"Marie and Rosetta" at Yellow Tree Theatre

I first heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe when I saw Park Square Theatre's regional premiere production of the play Marie and Rosetta in 2018. Known as the "godmother of rock and roll," she certainly should be more well known, and this play makes sure that she is. Yellow Tree Theatre was scheduled to do the play last season, but had to reschedule it to this season, and it was worth the wait. Written by Playwrights' Center affiliated writer George Brant, Marie and Rosetta imagines the night of the first performance of Rosetta and her protege/duet partner Marie Knight. A night in 1946 Mississippi when there was no room at the inn for two black women singers, so they rehearsed and slept in a funeral home with a kindly owner. This play with music paints a beautiful picture of these two very different women, their music, and their relationship, as well as the hardships both faced in their lives and careers, and brings these two musical legends to vivid life.* Unfortunately I caught the show at the end of the run - there are only four more performances before it closes this Sunday, so get out to Osseo soon to catch this great two-hander!

"The One-Woman Playwright Festival" at Yellow Tree Theatre

For the month of February, Yellow Tree Theatre is bringing us a new play by a local female playwright every weekend in "The One-Woman Playwright Festival." I would love to be able to see every one of these plays, but they're only having two readings of each, and in this busy month of February that just wasn't possible. But I definitely made time to head to Osseo last weekend to support my friend and fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Mary Aalgaard from Play Off the Page. She's a playwright, actor, piano teacher, and music director in the Brainerd area (who drives to the Cities to see and review theater - and people think I'm dedicated!). Read on for a little more about her play It's Murder, Dontcha Know, and then check out one (or both) of the final two plays in the series (by #TCTheater artists Jamecia Bennett and Thomasina Petrus, the first play was by George Keller).

"Beauty and the Beast" at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Here's one thing I'm grateful for this season: after more than three years, the Ordway Original is back! As Executive Producer of the "Broadway @ the Ordway" series Rod Kaats noted in his pre-show speech, the Ordway is one of the few theaters in the country that both hosts Broadway tours, and does original Broadway-scale productions using local talent. There have been some great tours coming through the Ordway (a pre-Broadway SIX, and a little show called RENT in 1997 and many years thereafter), but my favorites have always been their original productions, because #TCTheater absolutely has the talent in cast, creatives, and crew to build a big beautiful show. In 2019 they were on a roll with a fan-freakin-tastic 42nd Street and a terrific Smokey Joe's Café. The extended pandemic intermission interrupted that momentum, but now they're back with a Disney favorite - Beauty and the Beast (which they last produced back in 2019, shortly pre-blog). It is everything I expected it to be and more: an incredibly talented and mostly local cast, a fabulous 12-person pit orchestra, and an all-around impressive design, combining into one enchanting theatrical experience for all ages. The show continues through New Year's Eve but it's a popular one, so book your tickets now and head to downtown St. Paul, which is particularly beautiful this time of a year, for a magical night. Click here for the official ticket site, with prices ranging from $50-$150.

"A Raisin in the Sun" at Guthrie Theater

The American classic A Raisin in the Sun premiered in 1959, making Lorraine Hansberry the first female Black playwright on Broadway, but it's anything but dated. Unfortunately, racism, discrimination, and unjust practices like redlining are still very much a part of our world, as evidenced by the recent racist and anti-Semitic fueled mass shooting in Buffalo, and the fact that in Minnesota 77% of White families own their homes compared to only 26% of Black families. This is the legacy of the world Hansberry wrote about that we're still experiencing. The Guthrie's production of this ever-relevant piece is beautifully wrought, from the detailed set to the raw and emotional performances by the entire cast. You can see it now through June 5 on the Guthrie's proscenium stage.

"Passing Strange" at Yellow Tree Theatre

The latest offering at Yellow Tree Theatre, the little theater in the 'burbs with big bold theatrical offerings, is Passing Strange, a loosely autobiographical musical by the musician known as Stew (with help from Heidi Rodewald on the music composition). This rarely done musical (last seen in #TCTheater at Mixed Blood in 2014) is a coming of age story about a young black man from L.A. who travels to Europe in search of what he calls "the real." The narrator (played by Stew himself on Broadway) and his younger self take us on this epic journey with them, filled with the highs of love and music and the lows of grief and heartbreak, and it's a beautiful thing when he comes out the other end with a better understanding of life, love, and art.* The talented cast and creative team at Yellow Tree bring out all of the passion and poignancy of the piece, for a truly unique experience. See it in Osseo through May 8 (click here for info and tickets).

Jamecia Bennett in "The Evolution of Jazz & Blues" at The Belvedere at Crooners

After a long winter of no live in-person entertainment, spring has finally arrived, a hopeful spring which is bringing us vaccines and the return of outdoor entertainment! Even before living under the specter of a deadly airborne virus, outdoor entertainment was one of my favorite things about summer in Minnesota. Now, when outdoors feels like the safest place to be, outdoor venues are even more important to our arts and entertainment industry. Last summer, Crooners Supper Club in Fridley stepped up with an outdoor drive-in performance venue and it was a life-saver for me; I attended four drive-in shows, plus one on their outdoor patio. This year, they've expanded that intimate outdoor patio into a larger space with appropriately spaced table seating under a tent. Called "The Belvedere," it's a great venue for outdoor entertainment that I hope they keep going for years to come. I can think of no one better to christen this new space than the incomparable Jamecia Bennett, local music and theater legend. I was lucky enough to experience one of her two shows last weekend, and if this is any indication, it's sure to be a fantastic spring/summer/fall at Crooners!

"Live at the Loading Dock: Ordway Cabaret" outdoors behind the Ordway Center

St. Paul's Ordway Center for the Performing Arts had planned a 2020-2021 Broadway season that included touring shows and original productions, classics and new musicals. But as this extended intermission is lasting longer than any of us had hoped, due to a pandemic that isn't slowing down, at least in this country, their plans have changed. The only show on the schedule as of now is a summer 2021 Ordway Original production of RENT, which of course is still dependent on what happens with the virus between now and then. To celebrate this season-that-wasn't, and to show their commitment to producing these shows at some future date, the Ordway is presenting an outdoor cabaret concert consisting of songs from the planned upcoming season, as well as one cancelled show from last season. Live at the Loading Dock is performed outside behind the theater in the loading dock area, which is really a perfect outdoor venue. Seeing this show nourished my theater-starved soul and gave me hope for that day in the future when we can all gather together safely to share music and stories again.

"Skeleton Crew" at Yellow Tree Theatre, a co-production with New Dawn Theatre

What better time than Black History Month for Yellow Tree Theatre to partner with New Dawn Theatre to present their first play (to my knowledge) with a black cast, director, and playwright? Looking around the suburban Osseo theater, I didn't see many people of color, but prolific and talented playwright Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew, while being a specific story of the African American experience, is also a universal story of people struggling to survive and thrive in America. And if there's anything I've learned from Penumbra Theatre, it's that the African American experience is an important part of the American experience, and African American stories are stories that we all need to hear to better understand the world that we live in (see also Penumbra's The White Card). The fantastic four-person cast, along with the director and design team, beautifully bring this story to life.

"Crowns" by New Dawn Theatre Company at the Summit Center for Arts and Innovation

It's a new dawn. A new dawn of theater that lifts up unheard voices and tells untold stories. The newest #TCTheater company, aptly named New Dawn Theatre Company, is here for it, leading the way. They have a company overflowing with talent and an ambitious mission to produce three works each year (a play, a musical, and a devised work) that "are by, for and feature women, minorities and members of the LGBT communities." Their inaugural production just opened at the new Summit Center for Arts and Innovation, a former Summit Avenue church that has been converted into a performance space. It's the perfect setting for Regina Taylor's Crowns, a free-flowing musical piece that explores the tradition of wearing hats in the African American community as it relates to spirituality, history, legacy, and family. Theater is my religion and this is my kind of church - a completely mesmerizing and engrossing piece that takes me to another place as if in a dream.

A Cabaret Featuring the Cast of the Ordway's "42nd Street"

Friends, I had the most amazing night at the Dakota Jazz Club last night. The cast of the Ordway's "fan-freakin-tastic" 42nd Street presented a cabaret that lasted for over three hours and showcased the many varied talents of this ridiculously talented cast. As I overheard in the bathroom (a great place to gauge audience reaction), the cabaret was almost better than the show itself. I have decided that the cast of every musical needs to do a cabaret show (this is the 4th at the Dakota, after the casts of Theater Latte Da's Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Park Square's Marie and Rosetta, and the Jungle's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill). It was a particularly genius idea for this cast that is overflowing with talent from every single member. They get to show off a lot of that talent in 42nd Street, which features tap dancing like I've never seen before, but there's so much more to them all. From poetry (Annie Jo Ermel) and spoken word (Phillip Attmore), to freestyle rap (Rush Benson), to country music (Jarrod Emick), to crooning standards (Tyler Michaels King, Tamara Tunie, Kimberly Immanual), to insane tap-dancing (several members of the cast), to the musical stylings of Music Director Raymond Berg and the band, to the most charming and genial hosting (T. Mychael Rambo, underused in 42nd Street), to whatever magic it is that Jamecia Bennett creates that blows the roof of of whatever room she's in and brings the crowd to their feet, last night was a display of talent unlike anything I've seen before. It truly will go down as one of the best and most memorable evenings of musical performance I've ever experienced.

"42nd Street" at the Ordway Center

Come and meet
Those dancing feet
On the avenue I'm taking you to
Washington Street

Washington Street in downtown St. Paul, the address of Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, is the new 42nd Street. The Ordway Original production of 42nd Street is an expertly updated classic that in three words is: Fan. Freakin. Tastic. I've seen the show several times, but never like this. The show opens with the above familiar refrain, the curtain lifting a few inches to reveal feet moving in classic tap-dancing style. Then producer Julian Marsh says something along the lines of - we've done that before, let's do something new. What follows is something entirely new, while still paying homage to the beloved 1933 movie (adapted to the stage in 1980). These dancers (comprised of local and national talent) are some of the best I've ever seen performing this whirlwind tapping, the lead and supporting actors are divine, and the music is familiar yet excitingly modern. If you're a fan of music-theater, get yourself to "naughty, bawdy, gaudy, sporty" Washington Street as soon as you are able! But hurry, the show closes on August 11 after a too-short three-week run (click here for all the deets).

"Marie and Rosetta" at Park Square Theatre

For two nights in a row, I experienced rousing gospel music as part of #TCTheater. In other words, was a good week. The night after seeing Penumbra Theatre's annual gospel rendition of the nativity story Black Nativity, I attended opening night of Park Square Theatre's regional premiere of the new play Marie and Rosetta, the true story of lesser known gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Written by Playwrights' Center affiliated writer George Brant, Marie and Rosetta imagines the night of the first performance of Rosetta and her protege/duet partner Marie Knight. A night in 1946 Mississippi when there was no room at the inn for two black women singers, so they rehearsed and slept in a funeral home with a kindly owner. This play with music paints a beautiful picture of these two very different women, their music, and their relationship, as well as the hardships both faced in their lives and careers, and brings these two musical legends to vivid life. A "joyful noise" indeed.

"The Wiz" at the Children's Theatre, a co-production with Penumbra Theatre

"Combining CTC's critical literacy work and Penumbra's racial justice work allows us to forge something together that neither could do alone." These words in the playbill of The Wiz, the first collaboration between these two acclaimed #TCTheater companies, brought tears to my eyes before the show even started. Especially after wading through a sea of children of all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds. In an increasingly divided world, Penumbra (one of the longest-running and most acclaimed African American theater companies in the nation) and Children's Theatre (ditto for children's theater) give me hope, as individual companies and especially in this collaboration in which an all-black cast tells a story of a young black woman who discovers her own power through the help of friends. They give me hope that maybe we can overcome our seemingly insurmountable differences and join together in song and awesome dance to solve our problems. It's possible, right? Can't you feel a brand new day? Indeed I can.

"Girl Shakes Loose" at Penumbra Theatre

Girl Shakes Loose is the musical we need right now. It's playing at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul through May 14 and you should definitely go see it, but I'm hoping it has continued life after this run. I don't know what the creators/producers have planned, but I would love to see it on Broadway. I think we need to see it on Broadway. Written by a black female composer/playwright team (Imani Uzuri music and lyrics, Zakiyyah Alexander book and lyrics) and incorporating the poetry of Sonia Sanchez, a poet in the Black Arts Movement,* Girl Shakes Loose is something we've never seen before. Namely, a musical about a contemporary black woman with an all black cast. Musicals with a black female lead** are few and far between (the only ones I can think of are Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, The Color Purple, Caroline or Change, Aida, Porgy and Bess) and are all set in the past. Most musicals that feature an all black cast are about overcoming hardships - racism, abuse, poverty. Which are important stories to tell but definitely do not represent the entirety of the African American experience. Girl Shakes Loose is a different narrative. It's about a young black woman living her life and figuring out who she is and where she fits in the world. It shouldn't be revolutionary in 2017 to see a musical created by black women about a contemporary black woman in America, but it is. I'm thrilled to have witnessed it and excited to watch it go out into the world from here.

"Brand New Day" at Mixed Blood Theatre

"Can't you feel a brand new day?" Unfortunately on the gun violence front, we're not there yet. But with organizations like Protect Minnesota, hopefully we will one day see a brand new day free from gun violence. Last night Protect MN celebrated 25 years of good work in the prevention of gun violence with a night of music and theater. This is my third time attending Protect MN's annual event produced and directed by local theater artist Joshua Campbell. And once again it was a great evening of inspiring music and sobering readings of how gun violence affects all of us. Read on to find out more about last night's celebration, or visit Protect Minnesota's website to see how you can help.

"The Dutchman / The Owl Answers" at Penumbra Theatre

In one of those strange theater-going coincidences, the night after I saw two one-act plays at the Guthrie, I attended opening night of Penumbra's presentation of two one-act plays. Both paired plays by different playwrights linked by a common theme. But unlike the theater comedies The Critic and The Real Inspector Hound, The Dutchman and The Owl Answers are dense and meaty dramas dealing with heavy issues. They might not make you laugh (except, occasionally, uncomfortably), but they will definitely make you think. Written in the '60s as part of the Black Arts Movement, these plays take an unforgiving look at the racism, sexism, and classism of the day, that still have implications in today's world. A stellar ensemble cast and top-notch production design tie the two very different plays together and highlight the playwrights' messages. Though they are not easy to watch and I can't say I understood everything that was going on, I certainly came away with much to chew on, and a greater understanding of our shared history. Which is pretty much a given at Penumbra Theatre.

"Black Nativity" at Penumbra Theatre

Friends, it's been a rough week. With devastating news here at home (the Children's Theatre lawsuit) and around the country (yet another senseless and horrific mass shooting, this time in San Bernadino, CA), on top of all the other painful things we've been dealing with lately, it's almost more than anyone can take. It was under this cloud that I saw Penumbra Theatre's annual production of Black Nativity for the first time. Yes, even though this is their 28th year, I've never seen Black Nativity before. I'm not sure how that happened, but this was the perfect time to first experience this truly joyful celebration. The story, the music, the dancing, the feeling of joy and faith and togetherness in that room, was a balm to my soul and did much to restore my faith in humanity. Maybe in times like this, the first and best response is to "be the light," and let that light lead us into appropriate action to heal the wounds of society and prevent things like what happened this week from happening again (and again and again) in the future.

"Detroit '67" at Penumbra Theatre

1967 Detroit was one of the high points in American music with the boom of the Motown sound, including such greats as The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and little Stevie Wonder. But it was also one of the low points in American racial tension, as manifested in one of the largest riots in history that ended with over 40 people killed and over 1000 injured. The new play Detroit '67 by Dominique Morisseau nicely juxtaposes these two worlds as they come together in a clash of music and violence, as seen through the lives of one family. Featuring a super cool soundtrack and a strong five-person cast, Detroit '67 is as much fun and entertaining as it is sobering and thought-provoking.

Sister and brother Chelle and Lank have inherited their deceased parents' home and a little money. With the help of their friends Bunny and Sly, they've turned the basement into an occasional dance club, to enjoy music with their friends and make a little money to help with Chelle's son's education. The widowed Chelle is happy with the simple life, keeping a nice home and making some extra money to send to her son, but Lank longs for something more. When Sly asks him to go in with him to invest in a local bar, Lank jumps at the chance despite his sister's objections. While out one night, Sly and Lank come across a mysterious and injured young white woman and bring her back to the house to recover. Chelle is not happy with this, knowing the trouble it could bring in segregated Detroit, but reluctantly agrees to let the girl stay if she helps around the house. She has a past that, when she reveals it to Lank, bonds the two of them. When the riots start, Lank and Sly are right in the middle of it, trying to protect their new business. It doesn't end well, but no matter what happens, the music lives on. And so do these people, as best they can.

Chelle and Sly (Austene Van and James T. Alfred) dance as
Caroline (Elizabeth Efteland) looks on (photo by Bridget Bennett)

As Chelle and Lank, Austene Van and Darius Dotch are believable as siblings who love each other even when they're annoyed with each other, and also create strong individual characters. Austene's Chelle is guarded but seemingly content with her life, not wanting to change or take a chance, until she begins to open up culminating in a beautiful final moment. Darius' Lank is ambitious and bristles at the unfairness of life. James T. Alfred as Sly is as smooth as his suit, and easily charms both siblings. Jamecia Bennett is a hoot as the flamboyant Bunny, and Elizabeth Efteland is appropriately enigmatic as the mysterious stranger who's obviously had a tough life and is looking for more. Under Shirley Jo Finney's direction the five play, argue, and dance well together.

another dancing couple: Bunny and Lank (Jamecia Bennett
and Darius Dotch, photo by Bridget Bennett)

I'm a sucker for period costumes and sets, and the late '60s is one of my favorite eras. This Detroit basement may be about as far away as you can get from the Madison Avenue of Mad Men, but it's super fabulous in its own way. Firstly, Mathew LeFebvre's set is incredibly detailed and lived in, like it was transported in a time capsule from 1967. And while I missed the '60s by a few years, I still reveled in the nostalgic familiarity of the shag carpet, wood paneling, 8-track player, knitted afghan on the couch, and bright clashing colors, not dissimilar to my own basement as a kid. I only wish mine were this cool! Aaron Chvatal's costumes are also super fabulous, from Sly's smooth suits, to Chelle's casual wear and flats, to the dressed-to-the-nines Bunny, bedecked in bright and colorful dresses, with matching fab shoes that I covet, and plenty of bangles. And while part of me wanted to see that basement dance party in all its style, it's nicely hinted at by dancing shadows on the wall (video and sound design by Martin Gwinup, whom I assume is also to be thanked for that fabulous '60s soundtrack).

Penumbra always does top quality work, and often educates me about parts of our history of which I am unaware, like the 1967 Detroit riots. It's one of my favorite things about theater - a chance to be entertained while also learning something new, empathizing with characters, and pondering what it all means and how it relates to the world (black men being killed by cops is sadly not a relic of the past). Detroit '67 continues at St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre through May 17.

"Passing Strange" at Mixed Blood Theatre

The rock musical Passing Strange was short-lived on Broadway, running just five months, but it earned seven Tony nominations and one win for Best Book. I recall hearing about it, but I never saw it. I'm so grateful to Mixed Blood Theatre for bringing it here and for assembling this talented cast and creative team, because Passing Strange is everything I want music-theater to be. It's a completely unique creation that comes from the heart, features an awesome rock score, and is wildly entertaining, poignant, funny, and relevant. Written by the musician known as Stew (with help from Heidi Rodewald on the music composition) and loosely based on his own life, Passing Strange is a coming of age story about a young black man from L.A. who travels to Europe in search of what he calls "the real." The narrator (played by Stew himself on Broadway) and his younger self take us on this epic journey with them, filled with the highs of love and music and the lows of grief and heartbreak, and it's a beautiful thing when he comes out the other end with a better understanding of life, love, and art.

Passing Strange feels more like a rock concert than a musical, with the narrator introducing himself and the band and talking directly to the audience. He doesn't pretend that he's not spinning a tale for an audience, yet at times he's deeply connected to and affected by his story as it plays out before him. We meet a nameless young man, presumably his younger self, in his too comfortable life in L.A. with his mother and the church. It's the late 1970's, and he decides to go to Europe to see who he can be, rebelling against his family and country and society. He lives a life of new friends, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, first in mellow Amsterdam and then in the intense world of Berlin. He loves art above all else, and through it strives for "the real." As he grows up and experiences loss, he learns that there might be more to life than art.

Anthony Manough and Nathan Barlow
backed by Lipica Shah,
Brittany Bradford, and Meghan Kriedler

This highly energetic and talented cast and band (at times it's hard to tell the difference between the two as they're all part of the story) drive through the show like a freight train that never stops or lets up. As two sides of the same man, Anthony Manough (narrator) and Nathan Barlow (youth) are both fantastic. Anthony is a great front man, funny and entertaining and captivating, but also shows us the character's emotional side as he observes his story from the outside. I've seen Nathan Barlow in supporting roles in the past (and called him "one to watch"), but this could be his breakout performance. He gives such an emotionally and physically intense and at the same time playful performance, literally running from one end of the stage to the other, all while making this youth someone to follow and root for, despite his selfish and self-centered wanderings (not atypical for someone that age). As his (their) mother, Jamecia Bennett brings a soul to the story, not to mention her incredible voice that is a force of nature. Also fantastic and fun to watch are the trio of Brittany Bradford, Meghan Kreidler, and Lipica Shah, functioning as a sort of Greek chorus, in addition to playing various friends and girlfriends that the youth meets on his journey. Rounding out this fine cast is LeRoi James as the preacher's son choir director and various other characters.

I don't see a choreographer or movement coach listed so I don't know who to credit for this (perhaps director Thomas W. Jones II), but there is some crazy wonderful movement and dancing going on. And you can't have a great rock musical without a great rock band, and they've got that here, with direction by Jason Hansen (the go-to-guy for rock musicals in the Twin Cities, and with good reason). I enjoyed seeing Eric Mayson (from last year's really cool Fringe show Elysium Blues) playing guitar in the band, with a great turn as the preacher. And I must also mention the crazy fun 70s-ish costumes by Trevor Bowen.

And this too (from the director):

Artist. African American. Expatriate! ... the 20th Century Odyssey of not only the African American artist, but the African American race, has been an unyielding search for acceptance, a disquieted reach for the ephemeral home. Passing Strange continues that exploration.

What a beautiful thing to use music-theater in that exploration. If you, like me, love the art form that is music-theater and believe that it can be more than the latest Disney movie adaptation, you owe it to yourself to go see this show. It's a unique and personal creation beautifully and powerfully brought to life by this fantastic cast. It'll make you think, feel, laugh, cry, and clap your hands. It's not often that the audience of a musical is cajoled, no demanded, to get on their feet! I guarantee you've never seen another musical like Passing Strange, which is what I love most about it. Playing now through May 11, click here to reserve tickets or take a chance and show up at the theater before the show to get a free ticket (assuming it's not sold out) as part of Mixed Blood's "Radical Hospitality" program.

"The Things They Carried" and "Lonely Soldiers: Women at War in Iraq" at the History Theatre

The History Theatre is currently producing two plays in rep, both dealing with the effects of war on the soldiers who fight in them. The Things They Carried is based on the semi-autobiographical collection of short stories by Tim O'Brien, a Minnesota man who was drafted out of college in 1968 and sent to Vietnam. Lonely Soldiers: Women at War in Iraq is also based on a book - a series of interviews with women who served in the Iraq War. I saw both plays in one day, which makes for a pretty heavy day. But it's a nice pairing of plays that show different perspectives of war. Both tell really powerful and important stories and feature fine acting, but one affected me much more deeply.

Lonely Soldiers: Women at War in Iraq
After seeing this play I was completely devastated. I had a hard time shaking it. It was one of the most powerful experiences I've had at the theater in quite some time. Because it's not just theater, and it's not just history (both of which the History Theatre does so well), it's about very real and devastating issues facing women in the military. Based on the 2009 book by Helen Benedict, who also wrote the play, Lonely Soldiers tells the stories of seven women who served in the military in Iraq. Helen spent countless hours interviewing these and other women over a period of several years, and their words form the text of the play. The result is a very real and brutal examination of how our military, and our society in a broader sense, tolerates harassment and assault of women.

The play is constructed as a series of monologues using the women's own words. They speak directly to the audience, sharing their varied reasons for joining the military (economic, family pressure, rebellion) and their experiences that were so different from their expectations. Each story is different, yet they're all the same, as they all experience various forms and degrees of harassment from their male counterparts and superiors, with no one to talk to about it. The stories unfold separately, and it's not until the end, when they're home and trying to process what they've been through, that the women start to look at each other and talk to each other, and there's a feeling of relief that can finally share their stories, with each other and with the audience.

the cast of Lonely Soldiers (photo by Scott Pakudaitis)

This cast of seven women (and one man, Santino Craven, who has the thankless job of portraying the mostly not-so-nice men in the women's stories), so completely embodies these characters that you almost believe that they are them. Jamecia Bennet, Shana Berg, Dawn Brodey, Hope Cervantes, Tamara Clark, Meghan Kreidler, and Rhiana Yazzie all give such devastatingly real performances, under the direction of Austene Van, who noted in the program, "The notion that someone who takes on the responsibility to serve and protect with their very lives is left unprotected and damaged forever by those who should be trusted is difficult to fully grasp." Indeed. These women's lives is so far from my experience, I can't even imagine a world like that, but now I don't have to because this play allowed me to experience a little bit of it. And that's about as close to war as I ever want to get. I had tears in the back of my eyes for the entire ninety minutes, and I don't even know anyone in the military.

There was a talk-back after the show I attended, with the playwright, director, and cast onstage to answer questions. There were several women vets in the audience, and those who worked with them in their recovery, and some of them stood up and told similar stories to what we had just heard, which brought another level of reality to the experience. Because of the book and the documentary that it inspired, The Invisible War, there is hopefully more awareness now of how women are treated in the military, but it's certainly still going on.

The Things They Carried
In this one-man show directed by Leah Cooper, Stephen D'Ambrose plays Tim O'Brien, the author of the book. He begins by sitting at his desk writing, and soon speaks directly to the audience, telling stories of his time in Vietnam. It's as if he's reliving the stories as he's writing them down. He occasionally repeats a line as he goes back to his desk to write it in his notebook, almost as if he's telling it for the first time and wants to get it down on paper before he forgets it. As he's telling the story, Stephen also plays many other characters, including his buddies, his family, and the man who "saved his life."

Stephen D'Ambrose in The Tings They Carried
 (photo by Scott Pakudaitis)

Many stories and vignettes are told in the two-act play, but the most compelling are about his trip to the Canadian border shortly after he was drafted, where he contemplated leaving the country to avoid going to war. It's an extremely compelling story, well-told by the author and actor. The second act largely focuses on the death of his best friend, and his journey back to Vietnam 20 years later to attempt some closure. All of the stories are told with beautiful, almost poetic language (most of which I assume comes from the book), wonderfully delivered by Stephen. This is theater at its most basic form - storytelling.

Since the two plays alternate dates over the next several weeks, they share the same basic set (designed by Sarah Brander). The sand-colored floor and weathered wooden slat backdrop works for both. The steps and rock formations in Lonely Soldiers are replaced by office furniture in The Things They Carried. It's an efficient sharing of space.

These two plays really fit well together, but if you can only see one of them, I would recommend Lonely Soldiers. Stories from Vietnam, although still important and relevant, have been told in many forms over the past 40 years. But the stories told in Lonely Soldiers have only recently begun to be heard, and they need to be heard. See the History Theatre website for more info on both plays (and you can find discount tickets for Lonely Soldiers on Goldstar).