"Only One Sophie" at Illusion Theater

They say that the more specific something is, the more universal it is. That's certainly the case with the new original musical Only One Sophie by Illusion Theater's Artistic Director Michael Robins. Based on the life of his grandmother, the musical tells a very specific story about an American family centered around a strong, independent, loving Russian Jewish immigrant woman. But this tale of love, grief, family, and memories is a universal one that brings to mind one's own family history and memories. The specifics may be different, but we all have family traditions and memories and, if we're lucky, a loving grandmother that will never be forgotten. Only One Sophie a beautiful, funny, poignant, inspiring story brought to life through lovely original music (by Roberta Carlson) and a terrific eight-person cast. If you're interested in sweet, simple, heartfelt stories told musically, head down (or rather, up) to Illusion Theater's 8th floor stage in the Hennepin Center for the Arts between now and March 5.

"Walking Across Poland" at Illusion Theater

Illusion Theater's annual new works series Fresh Ink debuted last night with the reading of a lovely new musical called Walking Across Poland. This autobiographical musical written by Illusion's Artistic Director Michael Robins, with music by Roberta Carlson, tells the story of his grandmother through memories, photos, and music. Even though it's still in the early phases of development at just about an hour long, it's already a moving and nostalgic piece, a family story come to life. I look forward to seeing it further developed and fleshed out.

Grandma Sophie immigrated to St. Paul from Russia when she was just 16. The story begins when young Michael is with his family, sitting shiva after Sophie's death. She never talked about her journey to come to this country, and Michael is haunted by what he doesn't know and what his grandmother tried to tell him before she died. The family tells stories of their past, and we see Sophie's life in flashback - her marriage, divorce, children, a portrait of a life. Michael's questions are not completely answered but he does get a better understanding of who she was, as does the audience. She sounds like an incredible woman - strong and smart, determined to make a better life for her family, a survivor of great hardships.

Roberta Carlson again wrote beautiful moving music that moved me to tears (see also My Ántonia). This piece is similar in that it evokes feelings of nostalgia for a longed-for past and people. The music and words of the play are beautifully performed by the seven-person cast - Randy Schmeling as the adult Michael looking back on his past, Spencer Levin as young Michael, Nora Long as Sophie (with her strong clear voice ringing out across the theater), Emily Scinto as Young Sophie and Michael's sister, Sally Ann Wright and Jay Hornbacher as Michael's aunt and uncle, and Ryan Patrick as Sophie's husband.

I've attended several readings of new work this year, including the History Theatre's Raw Stages, Theater Latte Da's Next, and the beautiful new musical version of the movie Sweet Land. It's so exciting to hear new plays and musicals "read" (which really means performed, but with a script in hand) by local talent. It's fun to be part of the development process and to watch these pieces grow and transform. There's one more performance of Walking Across Poland tonight, and the Fresh Ink series continues in July with more new works. Check it out, or contact your favorite theater company to see what they've got cooking.

"Steerage Song" by Theater Latte Da at the Lab Theater

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe
     free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost
     to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

These words (by poet Emma Lazarus) were engraved on a plaque inside the Statue of Liberty in 1903, at the height of immigration to the United States. But soon that welcoming sentiment began to change, culminating in the passage of the National Origins Act in 1924, severely limiting immigration, especially from "undesirable" areas such as Southern and Eastern Europe. Steerage Song, a music-theater piece created by Peter Rothstein and Dan Chouinard, explores these historical themes of immigration through authentic music and text of the time. A semi-staged version of it was first presented two years ago. Much of the cast returns in this fully staged production, with slight changes to text and songs. The result is a truly beautiful expression of ideas at the very heart of America. The (perhaps not so) surprising thing is that the arguments being made against immigration today were also being made 100 years ago, making this piece not just a historical reflection but also extremely relevant to the present.

Peter (who also directs the piece) and Dan (music director) have collected dozens of songs from the American immigrant experience between 1840 and 1924, from various languages and cultures through Europe. They have tied the songs together using text from newspaper articles, speeches, and other historical documents, and constructed them into eight parts representing the journey of the immigrants: The Call; Bidding Farewell; The Voyage; A Sonnet in the Harbor; Ellis Island; The Lower East Side; By the People, For the People; and The Golden Door Closes. The nine ensemble members portray the mostly nameless immigrants as they leave their homelands and find a new life in America. The one character we follow throughout this journey is perhaps the most successful immigrant musician from this period, a 5-year-old Russian Jewish immigrant named Israel Beilin who became one of America's most beloved songwriters, Irving Berlin. Through his and others' stories we witness the courage of the millions of people who left everything behind to come to America and make a better life for themselves and their families, and in doing so made America richer too.

Dan Chouinard and his accordian
lead the cast of Steerage Song

The fantastic nine-person cast includes six from the original production two years ago. All sing beautifully in various languages or accented English (my linguist friend was impressed with the use of language and accents), as well as expressing the emotions of the characters. The ensemble includes: Sasha Andreev (always excellent), Erin Capello (with a voice like a dream), Dennis Curley (evoking tears with his sad Irish ballad), Megan Fischer (little Annie is all grown up and can hold her own among these talented professionals), Alec Fisher (another talented youngster who fits right in), Bradley Greenwald (one of my absolute favorites, any day I get to listen to him sing in German is a good day), Jennifer Grimm (with an emotional delivery of "Bring Me Your Tired, Your Poor," set to music by Irving Berlin), Jay Hornbacher (the talented veteran of the group), and Natalie Nowytski (a natural fit for this piece, she sings in over 40 languages and has studied Eastern European styles of singing). Multi-talented musician Dan Chouinard (I've seen him perform many times and he rarely uses sheet music at the piano) does a great job leading the five-piece band playing various instruments and creating the varied musical styles of the immigrants.

waving goodbye to the homeland

The Lab Theater is a great open space in which to create a world of imagination, put to great use by set designer John Clark Donahue. A stage has been built to resemble a ship, with a wooden plank floor, raised balcony in the back for the band, masts, a rope ladder, and bannisters on the sides. In the second act this ship transforms into the Lower East Side, with laundry hung between the masts and carts rolling up and down the street. Long poles are used as the railing of the ship or form lines at Ellis Island; planks serve as work spaces or lecterns. On either side of the stage are great racks of clothing, with hats, shawls, coats, scarves, and various other pieces that help define and differentiate the many characters in the piece (costume design by Jeffrey Stolz).

It's no secret that Theater Latte Da is my favorite theater company. Musical theater is my favorite art form, and Latte Da does it in an innovative and forward-thinking way. In fact, their tagline this year is "we don't do musical theater, we do theater musically." The thing that elevates Theater Latte Da above many other theaters in town is the impeccable attention to detail, on great display in Steerage Song. Every aspect of the production is of the highest quality: sets, costumes, sound design (actors are miked but in an unobtrusive way), casting, staging, the playbill, lighting, video projections, the use of props, and the talent level of the performers. Nothing is overlooked and it all adds up to a thoroughly enjoyable evening of theater. Playing now through October 20 at the Lab Theater.