"The Assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand" by Sheep Theater at the Southern Theater

"Warn the Duke!" calls the clairvoyant little boy in the musical Ragtime. Those who paid attention in their high school history class know that he's referring to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austria-Hungarian crown, whose assassination in 1914 started World War I. It turns out the story is a little more complicated than that, and Sheep Theater's new play The Assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand tells the story fairly historically accurately (from what Wikipedia tells me, my high school history class being a long time ago), but with modern language and humor. The result is part history lesson, part reflection on the current state of events, part tragedy, and part wacky farce. Judging by the sold out house last night, Sheep Theater (they do "original plays with an emphasis on classically epic stories that highlight the deranged confidence of humanity with sincerity and honesty"), has a loyal following, deservedly so, and might want to consider extending their runs past the usual handful of shows. This one closes tonight, sorry folks! Watch their website and Facebook page for your next opportunity to see this uniquely clever and funny company.

"Blood Brothers" - A Reading by Second Fiddle Productions

As far as I know, Second Fiddle Productions is a one-of-a-kind theater company in this town of 70+ theater companies. They are exclusively dedicated to producing one-show-only readings of rare and unusual musicals. Founded by the talented Ruthie Baker (currently a resident of River City at the Guthrie), the company is now in their second year and I finally was able to go to one of their Monday night readings - the 1983 West End hit Blood Brothers. After just eight hours of rehearsal, this ten-person cast full of the Twin Cities top music-theater talent breathed such incredible life into this script and score that I wonder why it isn't produced more often.

Blood Brothers was is set in and was first produced in Liverpool. The titular brothers are twins separated at birth when their poor single mother is convinced into giving one of them to her wealthy and childless employer. Despite their very different lifestyle, the boys meet on the streets of Liverpool and become fast friends, each admiring and envious of what the other possesses. But as they grow up, the extreme difference in their situations becomes more evident as one brother has a successful career and the other turns to crime to feed his young family. But in the end what could come between these best friends and unknowing twins? A woman, of course, and the fight over her results in the death of both brothers.

The story ends tragically but there is fun and humor along the way. I'd never heard any of the songs before but I think the score is great, with an '80s English musical sort of sound. I love how the comparisons to Marilyn Monroe turn from joyful to sad, as does the dancing song. The recurring theme of the devil at your door and the superstition about bad luck with new shoes on the table casts a dark cloud on the show, reminding us of the upcoming tragedy even through the happy times and good humor.

Since this is a reading, I'm not supposed to write a review (although I'm not sure that what I usually write are really reviews), so I'm not going to tell you how amazing this cast is and how incredible and fully formed their performances were even though they only rehearsed for eight hours and were often reading from the book. I'm especially not going to tell you how fabulous Jen Burleigh-Bentz was as the mother, or how adorable Eric Morris and Reid Harmsen were as the brothers, or what a great job Josh Campbell and Nic Delcambre did as Director and Music Director/accompanist, respectively. Nope, I'm not going to tell you that, but I am going to tell you that if you're interested in expanding your musical theater knowledge by watching top-notch local talent "read" a musical you may never have heard of before, keep your eye on Second Fiddle. Their final reading of this year is The Most Happy Fella in October, with their third season announcement coming soon. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for details.

Fringe Festival 2015: "The Debutante"

Day: 3

Show: 13 

Title: The Debutante

Category: Drama

By: Abas Theatre Company

Written by: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Location: U of M Rarig Center Arena

Summary: In 1919, a popular and careless young woman falls in love with a writer from St. Paul and has a brief and intense love affair.

Highlights: This is a beautiful and tragic love story, like much of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work. Rosalind (Piper Schatz Akin) is rich and beautiful and enjoys toying with the many men who fall in love with her. Until she meets Amory (John Fries, who looks the part of a young Fitzgerald hero), with whom she falls desperately in love. He is hers completely and wants to marry her, but she rejects him because she needs to marry someone with money who can support her lifestyle. "Oh Amory, what have I done to you?" The play is short and bittersweet and well played by this young cast. In fact it's so short there's ample time for a couple of party dancing party scenes that make me long for the day when beautiful women in dresses danced politely and civilly with handsome men in suits (although I didn't quite get the modern dance scene and the use of remotes to turn on the music). Fitzgerald's words are beautiful to listen to and the period costumes and dancing are pleasant to watch, and the amiable cast does a good job bringing this sweet and sad little story to life.

Fringe Festival 2015: "Arrest Me: A Musical Drama"

Day: 1

Show: 2

Title: Arrest Me: A Musical Drama

Category: Musical Theater

By: World Tree Theatre

Directed by: Ricardo Beaird

Location: Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Summary: A series of vignettes (including music, dramatic scenes, comedy, and spoken word) centered around the theme of Black Lives Matter.

Highlights: Written by K.D. Howells and featuring a cast of six singer/actors and four musicians, Arrest Me doesn't provide a single narrative, but rather several short narratives or explorations of themes around racism and what it means to be black in America today. Some scenes are better than others, highlighted by the gorgeous vocals of Katie Carney and Roland Hawkins (and a stirring spoken word performance by the latter), as well as some thoughtful monologues and scenes from different perspectives. The piece doesn't attempt to offer easy answers (because there are none), but does stress the need to listen to each other, truly see each other, and work together towards peace and equality. Despite some unevenness, overall it's a very powerful and moving experience.