"Twelve Angry Men" at Lyric Arts

The last time I saw Twelve Angry Men, the men were singing. That was Theater Latte Da's world premiere musical adaptation of the classic American story, which began as an episode of a TV show, before being adapted into a stage play and movie. I've actually only seen the non-singing version once, 20 years ago (and have never seen the movie, natch), so I was eager to revisit it at Lyric Arts. I knew from Latte Da's 2022 musical that, despite being written 70 years ago, this piece still has lots to say about today's world, but I was still struck by how timely and relevant this play feels now. In just 90 minutes, it explores ideas of justice, and injustice, race, class, privilege, anti-immigrant sentiment, masculinity, communication, and empathy. This is a really tight production with a fantastic 13-person cast (12 jurors + 1 bailiff), on a gorgeous 1950s jury room set. Twelve Angry Men is a classic for a reason - thought-provoking, relevant, intellectually engaging, and even funny at times. See it on Lyric Arts' Main Street Anoka stage now through November 1 (just be careful to avoid the Halloween celebrations in the Halloween capital of the world!).

"And Then There Were None" at Lyric Arts

Well-dressed people staying in a fancy and isolated house keep getting murdered. No, I'm not talking about The Traitors, I'm talking about Agatha Christie's novel-turned-play And Then There Were None, which I'm now convinced was the inspiration for The Traitors. Watching this gripping and deliciously suspenseful play is a little like breakfast in the castle, wondering who won't enter the room (and the audience reacts almost as big as the cast of The Traitors does!). As there are fewer and fewer of them left, they all begin to suspect each other of being the murderer, the traitor. Who is it? I won't say (and I haven't watched The Traitors finale yet so don't tell me), but even though I had seen this play eight years (and 1000+ shows) ago, I didn't guess who the murderer was. This play is a classic and a lot of fun, even though the original title is extremely offensive. But if you can put the origins aside, Lyric Arts' production of this classic is well cast and expertly designed and executed. See it at on their Main Street theater in Anoka through March 22, and don't forget the popcorn!