"The Government Inspector" at Theatre in the Round

Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of the brilliantly ridiculous Russian satirical comedy The Government Inspector premiered at the Guthrie in 2008, featuring his usual dry wit and clever humor, and starring a bunch of beloved Guthrie actors and one Broadway star. I don't remember too much about it, other than the hilarity, and that yes, Hunter Foster (aka Seymour) did sing. While perhaps some of the jokes don't land as well in 2019, the idea of a narcissistic, greedy, corrupt politician finally getting what's coming to him is particularly appealing at this moment in time. Theatre in the Round's production, which closes this weekend, brings all the absurdity to life in a very entertaining way, with almost constant laughter from the nearly sold-out crowd.

"These Shining Lives" at Theatre in the Round

"Dip this paintbrush in radium and then put it in your mouth. Don't worry if it gets all over your skin, clothes, and hair, you'll be fine!" If any of our employers told us this today, we would all likely walk out the door. But in the 1920s, when workers had much fewer rights than we do now, if you needed the job to feed your family, and especially if you were a woman and your bosses were men, you likely would have accepted it. These Shining Lives tells the true story of women who did just that, until their hands started glowing and their bones started aching. It's because of a couple of lawsuits brought by the real life "Radium Girls" against their employers that companies are held responsible for injuries or illnesses their employees acquire on the job. Theatre in the Round tells these pioneering women's story, via a female playwright and director, with humanity and grace.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "A Farewell to Armadillos"

Day: 4

Show: 16

Title: A Farewell to Armadillos

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Improv

By: NEPTUNE

Directed by: Christopher Kehoe

Location: Strike Theater

Summary: A clowning show with three clowns being clowns.

Highlights: I'll admit it, I have a slight fear of clowns. I think most reasonable people do. But there's nothing to fear from these clowns (although don't sit in the front row or on the aisle if, like me, you don't want to be pulled up on stage). Clowns Kaitlen Osburn, Mohamed Yabdri, and Neal Skoy do clown things as they go about their day on the job, cleaning or something. A non-clown (Autumn Sisson) interrupts to get her tape back, and ends up having a few adventures before she leaves. There are things happening with tape, and rope, and cleaning fluid. Plus spit takes and fart jokes, which are are never not funny. Not much happens in the show so that when it ended I thought, that was a short show. Nope, it was 55 minutes, it just flew by when caught up in the innocent, delightful charm of these silly (and very talented) clowns. One doesn't often get to experience clowns just being clowns, and this is a great opportunity to do so. Judging by the kids that were there past their bedtime (or mine anyway) on a Sunday night, this is one that could/should also be part of Family Fringe.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Flavio Betrayed" at Lyric Arts

A funny thing happened on the way to Anoka, or rather, in Anoka - the world premiere* of the new play Flavio Betrayed by resident director Scott Ford, based on the commedia dell'arte style popular in 16th-18th Century Italy. He has assembled a fantastic cast that plays the exaggerated and highly stylized physicality to the hilt, extending even into some pre-show bantering with the crowd. It all makes for a perfectly silly evening of theater. In the real world, there may be tragedy tomorrow (and yesterday and next week), but there is only comedy tonight at Lyric Arts!

"Moonlight and Magnolias" at Lyric Arts

Although it became and still remains the highest grossing film of all time (adjusted for inflation), Gone with the Wind had an infamously difficult beginning. Producer David O. Selznick bought the rights to the popular book shortly after it was published in 1936, and spent years obsessing over every detail of the production, hiring and firing directors and screenwriters along the way. The play Moonlight and Magnolias, which premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2004, imagines one week in this years-long process in which Selznick locks himself in his office along with screenwriter Ben Hecht and director Victor Fleming to rewrite the script after filming has already begun. The play is part hilarious look at Hollywood and what makes it tick, part recap of the popular movie, and part exploration of the balance between making a movie you can stand behind and giving the people what they want. Lyric Arts' production is fast and funny, with a strong four-person cast that works and plays well together.