"Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help" and "The Spitfire Grill" at Commonweal Theatre Company

Commonweal Theatre Company is in their 38th year of producing professional theater in Southern Minnesota; I've been a Twin Cities Theater Blogger for 16 years, and I can't believe it took me this long to visit them. The Commonweal is located in Lanesboro, a town known for the Root River State Trail, B&Bs, and great theater. They have a five-show season that runs from April through December, with shows overlapping so it is possible to see two shows in one visit, which is what I did. I made the beautiful 2-hour drive on a rainy Saturday morning, saw two shows that day (during which the clouds cleared), had some good food and drinks, did a little shopping, and stayed at a lovely B&B just down the street. This may have been my first visit but it will not be my last; I will be adding The Commonweal to my annual theater vacay list, which includes Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona (June-July), the Tony-winning American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI (June-October, I'm making my 4th visit in a few weeks), and occasional trips to Duluth Playhouse and/or Zeitgeist (Urinetown in November!). There are obviously a ton of great theater options in the Twin Cities, but theater is everywhere, and people in rural areas or outstate cities deserve great theater too, in fact it's vital to a thriving community. "Commonweal" means "the public welfare," and this theater truly feels like it is for the public welfare, and an important part of the community. For us non-locals, it's really fun to experience theater in other locations, explore other areas in the Midwest, and make a vacation out of it. One of the two shows I saw closes this week, but the other continues through the end of October, with another play opening in September, plus a holiday show that is one of my favorites, so there's still time to visit Lanesboro and enjoy everything the area has to offer, including great theater, this late summer/fall/winter.

"The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at Camp Bar

And now for something entirely ridiculous (in a good way). There is a lot that's sugary sweet about Christmas, and Christmas-themed theater in Minnesota (of which there is much from which to choose). But none of it exists in Minneapolis Musical Theatre's contribution to the holiday theater scene - The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical. It's pure campy and irreverent fun. This is a sequel to The Great American Trailer Park Musical, which MMT did in 2009 (and played Off-Broadway in 2005). If you saw the original, you will recognize some familiar characters (and even one returning cast member). But if you didn't, no matter, it stands on its own in all its trailer trash glory. The songs are catchy and fun, director Ryan McGuire Grimes sets the perfect campy tone, and the terrific six-person cast completely commits to the stereotypical characters and nonsensical plot. Appropriately performed in St. Paul's Camp Bar, with readily available alcohol, it's great escapist fun (at least until that one reference towards the end that will sober you up right quick).

"Always... Patsy Cline" at Lyric Arts

The plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper is known as "the day the music died." But what about the plane crash a few years later that killed Patsy Cline? On that day the world lost one of the best voices it's ever known. Always... Patsy Cline gives us a peek into the human side of the music icon as we get to know her through her fan, friend, and pen pal Louise. The new production at Lyric Arts in Anoka is perfectly cast, full of heart, and highly entertaining for anyone whose ever heard Patsy's music, and let's face it - who hasn't?

"And the World Goes 'Round" at Jungle Theater

Legendary musical theater composing duo John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote over a dozen musicals for the American stage, from their early success Cabaret in the 1960s, through their final collaboration Scottsboro Boys, premiering after Ebb's death (with a pre-Broadway engagement at our own Guthrie Theater). And the World Goes 'Round, now playing at the Jungle Theater, is a musical revue of their songs, taking its title from the movie New York, New York. Surprisingly, I've only see four of their shows (including their two most recent ones which are not in this collection), so many of the songs were new to me. It was a delight to hear the work of this talented composing team performed by a fantastic cast of seven.

There's very little dialogue or context for the songs, just one hit after another. Director John Command notes in the playbill that he learned from Liza Minnelli (Kander and Ebb's muse) "to perform every song as if it were 'a one-act play!'" He accomplishes that here, as each song tells a story, whether funny or tragic, and makes me want to see the full musicals from which they came.

the cast of And the World Goes 'Round
(photo by Michel Daniel)

Music director extraordinaire Raymond Berg leads an onstage six-piece band that sounds impossibly smooth. The whole show has a bit of a swanky, jazzy feel, including Bain Boehlke's rich set design and the choreography that's reminiscent of the original shows. The talented cast includes Bradley Greenwald (who memorably played the Emcee in Frank Theater's gloriously seedy production of Cabaret four years ago), Tiffany Seymour, Jon Whittier, Therese Walth, William Gilness, Emily Rose Skinner, and Betti Battocletti.

Highlights include:

• The title song, which is nicely woven throughout the show and occasionally serves as transitions between songs.
• A super high energy performance of the song "Coffee in a Cardboard Cup*," a song I love but didn't know it was Kander and Ebb!
• All of the Chicago songs, including and especially "All That Jazz."
• Mournful love songs were paired together and a bit overlapped, including Bradley and Bill singing "I Don't Remember You" and "Sometimes a Day Goes By," and Jon, Therese, and Emily singing "We Can Make It," "Maybe This Time," and "Isn't This Better!"
• A rousing Act I ending number "Life Is" from Zorba, which continues "what you do when you're waiting to die, life is how the time goes by!"
• Bradley's delicious performance of the title song from Kiss of the Spider Woman (calling local musical theater companies - please stage this show and cast Bradely as the lead!).
• A very funny double duet of "The Grass is Always Greener" from Woman of the Year by Tiffany, Emily, Bill, and Bradley.
• A super jazzy version of "Cabaret" featuring the entire company, unlike I've ever heard it sung before.

And the World Goes 'Round is a cleverly staged homage to two of our greatest musical theater composers, beautifully performed by cast and band - a perfectly pleasant evening of musical theater (continuing at the Jungle through May 24).


*You can get Dunn Brothers coffee in a cardboard cup at the concession stand for only a dollar - best coffee deal in town!

"Horizon" by Theater Latte Da at the Lab Theater

The final installment in what has been a wonderful new works series presented by Theater Latte Da is a musical re-imagining of the Eugene O'Neill play Beyond the Horizon. It was his first play to be produced on Broadway and the first to win a Pulitzer Prize, but is little seen today (I was previously unfamiliar with it). New York City based musical theater writers Chip Klose (book) and Michael Holland (music and lyrics) are re-telling this story through music, in a brand new piece receiving its first workshop and public performances this weekend with Theater Latte Da. Like all of the NEXT works, it has great potential and is beautifully presented by our local talent, with direction by Peter Rothstein.

In this version of O'Neill's story, brothers Travis and Robbie are in love with the same girl. Book-smart Robbie is about to go to college on a scholarship when he finds out that Amy is pregnant. He decides to stay, and Travis, Amy's old love, joins the marines as a means to leave town and family behind. Robbie and Amy live with his parents and struggle to make a life, as everyone feels Travis' absence. Although plot points have been changed, this is still an O'Neill story and therefore not a happy one, but one with great emotion and complicated family dynamics, the perfect fodder for music-theater.

I loved the music in this piece, and would probably love it even more in its intended orchestration - a few guitars and a fiddle. The creators describe the style as "incorporating pop, rock, folk, and country elements with echoes of Appalachia," but it's hard to achieve that with just a piano (even when the pianist is Denise Prosek). But even so, it's a great score with intricate harmonies, giving each character their moment to shine. And you couldn't ask for a better cast than this one - Eric Morris and Jared Oxborough as the brothers (the former stepping into the role just the day before the first performance!), Cat Brindisi as Amy, and Kevin Leines and Betti Battocletti as the boys' parents. I'm always amazed at how full these NEXT performances are despite the fact that the actors have only had a week or two with the material and have the script in front of them.

If you're free this weekend and interested in witnessing the future of music-theater, head to the Lab Theater for one of the two final performances of Horizon. This has been another great year for NEXT: New Musicals in the Making. From The End of September, a very Minnesotan story with a wonderfully complex score, to the hilarious improvised musical Some Assembly Required (aka Used Pontoon), to Horizon, a re-imagining of a classic American play, I've really enjoyed witnessing these unpolished gems and hope to see all of them again in the future.

"The Ultimate Pajama Party" at the Lab Theater

I tend to be a little leery of things referred to as "for girls only!" I'm afraid that it'll be chock full of gender stereotypes that will offend my feminist sensibilities more than entertain. But when I received an invitation to the opening night of The Ultimate Pajama Party at the Lab Theater, I couldn't resist the idea of going out to the theater in my comfiest and cutest pajamas (I have a weakness for pajamas, and can never walk through the Target pajama section without throwing something into my cart). The Ultimate Pajama Party is more party than theater, and since I'm a theater geek who enjoys theater more than parties, it's not really my thing. But everyone seemed to be having a great time, and I can see that it could be a really fun thing for a group of girlfriends who like this type of thing. The gorgeous space at the Lab Theater is decked out to full effect and everyone involved has worked really hard to create a fun and welcoming space for this experience.

As expected, this "girls night out" event does play on every stereotype of What Women Like, from the Kardashians and Fifty Shade of Grey (no, thank you) to shopping and jewelry (yes, please). Even the cast of characters assembled fit into stereotypes - the frazzled mom, the single girl, the gay best friend. The evening is set up as a party for Lisa, who is late in arriving to the party (allowing us party-goers time to visit the tiki bar and enjoy the free snacks). Lisa has invited her friends to celebrate, and the evening continues with a few skits and musical numbers interspersed with party games. I wish that the scripted play parts were more developed. They've assembled a fantastic cast of local actors whose talents I would like to see more of. What's there is good (written by James Detmar, who brilliantly played many roles in Spring Awakening last year), there's just not enough of it. The website says "After a bad breakup with Steve, a dead-end job and years spent not pursuing her dreams, Lisa is ready to celebrate new beginnings," but I didn't really get that from the show. I would prefer more scripted parts and less interactive games (diet bingo, walk like a Kardashian). But again, I'm a theater geek so maybe that's just me.

On the plus side is that fantastic cast of local actors I mentioned:

• Bonni Allen - I got a kick out of her presiding over the strange puppet show since she played Kate Monster in Avenue Q.
• Doug Anderson - he makes a smooth transition from playing the stereotypical Minnesota guy in A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol to the stereotypical gay best friend.
• Betti Battocletti - always musically comedic in such shows as 42nd Street and The Full Monty.
• Dawn Brodey - one of the standouts in last year's fantastic Fringe show Joe Dowling's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet...
• Janet Paone - I've never seen her before but she's very funny and bawdy in the show.
• Melanie Wehrmacher - the guest of honor Lisa, a totally different role from the last time I saw her in Diary of Anne Frank.
• Lisa Weiland - the frazzled mom, which I'm sure many women in the audience can relate to.

Many of them go by their real names in the show, and seem to be sharing some real stories about their lives, so I'm not really sure where the actor ends and the character begins. They all meander through the audience during the show, chatting with guests, and are all very fun and open, creating that party atmosphere. The evening concludes with a performance by Lisa's favorite local band (and actual local band), Belladiva. They sing a collection of current pop hits (which I like to call Glee songs) as well as classic female power pop anthems like "I Will Survive" and "It's Raining Men." This loosely theatrical interactive event turns into a dance party.

the Lab Theater all decked out for a party

I love the Lab Theater - it's like a big, beautiful blank slate. Joshua Barnd has transformed it into an elegant space, with comfy white couches and chairs, black tables, zebra print floor, gorgeous drapery, and a fun setup for photo shoots (if that's your thing). It's just an all around lovely space to be in. There are also party favors and t-shirts to be had, and free food - always a plus at a party!

The Ultimate Pajama Party is super cheesy, both literally (snacks!) and figuratively. They're definitely targeting a specific market and might become a huge success. Personally, I prefer more traditional theater (did I mention I'm a geek who would a million times rather go to the theater than a party?), but if you're looking for a fun and silly night out with your girlfriends, you might want to give this one a try. The party continues through February 10, and don't forget to wear you favorite pajamas! (Half price tickets available for select dates at Goldstar.com.)

"42nd Street" at Bloomington Civic Theatre

"Come on along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway."

"Come and meet those dancing feet, on the avenue I'm taking you too, 42nd Street."

"We're in the money, we're in the money, we've got a lot of what it takes to get along!"

Those are just a few lines from the classic musical 42nd Street, which I was surprised to learn first appeared on Broadway in 1980, having been adapted from the 1933 original movie musical. I've seen it twice before, on tour and at the Chanhassen, and what I remember most about it is wanting to tap-dance down the sidewalk to my car after the show. There's something about tap-dancing that's so infectious and invigorating; it makes me want to go sign up for the first tap-dancing class I can find, even though I've never worn tap shoes in my life! From the moment the curtain rises to reveal more than a dozen pairs of tap-dancing feet, to the rousing performance of the title song at the end of the show, Bloomington Civic Theatre's 42nd Street never loses that energy.

42nd Street is one of those great musicals about musicals, where the unknown becomes a star. Peggy Sawyer arrives from Allentown, PA, lands a role in the chorus of a new Broadway musical, and takes over the lead role when the veteran Dorothy Brock is injured. The show-within-a-show format allows for several musical numbers that have no bearing on the plot but are just fun to watch.

Highlights of the show include:

• First and foremost, the amazing choreography by Michael Matthew Ferrell, who also directs. This show is all about the tap-dancing, and the choreography here meets that challenge - sharp and fast and thrilling.
• A talented ensemble that very capably performs that intricate choreography.
• Fabulous 1930s period costumes by Ed Gleeman.
• One of my favorite things about BCT is the full orchestra that always sounds rich and beautiful under the direction of Anita Ruth. Yay for the pit orchestra!
• Larissa Gritti is quite charming as our heroine Peggy, with a lovely voice and super fast feet.
• Michael Fischetti, last seen as Colonel Pickering, again impresses as the famous and fearsome director who finds new life and love of the theater through his young star.
• Last but not least - Bonnie Erickson as the veteran actor who passes the torch to Peggy, and the very funny team of Betti Battocletti and Steve Zehr as the writers of the show-within-a-show who also provide the comedy bits.

In the last year or so, I've learned that you can always count on Bloomington Civic Theatre for quality productions of classic musicals. Even if much of the cast is comprised of "amateurs" with day jobs, they obviously pour their hearts and souls into the theater every night. 42nd Street runs through September 16 - check it out if you love a classic musical.  Next up - a Sondheim show I've long been wanting to see, Sunday in the Park with George.

the cast of 42nd Street