"Ordway Cabaret, A Brand New Day: Rise Up!" at the Ordway Concert Hall

Last night the Ordway presented their second installment in their new Ordway Cabaret series. At this point it's a one-night only event (if you missed it you're out of luck, sorry), but they did also share it with almost 2000 students as part of the Ordway's education program. The first installment earlier this year was subtitled "Breaking Barriers," this one is "Rise Up!" and the third, coming this fall, will be "all about the ladies," i.e., about how women are portrayed in musical theater and how female audience members and performers respond to that (see also Not Fair, My Lady!). The Ordway Cabaret is similar to the Broadway Songbook series that the Ordway ran for a number of years, except that it's less about musical theater history and more about the performers' personal history as it relates to musical theater. I'm really loving this twist, because it shows in a very real way how much musical theater can affect our lives, both for performers and audience members. And as always with these types of shows at the Ordway, the phenomenal cast brings their hearts and souls to the wonderful performances of beloved musical theater songs.

"A View from the Bridge" at Theatre in the Round

If you're a fan of American theater classics, get yourself to Theatre in the Round (which happens to be the longest running theater in town) in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis. Their excellent production of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge features strong performances from the whole cast (particularly the leads), a really cool set with vintage props, and great staging in their intimate in-the-round setting. This completely engrossing and tragic story of flawed and very real characters navigating hard times and tricky family relations in 1950s working class Brooklyn will get under your skin. It's one of those experiences that makes you feel like you've been on a journey with these characters, one that's hard to shake when you leave the theater. It's probably the second best play I've seen at TRP (the best being the gorgeous production of Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke in 2012). Don't let this one fly under your radar.

"The Great Work" by 7th House Theater at the Guthrie Theater

It could be considered an act of hubris to name a new piece of music-theater The Great Work. But in the case of 7th House Theater's new original musical, their second in two years and just the fifth production in the short life of the company, it's a fitting title. This small and lovely story of an Austrian composer returning home, with his estranged late-in-life daughter in tow, is beautifully and poignantly told in just over an hour through stirring original music and innovative use of movement, props, and set design. A fruitful collaboration between 7th House company members (music and lyrics by the uber-talented David Darrow, book by Grant Sorenson, choreography by Cat Brindisi, directed by all three), the wonderful eight-person ensemble, the gorgeous six-person orchestra (directed by Jason Hansen, who also did the orchestrations), and creative set designer Kate Sutton-Johnson, this truly is a Great Work. I know these next two weeks are busy for many of us, but if you can spare an hour in your schedule to see this show, you will be rewarded (be sure to get your tickets soon before they're gone).

"Stars of David" by Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company at the Highland Park Center Theater

In 2007, journalist Abigail Pogrebin interviewed dozens of famous Jewish-Americans about their experiences being Jewish in this country, and compiled them into a book called Stars of David. People like Senator Al Franken, actresses Lauren Bacall and Sarah Jessica Parker, actors Jason Alexander and Dustin Hoffman, director Stephen Spielberg, and playwright Wendy Wassserstein. A book of interviews does not exactly scream "musical theater," yet it has been turned into just that, with much success, and Minnesota Jewish Theater Company has brought it to Minnesota. It's not so much a musical as it is a musical review, featuring four actors telling these personal stories in the form of a dozen or so new original songs by various successful musical theater composers. The result is an entertaining, educational, funny, and poignant 90 minutes of musical storytelling.

Bryan Porter, Daisy Macklin Skarning, Laura B. Adams,
and David Carey (photo by Sarah Whiting)

Director Michael Kissin has assembled a great cast and arranged the show nicely in the circular stage space designed by Michael Hoover. Names of the book's subjects are projected onto the set, along with a brief photo as each one is introduced. The onstage four-piece band directed by Kevin Dutcher sounds terrific on these varied songs. Cast members Laura B. Adams, David Carey, Bryan Porter, and Daisy Macklin Skarning, dressed in black to more easily slip into the skins of these famous people, are all very engaging with beautiful voices. Singing solo, with or without backup, or in group numbers, these four singer/actors tell stories that are funny, tragic, moving, or all three.

Highlights include:

• Bryan sings a cute and then sad story about how Leonard Nimoy's childhood magician dreams are crushed by bigotry.
• As my favorite TV writer Aaron Sorkin, David sings a funny song about "Smart People."
• Laura has the unenviable job of being both Fran Drescher and Joan Rivers, two of the most recognizable voices in show business, and she pulls them both off. Joan's song is a sweet one in which she conveys the feeling of being able to just be herself on the "High Holy Days," and Fran's song is as funny and determined as she is, "What Do They Know?"
• Leave it to Next to Normal composer Tom Kitt to write a melody that made me cry, along with lyrics by book writer Abigail Pogrebin. "As If I Weren't There" tells the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg being unable to grieve her mother in the traditional way she wanted, beautifully sung by Daisy.
• Another familiar musical theater composer, Duncan Sheik, wrote a song that's very reminiscent of his most famous work, Spring Awakening. "The Darkening Blue" features those same hauntingly gorgeous harmonies, as it relates Kenneth Cole's struggle with how to pass on his heritage to his children, who are being raised as Christians.
• In addition to telling his own story, Michael Feinstein wrote the music and lyrics for playwright Tony Kushner's "Horrible Seders," a fast, funny, and poignant song well sung by Bryan.
• Laura and Daisy sing Gloria Steinem's song, which is of course powerful and meaningful and woman-affirming. "The Women Who Had No Names" celebrates all of the women who came before.
• Gwyneth Paltrow is Jewish? "Who Knew?"
• David leads the cast in the moving closing song "L'Dor V'Dor," which means "from generation to generation." 

In this country that prides itself as a "melting plot," all cultures get lost through the generations. This book and musical are a way for people of Jewish heritage to hold on to some of that culture that they grew up with and share it with others of their and future generations. But it's about more than being Jewish, it's about how to hold on to and celebrate who you are and who your ancestors were in a world that's trying to make us all the same.

Stars of David plays Saturdays and Sundays only through March 8 at the Highland Park Center Theater on Ford Parkway.

"Our Town" by Theater Latte Da at the Lab Theater

Thornton Wilder's Our Town is an American classic, first produced over 70 years ago, and continuing through the years with frequent productions in theaters and schools around the country. It's a simple story really; its three acts explore the ideas of "Daily Life," "Love and Marriage," and "Death and Dying" through the interconnected residents of Grover's Corners. But it's really quite profound in its simplicity, the final act being especially poignant as it forces us to look at the beauty of every day life and communion with our fellow human beings, something that is often overlooked in the busyness of life. Theater Latte Da adds their usual musical style to the piece, with direction by Peter Rothstein and Music Direction/ Arrangement by Denise Prosek, in a way that enhances but never detracts from the story. The result is truly a beautiful experience that transcends mere theater.

The play is written in an unusual style, in which a character known as "Stage Manager" (played by the incomparable Wendy Lehr, recently named the McKnight Foundation's Distinguished Artist of 2013) serves as narrator, and fully acknowledges that this is a play, introducing scenes and cutting them off when time is short. He, or in this case she, speaks directly to the audience as she tells us the story of this extraordinarily ordinary town. We meet many people in the town, from the milkman to the constable to the town drunk, but the focus is on the Gibbs and Webb families. George Gibbs and Emily Webb (David Darrow and Andrea San Miguel, both utterly charming and charismatic) are teenagers and best friends in the first act, and the second act features their wedding at a young age. The third act takes place in the cemetery, with the deceased observing and commenting on the living. Emily has died in childbirth, and wants to relive one mundane day in her life, against the advice of the other residents of the cemetery. She chooses her 12th birthday, but finds that it's too painful to watch the careless way her family goes about the day, not realizing how precious each moment is, and begs to be returned to her grave.

the cast of Our Town (photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp)

Theater Latte Da "does theater musically," so they've added music to their production of Our Town in a really effective and organic way.* It's not a musical where characters break out into song, in fact songs never interrupt the flow of dialogue. Occasionally there is a soft musical undertone in some of the scenes, adding ambiance and color to the story, but most of the music comes before the show and during the two intermissions, when the cast (most of whom play instruments) sings and plays songs of the American Songbook, from traditional folk songs to Stephen Foster and Irving Berlin. It's as if we're watching a community celebrate and share music in between telling us their story (although it belies the line about there not being much interest in art and culture in Grover's Corners).

Our Town is meant to have minimal sets, but this production takes it to the extreme. Walking into the gorgeous open space at the Lab Theater, the stage area contains only musical instruments and a few stools. Not much more is added during the play, other than a few chairs, benches, and ladders. It's extremely minimal, allowing the focus to be on the story and the music. The audience sits on both sides of the stage area, adding to the community feeling. The simple light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, occasionally lowered or darkened as the scene calls for, completes the mood of the piece.

Nineteen actor/singer/musicians portray the residents of Grover's Corners, diverse in age, ability, and race. They often sit in the audience while not onstage, or come through various aisles, as if the audience makes up some of the rest of the 2642 residents of the town. It's such an incredible ensemble, each one of whom breathes life and color into their character and the story. A few favorites include:

• Warm and wonderful performances by all four actors playing the parents - Brian Grandison and Sara Ochs as Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs, and Isabell Monk O'Connor and Dan Hopman as the Webbs.
• Blake Thomas' authentic country voice and great musicianship on the slide guitar, banjo, fiddle, etc. (he's one of my favorite local musicians - check out his albums on iTunes).
• Tod Peterson's trademark humor as the alcoholic choir director. A sad story with a sad ending, but it's hard not to laugh at Tod's carefully practiced walk barely disguising the drunken stagger.
• Mary Fox's animal sounds coming from the audience and hilarious wedding outbursts.
• The surprisingly sweet Irish tenor of David Carey.
• The adorable and talented children, especially 9-year-old Natalie Tran and her sweet brother/sister relationship with David Darrow's George.
• A heartbreakingly beautiful solo by David towards the end of the second intermission, setting the tone for the somber final act.

Our Town continues at the Lab Theater through April 6. Don't miss this chance to see an American classic in a fresh new music-enhanced production. It's simply beautiful.

*For me, Our Town naturally comes with musical accompaniment, since the only other production of the play I've seen, at Yellow Tree Theatre three years ago, also had music. Blake Thomas and Mary Fox also appeared in that production, and are currently creating a live radio show from Duluth called Take It With You, to premiere next month. Check out their website and Stay Tuned to Cherry and Spoon for more info.