"An American Tail: The Musical" at Children's Theatre Company

How did it take more than 35 years for the animated movie musical An American Tail to be adapted into a stage musical?! I guess because it's not part of the Disney machine. But for anyone who has been waiting for it, this world premiere production at Children's Theatre Company is worth the wait! And it couldn't come at a better time, with the recent rise in anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant sentiment (although sadly that's never gone out of style). This "American Tail" shows us the best version of America, where "anything is possible if we work together." Unfortunately there are indeed cats* in America (read: anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, classism, ignorance, poverty, oppression), but if oppressed groups work together instead of fighting against each other, as the oppressors try to make them do, we can make a world in which everyone can achieve the American dream - the one that's promised to everyone but denied to many. That sounds like a lot for a kids' show, but it's also a really fun and engaging show that's such a joy to watch, no matter your age. It doesn't feel like a "lesson," but kids may walk away with a better understanding of the immigrant experience and the inclusive community America was always meant to be.  Or better yet - their parents will, because grown-ups seem to be the ones who don't get it these days.

"Guys and Dolls" at the Guthrie Theater

So here's the thing, my #TCTheater friends. The Guthrie Theater's production of the 1950 classic musical Guys and Dolls is spectacular. The cast is brilliantly talented, the dance numbers are phenomenal, the music is familiar, fun, and lively, and every element of design is spot-on gorgeous. But even all of that wonderfulness can't overcome the fact that Guys and Dolls is a dated, misogynist story that we don't need to tell anymore. Calling women "dolls," and all of the gender stereotypes wrapped up in that, is just not cute in 2019. I've seen the show several times in the past, and I've loved it in the past, but each time I see it I love it a little less. The world is changing, I'm changing, but Guys and Dolls remains rooted in gender stereotypes from the title to the lyrics, dialogue, and story. To their credit, the Guthrie has made a number of changes that make the show a little more palatable to a modern audience, but there's only so much they can do. Ever since they announced their season last year, I couldn't understand why they would choose to do this show now, except that it's a crowd-pleaser that will sell lots of tickets. The good news is that their other summer show is a world premiere of a new play that the Guthrie commissioned from Lynn Nottage, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning African American female playwright. If doing dated old musicals that have been done a million times is the price we have to pay to support new work from too often unheard voices, well, as Stephen Sondheim wrote in the Pulitzer Prize winning musical Sunday in the Park with George (seen at the Guthrie two summers ago in a stunning production), "that is the state of the art, my friends." And don't get me wrong, it is a super fun show and audiences are going to have a great time. I had a great time. But I'm also disappointed that we keep telling these old stories instead of discovering new ones.

"Paint Your Wagon" at the Ordway Center

I had never even heard of the 1951 Lerner and Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon when the Ordway announced it as part of their season. I guess that's not too surprising; it ran for less than a year on Broadway and has never been revived. The story was significantly rewritten for the 1969 movie adaptation starring Clint Eastwood, which also included a few new songs. Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre (director David Armstrong and book writer Jon Marans) scrapped both the original and revised book (they're a little bit racist, and sexist) to write a new story set in the Gold Rush era of California, making it more reflective of the many diverse cultures that came together to build the great American West. This production has moved to the Ordway for two weeks, with a few local additions to the cast. This thrilling story of the beginnings of the American West (think Deadwood the musical, only with significantly less cursing) with a beautifully diverse cast has rescued this gorgeous Western and Mexican influenced score from the place where problematic old musicals go to die.