"Scarecrow on Fire" by Illusion Theater at Center for Performing Arts

Illusion Theater is closing out their 50th anniversary season with the most delightful show, Minnesota treasure Kevin Kling's Scarecrow on Fire. It's a sequel of sorts to The Wizard of Oz, presented as a radio play and featuring live music and archival footage from the 1925 silent film version of The Wizard of Oz (I know, I didn't know that existed either!). Kevin originally wrote this piece for Minnesota Public Ratio, recorded in front of a live audience and broadcast on the airwaves. They've maintained the radio play style for this production, and reunited the original team - actors Simone Perrin, Stephen Yoakam, and Dan Chouinard (who also plays piano and accordion), and musicians Michelle Kinney (cello) and the House of Mercy Band. The mix of all of these artists, with the source material that is so beloved to so many of us, creates something so unique and special. It's funny and silly and charming, but also really heart-warming and even a little profound. It may just bring tears to your eyes as it highlights the beauty and frailty of life. The bad news is it's a short run, with only six performances remaining, two of which are sold out. So act fast to catch this special event!

"Invisible Fences" at Open Eye Theatre

There's something really special happening at Open Eye Theatre right now. They're remounting the 2023 show by Gaelynn Lea and Kevin Kling, a "musical fable" that celebrates diversity culture. And not only sharing the work of disabled artists, but creating a welcoming environment for disabled people to enjoy the arts. I saw more people of varying abilities in the sold-out audience at last night's show than I've ever seen at the theater. Which makes me wonder, what can other theaters do to make their work and their spaces not just more accessible, but more welcoming to the disabled community? But regardless of what your abilities are, Invisible Fences is an utterly charming, engaging, funny, poignant musical about friendship and accomplishing seemingly impossible goals by working together. This short run is almost sold out, so act fast to witness the magic at Open Eye Theatre.

"Animate" by Mixed Blood Theatre at the Como Zoo

photo by Rich Ryan

Earlier this year, Jack Reuler announced his retirement as Artistic Director of Mixed Blood Theatre, a company he founded in 1976. Mixed Blood has truly become a model of inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility in theater, amplifying often unheard voices on stage and off, and making sure everyone is able to be in the audience with its Radical Hospitality program. But before he retires, Jack is directing another incredible site-specific piece. The new play Animate, written by Ken LaZebnik, is an immersive ambulatory play at the Como Zoo that is, of course, about a zoo. Specifically about the ethics of zoos, accepting donations from wealthy people of questionable character, and "does the good of the many supersede the good of the individual," human or animal. It's an impressive logistical feat, features a ton of #TCTheater talent, and asks some big questions without providing easy answers. In fact, the audience is asked to provide their own answers to the big questions of the show. Unfortunately, the entire (free) run is sold out, but stay tuned in case more dates are added (click here for details).

"What Fools These Mortals Be" by Interact Theater at the Lab Theater

Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts is celebrating 20 years of "creating art that challenges perceptions of disability." In one of the finest examples of inclusivity in theater, Interact provides opportunities for artists with disabilities to share their work, which allows the audience to see beyond the disability to the artist and the art that they create. I attended a performance by Interact Theater for the first time this weekend, a mish-mash of Shakespeare plays called What Fools These Mortals Be, written by and starring beloved local storyteller extraordinaire Kevin Kling. I was completely charmed by the performance. It's such a beautiful thing to see people of various abilities working together to create art. What Fools is filled with much humor and heart, and a spirit of playfulness often lacking in Shakespeare. Ten Thousand Things shows us that "theater is better when everyone is in the audience," and Interact shows us that theater is better when everyone is on the stage.

"The Holiday Pageant" at Open Eye Figure Theatre

Continuing with my marathon weekend of holiday shows (read more about that here), last night I saw Open Eye Figure Theatre's Holiday Pageant. Like Black Nativity is to Penumbra Theatre, The Holiday Pageant is Open Eye's annual tradition. And like Black Nativity, I had never seen it before this year. The show began as an entertainment for family and friends in the home of Open Eye Co-Founders Susan Haas and Michael Sommers (who wrote, directed, and designed this version), and has since expanded into the show currently on the charming, intimate, adorably tiny stage of Open Eye. The production values may have increased, with beautiful sets and costumes and a 12-person choir singing original songs by Victor Zupanc, but it still has that homey feel of a family pageant. We're luck that Susan and Michael have invited us into their home and family to experience this oddly sweet little gem.

"An Eventually Christmas: Holidays at the Mill" at the Mill City Museum

Eventually... why not now? So went the popular slogan for Gold Medal flour in the early 20th Century, the height of the flour milling business upon which our fair city of Minneapolis was built.* What was once the Washburn A. Mill (the Washburn-Crosby Company later became General Mills) is now the site of the Mill City Museum, right next to the river in Minneapolis, just down the block from the Guthrie Theater. The vacant building burned down in 1991, but most of the external structure was saved. The museum opened in 2003 and showcases the history of the milling industry and the city that it helped to build. I've been wanting to visit the museum since it opened, but in typical theater geek fashion, it was theater that finally got me there. An "Eventually" Christmas: Holidays at the Mill is a unique theater experience written by talented local writer/comedian/actor Joseph Scrimshaw (whom I only recently discovered thanks to his hilarious and odd little Fringe show this summer). At just $14 for the short play, which also includes admission to the museum (an $11 value), it's a steal - for just three extra dollars you can experience the museum plus this fun little play that helps you imagine the lives of the people that worked in that very location. I love the idea of theater happening in the exact location where similar events might have taken place (see also: After Miss Julie, produced by Gremlin Theatre in the basement kitchen of the James J. Hill House); it makes me feel like I'm witnessing history, instead of just a made-up drama.

the cast of An Eventually Christmas

The play takes place in the museum's Flour Tower elevator. If you've never been to the museum, this might seem odd - a play in an elevator? But the elevator is actually a unique way to tour the building, and, it turns out, experience theater. The bleacher-like seats in the large elevator face the opening, from which the different floors are viewed, representing different stages in the flour-making process (the museum's guided tour will give you a more detailed history that you can use as background to the events of the play, although it's not necessary to follow the play). Our guide through the play is the Ghost of Mill City Past (the charming and personable Richard Rousseau), dressed in chains, "like that other ghost in that other story being told down the street." The Ghost directs the elevator to different floors and explains a bit about the characters in the scenes, who are based on real employees of the mill, circa 1920, as described in the company's "Eventually" newsletter. The Ghost cajoles museum tour guide Anthony into taking on different roles in the scenes (Anthony is actually actor Brian Columbus, very entertaining as he slips from being just plain Anthony into the various characters). The story involves a couple of women on the "women's floor" (packing bags of Gold Medal flour) as they plan for the annual Christmas party, which sounds like it was THE event of the season. The story culminates on the 8th floor, when the audience exits the elevator and enters the Washburn-Crosby Company's party, and watches the events unfold.

I've always said that theater is my window to the world, and in this case, it's my window to the world of the past. An "Eventually" Christmas: Holidays at the Mill is a great addition to the museum and helps you experience life in the mill as it was 90+ years ago, while standing in that very location. History + theater = a great day in my book. And the next time someone says "eventually" to me, I'll respond with "why not now?" Sounds like a great motto for life, as well as flour.

An "Eventually" Christmas continues this weekend only, three performances a night Friday and Saturday. Click here to find more info and make reservations (space is limited in the elevator, so reservations are recommended).

*When you visit the museum, be sure to watch the short film by another local talent, Kevin Kling. Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat gives the entire history of the city of Minneapolis in an abridged version. While I would happily watch a two hour film on this topic, the under-twenty-minute version is entertaining and informative.