definitely has that feel. If you miss those Fringey musicals of August, enjoy dark humor and original music, and don't mind driving all the way out to St. Louis Park, you might want to check out Black Death: The Musical - this weekend only!

"Silence! The Musical" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre and Bitter Boy Productions at the Lab Theater

A musical about silence? That seems paradoxical. But of course Silence! The Musical is not about silence itself, it's a parody of the 1991 Jodie Foster/Anthony Hopkins movie The Silence of the Lambs. A movie I've never seen. My friends at Minnesota Theater Love told me I should see the movie before seeing Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of the off-Broadway musical, but I didn't have time, because... theater. Also I decided that the musical should be able to stand on its own; you shouldn't have to see a movie first to enjoy a musical. And for the most part the musical does stand on it's own, aided by the fact that the movie is so much a part of our pop culture that even I'm familiar with Hannibal the cannibal and the weird teeth-sucking sound he makes, along with a few other high points of the movie. Although this over-the-top campy horror-parody isn't really my kind of humor, I can appreciate that director Steven Meerdink and his talented cast commit fully to it and deliver an entertaining show.

"H.M.S. Pinafore" by Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company at Plymouth Congregational Church

Such is the breadth and depth of the Twin Cities theater community that a company such as Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company has existed for over 30 years and I, an avid theater-goer who prides herself on knowing just about every company in town, have never heard of it. True, it skews a little more towards the opera end of the music-theater spectrum than I usually venture, but that's no excuse. I've seen several G&S operas and am enamored of their fast, witty, tongue-tying, clever lyrics and intricate rhythms. I attended my first production by this company yesterday, and while it might have helped that this year they're doing H.M.S. Pinafore, a show I'm familiar with from the Guthrie's boisterous production a few summers ago, I found it to be absolutely marvelous! A cast of over 30 and orchestra of over 30 performing a classic piece of music-theater in a straight-forward and energetic manner? Oh joy, oh rapture!

H.M.S. Pinafore, or, The Lass That Loved A Sailor, takes place on ship somewhere off the coast of England. While the piece was written in the late 19th Century, the costumes and the presence of a radio places it in the 1940s. A Captain reigns over a crew of sailors, one of whom, the bright and earnest Ralph, has fallen in love with the Captain's daughter Josephine. She has also fallen in love with him, but is betrothed to Sir Joseph, "the ruler of the Queen's navy." Ralph and Josephine decide to marry despite the difference in their stations and her father's disapproval, when a long-held secret is revealed that turns the situation on its head. It's a whole lot of silliness that allows for many great songs with Gilbert and Sullivan's trademark repetitive pitter-patter lyrics. As director Lesley Hendrickson notes in the playbill, "Don't ask how old Little Buttercup is supposed to be. Don't even think it." Just go with it and enjoy the fun and frivolity.

the young lovers Josephine and Ralph
(Victoria Valencour and Kai Brewster)

Many of the cast members seem to have been members of the company for many years, which is obvious in how well they sing and play together. One such long-time member is Waldyn Benbenek who beautifully sings the role of the Captain. He's joined by Tom Berg as the stuffy and very funny Sir Joseph. Kai Brewster and Victoria Valencour sound lovely and are very convincing as the young star-crossed lovers. Ryan Johnson is quite funny and a bit scary as the villain Dick Deadeye, remarkably his first acting role as an adult. Caitlin Wilkey is the charming Little Buttercup, she of the mysterious age and holder of the secret. Stephen Zehr and Amanada Weis ably lead the wonderful chorus of sailors and sisters/cousins/aunts, respectively. The entire cast is really impressive in singing these songs with precision. When 30+ voices are joined together in harmony, it's really quite thrilling.

Also thrilling is this huge orchestra, perhaps the largest orchestra I've ever had the pleasure of listening to at a music-theater production. Way too big for a pit, they're crammed backstage out of sight, but I knew were there because Music Director and Conductor Randal A. Buikema was introduced before the show and shook hands with the first violin, like a real orchestra. As a former member of the pit orchestra, I'm quite happy to see the orchestra so prominently featured and sound so wonderful.

If you like your opera very light and beautifully sung and played by cast and orchestra, this company should definitely be on your radar, as they are now on mine. They typically only perform one full opera per year, in the spring, but they also present a summer concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell (a wonderful place to listen to music in the great outdoors) and this year are planning to participate in the Fringe Festival.

While it's my first time seeing this company, they obviously have a loyal audience as performances frequently sell out. Order your tickets now if you're interested in seeing this wonderfully performed and entertaining classic.

Fringe Festival: "The Frat Party: A Comic Opera in One Act"

Day: 4

Show: 14

Title: The Frat Party: A Comic Opera in One Act

Category: Musical theater

By: The Really Spicy Opera Company

Written by: Basil Considine

Location: Rarig Center Thurst

Summary: A typical story about a college frat party, atypically told as an entirely sung-through opera.

Highlights: I won't mention the opening scene, which was completely unrelated and not even musical, and seemed tacked on to fill the hour. I'm just going to get right to the main show (as I wish they would have done). A well-voiced cast of eight sings about college woes and joys, including needing money to buy beer, convincing their R.A. to let them have a party, avoiding campus security, drinking, and love. It's quite amusing to watch this all play out as an opera. Each of the eight ensemble members get an aria and do well with it (one character even sings, "I haven't had my aria yet"). Michael Burton has an everyman, or everydude, quality as Dan, the main orchestrater of the party, Amanda Weis has a strong voice as the young woman having her first drink (and whose performance as a Noir-ish detective was the only good thing about the opening scene), Jennifer Zabalesky sings passionately about Chemistry, and Eric Peters is adorkably charming as the requisite nerd in love with Fiona (reminiscent of "Johanna"). Although not perfect, this is a fun, tongue-in-cheek, well-sung show, and a promising debut of a new-to-Minnesota opera company.

"Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at New Century Theatre

If you have a toe in the local theater world, you've probably heard about the controversy surrounding Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of the 2010 Broadway musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. I saw the show on Broadway and found it to be sharp political satire and social commentary wrapped up in a great emo-rock score. Just a few days before this local version opened, founder of New Native Theatre Rhiana Yazzie posted an open letter on Minnesota Playlist criticizing the piece as offensive in its depiction of Native Americans, and expressing disappointment in MMT for making the choice to produce it in Minnesota (read the full letter here). She organized a protest to be held at the New Century Theatre on opening night. While the letter and protest did not deter me from seeing this show I had long been looking forward to (and included on my summer must-see list), it did give me something extra to think about while seeing the show for a second time. It's important to remember that this is not just a light and fun romp through history, but rather a pretty serious commentary on a very ugly period in American history.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson tells the story of the seventh president of the United States of America, from his humble beginnings on the frontier of Tennessee, to “hero” of wars against the Spanish, English, and Indians, to the White House. Andrew Jackson has dreams of overthrowing the Washington “elite” (sound familiar?) and becoming “the people’s president,” but he soon discovers that a president has to make the hard decisions, and is never going to please everyone. One of the things Jackson is most known for is “Indian removal,” having convinced many Native American tribes to sign treaties under false pretenses and move west, resulting in the infamous Trail of Tears (the song "Ten Little Indians" recounts the number of ways that Native Americans died at the hands of the white man). As the narrator of the piece says, historians are still debating whether Jackson was a hero or a genocidal murderer. The musical deals with this serious subject matter in a satirical, campy, and over-the-top way. Young Andrew is portrayed as a petulant teenager, and the politicians as idiots. It's a ridiculous and fantastical mash-up of history that's intended to entertain and make a statement about our past and present.

Logan Greene and Philip C. Matthews
(photo by Byron Ritter)

The large and energetic young cast breathes great life into this crazy story. As our (ironically) sexypants president, Philip C. Matthews is charismatic with a great rock voice. Aly Westberg as his wife Rachel is extremely sympathetic and gives a gorgeous rendition of the poignant song "The Great Compromise," about the difficulties of political life for the family left behind. Not only is Amanda Weis hilarious as the doomed storyteller, but she also steps into the band to play keyboard on a number of songs. Besides Amanda, the band consists of just a couple of guitars and percussion, led by Darren Hensel who occasionally takes part in the action and dialogue of the show. The ensemble members all bring great specificity and humor to the many roles of various presidents and politicians.

The show looks and feels like a rock concert, with bright lights, microphone stands, and modern rock costumes with an Old West twist. Unfortunately there were some sound issues on opening night, with headset mics going in and out or sounding muffled or staticky. Hopefully they'll work these issues out, but I would prefer that they lose the headset mics altogether and just use the hand-held mics for the more loud, rocky songs. I believe Philip's mic went out halfway through the show and I'm not sure it ever came back on, but you could still hear him and he sounded fantastic. The advantage of a small space like New Century is that you don't necessary need to mic everyone all the time.

the cast rocks out (photo by Byron Ritter)

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a musical that deals with issues of corrupt politics, elections, compromises made by politicians and their families, racism, slavery, and the near extermination of an entire race of people. Maybe the creators bit off more than they could chew in a mere 90 minutes and therefore were not able to give each issue the weight it deserved, but it's an ambitious attempt to bring light to these issues in an accessible rock musical kind of way. It's not a bad thing for art to be controversial sometimes; I much prefer a controversial piece like this to a bland inoffensive movie-musical adaptation. At the very least, it began a dialogue that will hopefully continue. I greatly appreciate hearing Rhiana's perspective on the piece and look forward to seeing some New Native Theatre shows next season. MMT responded gracefully to the controversy with a note in the playbill, a brief post-show statement, and a planned post-show discussion on Thursday June 19 (the show runs through June 29).

Even though this is a hugely entertaining and fun show, it goes deeper than that. At the end of the show I was left with a feeling of sadness, that this is the way our country was built. The beautifully poignant song "Second Nature," which plays over a video montage of pivotal moments in our nation's history, says it best:

The grass grows, a prairie
A wilderness across a continent
And we take it
We clear it out and make it
In our image 

The backyards, the driveways
The covered wagons rushing
Through the high planes,
The motels on the canyon
They make a second nature 

And what was it for, this country
the farms and the blood across a prairie
the nation we became as we build a second nature

This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"Five Course Love" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at New Century Theatre

Minneapolis Musical Theatre's Five Course Love is billed as "a tasteful tasty musical comedy." This is truth in advertising - it's definitely not a tasteful show, with lots of raunchy, campy, over-the-top comedy, but it is quite tasty, with fantastically committed performances by the three-person cast and clever, funny, and occasionally lovely songs.

The evening plays out as five different love stories set in five theme restaurants, with three actors playing a different character in every scene. Amanda Weis and Ryan McGuire Grimes are the couple in love (or something), and Joseph Pyfferoen is the waiter, although these characters take different forms in each scene. All three actors are excellent at a very difficult skill - singing for comedic effect while still sounding fantastic (the gold standard of this skill is of course Sara Ramirez as the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot). They do some pretty crazy things with their voices (accents and affectations), but they always sound great. The "love stories" include a blind date, an affair, a love triangle, and unrequited love. They're played to pretty broad effect, some funny, some sweet, and some just plain ridiculous. The music follows the style of the restaurant, from Country-Western to Italian to German to Mexican to '50s. It's equal opportunity offensive comedy, as all ethnicities are exaggerated and made fun of. But the commitment of the actors makes it work as they play it for camp, and the songs for the most part are catchy and clever. My favorite are the catchy '50s-themed diner songs (with shades of Grease), the lovely and melancholy "The Blue Flame," and the show opener and closer "A Very Single Man" and "Love Looking Back at Me," as things come full circle.

Amanda Weis, Joseph Pyfferoen, Ryan McGuire Grimes

The set (by Darren Hensel) looks like a Valentine's Day card exploded. Five doors open to reveal the name of the five restaurants in which the scenes take place. The quick-change costumes (by Joshua Stevens) help the actors and the audience differentiate the characters, so that you almost forget it's the same actors in every scene. The three-piece band keeps things moving along.

In an interview with Broadway World, Gregg Coffin, creator of the piece (which premiered Off-Broadway in 2005) was asked, "When the audience leaves the show, what do you want them to take away?" His response was:

The thrill of three incredible actors running you through a mine-field of love as quickly as they possibly can. And love would be good, it would be good if they took love away from it all. And maybe if they were humming something from the show as they went off into the night. That would be icing on the cake.

Mission accomplished on #1 and #3, #2 not so much, but it's definitely an entertaining ride and I went off into the cold night humming. And sometimes that's enough. Minneapolis Musical Theatre's Five Course Love runs through Valentine's Day weekend at the New Century Theatre.

Coming up next for MMT is the most anticipated (by me) show of their season - the very funny political satire as emo-rock musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. I'll definitely be returning to the New Century this summer for some "Populism, Yea, Yea!"

"Carrie: The Musical" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at the New Century Theatre

The original musical adaptation of Stephen King's novel Carrie was a notorious flop. It closed after just 21 performances on Broadway in 1988 and was never heard from again... until the original creators significantly revised the script and score for a 2012 off-Broadway revival. This new version set in the present day, with kids attached to their smart phones, enjoyed a much better reception from critics and audiences. This year, successful productions of the revised Carrie have run in San Francisco and Seattle, and at the New Century Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. Minneapolis Musical Theatre, whose mission is to produce little-seen musicals, has chosen Carrie as the first show in the 2013-2014 season (which concludes with one of my recent favorites, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, next summer). While I wouldn't call it a great musical, it's energetic, at times compelling, and certainly timely (unfortunately, bullying hasn't gone away since King wrote about it in 1974). And the raw young talent on the New Century stage makes it work.

the kids torment Carrie

Even those of us who've never read the book or seen the movie are familiar with the story - a sheltered teenage girl is bullied relentlessly by her peers, culminating in being crowned Prom Queen, when a bucket of pig's blood is dumped on her head. Her rage and humiliation fuel her telekinetic powers to wreak destruction on everyone and everything in her path. The events begin when Carrie (Jill Iverson) gets her period in the shower at gym class and freaks out because she doesn't know what's happening to her (a little harder to believe in 2013 than 1974). All the girls laugh at and tease her, and you get the sense that this isn't the first time Carrie has been laughed at and teased. The two popular girls have different reactions to the event. Sue (Natalie Schleusner) feels guilty about the way she and her friends have treated Carrie, and sees the humanity in her. She asks her boyfriend, the sensitive Tommy (Philip C. Matthews), to take Carrie to the prom so she can have a fun night. In contrast, Chris (Rebecca Gebhart) hates Carrie even more when she's punished for the event and not apologizing for it, and enlists her boyfriend, the dimwitted Billy (Logan Greene), to help her with the infamous prom blood-bath. At home, Carrie's mother (Lori Maxwell), who has suffered something in her past that's only hinted, is fearful of the world and longs to keep Carrie home with her. She's alternately loving and terrifying as she punishes Carrie for being too worldly. Despite the abuse, Carrie loves her mother as the only person she can confide in, other than the gym teacher who befriends her (Amanda Weis). But sadly, even Miss Gardner can't stop Carrie from being ultimately humiliated and taking her revenge.

There are some great songs in the score, and also some cheesy ones. The best are the ensemble numbers, staged by director Steven Meerdink with a Spring Awakening feel, full of youthful angst and energy. Carrie also has some beautifully poignant songs as she wonders why no one calls her by her name, and ponders the idea that maybe she can be "normal" too. The young and energetic cast ably perform the material, and Jill Iverson is the heart of the piece in her extremely sympathetic portrayal of this picked-on girl, hair hanging in her face and eyes darting as she belts out her torment in song.

It's so hard to watch these portrayals of bullying and try to understand why kids are so mean. But sadly, Carrie's story is not unique. I find it tragically ironic that Stephen King's story is seeing a newfound popularity (there's also a new remake of the movie) just weeks after a 12-year-old girl jumped to her death after being bullied by a group of girls. Carrie: The Musical deals with this very serious issue in an over-the-top way with music and dark humor, but also with sensitivity and poignancy. Only one weekend of performances remain if you'd like to see for yourself.