"The Secret of Chimney Manor" at Theatre in the Round

The #TCTheater Agatha Christaissance continues with a new adaptation of one of her novels. But to be fair, Theatre in the Round has been doing Agatha Christie plays long before it recently became en vogue. Playwright Todd Olson has adapted the 1925 novel The Secret of Chimneys in this world premiere new play, called The Secret of Chimney Manor (perhaps to clarify that the Chimneys of the novel refers to an English country estate, not the architectural structures). There are a lot of characters in this story, and a lot of subplots, but it all comes together by the end. And along the way there is humor, as well as strong performances by the 12-person cast (many of them playing multiple characters). TRP Agatha Christie plays are popular, so act fast if you want to catch this one before it closes on December 17 (or sells out).

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "A Justice League of Their Own"

Day: 5

Show: 20

Title: A Justice League of Their Own

Category: Comedy / Sci-Fi / Political Content

By: Mainly Me Productions

Directed by: Josh Carson

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A mash-up of A League of Their Own and superhero movies, in which female superheroes are recruited to fight evil and the patriarchy.

Highlights: Let me start by saying that I have very vague memories of watching A League of Their Own many years ago, and I don't watch superhero movies. At all. Because of this I probably missed about a third of the jokes (also because the 60 minutes are packed with as many jokes as Lin-Manuel Miranda musicals are packed with words, and because my brain moves considerably slower after 10 pm), but I still found this show brilliant and hilarious. Kudos to director Josh Carson for writing (with ample help from his mostly female cast) a play that skewers the misogyny of the superhero universe and the world in general, and making it so funny and geeky too. Five awesome women (Allison Witham, Emily Jabas, Kelsey Cramer, Lauren Omernik, and Sulia Altenberg) play five awesome superheroes who, despite being strong and capable, have to deal with society's expectations of how they should behave. Heather Meyer is a superhero as well with her multiple characters and lighting fast dialogue, while Josh fills the Tom Hanks role as the past his prime alcoholic Batman hired to coach the women (with Andy Rocco Kraft and Brad Erickson playing many ridiculous roles). The entire cast is fun and playful and all around top notch. If you're more familiar with A League of Their Own than I am (I really need to watch that movie again), you might recognize some familiar scenes and themes, as well as some superhero archetypes. Like Not Fair, My Lady!, this show comes at just the right time and refreshingly shows us female characters just being (super) human. How revolutionary.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"110 in the Shade" at Theatre in the Round

Theatre in the Round doesn't do many musicals, so I'm glad they chose the rarely produced gem 110 in the Shade this season. It originally premiered on Broadway in the '60s and ran for less than a year, and has been revived only once, for a few months in 2007 - a little surprising because the score is beautiful. Not only is this an excellent choice in musicals, but it's such a thrill to hear a lovely score such as this in TRP's small arena space with a small band and the singers not miked, so there's no amplification to get in between the music and your ears. The music sounds richer, the story feels more immediate in that intimate setting. They've assembled a strong cast; in particular the two leads have gorgeous voices and wonderful stage presence. If you appreciate beautiful musical storytelling, check out 110 in the Shade at Theatre in the Round, the longest running theater in Minneapolis.

"Silence! The Musical" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre and Bitter Boy Productions at the Lab Theater

A musical about silence? That seems paradoxical. But of course Silence! The Musical is not about silence itself, it's a parody of the 1991 Jodie Foster/Anthony Hopkins movie The Silence of the Lambs. A movie I've never seen. My friends at Minnesota Theater Love told me I should see the movie before seeing Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of the off-Broadway musical, but I didn't have time, because... theater. Also I decided that the musical should be able to stand on its own; you shouldn't have to see a movie first to enjoy a musical. And for the most part the musical does stand on it's own, aided by the fact that the movie is so much a part of our pop culture that even I'm familiar with Hannibal the cannibal and the weird teeth-sucking sound he makes, along with a few other high points of the movie. Although this over-the-top campy horror-parody isn't really my kind of humor, I can appreciate that director Steven Meerdink and his talented cast commit fully to it and deliver an entertaining show.