Tour of "Mystic Pizza" at the Ordway

Did the 1988 movie Mystic Pizza need to be made into a musical? Probably not. Did we need another '80s jukebox musical? No. Is Mystic Pizza: A New Musical a fun show about female friendship and community and finding yourself, with a score full of great songs? Absolutely! In general, I'm a fan of original musicals rather than movie adaptations or jukebox musicals (of which this show is both), so I went in with relatively low expectations, which is often the best way to approach something. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would, and there are several things they got right in this adaptation (the tour was originally scheduled to come to the Ordway last year, so obviously they've been working on making it better). So while I don't think the world was crying out for a Mystic Pizza musical, it's really quite endearing, and this production features a fantastic young cast. So put on your best '80s gear (or not) and head to the charming town of Mystic inside the Ordway Center in downtown St. Paul before the show closes on October 11.

Broadway tour of "Spamalot" at the Ordway Center

I was fortunate enough to see the 2005 Tony-winning Best Musical Spamalot on Broadway, starring the likes of Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, Christian Borle, and Sara Ramirez, who won the Tony for her role and to this day is my gold standard for comedic singing. It was (unsurprisingly) my first introduction to the world of Monty Python, the British comedy troupe on whose work the musical is based. Eric Idle, one of the members, wrote the book and lyrics, working with frequent collaborator John Du Prez on the music. Despite having no prior knowledge of the material, I loved the show, and am still perplexed that (to my knowledge) there have been no local professional productions of it. The show has toured several times, and was revived on Broadway in 2023. That production is currently touring the US, and has stopped in St. Paul at the Ordway Center for one week only, before it's replaced by the return of the Queens of SIX, which actually played the Ordway before its Broadway debut, where it won two Tonys and is still playing. But first, you have only a short time to experience the joyful silliness of Spamalot, a fourth-wall breaking show that doesn't try to be anything other than it is - brilliantly stupid comedy. 

"Cabaret" at the Guthrie Theater

"What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret, old chum, come to the cabaret!" Truer words have never been sung, and they have never been more true than now. With our world getting weirder and scarier every day, who doesn't need to "leave their troubles outside" every now and then? But Kander and Ebb's brilliant musical Cabaret is a subversive little thing. It lures you in with fun and sexy songs and dances, and then slowly, ever so slowly, it reminds you that it's not so easy to forget your troubles. They're still there, even when we're not thinking about them, and maybe they've even gotten worse when we weren't looking, when we were dancing. This musical cautionary tale about the rise of fascism in 1930s Germany, which the Guthrie had originally scheduled for the summer of 2020 before a global pandemic shuttered all theaters, has never felt more relevant than it does right now in the summer of 2025. The Guthrie's stunning new production of Cabaret is perfectly marvelous and utterly devastating, and it's the #TCTheater event of the summer. Do not miss it! The Kit Kat Klub remains open for business (until it tragically shuts its doors every night) through August 24.

"Clue" on tour at the Orpheum Theatre

A newish 90-minute non-musical stage adaptation of the cult classic 1985 movie Clue is going on tour, and it's premiering right here in Minneapolis! I'm not a particular fan of this movie, in fact I watched it for the first time just last week (#research). I found the movie to be quite delightful, and the play even more so. First of all, I love a 90-minute show at the Orpheum Theatre, when you don't have to sit through a 20-minute intermission (or worse yet stand in line for the bathroom for 20 minutes), or stay up past 11pm (#morningperson). Secondly, it's a really fun mystery with lots of wordplay, clever nods to the popular board game, and hilarious physical comedy. The 90 minutes are jam-packed with laughs, the mystery part taking a back seat to the entertainment factor. If you're looking for a different kind of tour that's non-musical, short and sweet, and a fun time, check out the premiere of Clue through March 3 only, after which it will embark on a tour across the country.

"West Side Story" at the Guthrie Theater

I grew up watching West Side Story. I've seen the movie dozens of times, listened to the music hundreds of times, and seen it on stage a handful of times (including the Ordway's gorgeous production last year). But I've never seen a West Side Story like the one currently on stage at the big blue building on the river. The Guthrie's West Side Story, directed by Artistic Director Joseph Haj and featuring new original choreography Maija Garcia (both children of immigrants), feels like it was made for today's world. A toppled over Lady Liberty dominates the set, and the musical's themes of institutionalized racism, prejudice towards immigrants, senseless violence, and hate born out of fear have never felt so relevant. It's still that timeless story of star-crossed lovers,* set to Leonard Bernstein's familiar, beloved, and gorgeous score, but with a cast that looks, moves, and feels like America today, for better or worse.