"Jewelry Power Elite" at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

If you can't wait for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, which starts in less than two weeks, get a preview of what's to come by seeing a remount of one of last year's hits Jewelry Power Elite. But it's not just a remount. Lauren Anderson (the longest reigning cast-member of Brave New Workshop) has expanded her first solo show, adding a brand new second act that allows for some fun (voluntary) audience participation, and more importantly, allows Lauren to reflect on Operation Metro Surge, and the way she uses jewelry, and comedy, to support the soldiers fighting the good fight (like Bob Hope on a USO tour). There are three more performances of Jewelry Power Elite in the ground floor space of Dudley Riggs Theatre, home to the longest running comedy theater in the country, Brave New Workshop (Battle of the Improv All-Stars playing now through August 8, The Algorithm is Gonna Get You opening August 13). Operated by Hennepin Arts, they've been using this space more lately, including hosting my favorite improv show Family Dinner over the holiday season, and my second favorite improv show Off Book, which performed a few weeks ago and will hopefully be back. If you're in need of a laugh, check out all of the options for Comedy on Hennepin, beginning with the hilarious, personal, relatable Jewelry Power Elite.

"Family Dinner" at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

My favorite improv show is back! Improvisor Molly Ritchie started Family Dinner, a two-act improvised play about, you guessed it, a family gathering for a holiday* dinner, about 20 years ago. The show eventually landed at HUGE Theater where it played to sold-out houses for 13 years until HUGE sadly closed its doors last year. But it has found a new home at the Dudley Riggs Theatre, the home of Brave New Workshop and part of the Hennepin Arts group of theaters. It's been playing every Friday and Saturday since November 7, and will continue through the end of December (that means just four more shows!). It's become a sort of tradition for the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers to gather for our own TCTB family dinner, and then watch a performance of the most hilariously awkward Family Dinner you'll (hopefully) ever experience. I joined my friends from Beyond the Curtains, Minnesota Theater Love, Play Off the Page, The Stages of MN, and Twin Cities Stages for a fun evening of dinner (at Crave right across the street) and comedy on Hennepin Avenue.

"The Chaos of the Bells" by Brave New Workshop at Dudley Riggs Theatre

Brave New Workshop's annual holiday* comedy sketch show is becoming another holiday tradition I never miss; I've seen it every year since 2019 (minus two years for... some global event I can't recall). The title changes every year, the sketches morph and get shuffled around with new ones added, but what doesn't change is the laughter that gets us through the stress and craziness of the holiday season. This year's show is entitled The Chaos of the Bells, and it's delightful chaos. The show continues through January 17 at the Dudley Riggs Theatre, to be followed by The Holiday Hangover which will run about a month. And if you love BNW, you can buy the Punchy Pass, that gets you tickets to four shows throughout the season for the price of three. And for more comedy on Hennepin Avenue, check out my favorite improv show Family Dinner, in which some of our best improvisors create a family before your eyes, and actually eat dinner, playing every Friday and Saturday at 8pm through the end of the year in the entry-level space at Dudley Riggs (BNW performs upstairs).

"Hypocralypse Now" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

From this spring's The World is Burning, So I Made S'Mores to their new show Hypocralypse Now, Brave New Workshop is bringing us smart, funny, topical comedy. The oldest comedy theater in the country is like Minnesota's SNL, and this show in particular is all about political humor (just take a look at the show image). But the show doesn't just skewer the current administration and its blatant hypocrisy (which for me is one of the most frustrating things about it), but also other people in positions of power, and the way we as citizens react to what's going on. As they say in the intro, be prepared to be offended, but at least in this situation we can all laugh at the world, each other, and ourselves. Because the great thing about this country is that we can make fun of the people in power without fear of censorship or retribution. Well, at least today we still can. So head to the Dudley Riggs Theatre in downtown Minneapolis to not forget your troubles, but laugh at them and commiserate with other humans sitting in a room together. Hypocralypse Now continues through November 1.

"The World is Burning, So I Made S'mores" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

Leave it to Brave New Workshop (the longest running comedy theater in the country) to bring us just the show we need right now, and make us laugh through the fear and uncertainty of this world. A lot of people feel like "the world is burning" (literally in California, metaphorically in wars, mass deportation, endless infuriating executive orders, removal of protection for our most vulnerable people and places), and sometimes it feels like there's nothing we can do about it but "make s'mores." Which in this case means - see a comedy show that makes us laugh. And truly, one of the things that makes this country great, and that we have to protect, is the freedom of our artists to tell stories, make jokes, and poke fun at the current administration, past administrations, and ourselves. If you're looking to escape the troubles of our daily world, this may not be the show for you. And if you think the world is pretty great right now, this may not be the show for you either. But if you want to sit in a room and commiserate and laugh with other humans about the crazy things happening daily, as a way to release a bit of the stress and recharge for the continued fight, then The World is Burning, So I Made S'mores is definitely the show for you. See it at the Dudley Riggs Theatre on Hennepin Avenue weekends through May 17.

"Family Dinner" at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

After the tragic closure of HUGE Theater this fall, only a year after opening their new space in Uptown, a bunch of improv shows needed to find new homes. Some of them organized as The Neighborhood, performing monthly at Jungle Theater just a few blocks away. Some of them moved to Strike Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, some of them found or created other spaces. Happily, my all-time favorite improv show Family Dinner has found a new home at Dudley Riggs Theatre where Brave New Workshop (the oldest comedy troupe in the country) performs, operated by Hennepin Arts. With just eight shows performed to sold out houses, hopefully Family Dinner will be back at its new home on Hennepin Avenue for years to come, so that we can experience this communal Family Dinner that's both absurd and grounded in reality, both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-warming, as we get to know a new and uniquely wacky family each time. There are two remaining performances this year, but if you want to go you should get your tickets now before they sell out (I have some friends who waited too long and missed out on the fun). For real, click this link and buy your tickets now, I'll wait here.

"Big Christmas Energy" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

If you're looking for a laugh this season, Brave New Workshop is the surest bet for laughing until your face hurts. The longest running comedy theater in the nation is back with their annual holiday* show, which is always a favorite. Like years past, Big Christmas Energy is an irreverent look at everything surrounding the holidays, from awkward family interactions to weird Christmas songs. The uber talented five-person cast of BNW regulars has written about a dozen ridiculously funny sketches (with the help of director/host Caleb McEwen), and performs them with great energy and enthusiasm. There's a little something for everyone (except maybe children - leave them at home), music and nostalgia and double entendres. So if this holiday (or post-election) season has got you down, you might need some Big Christmas Energy in your life; laughing with a bunch of strangers in a room together has a healing effect. The show continues through January 31, with another holiday favorite Family Dinner (a long-form improv show that has run for decades, most recently at the dear departed HUGE Theater) playing in the first floor space at the Dudley Riggs Theatre Fridays and Saturdays in December.

"Love and Other Things that Ruined My Life" by Brave New Workshop at Dudley Riggs Theatre

Valentine's Day may be over, but Love and Other Things that Ruined My Life is timeless! Brave New Workshop's new sketch comedy show, which opened Valentine's Day weekend, pokes fun at love, relationships, breakups, and all things related (and not related). Unlike that four-letter word love, the longest running comedy theater in the country never lets you down with their silly, smart, relevant, and sometimes just plain goofy sketches performed by a fantastically funny cast. This show plays through May 18, after which they'll be bringing back their all-improv show It's Not the Heat It's the Stupidity this summer, featuring a rotating cast of local improvisors.

"All I Want for Christmas is You... to Elf Off!" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

Brave New Workshop's holiday* comedy sketch show is a favorite. And not just of mine; there were tons of groups, families, and people decked out in their best (or worst) holiday sweaters in the audience last night. The cast began the show by saying that this is the 65th holiday show (give or take) for one of the longest running comedy troupes in the nation. But despite the joke of that first sketch that every idea (even the most absurd) has been done before, they still managed to come up with some new, fresh sketches, along with some tried and true favorites. As you may guess from the title, All I Want for Christmas is You... to Elf Off, the show is an irreverent look at holidays and traditions, poking loving fun at the sometimes ridiculousness of this time of the year. But it stays true to the real meaning of the season - togetherness, community, and laughter. The show plays through January 27 so you have plenty of time to go celebrate with some holiday humor, by yourself or with a group of your favorite people (but I would not recommend bringing the children - spring for a babysitter or leave them with the grandparents, whom you also may not want to bring, depending on their sense of humor).

"It's Not the Heat, It's the Stupidity" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

The common refrain: "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" can be heard frequently in a Minnesota summer. For their newest clever title, Brave New Workshop is playing off of this phrase with It's Not the Heat, it's the Stupidity (which is perhaps even more true). The longest running comedy theater in the country is doing something different for the summer. Typically their shows feature written comedy sketches, followed by a short improv section at the end. For this show, it's all improv, all the time! As host (and "boss" as the performers referred to him) Caleb McEwen said, there are just too many stupid things happening right now, and this way they can react to all of them daily instead of having a static script. Although there wasn't a lot of current events in the show I saw (yours might be different), just a lot of hilarious, clever, and delightfully stupid comedy. Each week's cast is pulled from a large group of some of the best improvisers in town, truly making each show different. The show plays every Friday and Saturday at 7:30 through August 5 (plus occasional matinees - click here for details).

"The Best Christmas Show in Three Years" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

This spring, after a two year hiatus, the longest running sketch comedy troupe in the country went Back to the Workshop - the Brave New Workshop, that is. Now their annual holiday show is back for the first time in three years, and it's guaranteed to be The Best Christmas Show in Three Years. It may also be one of the best you see this year, especially if your tastes run more towards the salty than sweet side of things. This hilarious and lovable cast makes fun of all the silly things surrounding the holiday season, while still celebrating being together and laughing. Lots of laughing. It plays at the newly christened Dudley Riggs Theatre (honoring the founder of the company who passed away recently) in downtown Minneapolis through January 28. Click here for info and tickets.