Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Not Fair, My Lady"

Day: 1

Show: 1

Title: Not Fair, My Lady!

Category: Comedy / Musical Theater

By: Colleen Somerville Productions

Created by: Shanan Custer, Anita Ruth, Colleen Somerville

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A series of vignettes and songs about the portrayal of women in the American musical theater canon, as well as the role of women in creating theater.

Highlights: My first show of the 2018 Minnesota Fringe will no doubt stand as one of my favorites of the fest. Written by talented #TCTheater artists Shanan Custer and Colleen Sommerville, with musical arrangements by Anita Ruth, it's funny, smart, and insightful. The impetus for the show is the misogynist old shows that are being revived on Broadway* this year in the midst of the #MeToo movement, but really there are so many "classics" in which women's roles are limited and stereotypical, a fact that's startlingly obvious in a couple of montages of snippets from a wide variety of musicals new and, well, mostly old. There are also a couple of familiar songs with new lyrics that talk about the problem, and also about what it's like to be a women working in musical theater, particularly women of color, and women who are bigger than size 2 or older than 25. A fabulous and diverse cast of seven talented women (Colleen Somerville, Courtney Miner, Falicia Nichole, Kecia Beth Stimmler Rehkamp, Marcie Panian, Rue Norman, and Suzie Juul) beautifully perform the funny and insightful songs and sketches, and also speak about their own experiences in a meaningful way. I couldn't love this show more and it couldn't come at a better time. Women can write musicals too!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.


*I saw the revival of Carousel on Broadway this spring and it's stunning. Yes that line is awful, but as they say on Crazy Ex Girlfriend, the situation is a little more nuanced than that. And I recently saw Guys and Dolls on stage and watched the movie, and am flabbergasted that the Guthrie chose it as their 2019 summer musical. The entire premise of the musical rests on archaic gender stereotypes. Really, Guthrie?!

"The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at Camp Bar

And now for something entirely ridiculous (in a good way). There is a lot that's sugary sweet about Christmas, and Christmas-themed theater in Minnesota (of which there is much from which to choose). But none of it exists in Minneapolis Musical Theatre's contribution to the holiday theater scene - The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical. It's pure campy and irreverent fun. This is a sequel to The Great American Trailer Park Musical, which MMT did in 2009 (and played Off-Broadway in 2005). If you saw the original, you will recognize some familiar characters (and even one returning cast member). But if you didn't, no matter, it stands on its own in all its trailer trash glory. The songs are catchy and fun, director Ryan McGuire Grimes sets the perfect campy tone, and the terrific six-person cast completely commits to the stereotypical characters and nonsensical plot. Appropriately performed in St. Paul's Camp Bar, with readily available alcohol, it's great escapist fun (at least until that one reference towards the end that will sober you up right quick).

"CABARAVE: #sexuality" by Rathaus Productions at the Lab Theatre

There's something new and cool going on down at the Lab Theatre, the gorgeous and open warehouse-turned-performance space in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. CABARAVE is cabaret experience that combines a nightclub feel with performances of dance, music, aerial dance, and visual art. I was lucky enough to attend the last tech rehearsal with my blogger buddy Laura of "One Girl, Two Cities," where it felt like they were performing just for us! The performances were spectacular, and even though we didn't get the full nightclub experience at a rehearsal, it's easy to imagine what it will be like when the Lab is filled with revelers (and may require a future visit to get the full flavor of it). Created by Jessie Storovich and Kameron Nelson of Rathaus Productions (read more about them here) with help from Sasha Andreev and director Joshua Campbell, the intent of the show is to create a fun, relaxed environment where people who might not usually go to "arty" things can experience art while having a good time, perhaps without even realizing it!

dancer Emily Madigan

CABARAVE: #sexuality runs Thursdays through Saturdays throughout the month of June (along with a few Monday night dates for the 18+ crowd, otherwise you must be 21 to enter), and will return in July with a new theme. Doors open at 9 pm and close around 1 am, with the intent being you can wander in whenever and stay as long as you please (with the lowest ticket price at $10, you don't have to stay long to get your money's worth). The evening is constructed as five 20-minute sets, separated by about 30 minutes of house music provided by the DJ, during which time you can dance, mingle, and drink (beer, wine, and wine cocktails served at the bar). The music is a modern twist on jazz and ragtime classics, known as "electro swing." It's pretty cool, familiar yet new sounding.

Each 20-minute set includes several short performances, a sort of mix and match from the following:

aerialist Timothy Herian

• Dance - including some fierce tapping by Rush Benson, sexy duo numbers by fantastic dancers Emily Madigan and Jeff Robinson, and able assistance (as well as waitressing) by Michelle Lemon and Georgia Sylvester in various combinations.
• Aerial dance - Timothy Herian is so graceful, confident, and athletic on the aerial silks that I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he performed. It's a very cool (and somewhat dangerous) form of dance.
• Music - powerful and gorgeous singing by Kecia Rehkamp and Michael Hanna, and electric fiddle by Alison Keller.
• Visual art - artist Aimee Strzok paints a new creation every night. It's not often you get to watch a piece of art be created, so it's a fascinating peek into the process.

dancer Rush Benson

The Lab is one of my favorite places to see theater because it's so open and adaptable, with great bones. For this show the space is decked out in chandeliers and hanging crystals, with the lobby turned into a shabby chic green room of an old theater. Cabaret tables on the floor and risers provide a perch from which to watch the action, with plenty of floor space between the three stages for dancing (if that's your thing).

As someone who (willingly) sees a ton of theater, it's always a treat to see something that pushes the boundaries of what theater can do and be, as this show does. CABARAVE is a unique experience and one that regular theater-goes like myself can enjoy as much as people who would never step foot inside a theater. It's a fun place to go and hang out with friends and strangers, and oh by the way, there's "art" happening all around you! Watch the trailer below, and if you like what you see, make plans to head to the Lab Theater this summer (more info and tickets here).

"Calvin Berger" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at the New Century Theatre

"Rare musicals. Well done." Minneapolis Musical Theatre lives up to their motto, having given us great productions of such lesser known musicals as Steven King's Carrie and the controversial Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Their second show this season is the 2006 musical Calvin Berger, loosely based on the classic French play Cyrano de Bergerac, set in a modern day high school. Instead of a sword-fighting poet with a big nose, this Cyrano is an insecure high school student named Calvin who thinks he has a big nose. Whether real or perceived, it keeps him from living the life he wants. It's a clever adaptation of a classic story, relating the still relevant themes of being true to yourself and wanting to be loved for who you are in a modern and accessible way. And while the non-Cyrano parts of the story are a bit cliche and the characters familiar stereotypes, it's charmingly delivered by a strong cast of four and makes for a fun and entertaining evening at the theater.

Calvin Berger is your typical high school nerd, smart and funny in his way but lacking in self-confidence, in this case because he thinks nose is too big. Isn't that always the way, we see our flaws first and think that everyone else sees them too, when really they're too busy with their own lives to notice. In fact we learn in the opening number that all of these characters, even the ones who appear to have everything, are insecure about something. Calvin's best friend is a girl named Bret, who secretly pines for him (a plot point that's familiar to children of the '80s). But Calvin only has eyes for the pretty popular Rosanna, who worries that she may never be anything more. When Rosanna asks Calvin to help her get to know the cute new guy Matt, he reluctantly agrees. Matt's insecurity is his inability to talk to girls, so like Cyrano does for Christian, Calvin gives Matt the words he lacks to help him woo Rosanna. The story diverges from the original (spoiler alert: nobody dies), and the truth is eventually revealed. Everyone learns that it's better to be who you are than pretend to be someone else, and is happier for it.

Matt and Calvin - "We're the Man!"
(Logan Greene and Gregory Adam, photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp)

The small cast allows for a greater focus on these four characters without the distraction of an ensemble. Director Joshua James Campbell brings out the best in the talented young cast; all four are extremely likeable and bring depth and color to roles that are familiar high school stereotypes. Gregory Adam is adorkable as the awkward Calvin, and has the most poignant moments of the show as he shows us Calvin's deep longing to be accepted. Logan Greene is perfect as the sweet but dumb Matt, and the two have a believable bromance that makes you think they kind of like and need each other, despite their odd arrangement. As Rosanna, Emily Madigan shows that she's more than just a great dancer, bringing a sweetness of voice and character to the role. Last but not least, Kecia Rehkamp is the quintessential funny best friend who wants to be more than just a sidekick. And happily, the two girls become friends in the end and overcome that tired cliche of fighting over a boy. All four actors have great voices singing these funny and clever, if not particularly memorable, songs, with some lovely harmonies in duet, trio, and quartet, accompanied by a four-piece band just barely visible behind the back wall of the set.

Calvin, Bret, and Rosanna in the home of the Cavaliers
(Gregory Adam, Kecia Rehkamp, and Emily Madigan,
photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp)

I was happy to see that they built out the usually wide and shallow stage, which can feel crowded and two-dimensional, to form a mini-thrust. It gives the characters more space to move around and even interact with the audience a bit as they hand out fliers for the big bachelor auction fundraiser. The set looks like a typical high school, with lockers and the high school colors painted on the floor (set by Darren Hensel). There's nothing noteworthy about the costumes, which is a good thing because these kids look like typical teenagers, each with a style specific to the character (costumes by Lori Maxwell, who doubles as the Music Director).

Calvin Berger is a really cute show, and I don't mean that in a condescending way; cute can be good and pleasant and everything you want sometimes. It's a sweet, charming, funny show, with a great young cast that is fun to watch. Playing at the New Century Theatre through February 15 (discount tickets available on Goldstar).


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.