"The Prom" at Lyric Arts

Lyric Arts production of the 2019 multiple Tony nominated musical The Prom (only the second in #TCTheater) is so joyous and big-hearted, so funny and inspiring, that it deserves to sell out every performance, like their recent production of Mamma Mia! did. Despite being about the seemingly radical idea of two teenage girls in small-town America going to the prom together (inspired by a real-life event), The Prom really is a good old-fashioned musical comedy. It's hilarious, chock full of musical theater references, and full of big musical numbers. Lyric Arts has assembled a fantastic cast and creative team and put together a show that will make you laugh and make you cry, sometimes at the same time! Do your heart a favor and get a ticket to this Prom, whether you have a date or not, and experience the joy.

"Mae West and the Trial of Sex" by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at The Crane Theater

Censorship in theater is a hot topic in 2025, with many theaters losing NEA funding for doing plays that allegedly do not align with mandates from this administration. The government is trying to tell artists what kind of plays they can and cannot do, but artists will be artists, and tell the stories they want to tell, even if that has become more difficult. Nearly a hundred years ago, the New York theater scene was also facing censorship, with artists receiving jail time and fines for doing "immoral" plays, and theaters being closed for a year or more. Walking Shadow Theatre Company's new play Mae West and the Trial of Sex chronicles one such battle against censorship, in a story that feels very timely and relevant. See it at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis through June 22.

Improv at the Jungle: "Off-Book"

With the recent closure of HUGE Theater, your Uptown home for improv for 15 years, local improv troupes and shows are needing to find new venues at which to perform. Jungle Theater, just blocks away from HUGE, has stepped up to be one of those venues. They have a new series called "Improv at the Jungle," with a group called The Neighborhood performing regularly, as well as a show called Off-Book, hosted and co-directed by Sean Dillon and Isabella Dunsieth. I saw the latter this week and I just may have a new favorite improv show! Keep reading for why, and make plans to see their next performance on March 3. Visit the Jungle website for info and tickets to all of their improv shows. You can also see improv at Strike Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul, Brave New Workshop (which hosted the long-running show Family Dinner in December), and other locations around town. Visit this website for a list of improv events in the Twin Cities.

"9 to 5" at Lyric Arts

In the first of two #TCTheater premieres this season, Lyric Arts is bringing us the musical adaptation of the hit 1980 movie 9 to 5 (the second is Kinky Boots this summer, which had its Minnesota premiere at Duluth Playhouse last summer). With built-in name recognition, shows are already selling out. But the good new is, this 9 to 5 is more than just a recognizable name and an easy sell to audiences. It's super fun and really well done. I'm not sure why it took so long for a local professional theater to do this show (last seen to my knowledge on tour at the Ordway in 2011) - it features a fun original score by the great Dolly Parton and an ever-timely theme of women's rights, workers' rights, and the power of women working together. Directed by one of #TCTheater's funniest women people Shanan Custer (who also knows how to pull on the heartstrings) and featuring a large, talented, and energetic cast, it's a celebratory evening of music-theater. Bring your girlfriends, bring your coworkers, bring your family, or bring yourself to Anoka to see 9 to 5 now through May 12.

"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Dark & Stormy Productions at Gremlin Theatre

At first glance, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie seems like an odd choice for Dark & Stormy Productions, a company that over the last ten years or so has made a name for themselves doing modern, small cast, one act, darkly funny or darkly disturbing plays in non-traditional locations. This is a period piece (set primarily in the '30s), premiered in 1966 (based on the 1961 novel), two acts and two and a half hours long, with a cast of ten, presented in the traditional thrust space at Gremlin Theatre (D&S gave up their NE Minneapolis studio space during the pandemic). But it's still dark, more on the disturbing than funny side. And the title role is a good one for founder and Artistic Director Sara Marsh - a complicated woman that I'm never sure if I'm supposed to like or not. Upon closer examination, this production, which also features some great performances by current or recent U of M theater students, some making their professional debuts, fits right in with Dark & Stormy's repertoire of smart, intriguing, well done, and yes, dark plays. You can see it at Gremlin Theater in St. Paul (next door to Lake Monster Brewing with daily food trucks) through September 17.

"By the Bog of Cats" by Theatre Pro Rata at the Crane Theater

Some people drink green beer, I celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and any other holiday, or just a regular day) by going to the theater. I had no idea how appropriate By the Bog of Cats would turn out to be as a St. Patty's Day observance. Written by Irish playwright Marina Carr, it's a tragically beautiful and beautifully tragic story in that specific Irish way (see also recent Oscar nominee The Banshees of Inisherin by another Irish playwright, Martin McDonagh). It's a great choice for Theatre Pro Rata, which has a penchant for making bold, interesting, unusual choices. With haunting live music, strong performances by the large and talented cast, and lovely design, it's an exploration of motherhood, grief, generational trauma, and what it means to be human. See it at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis weekends through April 2.

"The Father" at Gremlin Theatre

After a nearly two-week hiatus (during which I wrote about my favorites of the 200-ish shows I saw in 2018), I returned to the theater on Friday night. It was good to be back doing my favorite thing, and Gremlin Theatre's production of The Father was an excellent way to start 2019, setting the bar quite high for all the shows to follow. A smart and twisty script (adapted by Christopher Hampton from French playwright Florian Zeller's original), an excellent six-person cast, thoughtful direction, and meaningful design. Subtitled "a tragic farce," this story of a man descending deeper into dementia is so sad to watch, but beautiful and amusing at the same time. Start your year of theater at Gremlin and you won't be disappointed (continuing through January 27).

"Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again." by Frank Theatre at Gremlin Theatre

Potatoes and bluebells and watermelon, oh my! Just before Frank Theatre's production of Alice Birch's new play Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again, I posted on Instagram: "I'm not sure what I'm in for but I'm pretty sure it's gonna to be awesome. And 70 minutes no intermission." I was right on all counts. I'm still not entirely sure what happened, but it definitely was awesome, and short. Short, intense, and powerful. A six-person cast, a half dozen or so scenes, and a descent into organized chaos. All around the concept of feminism, and deconstructing our assumptions and language around it. Brave and outrageous and impactful and yeah, pretty awesome.

"The Good Person of Setzuan" by Frank Theatre at an Abandoned Rainbow Foods

Yes, you read that right. Last night I saw theater at an abandoned Rainbow Foods in South Minneapolis. It was definitely the strangest place I have ever seen theater, but not the strangest place Frank Theatre has ever done theater. According to a note in the playbill from Artistic Director Wendy Knox, Frank used to do a lot of shows in a found space, until they settled into more conventional spaces like the Southern and the Ritz in recent years. Some last minute changes this year caused them to get creative again, and with the dearth of small theater spaces (just as we gained The Crane Theater, we lost Bedlam Lowertown), theaters need to get creative. Frank has made terrific use of this space in their latest production of a Brecht play - The Good Person of Setzuan. Frank + Brecht = weird, but weird in a creative, interesting, entertaining way. Although the 8 to 11:15 pm runtime was way too late and long for this morning person (can we not all just agree to start all shows at 7:30, and can't we edit super-long plays into something more manageable?), it's a very well-done, intriguing, thought-provoking, entertaining play in typical Frank style.

"The River" by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at Open Eye Theatre

If your new boyfriend invites you to his cabin to go fly fishing in a river by the sea, just say no. That's what I learned from Walking Shadow's The River. This seemingly happy new relationship takes an unsettling, unexpected, and vaguely creepy turn over the course of 90 minutes. I don't want to say too much about what happens, because the discovery and the figuring it out is half the fun of this play. Or maybe fun isn't the right word. But this fascinating exploration of love and relationships, with strong performances by the cast, fluid unhurried direction, and a spot-on detailed set is definitely entertaining.

"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.

"Romeo and Juliet" at the Lab Theater by Collide Theatrical Dance Company

The idea of a jazz-dance musical version of Romeo and Juliet may sound a little weird, but in the hands of theater-dance company COLLIDE Theatrical Dance Company, I wasn't worried. A new company, they presented two original pieces last year, Lot of Living to Do (set in a 1930s brothel) and The Belmont Hotel (about bootleggers in the late 20s). Both of these told the story entirely through dance (with the help of a short explanation in the program), accompanied by a live band and vocalists. For Romeo and Juliet, some of Shakespeare's original text is included, interspersed with scenes told by dance alone. While I don't think all of it worked, the choreography by Artistic Director Regina Peluso is fantastic and beautifully executed by the eleven dancers, who successfully convey the emotions of the iconic story through music.

In a note in the program, Regina explains that the piece is inspired not only by the original play but also Baz Luhrman's movie and West Side Story, which placed Shakespeare's tale in a 1950s gang war. Of the three pieces, I am most familiar with West Side Story, which brilliantly told the story through Jerome Robbins' choreography, so that's where I saw the most similarities. This version mostly follows the original plot but sets the story in 2005 Brooklyn, with characters dressed in modern clothes and texting on flip phones (I finally know why Romeo never got the message from the Friar about the plan to have Juliet fake her death - no cell service). The music is comprised of pop songs played by a string quartet, upright base, and percussion. Two narrator/vocalists (Sasha Andreev and Emily Grodziak) occasionally sing along and also play characters (Officer Krupke/the Friar for Sasha, with Emily as Juliet's stylish nurse) and act out a few scenes opposite the dancers. This works best when it's just a line or two, to place the scene within the context of the familiar story, such as "my only love sprung from my only hate" or "Tybalt is gone and Romeo banished" as we flow from one dance to the next. But the longer speeches and lengthy dialogue scenes, although well performed by the two talented actor/singers, drag down the momentum of the piece. I would love to see them go all the way with the concept and tell the story strictly through dance with little to no dialogue. As it is it's a bit of an awkward mix of traditional Shakespeare and contemporary jazz dance that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Another complication is that at the preview I attended, the amplification of the singers was too loud and somehow muffled, so hopefully they'll work out the sound mix as they go along.

Patrick Jeffery and Julie Hatlestad
as Romeo and Juliet

Now on to the good stuff - the delicious dancing and gorgeous music! The choice of songs is spot on for the
various scenes: "Poker Face" for the masquerade ball, "Bad" when Romeo and Juliet's friends are discouraging their love affair, "Rolling in the Deep" for the rumble, I mean fight, scene, and "Angel" for Juliet's faux death. Similarly, the choreography beautifully expresses the anger, love, excitement, or grief the characters are feeling. I especially loved the fight scenes, the party scene, and the power of the percussive dances with little or no musical accompaniment. The talented company of dancers is led by Patrick Jeffery and Julie Hatlestad as the charming star-crossed lovers.

While COLLIDE's previous two productions have been at the Southern Theater, the Lab is a great place for dance too.  Plenty of space for movement, with stairs leading to the requisite balcony, underneath which the musicians are perched. The modern costumes range from graphic black and white for the gang fights to colorful dresses and shirts for the ball.

My third COLLIDE production and I finally get where the title comes from - the collision of multiple art forms including dance, theater, and music. Romeo and Juliet truly is a beautiful and inventive creation of music-theater-dance, even if it doesn't all quite work. Playing now through April 20 (a few discount tickets still remaining on Goldstar).

"The Lower Depths" at nimbus theatre

The Lower Depths, an early 20th century Russian play about people living in poverty in a homeless shelter, is pretty dark and depressing, but it's also a fascinating exploration of the universal themes of life, truth, and relationships. As director and adapter Josh Cragun notes in the playbill, "fundamentally, it is a show about humanity and what it really means to be human." The nimbus theatre production places the story in Depression-era America. This large cast of diverse characters, embodied by a talented ensemble, lives in a run-down building, with only a bunk to call their own, and shares the joy and desperation of life with each other. Plotlines include a love triangle, illness, alcoholism, and depression, but more important are the ideas and the characters that are drawn. The ending offers no closure, but instead seems to say that this life and these people continue on.

In a beautifully run-down and cluttered shack of a building (nicely designed by Zach Morgan), we meet a group of people down on their luck (as many people were in the Depression). Among them are an immigrant couple, an actor, a shoemaker, a formerly wealthy society lady, and a prostitute. Keeping them in line are the dysfunctional family of the landlord, his wife, and her sister. Into their midst comes a self-described pilgrim, affectionately called "old man" or "gramps" by the others. He listens to the residents, comforts them, and tells them what they need to hear to soothe or provoke them into action. Love, abuse, camaraderie, death, and celebration all have their place here in the lower depths. One of the residents happily exclaims that all you need is "food, drink, music, and friends," but there's a desperation hiding beneath the surface of the frivolity of drinking and the daily routines of shopping and sweeping. As the Wikipedia page nicely sums up, "The theme of harsh truth versus the comforting lie pervades the play from start to finish, as most of the characters choose to deceive themselves from the bleak reality of their condition."

the cast of The Lower Depths
(photo by Mathieu Lindquist)

This is truly an ensemble piece, and nimbus has assembled a really nice ensemble of 14 actors. All of them have their moment to shine, particularly in the second act when plot gives way to a series of monologues about life, truth, and the human condition, and they all use it well. It seems a shame to call out any of them because they all do a fine job. But if I must: standouts include Andrew Sass in his intense portrayal of Karl (at the apex of the love triangle), Art Peden as the kind and gentle old man, a sympathetic Emily A. Grodzik as the abused sister, Nicholas Nelson as the tormented actor (of whose opera-trained voice we only hear a sample), and Brian Hesser as the genial drunk. The appropriately shabby and lived-in costumes (designed by Barb Portinga) help to create the characters, and the tone is set by Depression-era music playing before and after and the show and during scene changes, and all too briefly sung by the cast.

The Lower Depths plays at nimbus theatre's space in Northeast Minneapolis through December 22. It's nice counter-programming to the likes of A Christmas Carol, and deals with some of the same themes of poverty and generosity, but in a more somber way. I'll leave you with another quote from the director:

In a time when issues of class disparity, morality and social welfare are taking the spotlight in our national conversation, this 110-year-old work has never felt like it had more to say. But the remarkable part about this play is that it does not preach. It simply shows. A world, a diverse set of characters, and their diverse set of views on truth and the human condition. Each one has insights, Each one has weaknesses. we are left to come to our own conclusions.

"Baby Case" at the History Theatre

We live in the media age, with the proliferation of the internet, Facebook, Twitter, and 24-hour cable news channels. Or at least that's what we believe. But the musical Baby Case, receiving its regional premiere at the History Theatre, shows us that 80 years ago the media, and its customers the American public, were just as celebrity-crazed, crime-obsessed, and scandal-hungry as we are today. The only thing that differentiates the current "media age" from past ones is the format, frequency, speed, and availability of the media. In 1932, the celebrity was famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, and the crime was the kidnapping of his 20-month-old son. This "crime of the century" and subsequent trial of the man accused of committing it stirred a media sensation very similar to what we see today. The media and the American public's reaction to the crime and its effects on the people involved are the subject of the musical, rather than the crime itself. Baby Case is a fascinating and fantastic original musical that explores the ideas of fame, crime, and the relentless obsession of the media, told through music in a classic musical theater way.

The musical begins with establishing Lindbergh as a celebrity and a reluctant hero, and quickly progresses to the disappearance of Charles Jr. from his nursery one night. The first act deals with the search for the baby and the kidnappers, and the sad conclusion to the former search. In the second act, Bruno Hauptmann is accused and tried two years after the crime, with the primary evidence being possession of bills from the ransom money. The media interferes with all of this, as do Lindbergh's famous and powerful friends (including president Hoover). It's a tragic story with no happy ending for anyone, except perhaps for the newspapers. All of this is told beautifully and powerfully through song, with little spoken dialogue. It's a traditionally structured musical, with big ensemble numbers ("Hauptmann Murdered the Lindbergh Baby!") and quieter moments of internal reflection ("Lullaby," "Over the Sea"). Baby Case proves that you can make any story into a musical, if done right, as this one is. It's funny, moving, entertaining, informative, relevant, thought-provoking, and with tunes you will leave the theater humming.

The 11-person cast is wonderful across the board, all of them playing multiple characters. Peter Middlecamp and Kendall Anne Thompson play both couples at the center of the story - the Lindberghs and the Hauptmanns (the man convicted of the crime and his wife, who devoted her life to clearing his name).  They have great chemistry as both couples, and both Peter and Kendall have beautiful voices and really bring out the complicated emotions of their characters. In the second song of the show (the moment I knew this was going to be a good one) they form a powerful trio with Kym Chambers Otto as the Nurse who discovers that the baby is missing. Other standouts in the cast include Jon Andrew Hegge, transitioning between famous radio gossip Walter Winchell and a judge with a deft turn and removal of a hat; Gary Briggle as the man who facilitated the ransom delivery, the questionable defense attorney, and Phil Donahue; Emily A. Grodzik as an accused servant and Ginger Rogers; and Paul R. Coate, providing a bit of comic relief as a lady socialite duped into paying ransom money to con artists.

The production elements are also all top-notch. The Hooverian set is simple, efficient, effective, and evocative, with newspapers in the background reflected in mirror image on the floor, as well as a ladder and fireman's pole for easy movement to the second story area. The wardrobe by E. Amy Hill reflects this color palate of yellowed newspapers - black, white, tan, neutrals, with pops of red or maroon and nary a green or blue to be seen. Lovely period clothing and a fabulous aviator jacket that makes me want to find one for myself (in faux leather of course). Jake Endres leads the sparse four-piece orchestra, just off stage, through this great music.

Baby Case is a promising new musical (it was a hit at last year's New York Musical Festival) with shades of Ragtime (the first "Crime of the Century!"), Floyd Collins (another early 19th century media circus), even Next to Normal (mourning the loss of a child). In the second act I had flashbacks to another musical on that very stage - the Theater Latte Da/MN Jewish Theater co-production of Parade, about another man falsely (?) accused of the murder of a child. This is not to say Baby Case is derivative; it's an original creation that fits well in the musical theater anthology. If you're a fan of musical theater, you should not miss this fantastic production of a great new musical (playing through Nov. 3 at the History Theatre in downtown St. Paul, discount tickets available on Goldstar).