"The Show" by E/D at Red Eye Theater

The uniquely special theater partnership known as E/D, comprised of Emily Michaels King and Debra Berger, is remounting their glorious pink explosion of a show entitled simply The Show. Originally scheduled for March 2020, The Show finally premiered in the fall of 2022. And now, two and a half years later, they're bringing it back. As they mention in the intro, a lot has happened in the last two and a half years. They're different, and we're different. The Show may be a little different, but it's pretty close to what I remember of the original, which is and "emotionally raw, thoughtfully executed, and completely engrossing show by two uniquely talented artists, who combine to form a whole greater than the sum of its parts." Read on for my review of the 2022 production (with some slight modifications), and then click here for all of the details and to purchase $20 tickets through April 5 only. I guarantee you will not see a more original Show this year.

E/D Presents "The Show" at the Crane Theater

#TCTheater artists Emily Michaels King and Debra Berger officially joined forces in 2018 under the company name E/D, debuting with the "uniquely beautiful and chillingly disturbing" mixed media piece Animus. They were scheduled to open their second original piece, entitled simply The Show, on the unlucky date of March 13, 2020. We know how that story goes; it was cancelled due to a global pandemic. They rescheduled it for sometime during the 2021-2022 season, again cancelling due to delta or omicron or whatever variant was raging at the time. But now, finally, this glorious pink explosion of a show is fully alive and running, but only for two more nights! The short two-week run closes on Saturday, so get yourself to the Crane Theater quickly to see this emotionally raw, thoughtfully executed, and completely engrossing show by two uniquely talented artists, who combine to form a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Click here for all of the details and to purchase pay-what-you-can tickets.

A Reading of "Eat, Slay, Leave" by the Playwright Cabal at the Phoenix Theatre

The Playwright Cabal is "an ambitious group of female-identified professional playwrights who promote the development of new scripted plays in the Twin Cities and one another’s success." This fall, they're presenting a series of readings of new works by each the five members (Katherine Glover, Gemma Irish, Alayna Jacqueline, Heather Meyer, and Rachel Teagle). This program, entitled New Leaf, is free to attend, and includes pre- and post-show happy hour as well as a post-show discussion of the work presented. All readings are at the Phoenix Theatre in Uptown, and it's a really great way to see what our local female playwrights are up to.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "Edith Gets High"

Day: 5

Show: 17

Title: Edith Gets High

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / MUSICAL THEATER / PHYSICAL THEATER

By: Devious Mechanics

Written by: Keith Hovis

Location: Rarig Center Arena

Summary: A new original musical about Edith, whose favorite pastime is getting high and playing video games, until she's sucked into a game that feels a little too real.

Highlights: I love Keith Hovis' Fringey musicals, and this one is no exception. But it feels a little different - a little more focused, a little less gruesomely violent, with some physical theater elements (thanks to director Allison Witham of Transatlantic Love Affair). Edith is one of "Four Women Getting High Playing Video Games," including her fiance Ari and a couple of online friends. She gets perhaps a bit too high, and imagines herself inside of a video game in which she has to save Ari, battling imaginary foes as well as a very real troll. The original songs are clever and tuneful, reminiscent of previous Hovis musicals but with some video-game-sounding elements. This fantastic cast is as good at the comedy as the musical parts of the show, starting with the always wonderful Deb Berger as our hero Edith, with a strong and hard-working supporting cast (Cameron Reeves, Colleen Somerville Leeman, Kiko Laureano, Lizzie Gardner, and Ryan Lear) playing multiple characters. There is one unfortunate line, something about how video games makes killing people fun, that is a bit awkward in light of recent events. But on the whole it's a really fun, well-written, brilliantly performed Fringey musical. Recommended to reserve a seat in advance on the Fringe website, or get there early to snag one of the 30% of seats that are held for walk-ups.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Animus" by E/D at the Southern Theater

Animus is a theater piece that incorporates film (both pre-recorded as well as projected live) better than any I've seen before. In fact everything about the piece is thoughtfully created and exquisitely executed. Produced by a new company (called E/D), but not a new collaboration (Emily Michaels King and Debra Berger), it's inspired by the 1966 Ingmar Bergman film Persona and is in fact part of the Swedish filmmaker's jubilee celebration. I've not seen this film (or I think any of Bergman's work), but if it's as hauntingly beautiful and downright trippy as Animus, I now want to. Presented as part of last year's Twin Cities Horror Festival (as reported on by my friends at Minnesota Theater Love), it's been expanded to 90 fully engrossing minutes. Animus continues through December 22 only and should not be overlooked in this busy season both on and off stage.

"North Pole 1973" at Strike Theater

There's a new theater in Northeast Minneapolis known as Strike Theater, "dedicated to building a community for sketch comedy, storytelling, and spoken word." It's been open for Fringe shows for the last two years, but just opened as a home for comedy performances and classes this fall. Founded by Allison Broeren, Mike Fotis, and Joe Bozic (whom you might know from the Minnesota Fringe Festival), it's sure to become the place to go when you're in need of a good laugh (or to learn how to elicit said laugh). And it certainly was that last night, when I attended their first ever holiday* show, North Pole 1973.

Twin Cities Horror Festival at the Southern Theater

This is the fifth year of the Twin Cities Horror Festival at the Southern Theater (or so I gather from their TCHFV acronym, unless V stands for Vampires). TCHF is an 11-day festival of theater, film, music, and dance in the horror genre. Not being a fan of this particular genre (I haven't celebrated Halloween since elementary school, and avoid scary movies and TV shows), I've never attended before and didn't think it was something that would interest me. But my friends at Minnesota Theater Love are big fans, so they convinced me to give it a try this year. The structure and schedule is similar to the Minnesota Fringe Festival (hour-long shows with half hour breaks in between), but unlike the Fringe, TCHF happens right in the middle of the busy theater season, so I was only able to spare one day. I picked two companies that I was familiar with, and happily neither show was particularly gory. Below are a few thoughts about each show. I'm still not convinced this is the event for me (much like sadness, I don't do horror), especially with so many other theater choices right now. But it's a fun alternative to the usual theater scene, and if you're a fan of the horror genre, you should definitely check it out.

"Ragtime" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Theater Latte Da is opening their 19th season (and their first season in their new home, the Ritz Theater in NE Minneapolis, where they have been in residence for a few years but only recently purchased) with a Tony-winning musical written nearly 20 years ago, set 110 years in the past, that is perhaps the most timely and relevant musical for the America we're living in now. Ragtime (book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens) deals with the two biggest social issues of the day - anti-immigrant sentiment and racism (not to mention issues of class and gender). Based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime explores the tension that arose from the clash of cultures in New York City in the early 20th Century. When viewed through the lens of the present time, in which black men are repeatedly killed for no reason other than the color of their skin, the clothing they're wearing, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and businesses in our own small towns put up signs that say "no Muslims allowed," this already powerful story, beautifully told through words, characters, and music, becomes even more meaningful and important. Director Peter Rothstein and his incomparable team of actors, singers, musicians, and designers have brought this story to life in a way that's aesthetically pleasing, highly entertaining and engaging, and most importantly, clearly delineates the parallels with our own world.

Fringe Festival 2016: "Lewis/Clark"

Day: 3

Show: 10

Title: Lewis/Clark

Category: Something Different

By: Rhymes with Montana

Created by: Debra Berger, Emily King, and Tyler Mills (narrative playwright)

Location: Phoenix Theater

Summary: An original story of discovery, adventure, and friendship, inspired by the real-life adventures of Lewis and Clark but taking it into the territory of imagination.

Highlights: Everything that this group does (performer/creators Debra Berger and Emily King, collaborators Tyler Mills and Tyler Michaels) is indescribably lovely, funny and whimsical yet strangely moving and somehow profound. In this story, the fictional female adventurers Lewis and Clark reunite after many years apart for one more grand adventure. Lewis has found something new, and wants Clark to go with her so they can discover it together, as they have so many places before. Past hurts are revisited but their friendship endures. The story is fantastical, but incorporates actual writings as varied as "How to Skin a Rabbit"and transcripts from the moon landing. Musician Derek Trost provides a soundtrack for the story using various percussion instruments, and Debra sings an original song (with lyrics by Tyler Mills and composition by the company) about a female explorer that sounds like it was written 100 years ago. The two women also sing Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage," with harmonies so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. Lewis/Clark combines movement, music, historical writings, storytelling, and LaCroix sparkling water in a completely unique and innovative way. (Watch for more from the Tylers when they launch their new theater company next spring with The Gest of Robin Hood, which was part of Illusion Theater's "Fresh Ink" new works festival this year.)

Fringe Festival 2015: "To The Moon"

Day: 2

Show: 5

Title: To The Moon

Category: Something Different

By: Sunday Night Fold

Written by: Tyler Mills

Location: Illusion Theater

Summary: A lovely and inventive telling of a fairy tale about a childless mother and father who go to the moon in search of a child, or whatever adventure they might find.

Highlights: So much loveliness it's hard to describe. Let's start with Tyler Mill's lyrical and poignant and funny words (see also Jonah and the Whale). Then add in Derek Trost's evocative musical soundtrack to the story. All of it creating a picture in the mind's eye, made real by the cast which includes the playwright (as the father), Debra Berger (as the mother), Emily King (as the narrator), and Tyler Michaels (as everyone else - children, women, men). It's a sweet and simple story, but the joy is in the telling. Tyler Michaels is a master at creating a character from the inside out, and it's a pleasure to watch him do it multiple times in the space of an hour. The other Tyler and Debra are so warm and sweet and funny as this comfortably loving couple (they've had practice - they're married in real life.). Last but not least, Emily presides over the story like Alanis Morisette in that movie where she played God. The only props onstage are two stools, which are used almost as inventively as the props of movement and physicality. To the Moon is my favorite kind of Fringe show - genuine and beautiful and whimsical and dreamy.

2015 Minnesota Fringe Festival Must-See List

Last night I attended the second Fringe preview, in which 30 shows presented a three-minute excerpt. I've also read the descriptions of all 175 shows. I give them all a +, ?+, ?, or -. Right now I've got over 50 +s, which isn't really feasible (if you go to every timeslot, that's 56 shows, but I'm not quite that insane). So I've still got some work to do to get my list down to a manageable schedule of 30-40 shows. But these shows for sure are going to make the cut (scheduling gods willing).

105 Proof or the Killing of Mack "The Silencer" Klein: the physical theater company Transatlantic Love Affair returns to the Fringe after a one-year absence with this story set in the Prohibition era. But the story doesn't really matter, what matters is that TLA tells stories in an achingly beautiful way. They are not to be missed.

Collyard / Nelson's Guide to Reviewing Fringe Festival Shows & Other Tips to Help Keep Your Cool In the White-Hot World of Amateur Criticism OR "So You Kept Their Postcard; Now What?": as a bit of an "amateur critic" myself, I can't resist hearing what they have to say about it. Plus, "fringe legends."

Couple Fight: Tom Reed is one of my Fringe faves with his one-man musical spoofs, so this creation with real-life wife Anna Weggel-Reed is a must-see in my book.

Edgar Allan: I missed this new musical about an 11-year-old Edgar Allan Poe at last year's Fringe, so I'm glad I have a second chance to see it.

FRANKENSTEIN: I'm not really a horror fan, but the preview was creepy and cool, and with three of the minds behind last year's creepy cool hit Crime and Punishment, I've got to check this one out.

High Flight: the preview for this piece was incredibly moving, with Theatre Pro Rata's Artistic Director Carin Bratlie introducing the show as a tribute to her father, who disappeared on a solo flight to Duluth, told through music (a brass quintet!) and dance.

The Mrs.: they had me at Shanan Custer. But also, the preview was really funny, like a comedy version of Big Love that also spoofs TLC's increasingly trashy reality shows. This one is called PolyGIMME a Break.

Oregon Trail: The Musical: like other children of the '80s, Oregon Trail was the first computer game I ever played. And now someone's turned it into a musical?! That is the very definition of must-see.

Parent Observation Day: have you ever seen a kids' dance class perform? There's always a kid who's totally in their own world, another performing every step enthusiastically, another who's always one step behind the group. The preview for this show was exactly like that, except that adults (who you can tell are actually good dancers) are playing the adorably awkward kids.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Tennessee Williams last year, Oscar Wilde this year. New Epic's One Arm was one of my favorites of last year's festival, so I will definitely be checking out their new production.

Pretty Girls Make Graves: I never miss a Loudmouth Collective show, whether Fringe or not. Always smart, unique, and well done, whether funny or heartbreaking, and since this one is written one of my favorites Sam Landman it's a definite must-see.

Shelly Bachberg Presents: Orange is the New POTUS: The Musical: this sequel to 2013's ridiculous musical spoof of a certain former Minnesota congresswoman is set in a prison a la Orange is the New Black. If that's not reason enough, the cast is fantastic.

To the Moon: a modern reimagining of the fairy tale genre sounds lovely, but the important thing is that it stars Debra Berger (from the quirky and charming 2013 Fringe hit Hello Stranger), Emily King (a gorgeous dancer as seen in Love's Labour's Lost), and local superstar Tyler Michaels (he's in everything), and was written by Tyler Mills (the lovely and poignant Jonah and the Whale).

Total Eclipse of the Heart: produced by The Peanut Butter Factory which only does good things, based on an awesome '80s song, and featuring an adorable kitten as the show photo. Come on.

Trial by Jury: I discovered The Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, which has existed for over 30 years, just this year. They're appearing in the Fringe for the first time with this one-act operetta from musical comedy geniuses Gilbert and Sullivan (whose work can also be seen in the Ordway's production of Pirates of Penzance, opening annoyingly right in the middle of Fringe).

Underneath the Lintel: if you missed Pat O'Brien's lovely one-man show about a librarian on a quest at the 2011 Fringe, now's your chance to see this moving and poignant show.

We Do Every Show in the Fringe: last year it was called Four Humors Does Every Show in the Fringe, but judging by the show photo, the concept and performers are the same - a hilarious improv show in which the cast performs a randomly drawn Fringe show based on the picture and description. (This is one you might want to make reservations for, see below.)



My annual tips for the Fringe newbie:

• Buy a button and make sure you have it with you, it's required for entry to all shows. You can buy them in advance on the website or at any venue.

• If you're going to multiple shows (and why wouldn't you?), buy a punch pass, available in quantities of 4 or 10, or unlimited if you plan on seeing more than 20 shows. It saves you $1-2 per show. Once you buy a pass, you can reserve a seat online at any show for $1.75, or just show up and present your pass (see below).

• If a show is particularly popular, or you really really want to see it, consider buying (or reserving a seat) in advance. You can also take your chances and just show up. I typically only make reservations for a handful of shows that look like they might be busy (you can check the show's page to see if it's in danger of selling out).

• All shows are general admission, so get there early for best choice of seating.

• Shows typically run just under an hour, with a half hour between shows so it's feasible to get from any theater to any other in that time. But it's good to plan to see a bunch in one location to minimize transportation time; the highest concentration of theaters is in the West Bank neighborhood, with 6 theaters within a few blocks (4 in the same building - the Rarig Center on the U of M campus).

• Bring snacks, water, reading material, and sunscreen - you will be waiting in line, probably outside. And be aware of what line you're in, often there's one line to check in and get tickets, and another to enter the theater and get your seat. Ask one of the friendly volunteers in the Fringe shirts if you need help with anything.

• Keep an open mind - some of what you'll see is really weird. But that can be a good thing! And if you see a dud, well, that's part of the Fringe experience.
• Each show has five performances, and on the last night of the Fringe (Sunday August 9), the show in each venue that has sold the most tickets receives a sixth show. Keep an eye out for the announcement late Saturday and check out a popular show you might have missed.
• The Fringe website has pretty much all the info you'll need, so bookmark it on your smart phone for easy on-the-go reference!

Happy Fringe-ing!

Fringe Festival: "Waitrix: Dominatrix Waitress"

Day: 8

Show: 30

Title: Waitrix: Dominatrix Waitress

Category: Comedy

By: Black Market Doctor

Created by: Heather Meyer

Location: New Century Theatre

Summary: A woman takes a job as a waitress, but when her coworker discovers she's horrible, she teachers her to be a dominatrix at night to improve her waitressing skills. Trouble arises when the two worlds collide.

Highlights: New waitress Barbara (Debra Berger) turns service on its head when she learns to make her customers serve her in the evening, with the help of Donna (Heather Meyer). They like it, although she's not too sure. One particularly difficult customer is the harsh TV food critic Craig (John Haynes), who constantly insults and belittles her. When she lashes out at him during the daytime, he almost succeeds in shutting down the restaurant until she comes up with a plan to save it, along with adorably nerdy secret millionaire customer Andy (Andy Browers). The show also features many food-related double entendres from the ever hilarious Ryan Nelson as the cook, and tableaux of dominatrix scenes created just before blackout. It's silly fun.

"Musical Mondays" at Hell's Kitchen, June 2014

Mondays are typically the worst day of the week, but not when it's the first Monday of the month. Because on the first Monday of the month you can end your dreary Monday with a little musical theater cabaret - and what's better than that? Best friends Max Wojtanowicz and Sheena Janson (who chronicled their friendship in their adorable musical Fruit Fly) started this series, called Musical Mondays at Hell's Kitchen, in November of 2012 and it's still going strong. Surprisingly, last night was my first time attending the event. It's everything I love, great musical theater songs performed by some of my favorite musical theater artists, so now that I know the lay of the land, I'm sure I'll be back.

This month's theme was Pride and featured women singing songs usually sung by men, and vice versa, as well as some LGBT-themed songs. Max and Sheena (who are wonderful hosts and a great comedy duo) were joined by their talented friends C Ryan Shipley, Debra Berger, Justine Bergevin, Kasano Mwanza, and Kim Kivens, accompanied by Jerry Rubino on keyboard, Bill Crean on bass, and Bob Beahen on drums. The performers sang solo and in groups, mostly songs from the musical theater canon. Highlights include:

• Kim took part in a couple of hilarious duets - "We're Just Friends" with Ryan and "A Woman's Touch" with Debra. Kim never fails to crack me up, except when she's singing a lovely rendition of my favorite Sweeney Todd song, "Not While I'm Around."
• Kasano gave a couple of powerful performances, including the moving "Not My Father's Son" from Kinky Boots (coming to the Orpehum next summer) and "Fabulous, Baby" from Sister Act, which was in Minneapolis just last week.
• Ryan sang a lovely version of another song typically sung by a woman - "The Music That Makes Me Dance" from Funny Girl, which I did not recognize despite having seen the movie (when is a local theater going to do Funny Girl?!).
• The boys were very entertaining singing "Something Better Than This" from Sweet Charity.
• Debra used this opportunity to sing a beautiful ballad usually sung by a man, "Younger than Springtime" from one of my favorite musical theater scores, South Pacific. And it's just as beautiful when sung by a female voice!
• They all sound great individually, but the group numbers are especially fun, including a gender-reversed "Brotherhood of Man" from How to Succeed, the inspirational "I Know Where I've Been" from Hairspray, and "All Over the World" from one of my recent faves, Xanadu.
• We were treated to a preview of 7th House Theatre Collective's upcoming Little Shop of Horrors. Seymour and Audrey, aka Grant Sorenson and Maeve Moynihan, sang "Suddenly Seymour," with David Darrow on guitar, and it was amazing. Little Shop is playing for just two weekends at the end of June so get your tickets now!
• Three lucky raffle winners walked away with tickets to Little Shop, Skylark Opera's Summer Festival (which this year includes Candide and From Berlin to Broadway), or Minneapolis Musical Theatre's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, opening this weekend. I didn't enter the raffle, because I already have tickets to all three shows.  :)

Next month's Musical Mondays will occur on July 7 and feature previews of musicals that will be in The Minnesota Fringe Festival (which takes place July 31 - August 10). "Like" the Musical Mondays Facebook page to keep up to date on the schedule and performers. If you're a fan of musical theater and/or our plentiful local musical theater talent, you will definitely want to put this one on your schedule. (It's also great people watching - most of the audience are theater people!)

"Miracle on Christmas Lake" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Miracle on Christmas Lake is not your typical holiday classic. Instead of figgy pudding, sleigh rides, and angels, you get lost lizards, moon boots, and tater tot hot dish. And yet it deservedly has become a classic. This Yellow Tree Theatre play written quickly out of desperation is returning for its fourth year, and it's one of their most popular shows of the season and has even inspired a sequel. It's not really a surprise - the show is quirky and funny and a little outrageous, but at its heart it's about friends and family working together to create something they believe in and that enriches their community (not unlike Yellow Tree Theatre itself). What better way to celebrate the holiday season? Yellow Tree co-founder Jessica Lind Peterson wrote the play for their first season five years ago and directs for the first time this year. There are more than a few auto-biographical elements in the play, along with a bunch of ridiculous (but true) Minnesota stereotypes. Even though this is my fourth time visiting Christmas Lake (my second time seeing the original, and I also saw the sequel twice), it never fails to delight and entertain.

Quick plot summary (it's delightfully preposterous, so hang in there): Colin's father has died and left him a theater in the small Minnesota town of Christmas Lake (think snowcats and lutefisk and church basements). He has returned to his hometown with his wife Tess after leaving New York City and his successful career as a soap opera actor.* At the last minute, the rights to their annual Christmas show, It's a Wonderful Life, are pulled, forcing them to come up with a new production in a short amount of time (this really happened to Yellow Tree, which was the genesis of this show). The only actors they can get are the moon boot-wearing lizard-loving massage therapist Martha and the Little House on the Prairie-obsessed piano tuner Neil. They decide to stage a Christmas episode of Colin's soap As Time Ticks By (fun fact: Yellow Tree co-founder Jason Peterson had a small role in my favorite soap-that-is-no-longer, As the World Turns) to appeal to their greatest benefactor Mrs. Burlington. She's a big fan of the soap and Colin, and agrees to play a role in the show. Opening night arrives and everything falls apart, but in a so-bad-it's-good Producers sort of way. The show is a hit, the theater is saved, and Colin and Tess decide to stay in Christmas Lake and build the theater and their lives in this quirky little town they've come to love.

Some of my favorite things about Christmas Lake:

• Martha and Neil are the most adorable and funny nerds you've seen in a long time. Martha (played by the delightful Debra Berger, who BTW starred in one of my favorite Fringe shows this summer) wears moon boots, has a pet lizard, loves The Sound of Music, and makes a mean tater tot hot dish. Neil (once again played by Ryan Nelson, who never fails to crack me up) begins every conversation with "that reminds me of a very special episode of Little House on the Prairie."
• But to balance out that craziness, you need someone down-to-earth and relatable, and we have that in Tess (Brittany Parker) and Colin (Josef Buchel, reprising his role from last year's sequel). Both actors are charming and natural, with a believable chemistry. And they get to play a little crazy in the soap opera play.
• Janet Hanson plays two very different characters - the relatively normal Minnesota mom Gloria and the over-the-top eccentric rich lady of Christmas Lake.
• Being a lifelong soap fan, I love the very recognizable soap opera references, from sperm stealing and evil twins to a powerful businessman named Victor (Icon, not Newman).
• Neil's puppet, which I believe is new to this year's production, is as weird and wonderful as the original. He even has his own bio in the playbill.
  
• Tess (Brittany)'s sweet and sad rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" does sound, as Gloria points out, a little like that folky singer with the crooked teeth.
• The eclectic holiday songs played during scene changes are so appropriate and unique that I want them all on a soundtrack!
• The set (designed by Katie Phillips) is a rustic and homey barn/theater and makes great use of Yellow Tree's small intimate space.

One thing I don't like about Christmas Lake:

• The hairy mole. It completely grosses me out in a way that's not even funny. Seriously, ew.

If you've never paid a visit to Christmas Lake, I highly recommend it as a silly and sweet new holiday classic. And even if you've been there several times, there's always something new to experience (playing now through December 29).


*I know it was said in jest, but soap opera actors can act, especially NYC soap opera actors - see Stephen Schnetzer in the recent play Tribes at the Guthrie as one example.

Fringe Festival: "Hello Stranger"

Day: 2

Show: 4

Title: Hello Stranger

By: The Newton Theatre

Written by: Tyler Mills

Location: U of M Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: Hmmm... how can I describe this one? It's a one-woman show with lovely original live music, shadow puppets, and audience get-to-know-each-other exercises, all of which ruminates on the idea of how strangers become friends.

Highlights: Debra Berger is charming and disarming as the leader of this experience, for experience it is. A voice-over narration dictates her actions as much as describes them, as she processes the complicated issues surrounding relationships. She asks the audience questions and invites them to participate in exercises to get to know each other. Half of the fun is watching the audience (and since I was sitting behind a couple of the guys from Comedy vs. Calories, I got a double show!). Debra sings three songs, offered as golden apples in the courtship between her and the audience. She is accompanied by one of my favorite local musicians (who also recently co-wrote a new original musical* at Yellow Tree Theatre), Blake Thomas (download his 2008 recording Flatlands for an example of a nearly perfect album). Playing various instruments, he provides a soundtrack throughout the show, sings harmony with Debra, and even entertains the audience with a silly song of his own while she's off stage. The songs are typically whimsical with a little touch of melancholy and that folky sound I love so much. This is a one-of-a-kind show, and I found it to be quite delightful. But be forewarned: be careful who you sit down next to, they might become a lifelong friend (or a Facebook friend that you unfriend in a week).

Read more of my fringe fest reflections…

… including my top 5 shows

*If you missed Stay Tuned at Yellow Tree earlier this year, don't worry, you can see an excerpt from the show at this year's Ivey Awards.

"Miracle on Christmas Lake II" at Yellow Tree Theatre

"A Little Bit of Lovin' and a Christmas Tree." That's the theme song of this year's rendition of Yellow Tree Theatre's annual holiday show, Miracle on Christmas Lake II* (presented for the second year in a row after a successful three-year run of the original Miracle on Christmas Lake). The song is a pretty good description of the plot as well - the "Loving" being represented by nerdy soulmates Martha and Neil and small town theater owners Colin and Tess, and the "Christmas Tree" taking the form of a silly costume that Colin wears in the pageant thrown together at the last minute. But more than that, it's about a small community pulling together to save their beloved small town way of life. Not your average sugar-coated Christmas treat, Miracle on Christmas Lake II is silly and preposterous and hilarious and heart-warming.

In the ridiculous (in a good way) plot, the entire town of Christmas Lake comes down with the goat flu (which causes its victims to make strange bleating noises and eat garbage), and is also in danger of annexation by neighboring town Potterton. Colin and Tess must put on a successful Christmas show to impress the Hollywood producer wanting to film a movie in Christmas Lake, which will save the town. It's the pretty much the same show as last year (written by Jessica Lind Peterson and directed by Jason Peterson, founders of the theater), with a few little tweaks and mostly new cast. The one constant in the five years of Christmas Lake is Yellow Tree regular Ryan Nelson as the Little House on the Prairie-obsessed piano tuner Neil, who thinks acting means doing an impression. He grows funnier and nerdier every year, and never fails to crack me up. Debra Berger ably takes on the role of Neil's girlfriend, the Sound of Music-loving Martha with a pet lizard and a mean tater tot hotdish recipe. Neil and Martha's big romantic moment is crowned with a rendition of (what else) "Something Good" from Sound of Music (the movie, but not the original stage musical, which had a song called "An Ordinary Couple" in its place, which has just outed me as a fellow nerd - maybe that's why I love Neil and Martha so much). Josef Buchel (the charming gentleman caller) and Rachel Petrie (of Four Humors Theater) play the only normal people in town, Christmas Lake native Colin and his wife Tess, who run the local community theater and try to corral these crazies into some semblance of a theatrical production. The charismatic Andy Frye returns as the Hollywood location scout with a secret, only this time he's given a new name (Stefan Stefanjovak) and a vaguely Eastern European accent. Rounding out the cast is Charles Fraser playing several characters, each one more quirky and outrageous than the last. The entire cast plays well together. One of the best examples of this is a fabulous slow-mo fight between Neil and Stefan over Martha. Hilarious and deftly executed.

Over the last three years I've grown to love the residents of the fictional town of Christmas Lake, which will seem familiar to any Minnesotan (you can read more about last year's version of the show here, and about the original play here). I hope to return for many years to come. Jason says in this article in the StarTrib that there are plans for a third play. Until then, check out this trailer featuring scenes from the show accompanied by one of my favorite local musicians (thanks to Yellow Tree) Blake Thomas** singing "A Little Bit of Lovin' and a Christmas Tree" (I'm still waiting for it to be released as a single). In the show, the cast sings the song and it sounds quite lovely - several of these actors are hiding great voices behind their comedy.



Miracle on Christmas Lake II from Yellow Tree Theatre on Vimeo.


*I received two complementary tickets to Miracle on Christmas Lake II, and brought along nine more friends who happily purchased tickets, even though many of them had seen the show last year. It's a really fun group outing, especially when paired with dinner at Nectar Wine Bar in adorable downtown Osseo.

**Blake Thomas is writing a new original musical Stay Tuned to be presented at Yellow Tree Theatre next spring, with help from his lovely and talented wife Mary Fox and Stefan Stefanjovak himself, Andy Frye (who is also directing Yellow Tree's next show, Circle Mirror Transformation, which I called "a quiet, real, completely satisfying exploration of five intersecting lives" when I saw it at the Guthrie in 2010). More information on both shows here.