"Diamond Jubilee: 60th Anniversary Gala" at The Guthrie Theater

Sixty years ago this month, the Guthrie Theater opened on Vineland Place next to the Walker Art Center. The first production of this experimental repertory theater was Hamlet, directed by founder Sir Tyrone Guthrie himself (read the full history here). The Guthrie is celebrating this momentous anniversary with a new production of Hamlet (closing on May 21), an open house last weekend, and a fundraiser gala earlier this week. While it wasn't the cornucopia of performances and stars that the 2013 50th Anniversary Gala and the 2015 Joe Dowling Tribute Gala were, it was still a wonderful and celebratory night capped with a fantastic concert by Guthrie alum and Tony-winner Santino Fontana. I became a Guthrie subscriber 20 years ago, and I'm certain that without it, I would not be a theater blogger today. Being a Guthrie subscriber introduced me to plays and playwrights I wouldn't have otherwise seen (since as a subscriber you see everything, whether it sounds like something you'd be interested in or not), as well as to other local theater companies they hosted in one of their theaters. I also became familiar with local artists that I followed to other theater companies, beginning the snowball effect that eventually resulted in this wild and wonderful hobby of being a theater blogger and seeing 3-5 shows every week. I'm so grateful that Sir Tyrone Guthrie chose Minneapolis (or rather, as was said at the gala, that Minnesota chose Guthrie) to open his regional theater in the state where I was lucky enough to be born ten years later.

"Newsies" at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

The Children’s Crusade: kids walk out of their jobs or schools to take to the streets and stand up for what they believe in, for a fairer and safer world. Does this describe recent current events, a historical event, or the plot of a Disney musical? Trick question - the answer is all of the above! At the same time that the children of Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of latest tragic school shooting, are leading children across the country in making their voices heard, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is presenting the regional premiere of Newsies, a new musical adaptation of the 1992 Disney movie based on the historical newsboy strike of 1899. As is happening today in real life, the kids involved the historical strike and the characters in the musical demand that the people in power listen to them in their call for justice. But the latter group does it with music and fabulous dancing. Children truly are our hope for the future, and Newsies celebrates that idea while providing a fun, entertaining, and inspirational show.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

The Ordway's recent string of excellent locally produced Broadway sized musicals continues with the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, and it's fan-freakin-tastic. Unlike the Ordway's last original, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar is not one of my favorites; I've only seen it once before and never really listened to it (although I vaguely recalled singing a song from the show at a Catholic grade school concert wearing a t-shirt with an awesome '80s iron-on decal). So I went into the show last night with mostly fresh eyes. I still think the piece is a bit weird (the heavy story of the life and death of Jesus, with a comic number and a disco thrown in), but there's something kinda fabulous about it. And the number one reason to see the show at the Ordway is this mostly local cast that is absolutely spectacular. The show is completely sung through, most of it at full volume, and everyone in the lead and featured roles just knocks it out of the park. And every member of the 30+ person ensemble (including several sweet-singing children) completely gives it their all. Notably, this cast is racially diverse (including an African American Jesus*), a beautiful example of color-conscious casting by the Ordway. At this moment in time when our country, our world, is more divided than ever, it's heart-warming to celebrate an inclusive, loving community of diverse peoples. And isn't that what Jesus taught, before his message was distorted, used, abused by institutional religions? Not exclusion but inclusion, not us vs. them but the idea that we are all one, we are all special, we are all worthy of all the bounties that life has to offer.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical" at Children's Theatre Company

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical - I've got an animal heart for you. Even though I have no familiarity with the successful book series or movies, I felt obliged to see Children's Theatre Company's world premiere musical adaptation because of the talk about a possibly Broadway run, and producer Kevin McCollum also produced my favorite musical RENT (which celebrates its 20th anniversary this week). But all sense of obligation quickly went out the window as the show won me over with it's clever and musically diverse score, universally relatable story of a kid trying to find himself in middle school, and most of all this incredible cast of mostly Twin Cities youth. Whether you're a kid stuck in the middle (school), or a jaded grown-up, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical is simply irresistible, and I think it's going to go far.

"Musical Mondays" at Hell's Kitchen, March 2016

American Idol might be ending this year, but Musical Mondays at Hell's Kitchen is still going strong after 3+ years! You don't need some TV talent search to see talented performers, you can head down to Hell's Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis the first Monday of the month to see some of our very own top talent. While I've only attended 7 of their 36 shows, this cabaret show featuring beloved and obscure songs from musical theater never disappoints. 

"Musical Mondays" at Hell's Kitchen, January 2016

Happy New Year, friends! And what better way to ring in the new year than with the 34th installment of Musical Mondays at Hell's Kitchen! This monthly cabaret series takes place on the first Monday of every month, hosted by everyone's favorite BFFs Sheena Janson and Max Wojtanowicz, and features an alternating cast of local music-theater talent. This month's theme was the '60s, because... why not? Going into the show I couldn't think of any musicals from the '60s (duh - Hair), and most of the songs featured were from shows I'd never heard of. Which is part of the fun of Musical Mondays!

"Master Class" by Theater Latte Da at the MacPhail Center for Music

I don't know opera, and I don't believe I had ever heard the name Maria Callas before seeing Theater Latte Da's Master Class. But I have been educated. I now know that Maria Callas was one of the most talented, dedicated, and fascinating artists of the 20th century. Her paintbrush was her voice, her canvas was the stage, her creation was opera. She sacrificed everything for her art, and had very strong opinions about what art is and what it isn't. She shared those opinions in a series of master classes at Julliard in the early '70s. Playwright Terrence McNally used those classes as the backdrop against which to tell the story of who this woman was in his 1996 Tony-winning play. Her attitude towards art may not lead to the healthiest and happiest of lifestyles, but it does in some cases lead to some exquisite art, both in her singing, and in this magnificent production by Theater Latte Da.

The brilliance of this play is that it's constructed as a music school lecture, with Maria Callas as the instructor and we, the theater audience, as her audience. This allows her to speak directly to us, which is a bit terrifying as she's not an easy teacher, but also extremely engaging as it immediately draws us into the world of the play. Maria takes the stage and begins imparting to us her wealth of knowledge about opera and show business in general, gained from thirty years of performing at the best opera houses in the world. One by one she calls three students in to instruct them as we watch, teaching them that it's about more than just the singing, you have to feel every emotion. Through her direct instruction to the audience, her harsh critiques of her students (that is really more about her than them), and through flashbacks or memories of certain trying times in her life (including her relationship with Aristotle Onassis), we get a clear picture of who this woman was, and it's quite fascinating. She was the type of person for whom the word diva was invented, but it was all at the service of her art.

I'm feel like I'm running out of words to describe Sally Wingert's performances. She recently won an Ivey for not one but four brilliant performances over the last year, all of which I saw and loved. And yet she continues to amaze me each time I see her. How does she do it? She has created so many very different, complex, fascinating, layered, real women. Sally absolutely commands the stage as Maria Callas; she's strong, opinionated, funny, vulnerable, and so present. When you watch Sally you don't feel like you're watching a performance, you feel like you're watching a person. Maria would approve of Sally, she doesn't "act," she "feels," she "is." I felt like I was attending a very important lecture about art and life, and I should be taking notes. I'm not sure who was giving the lecture, Maria Callas, or Sally Wingert, or director Peter Rothstein, who does another beautiful job with this production. Likely it's some delicious combination of all three.

Maria instructs young Sophie while Manny looks on
(Andrew Bourgoin, Kira Lace Hawkins, and Sally Wingert)

As commanding as Sally is, she's not the only one on stage. With her the whole time is music director Andrew Bourgoin as accompanist Manny. I was lucky enough to be sitting near the front on the piano side of the stage, where I could watch his hands bouncing off the keys or softly caressing them. As Manny, he also provides a nice foil for Maria, mostly listening quietly and occasionally interrupting reluctantly to keep things on track. Kira Lace Hawkins, in Jan Brady hair, has a nice turn as student Sophie, with a voice as rich, smooth, and delicious as melted chocolate. Opera singers Benjamin Dutcher and Kelsey Stark O'Emilio also lend their gorgeous voices to the roles of eager students Anthony and Sharon.

Theater Latte Da could not have picked a better location for this play. Antonello Hall at the MacPhail Center for Music is a gorgeous, high-ceiling, pristine, sparsely furnished room that was built for sound. One of my favorite things that Maria says is "I don't believe in microphones, people have forgotten how to listen, if you can't hear me it's your fault." No amplification is necessary in this space with these trained artists, and the sound is exquisite. I also appreciated the costumes (by Willene Mangham). They definitely have a '70s vibe, but it's subtle and doesn't overpower the simple directness of the story.

Theater Latte Da's Master Class is everything. It's funny, completely engaging, poignant, touching, entertaining, and features beautiful music. In short, a smart, funny, clever, meaningful play, sublimely executed by Theater Latte Da. Head to the MacPhail Center for Music in downtown Minneapolis between now and November 2 to experience this exquisite production.

I'll leave you with a quote from Maria Callas: "The only thanks I ask is that you sing properly and honestly." A great motto for not just art, but life.


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.