"Head Over Heels" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at LUSH

Rare musicals. Well done. Minneapolis Musical Theatre lives by these words, and we benefit from it. They're only doing two shows this season, but both are regional premieres that you're unlikely to see anywhere else. They'll be doing the musical adaptation of Jane Eyre next spring, but first up is the 2018 Broadway musical Head over Heels. I didn't see it on Broadway, but after seeing MMT's production it feels like the kind of thing that is better suited to smaller stages. In particular, it seems perfectly suited to the stage at LUSH Lounge & Theater, where it feels more like a raucous concert than a civilized night at the theater. And that's a good thing in this case. I'm not sure why anyone would think to set a 16th Century work of literature to the music of the 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go's, but there have been worse ideas in this history of music-theater. The show is pure joy and silliness and fun, with a sweet ending that imagines a world beyond gender conventions, where everyone is free to be who they are and love who they love. And what's not to love about that? Only six performances remain on specific dates and times through October 10, click here to see the schedule and purchase tickets.

"A Pink Triangle" at the Phoenix Theater

Local playwright Kirby Taylor has written a new one-act play called A Pink Triangle, referring to the symbol that gay men imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps wore on their clothing. In addition to targeting all Jewish people and pretty much anyone who disagreed with him, Hitler also attempted to stamp out the thriving gay culture that existed in pre-WWII Germany (see also Cabaret, for which this play could be the sequel). The 1979 play Bent, which I saw a production of in 2019 by The BAND Group, also covers this topic in a pretty horrific way. The horrors in A Pink Triangle are more implied, not explicitly seen but ever-present. It's really more of one long conversation between a father and son, both imprisoned in a concentration camp for reasons that become clear. Both actors in this two-hander give powerful performances, in a story that's becoming more and more relevant as our own government begins to take action against and slowly chip away at the rights of various marginalized groups. The short run of A Pink Triangle concludes with two final shows this weekend.

"Triassic Parq" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at LUSH Lounge and Theater

Minneapolis Musical Theatre is back with another rare musical, well done. Triassic Parq is another in the vein of the campy spoof musical (see also Silence! The Musical), which is not my favorite kind of musical, especially when I'm not that familiar with the source material, but it's a lot of fun. This rock musical is a loose retelling of Jurassic Park from the point of view of the dinosaurs. I don't really know the movie (I pretty much only watched it recently when Minnesota Fringe did it for their annual Five-Fifths fundraiser), so I can't speak to the plot similarities or references. But it's probably kind of like what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is to Hamlet (for my fellow theater nerds) - showing us what's going on with the minor characters on the other side of the main action. In this case, those minor characters are dinosaurs, who are also going through some challenges and transitions of their own. Triassic Parq is a celebration of community, friendship, identity, and finding oneself. It's playing Saturdays and Sundays (plus one Monday night pay-what-you-can performance) through April 13 at LUSH Lounge and Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, which is the perfect venue for this show. You can also arrive early and have dinner or brunch in their dining room before heading into the event space for the show.

"Peter and the Starcatcher" by Duluth Playhouse at the NorShore Theatre

Duluth is my (and many Minnesotans') favorite spot for a Minne-cation. Not only is there that endlessly fascinating lake (which on this visit the winds churned up into wild waves), the best of Minnesota's 70+ State Parks, and tons of outdoor activities, food, and shopping, but it's also an artsy city, including a great theater scene. As soon as I bought my ticket to see the living legend that is Willie Nelson at Bayfront Festival Park, I checked out the theater schedule, and was thrilled to discover that I would be in Duluth for the opening of the charming play with music Peter and the Starcatcher by Duluth Playhouse (and also disappointed that I would be missing Zeitgeist Theater's POTUS, opening May 30 and running through June 8). This Peter features a talented 12-percon cast (including some familiar faces), playful and inventive storytelling, and a sweet story about home, family, and adventure; check it out if you're going to be in Duluth through June 2. And whenever you plan your North Shore adventure, see what's going on at the Playhouse or Zeitgeist, or better yet, plan a trip around it - like I may be during Duluth Playhouse's 110th season to see the gorgeous musical The Light in the Piazza, or Waitress - yet another musical that #DuluthTheater does before #TCTheater (see also Renegade Theater's lovely 2019 production of Fun Home, which is premiering in the Twin Cities at Theater Latte Da next season, and last summer's Kinky Boots at the Playhouse, with Mitchell Douglas reprising his role as Lola at Lyric Arts this summer).