"Doubt" by New Epic Theater at the Lab Theater

Friends, I know that there are a lot of theater companies in the Twin Cities, so many that it's hard to keep track of them all and impossible to see them all. But you would be wise to take note of New Epic Theater. With just their second production outside of the Fringe Festival and their first full season of programming, they've already established themselves as one to watch with smart, intense, risk-taking, aesthetically beautiful productions. Their new production of John Patrick Stanley's 2005 Tony-winner Doubt re-imagines the new classic with inventive staging that brings the themes of doubt vs. certainty, racial and gender inequality, and the power hierarchy of the Catholic Church into almost painfully sharp focus.

The 2015 Ivey Awards at the State Theatre

On Monday night I attended my 9th Ivey Awards. Yes, even before I started Cherry and Spoon in 2010 and started getting press tickets to the event in 2013, I was still a theater geek (read all the words I've written about the Iveys here). The Ivey Awards are my favorite theater night of the year, not so much for the awards themselves, but because it's a celebration of another year of amazing local theater that gathers all of my favorite theater artists in one room. Even though I've met many of them, I still get starstruck when I walk through the crowd and every other face I see is someone I've enjoyed watching on stage. I love to watch awards shows on TV so it's a thrill to get all glammed up and actually attend one in person. I even painted my toenails with a glittery green called "One Short Day" - appropriate because of its musical theater geekiness and and because this event that I look forward to all year goes by in a whirlwind of people and honorees and loud music and conversations. And now it's over for another year, but more great theater is still to come which we will be celebrating next year!

The super talented Christina Baldwin and Regina Marie Williams hosted this year's awards ceremony. They performed a funny and topical musical opening number, did bits and introductions throughout the show, and closed with Regina dressed as a nun (she's playing the Whoopi Goldberg role in Sister Act at the Chanhassen this fall) and Christina dressed as a WWII Army soldier from Sisters of Swing (get it - they're both sisters!). The awards were presented by past winners and representatives from the night's sponsors. In between awards we were treated to scenes from musicals and plays from the last year.

The Iveys don't have set categories and nominees, rather they award exceptional work wherever they see it. This year 11 awards were given out, representing 12 productions. I saw all but two of them - perhaps my highest percentage to date! And the winners are:

1. Walking Shadow Theatre Company's WWII drama Gabriel, about which I said "so captivating, horrifying, chilling, and completely engaging that it hangs with you well after you leave the theater."
2. Steve Tyler for music direction of the gorgeous Pirates of Penzance at the Ordway
3. Shá Cage for her "tour de force" performance in the one-woman show Grounded by Frank Theatre
4. One of the two honored shows I missed was Green T Productions' Prince Rama's Journey, for which Joko Surtisno was honored for music direction
5. Claudia Wilkins and Barbara Kingsley for their work in Gertrude Stein and a Companion at the Jungle, a show they've performed in several times over the last 20 years, prompting Claudia to say "maybe this time we got it right!"
6. The lovely and charming dancing couple Brian Sostek and Megan McClellan for their delightful, funny, and innovative creation Trick Boxing, seen many times on many stages around the country but most recently at Park Square Theatre
7. Another show I missed, Nothing is Something at Open Eye Figure Theatre
8. The ensemble of Pillsbury House Theatre's Marcus, or the Secret of Sweet, seen at the Guthrie studio last fall
9. Peter Rothstein wins again (deservedly), this time for his direction of Ten Thousand Things' Romeo and Juliet
10. Matthew LeFebre was doubly awarded for his costume design of The Mystery of Irma Vep at the Jungle and A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie (both remounts)
11. Last but not least, Live Action Set was honored for the super creepy and very real production design of the walk-through experience that was Crime and Punishment at the Soap Factory

Every year Ivey honors an artist at the beginning of her or his career and one who is further into their career and has made many contributions to the local theater scene over a number of years. This year's Emerging Artist had already been honored as part of the cast of Marcus (my first thought was Nathan Barlow, but nope, maybe next year) - Mikell Sapp. I've seen him a couple of times on stage and definitely taken notice; I look forward to seeing more of him. In perhaps the only predictable award of the night, recently retired 20-year Artistic Director of the Guthrie Joe Dowling received the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was beautifully celebrated in a grand gala and performance earlier this year, and it was nice to once again celebrate his accomplishments over the last 20 years.

The performances are often the funnest part of the night. This year they included a pre-show warm-up by the beautiful, talented, and athletic young men of Mixed Blood Theatre's Colossal. We also got a brief history of the Iveys from the Church Basement Ladies (celebrating their 10th anniversary this year at Plymouth Playhouse). Next, a couple of past Emerging Artists performed. Ricardo Vázquez led the cast of History Theatre's River Road Boogie in Minnesota rock & roller Augie Garcia's appropriately titled big hit "Ivy League Baby" (Ricardo can currently be seen at Park Square in the moving and powerful portrait of a soldier, Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue). And in the most adorable moment of the night, Tyler Michaels and the cutest lost boys ever bounced around the stage singing "I Won't Grow Up," from Children's Theatre Company's delightful Peter Pan (watch Tyler take on another iconic role in Theater Latte Da's Sweeney Todd, opening at the Ritz this weekend). Not all the performances were musicals; we also saw a montage of scenes from four excellent plays - Jeffrey Hatcher's Hamlet (the playwright's latest work, the musical Glensheen, can be seen at History Theatre beginning next weekend), Thurgood (the previous two plays both presented at Illusion Theatre), Penumbra's Detroit '67, and Frank Theatre's Grounded (giving the audience a taste of why Shá Cage received the Ivey). The always sobering and poignant In Memoriam section was accompanied by a lovely song "We Are the Wandering Wondering" from the new original musical Jonah and the Whale by 7th House Theatre (who are presenting another new original musical at the Guthrie studio this winter). In what has come to be one of the most cleverly entertaining segments of the show, Shade's Brigade managed to work all of the sponsors into their radio drama. The disgruntled princess of Casting Spells' Disenchanted sang a (not so) happy tune, and the evening was brought to a delightful close with Ann Michels and the cast of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' Mary Poppins singing and dancing their way through "Supercalifragilisticexpialodocious!" And then it was time for the party!

One of my favorite things in this past year is that I've gotten to know several of my fellow bloggers. We're a strange breed, and it's nice to know that other people understand the stress, obsession, and pure joy of being a theater blogger in this town. Last night I had such fun hanging out with Laura (One Girl Two Cities), Stephanie (phenoMNal twin cities), Julie (Minnesota Theater Love), Todd (l'etoile), and Kendra (Artfully Engaging) - check them out! I also had the great pleasure of chatting with many of my favorite theater artists, including but not limited to: Sally Wingert working the check-in at the pre-show party (see her as Mrs. Lovett in Theater Latte Da's Sweeney Todd opening this weekend); Kim Kivens handing out programs at the State (one of The Realish Housewives of Edina, opening at the New Century Theatre this weekend); Adam Qualls (with whom I geeked out about the new musical Glensheen that he's in, opening at History Theatre next weekend); Rachel Weber (whom I will see Dancing at Lughnasa at Yellow Tree tonight); Ivey winner Shá Cage (go see her powerful one-woman show U/G/L/Y at the Guthrie this weekend!); Sam Landman (who seems to have recovered well from his recent health scare); and the Nature people (who totally deserve an Ivey, be sure to catch one of the last two stops on their 2015 tour). There were more people I wanted to talk to but my feet were not getting along with my beautiful golden shoes, so my night had come to end shortly before midnight, just like Cinderella.

So there you have it. Another year of brilliant, funny, clever, challenging, strange, delightful theater, and another wonderful celebration of these beautiful cities we are lucky enough to call home. Were all of my favorite shows from this past year honored? Of course not, but you'll have to wait until my end of the year wrap-up in December for more on that. Until then - happy theater-going!


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.


P.S. ICYMI, here's the Cherry and Spoon Twitter feed from Awards night:

"The Daughter of the Regiment" by Mill City Summer Opera at the Mill City Museum Ruins Courtyard

One of the best things about summer in Minnesota is outdoor theater and music. A few weeks ago I saw Classical Actors Ensemble's charming and playful Two Gentleman of Verona at Lake of the Isles, and last night I continued my outdoor theater pursuit with The Daughter of the Regiment by Mill City Summer Opera. This is my first time seeing seeing them, but it's only their 4th season so I don't feel too bad about that. Now, when I think of outdoor theater or opera, I picture it as a little more casual, a little more informal. But this is a full-out opera, with orchestra, sets, costumes, and a huge cast, that just happens to be performed in the starkly beautiful Ruins Courtyard behind the Mill City Museum. I'm not an opera aficionado, but I was truly impressed by the quality of this production. And this piece is a perfect choice for summer opera - a light and silly romantic comedy. I'd tell you to go see it for a perfect Minnesota summer evening (after a lovely dinner at one of the many area restaurants, including my favorite Spoonriver) but the remaining three performances are sold out. I did see a sign for rush tickets so you might have some luck with that, otherwise mark your calendars to get your tickets early for next year's show.

I'm not sure why Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti wrote an opera set in the Tyrolean Mountains (now a part of Austria) in which everyone sings in French, but he did. It makes sense for the French regiment (this is during the Napoleanic Wars), but it's a little odd to see these Austrian mountain peasants in dirndls, lederhosen, and alpine hats singing about the terrors of the French army... in French. But whatever, it sounds pretty. And all of the dialogue (of which there's not much) has been translated into English, which I found helpful (there are, of course, surtitles on a screen hanging above the action to translate the French libretto). The plot reads a little like a soap opera, in which an abandoned baby girl was raised by a regiment, only to be reunited with her wealthy and stuffy family years later. They want her to marry a duke rather than the poor peasant soldier she loves, but this is one of those happily-ever-after operas (as opposed to the operas where everyone dies), so the lovers are reunited. The plot is pretty much an excuse for some beautiful and varied music, from rousing battle songs to lovely ballads.

As the titular daughter, Leah Partridge is absolutely radiant, performing the role of this rebellious tomboy with such spirit and grace. Chad Johnson performs the role of her lover with a Billy Magnussen-esque boyish charm. Rounding out the trio is Nathan Stark as the regiment's Sergeant, with great chemistry with both of the above. Cindy Sadler is also great as the pampered and flounced Marquise. Local favorite Bradley Greenwald (who can do pretty much everything - straight plays, musicals, operas, comedy, drama, foreign languages, one man shows, writing a new musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac from the original French) is a hoot and a half as the servant Hortensius, milking every moment and making jokes about "ruins" with a knowing wink to the audience. He introduces party guests with a series of ever more ridiculous names (my favorite - Baron Fahrvergnugen von Volkswagen). I only wish his character had more than a few lines to sing solo, because his voice is incomparable. Another local favorite, Claudia Wilkins, makes a brief cameo as the prospective groom's proud aunt.

One of my favorite parts of this experiences is that there is not a microphone or a speaker in sight. Maybe they were there and well hidden, but it's a rare treat to hear the music flowing directly from the instruments and singers to the audience's ears, unfiltered by anything but the heavy Minnesota summer air. Speaking of which, I know it's hard to keep instruments in tune in varying environmental conditions, so kudos to conductor Brian DeMaris and his 30+ piece orchestra for playing outside in all kinds of weather and sounding spot-on and beautiful through it all.

The set is sparse but more than I expected. Most of the action occurs on a raised platform, with tree trunks and a rustic hut reminding us we're in the wooded hills of Tyrol. Things get fancied up a bit in the second act, when a few furniture pieces and some drapes are added to represent the castle on the mountain (set design by Jo Winiarski). Jessica Jahn's late 18th Century period costumes are gorgeous, colorful, and incredibly detailed. I don't want to think about how much the actors are sweating under all of those layers of skirts, ruffles, flounces, jackets, vests, wigs, and hats. The regiment looks sharp (see below), the Tyrolean peasants made me homesick for Salzburg (where I studied abroad), and the second act party scene is the pièce de résistance (ooh look, I spoke French!). The women's gowns are extravagant, only topped by their ridiculous headpieces (spotted - a cherry and spoon!). All of this takes place against the stunning backdrop of the ruined walls of the Washburn A Mill, leftover after a 1991 fire of the abandoned mill. A historic spot in the city of Minneapolis, built by flour mills, now remarkably turned into a space for education and great art.

Marie is torn between two worlds (Bradley Greenwald, Cindy Sadler,
Leah Partridge, Nathan Stark, and the regiment, photo by Rich Ryan)

Outdoor music-theater in Minnesota, there's nothing better so enjoy it while it lasts! Next up - Mixed Precipitation brings operetta and delicious food tasting to a park near you!

"The Language Archive" at Park Square Theatre

The language of Esperanto is a universal language that was invented in the late 19th Century as a way to heal the divides that speaking different languages can cause. A beautiful idea, isn't it? In a nutshell, this is what Julia Cho's lovely play The Language Archive is all about. It's about the different languages that we all speak, not just the actual language, but also the more intimate informal languages that we develop in relationships with the different people in our lives. Even though the characters in the play all speak English, they struggle to communicate with each other on a deeper level, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, as we all do. This play had me laughing through my tears as I contemplated life and relationships. Friends, it doesn't get much better than that.

George is a linguist who is obsessed with studying and recording endangered languages. Ironically, he is unable to communicate with his wife, Mary, who is unhappy and decides to leave him. So George goes to his work, at a place called The Language Archive, where he records rare languages before they disappear. Along with his assistant Emma (who is, of course, in love with him), his current task is to record the (fictional) language of Ellowa as spoken by a couple that he has flown in from a remote village somewhere in the world. But on this particular day, the couple is fighting and doesn't want to speak their precious language in anger. George struggles with how to accomplish this task while his world is falling apart, Emma struggles with how to tell George how she feels, and Mary struggles with finding a happier life. Watching them do so is a bittersweet joy.

Mary and George (Sara Ochs and Kurt Kwan,
photo by Petronella J. Ytsma)

Rick Shiomi, recently retired founder and Artistic Director of Mu Performing Arts, directs this wonderful seven-person cast. As the wounded linguist, Kurt Kwan gives a sensitive, heart-breaking, funny, and very real performance. Sara Ochs is sympathetic as the wife who doesn't quite understand him and wants something of her own. Emily A. Grodzik plays the eager young assistant (like a Season 1 Peggy Olson) with a simple open spirit hiding deeper feelings. Claudia Wilkens and Richard Ooms are perfection as the Ellowa speakers, extremely believable as the bickering yet loving couple (perhaps because they are married in real life). Rounding out the cast are Melanie Wehrmacher and Robert Gardner, bringing depth and interest to several smaller roles.

Joseph Stanley's remarkable set fills the stage with huge shelves upon which books, typewriters, files, tapes, and other objects associated with words are stacked. Words in many different languages adorn the walls, and the center section rotates to reveal the recording room. Shrouded stage hands quietly move set pieces on and off stage during scene transitions, which are many but fluidly handled.

The Language Archive is one of those rare plays that satisfies on so many levels. It's smartly written, funny, a bit fantastical but very grounded in reality, superbly acted, features a huge and fascinating set, and most importantly, touches the heart as well as the mind and the funny bone. I'm catching this one near the end of its run, but if you can make it to one of the four remaining performances on Park Square Theatre's main stage, it will be well worth your time and effort.

"Gertrude Stein and a Companion" at the Jungle Theater

American author Gertrude Stein may be more famous for the "salons" that she hosted in her Paris home with other American ex-patriot and European artists, including Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Similarly, the play Gertrude Stein and a Companion focuses more on this Parisian life than her work, specifically, her relationship with her companion of 40 years, Alice. The Jungle is very familiar with this play; it's their 8th production in the 25-year history of the theater. Before his retirement as Artistic Director this summer, Bain Boehlke has brought back Claudia Wilkins and Barbara Kingsley from the Jungle's first production in 1992 to perform this play once again.

The play begins on the day of Gertrude's death in 1946. Her spirit appears to Alice as they reminisce about their past, and follows her throughout the rest of her life until they can finally be together again. There's a dreamlike quality as we follow these two fascinating women across time and space. Their story is not told linearly, but over the course of the play we get a real sense of their relationship as they reenact their first meeting, the moment they decided that they would be together for life, their work together publishing Gertrude's books, and Alice's life as she continued to live in their home until she was almost 90 years old. It's a quiet play with not much in the way of action, but more of a character study of these two women and their relationship.

Gertrude and Alice on a picnic in Italy
(Claudia Wilkins and Barbara Kingsley, photo by Michal Daniel)

The over 20 years of history that Claudia Wilkins (Gertrude) and Barbara Kingsley (Alice) have with the piece and their characters is evident. There's no acting visible, they just are these two women, fully and completely. Their wit, intelligence, vivacity, and devotion to each other jumps off the stage. Director Bain Boehlke has also designed a set that perfectly matches and enhances the tone of the piece, as per usual. Columns and arches create the appearance of five nested frames retreating into darkness at the back of the stage. Gertrude has her chair with some frames and books stacked around it, and Alice has her desk with papers and things. But they appear to be floating, not anchored in space, in the same way that the story is not anchored in time.

Gertrude Stein and a Companion is a beautiful play that somehow condenses 60 years of a relationship into just over 90 minutes (including an unnecessary intermission). With 8 productions spanning over 20 years, the Jungle has honed and polished this play to a lovely little gem (playing now through March 8).

"Deathtrap" at the Jungle Theater

One of the highlights of the Jungle Theater's stellar 2012 season was the deliciously thrilling Dial M for Murder, about which I wrote "murder shouldn't be this fun." Three of the five members of that cast, along with the director/designer, reunite for this year's thriller Deathtrap. Dial M is a classic from the 1950s, and Deathtrap was written by Ira Levin in the late 1970s as an homage to the thriller genre of which Dial M is a prime example. It's a bit more modern feeling, less tense and more funny, and very meta. Several characters in the play are playwrights who begin to write a play describing their lives, and then continue to act in order to figure out what happens next in the play, in a life imitates art imitates life sort of way. There are several surprising plot twists and turns, including one moment so shocking that there was a cry of fear and delight throughout the audience such as I've never heard before inside a theater. The audience reaction was almost as much fun as what was going on onstage.

I really don't want to give away too much of the plot, because watching it unfold is part of the fun. Usually you can sort of tell where a play is going or how it's going to end, but watching Deathtrap, as each scene ended, I had no idea where the next scene was going, which certainly kept me alertly watching throughout the show. The play centers on once-great playwright Sidney Bruhl, who is desperate for another hit. When a student from his seminar sends him what could be that hit, he hints to his wife Myra that he just might be willing to kill the man to make that hit play his own. After all, he's written enough murder mysteries for the stage to be able to conduct one in reality (or so he thinks). Sidney invites the young playwright Clifford to his home, to his wife's dismay. The plan continues, but not in the way you might think. There's also a Dutch psychic (or as they called it in the late '70s, ESP), and a lawyer called in to settle some affairs. Oh just go see it, you'll find out what happens!

Sidney (Steve Hendrickson) and Myra (Cheryl Willis)
argue as Clifford (Michael Booth)
finds himself in a sticky situation

The cast that worked together so well on Dial M last year does so here as well. Michael Booth is once again the man plotting to kill Cheryl Willis (I hope she doesn't take it personally), and both are great to watch - Michael with his deft transformation from naive innocent to something more sinister, and Cheryl with her British accent and over-the-top histrionics  Steve Hendrickson steals the show with his very physical portrayal of Sidney, all loose exasperation and paranoid plotting. One of the biggest audience laughs came when he flopped around on a chair for many long minutes while Clifford typed away, unaware of the spectacle in front of him. Claudia Wilkins is a hoot as the concerned Dutch psychic ("I sense much pain, much pain!"), and Terry Hempleman (another Dial M vet) as the lawyer is the calm at the center of the storm, until he's not.

All of this crazy action is beautifully directed by the Jungle's Artistic Director Bain Boehlke (with fight choreography by Peter Moore, also part of the Dial M cast). Bain also designed the set of course. As usual, the intimate stage at the Jungle houses a specific, detailed, impeccable set. This time it's a carriage house that's been converted to a writer's study. The walls are covered with posters window cards from (real and fictional) Broadway plays, scripts litter the floor under a bench, and books crowd onto huge built-in shelves. But the most impressive thing is the wall of weapons that Sidney has collected from his murder plays and elsewhere. Several of them figure prominently in the plot, and all are beautifully displayed on the wall above the fireplace. The lighting (Barry Browning, who won an Ivey for lighting Dial M last year) and sound (Sean Healey) all add to the very specific sense of time and place that is so characteristic of the Jungle's work.

If you've never been to the Jungle Theater in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis... what have you been doing with your life? I cannot recommend them enough. I'm always impressed by the quality of work, beginning with the sets, that are the best in town, and continuing with every other aspect, including interesting choices of plays (this summer - Urinetown the Musical!). Deathtrap is delightfully fun and chilling, a play that pokes fun of the genre while paying homage to it, perfectly produced by the Jungle, as per usual (playing now through May 18).

"Long Day's Journey Into Night" by The Gonzo Group Theatre at the James J. Hill House

I saw Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical masterpiece Long Day's Journey Into Night for the first time just a few weeks ago, at the Guthrie Theater. It's a wonderful production, as to be expected from the Guthrie. But what fascinated me most about this play is that fact that it is autobiographical, and is so painfully true that O'Neill did not allow it to be published or produced until after his death. The Gonzo Group Theatre also seems to be fascinated with this idea; they have created a production that is as much about the playwright as it is about the play. Gone is the character of the housekeeper (not a big loss, mother Mary's conversation with her turns into a monologue), while a new character is added - O'Neill's wife Carlotta. She wanders around and through the action of the play, collecting the papers that are strewn all over the set (more on the magnificent "set" in a moment), assisting her husband as he tries to make peace with his family and his past through the process of writing (as explained in the note by director Jennifer Harrington). When I first saw the play, I wanted some sort of resolution at the end. But there is none, only hopelessness, and a bit of relief for the audience that they can leave the dark place they have entered into and go back to their lives. But as this version of the play makes clear, the only resolution is in O'Neill's mind, as he was hopefully able to release the demons of his past by writing about them. And leaving us with this poetic, depressing, moving, gut-wrenching, masterful play.

the play takes place on and at the bottom
of the grand staircase at the JJ Hill House

The location of this unique production is the main hall of the James J. Hill House in St. Paul. If you've never been there, it's worth a visit to see this grand home of one of Minnesota's most wealthy historical families. The house also hosts special events, concerts, and occasionally, works of theater. I saw Gremlin Theater's After Miss Julie in the basement kitchen a few years ago, which I found to be an entirely appropriate and authentic setting for the play. This magnificent mansion is not exactly a summer home on the sea, but the period is right (Long Day's Journey takes place in 1912, at which time the Hill family was still living in the house), as is the weighty atmosphere of history and grandeur. And with just 25 seats, it's an intimate experience; you're practically sitting at the table with the Tyrone family, sharing a drink with them. They make great use of the space - the entire long hallway, the out of sight dining room, and the grand staircase, going in and out of doors and looking out the windows at the foggy sea. The house is open before the show and during intermissions, and guests are free to roam around and soak in the atmosphere.

Another unique feature of this production is that it's a true family affair. Real-life married couple Claudia Wilkins and Richard Ooms play Mary and James Tyrone, and their son Michael Ooms is the elder son Jamie. It's kind of trippy to watch a real-life family acting out the life of another real-life family that lived 100 years ago, and they all give great performances. Claudia and Richard once again play a believable married couple (they also played a married couple in The Birthday Party at the Jungle last year), as Mary grows more and more unhinged due to her morphine addiction, and James, himself an alcoholic, gradually accepts their fate. Michael shines in the third act when Jamie is seriously drunk, funny and heart-breaking and a little scary. Luke Weber plays younger son Edmund (aka Eugene O'Neill) and fits in well with the family. Edmund is quiet and sickly, and comes alive when reciting his beloved poetry. It's a tragic story, except that the ever-present Carlotta (Evelyn Digirolamo) is able to successfully gather up the pieces of her husband's life and put them in some kind of order.

If you're reading this on Saturday, you might still be able to catch this unique theatrical experience - call or email now to see if there are any seats left for tonight's final performance (the price couldn't be better - free, with a suggested donation if you like what you see). I love seeing theater in non-traditional spaces, and this is an incredible space, a classic American play, and a really great production. I think this is the first time I've seen two different productions of the same piece in one year, much less in the same month. At first I was reluctant, not wanting to compare the two, but they turned out to be really nice companion pieces that gave me further insight into this play and the mind of the playwright.

"The Birthday Party" at the Jungle Theater

I don't get Harold Pinter.  This is the second of his plays I've seen in the last year or so, and although the plots were very different, both left me with a feeling of "what just happened" as I left the theater.  Which I guess is kind of the point with the acclaimed English playwright, whose "style mixed domestic turmoil, evasive dialogue and not-so-heroic characters with experimental storytelling styles and an atmosphere of comic menace" (according to a note in the playbill).  It's more about the language and the fascinating characters than the plot, which is intentionally vague.  In The Birthday Party, two mysterious men show up at a boarding house by the English sea, inquiring about its sole resident, for some unexplained but clearly malevolent purpose.  It's bizarre and inscrutable, but the cast assembled by the Jungle Theater is fantastic in creating these crazy characters that are somehow still sympathetic.  I can recognize that it's a great production of a classic play, even if I don't really get it.  And it's still a lot of fun, albeit perplexing fun.

Real life husband and wife Richard Ooms and Claudia Wilkins portray the married proprietors of this shabby boarding house, and not surprisingly, they're quite believable as an old married couple.  Stephen Cartmell is particularly effective as the depressed, haggard, mysterious resident Stanley.  He's hiding out in this little seaside town, from what we never learn.  But it has turned him into a skittish, angry, frightful man.  Stephen dives into the role whole-heartedly, and somehow engenders sympathy for this mess of a man who just wants to be left alone.

Mr. Goldberg, one of the two nefarious men who show up to claim Stanley, is played by Tony Papenfuss, aka "my brother Daryl" from Newhart (he's returned home from L.A. to continue his career on Twin Cities stages, how did I not know that?).  Mr. Goldberg is deliciously evil and up to no good, as you can tell from his slicked back hair and mustache.  His companion, Mr. McCann (Martin Ruben), is the muscle of the organization.  The sensitive Irishman is nervous until they actually start doing the job.  The two are a great comedy team with rapid-fire dialogue, especially as they're questioning Stanley.  Not surprising that the interrogation ends in screaming!  Rounding out the cast is Katie Guentzel as Lulu, who seems much too pretty and normal to be hanging out with this crowd.  But she obviously has a story of her own, which we never really learn, that attracts her to these misfits.

The dingy and unkempt boarding house comes to life in the precise and detailed little diorama that is the stage at the Jungle Theater.  As is common at the Jungle, the director is also the set designer, in this case Joel Sass, which always seems to create a cohesive vision for the story.  It's so lifelike, with dust and dirt on the surfaces, that I wouldn't want to set foot in that room!  But I did enjoy peering into it for two and a half bewildering, engrossing, entertaining hours.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" at the Jungle Theater

Since hearing Stephen Sondheim talk about his life in musical theater last year, I've been on a mission to see more of his shows.  And I've done pretty well so far: A Little Night Music on Broadway last year, Into the Woods at Bloomington Civic Theatre earlier this year, and the filmed concert version of Company at my local movie theater last week.  A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is definitely the lightest of these pieces.  Nothing serious or thoughtful about it, just a ridiculously good time.

As usual, the Jungle puts on a wonderful production.  I wasn't sure how they would fit a big musical onto their tiny stage, but it works!  As Jungle Artistic Director Bain Boehlke said to director John Command when he asked about the space limitations, "well, Rome is crowded."  But the show doesn't feel crowded, it feels intimate and immediate, as if we were all gathered in some ancient Roman theater, watching the spectacle unfold before us.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is based on Roman farces, but also includes a few jokes about the current state of affairs.  Featuring slaves, whores, soldiers, long-lost children, and mistaken identities, the plot is completely silly, and really less important than the songs and performances.  The most familiar song is "Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight," the lyrics of which very accurately sum up the show:

Something familiar,
Something peculiar,
Something for everyone:
A comedy tonight!

The cast of 20 features real life married couple Richard Ooms and Claudia Wilkens as married couple Senex and Domina.  Richard is hilarious and slightly creepy as "That Dirty Old Man," and Claudia is a commanding presence as his wife.  Senex has two slaves, the dedicated Hysterium (Jon Whittier), who only wants things to return to normal, and our narrator Pseudolus (Christopher Teipner), who dreams of being "Free!"  It's this dream that spurs on the action of the play, as Pseudolus finagles and manipulates to bring together Senex's sweet and earnest son Hero (Eric Heimsoth, who also appeared in Into the Woods) with his love Philia (Amanda Schnabel).  If he succeeds, Hero promises to give Pseudolus his freedom. 

One big obstacle keeping the lovebirds apart is the soldier Miles Gloriosus, who has already "bought" the lady in question.  Bradley Greenwald (one of my favorite local actors) plays Miles in all his pompous splendor.  What first drew me to Bradley was his incredible voice, but he's also a very fine actor.  He brought such depth to his performance as the emcee in Frank Theatre's Cabaret earlier this year.  But there's nothing deep about Miles Gloriosus, he's all bravado.  And Bradley steals every scene he's in, with just the look on his face or the way he walks across the stage in his full and glorious armor.  My favorite comedy moment is when he imitates a Glockenspiel.  If you get the joke, it's hilarious.  Bradley and the Jungle are reprising the show I Am My Own Wife, for which he received an Ivey Award, later this season, which I'm very much looking forward to.

The rest of the cast is entertaining as well.  I particularly enjoyed "The Proteans" - five men who play various roles and also perform some impressive and inventive choreography.  Josiah Gulden is the smarmy, overly tan, mustachioed owner of the whorehouse, in which half a dozen lovely and diverse "courtesans" reside (reminding me of another Sondheim show, Gypsy - “You Gotta Get a Gimmick”).  The whole cast plays together beautifully and hilariously.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is playing through the end of July.  It's a fun, light, entertaining, ridiculous, great summer show.


P.S. Topping my Stephen Sondheim wishlist are Sunday in the Park with George and Assassins, in case any local theaters are looking for Sondheim shows to fill their schedule next season.  :)