"We Are the Levinsons" by Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company at Highland Park Center Theater

The new play We Are the Levinsons is like a very special episode of a TV sitcom. I mean that as a compliment; I grew up on sitcoms (and I learned a lot from the very special episodes). Playwright Wendy Kout has experience with TV sitcoms; she created one that ran four seasons. The play is structured as a series of scenes with natural commercial breaks, often punctuated with a joke or a shocking reveal. Even the font used in the program has a Gilligan's Island-esque feel. But like those very special episodes, We Are the Levinsons deals in more than easy jokes as the characters struggle with aging, illness, messy family relationships, and identity crises. And you may find yourself shedding a few tears amongst all the laughter.

"Aunt Raini" by Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company at Highland Park Center Theater

What happens when your beloved great-aunt, the woman who helped raise you and is your only remaining family, is also a Nazi war criminal? Or if not a war criminal, at the least a Nazi sympathizer and the woman responsible for creating propaganda films for Hitler. Of course I'm referring to Leni Riefenstahl, whose legacy remains complicated. Was she merely a talented artist and director whose subjects happened to include the rise of the Nazi party? Or was she an active part of the cause, and therefore responsible for the death of millions of people? Or is it possible that she was both of these things? The new play Aunt Raini, receiving it's world premiere at Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company, examines these questions by giving Leni a fictional great-niece in New York City who is with her when she dies at the age of 101 in 2003. While the play could benefit from another round of revisions, it's an intriguing concept and grapples with important questions about art and politics without offering any easy answers, with complex characters and relationships brought to life by a terrific four-person cast.

"New Jerusalem" by Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company at Hillcrest Center Theater

Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company has introduced me to a fascinating man in New Jerusalem. I'd never heard of 17th century Portuguese-Dutch-Jewish philosopher Baruch De Spinoza before, but his thoughts on God, Nature, religion, science, and society, as expressed through one historical incident in his life, feel so familiar it's as if I did already know him. This play by David Ives focuses on Spinoza's expulsion from the Jewish community, called cherem, in 1656. The interrogation plays out before the audience, who plays the part of the congregation. Spinoza tries to explain his beliefs to his friends, family, and rabbi, but is unsuccessful in convincing them he is not a heretic. It's a dense play, with much to digest and contemplate, brought to vivid life by the cast.

The mid-17th century was a time of persecution of Jews (not unlike most times in European history). Amsterdam was relevantly tolerant, but as is stated in the play, there are limits to this tolerance. Meaning no public worship and no talking about religious matters with Christians, sort of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Which is a problem for Spinoza, because there's nothing he likes better than discussing religion, God, nature, science, and philosophy with anyone who will listen, including his friend Simon and the (Christian) woman he loves, Clara. This lands him in hot water with the city as well as Rabbi Mortera, his beloved teacher and father figure. He is called to the synagogue to answer for his crimes, where he is interrogated by Jewish and Christian officials, and his opinionated sister. The house lights come up, as we the audience are meant to play the role of the congregation, listening to Spinoza's arguments and eventually passing judgement on him. As history tells us, he is expelled, and that's where the play leaves us. But I wasn't quite able to let him go, so I went to Wikipedia to find out the rest of the story. He continued to philosophize for another 20 years but never joined another religion, becoming "the first secular Jew of modern Europe."

Spinoza was an early advocate of the separation of church and state, the idea upon which this country was founded (although some people like to forget that if it suits their particular religion or belief). In the play, he is quoted as saying, "a state without religion is the only state in which religion can flourish." He also speaks of the unity of God, nature, and all things, "nothing is not God," which sounds like a Unitarian to me (no wonder I found myself agreeing with much of what he says). He often talks of the French philosopher and mathematician Descartes and the interrelatedness of science and religion, which seems to coincide with my personal belief that science and religion are flip sides of the same coin, and the laws of science and math can help inform and explain our understanding of the spiritual world. Or as Galileo said, much more elegantly that me, "mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe." Sorry for the digression, but this is the kind of thinking and discussion and philosophizing that this play engenders.

James Ramlet, George Muellner, Michael Torsch, and Rachel Weber
(photo by Sarah Whiting)

Under able the direction of Kurt Schweickhardt, the cast does a great job with this heavy material, injecting life and humor into it. Michael Torsch plays Spinoza as a wide-eyed idealist and a dreamer, and makes Spinoza's words and ideas make sense in an appealing way. As his friends, Briana Patnode and Alex Brightwell showcase the human side of Spinoza. Rachel Weber is a spitfire as his sister Rebekah, barging into the proceedings and letting her opinion be known. James Ramlet and Skyler Nowinski play Spinoza's interrogators, at times frustrated, angered, bewildered, and silenced by his answers to their questions. Last but not least, George Muellner gives a sympathetic performance as the rabbi torn between this young man he thinks of as a son and his lifelong beliefs.

New Jerusalem continues through November 9 at St. Paul's Hillcrest Center Theater (construction appears to be nearly complete and the parking lot on Ford is open again). I highly recommend it if you enjoy thought-provoking discussions about God, Nature, science, religion, philosophy, and everything in between. I will warn you that it's long, nearly three hours, so take a nap or have some coffee before the show, especially if you go to an 8 pm performance. As fascinating as it is, it's a challenge to stay engaged in a philosophical discussion for that long, but it's well worth the effort.

"Fair Game" at Yellow Tree Theatre

This is another late viewing of a local show due to my week-long NYC trip. Unfortunately Yellow Tree Theatre's new original play Fair Game (written by Theater for the Thirsty's Jeremiah Gamble) closes this weekend, but if you happen to be free and are looking for a cute, fun, and very Minnesota play, this is the one for you! There's nothing too deep or thought-provoking about this story of a fictional reality show that puts five Minnesotans in an ice house for the duration of the State Fair, but it's clever and entertaining with a great small cast that is obviously having as much fun as the audience.

The play begins with a voiceover, in which we learn about the five contestants of Fair Game, a radio and online reality show which awards $50,000 to the person with the most tickets by the end of their stay in the small but cozy ice house (this is not nearly enough money to get me to spend twelve days trapped in a small space with four strangers!). There's tough-talking working class Desi from a small town outstate (Bonni Allen, with a perfect rural Minnesota accent), her high school frenemy Brenda, a yogi from the suburbs whose life is not as perfect as it seems (Vanessa Gamble, bringing some heart and soul to the comedy), Rea, a spoiled teenager from Edina (the delightful Tara Borman), Zander, a thoughtful post-grad whose grand ideas of making the world a better place are put to the test (Nathan Cousins, transforming from sweet and sincere to ruthless and fed up), and typical Minnesota farmer Elden, who needs the money to care for his sick wife (an appropriately grumpy Peter Simmons). As in most reality shows, personalities clash and alliances form as the five compete in various tests for prizes and more of the coveted tickets, which must be spent for bathroom privileges, food, and water. Contestants scam, scheme, argue, and have heartfelt conversations. Not much else happens, and things are wrapped up a little too neatly at the end. But I was happy to spend a few hours with these quirky characters well-portrayed by the cast under the direction Kurt Schweickhardt, making his directing debut after starring in last year's excellent Circle Mirror Transformation. In fact I see some similarities between that play and this; both feature five people forced to spend time together, during which much is brought to light about their lives and relationships.

As always, Yellow Tree makes the most of their small performance space. Scenic Designer Katie Phillips has created a darling little ice house with bunks, bench, table, and biffy with walls that the audience (although not the characters) can see through. I would happily spend twelve days in this tight little cabin (although without the annoying reality show contestants). The cast fills out this space well, and during a clever montage of freeze-frame scenes (like the one pictured here), we witness the passage of time and some of the silly tests and prizes (a corn dog!).

As I'm sure is obvious, I'm a big fan of Yellow Tree Theatre and the community that its founders Jessica and Jason Peterson have created in a strip mall in Osseo. They make smart choices in plays, balancing more traditional works with plays that challenge their audience and new works such as this, many of which highlight our beloved state of Minnesota. If you can't make it to Osseo this weekend, don't worry, you'll have another chance to experience their unique brand of theater with The 39 Steps, opening at the end of the month. I've seen it a few times, and called it "a wild, zany, fun ride." Another great choice, and I can't wait to see what they do with it!

"Circle Mirror Transformation" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Circle Mirror Transformation is an odd little play, full of awkward pauses, interrupted conversations, and silly games. But it's also surprisingly deep and poignant. It'll make you laugh, think, and feel, which is my favorite kind of play. I saw it at the Guthrie a few years ago and it was one of my favorites of the year, and I knew it was a perfect choice for Yellow Tree Theatre. Circle Mirror Transformation and Yellow Tree are a great match - both are slightly quirky and offbeat, but with a lot of heart and great storytelling.

The entire 90-minute play takes place in a six-week community acting class in a small town in Vermont. We mark the passage of time with a changing sign on the bulletin board announcing the week. The play is constructed as a series of short scenes depicting class exercises, as well as interactions between the characters during breaks or before class. As the play progresses we piece together more and more of each person's story. Teacher Marty (Doree Du Toit, read an interesting story about her acting journey here) wants to share her love of the art with her students, one of which is her husband James, an original hippie (Kurt Schweickhardt). Theresa (Yellow Tree co-founder Jessica Lind Peterson) was a struggling actor in NYC until breaking up with her boyfriend and moving to Vermont a few months ago. Lauren (Tara Borman) is a typically sullen teenager who signed up for the class to help her win the role of Maria in her school's upcoming production of West Side Story, and wants to know if they're going to do any "real acting." The final student, Schultz (Dan Hopman), is going through a bit of a mid-life crisis, recently divorced and dealing with living on his own and trying to make a new start.

James and Marty act out a scene as Lauren looks on

Each of these characters comes to the class for a different reason and gets something different out of it, but as the title suggest, each is transformed, in big or small ways. We witness the entire course of a relationship between Theresa and Schultz (beautifully, painfully, and realistically played by Jessica and Dan), from nervous attraction, to giddy infatuation, to a really awkward breakup, to some sort of closure. Marty is not quite as together as she seems and has some issues of her own to work through, with or without the help of her husband. Lauren is trying to escape some family issues, which she's finally able to admit in a really fascinating class exercise - each class member tells another person's life story, which reveals as much about the speaker as it does about the subject. This play is really a character study, and playwright Annie Baker has quite brilliantly allowed us to gain vital tidbits of information about each of them in an unconventional way, without telling the full story. One gets the sense that this is just a short snippet in each character's life, a full and complex life that started long before the action of the play began and continues long after it ends. As director Andy Frye (who does a beautiful job bringing out the depth of each of these characters as well as making great use of the space) says in the program notes, "the exercises performed serve only as a catalyst for what's really going on with these complex characters." As the play progresses, the exercises take on more and more meaning as we learn about the people performing them.

an intense moment between Schultz and Theresa

Costume, set, and props designer Sarah Bahr has perfectly created the world in which this story plays out. The slight wardrobe changes effectively signal a new day while allowing for quick changes between scenes. The Yellow Tree stage is about as bare as I've ever seen it - the back wall is painted a dull yellow, adorned simply with a barre, mirror, and bulletin board. The only set pieces are a hula hoop, stool, and and ball. It looks like any well-used community center classroom where any number of activities have taken place over the years.

I almost wish I could participate in a class like this, that's less about acting than it is about connecting more deeply with oneself and one's fellow human beings. On second thought, maybe that's exactly what (good) acting is, as perfectly illustrated in this production. This five-person cast, with no weak link among them, fully rises to the requirements of the material - being fully present and in the moment, speaking the way real people speak, with all the awkwardness of real life. If you've never made the trip up to Osseo, now is a great time to do it. Circle Mirror Transformation is one of the best shows I've seen at Yellow Tree Theatre. If you love funny, quirky, real, and poignant theater, you won't be disappointed. Playing now through February 24.