"Mamma Mia!" at Lyric Arts

Last night, Lyric Arts opened their joyful production of the perhaps the most beloved jukebox musical, Mamma Mia!, and the entire run is already sold out. This is extremely rare, and speaks to both the draw of this great little theater in the 'burbs, and the popularity of Mamma Mia! Although it didn't win a single Tony Award, it ran for 15 years on Broadway, making it the 9th longest running Broadway musical (soon to be eclipsed by The Book of Mormon), and was adapted into a movie starring no less than Meryl Streep, which also inspired a sequel, and potentially a third movie to come. Why do people love Mamma Mia! so much? Maybe because it's chock full of familiar (to people of a certain age) songs from ABBA that are upbeat and endlessly singable. Maybe because it's set on a Greek island that we'd all love to escape to, especially after a long and difficult Minnesota winter. But I like to think that the reason we love Mamma Mia! is that the central love story is between a mother and a daughter, and between female friends. At its heart, inside the silly and contrived story of a young woman looking for her father, it's a story of friendship, community, and family, especially those that look different from the norm. It's a feel-good heart-warming musical that appeals to all generations. And Lyrics Arts' production, with a talented and gorgeously diverse cast, is a great one.

"The Mountaintop" at Artistry

Lately it feels like we're a long way from the mountaintop, like we've slid quite a way downhill in the last year, or ten years. But Katori Hall's play The Mountaintop, about the great Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., reminds us that we can never stop climbing, that progress never ends. As Artistry's Artistic Director Kelli Foster Warder noted in her pre-show speech, they could not have known when they programmed this play a year ago how relevant it (and their next two shows - What the Constitution Means to Me and In the Heights) would be. Stories about Civil Rights, the constitution that is supposed to protect us all, and an immigrant community, all of which are in danger under the current administration. The Mountaintop imagines King on the night before his assassination, having a conversation with someone who isn't what she seems, and shows us that he was more than the iconic figure, speech maker, and quote generator we often think of when we hear the name. He was human, with flaws and fears like the rest of us, which means that we too can overcome our flaws and fears and pick up the baton in the race towards justice. Head to Bloomington before this short run closes on March 1 to experience this inspiring, creatively written, and well told story.

Update: extended through March 8!

"Significant Other" at Lyric Arts

The 2017 Broadway play Significant Other had its regional premiere at Six Points Theater in 2020, just before the pandemic shuttered theaters for 18 months, and five years later this funny, poignant, relatable play is worth a revisit. Lyric Arts has programmed it as the penultimate show of what has turned out to be an excellent 2024-2025 season, and has found the perfect director, design team, and cast to put their stamp on this well-written play. Significant Other is about, well, finding a significant other. Society put so much pressure on us to be coupled, a pressure that our protagonist Jordan feels increasingly strongly as he watches his friends get married. I didn't think it was possible, but I loved this second experience with the play even more than the first. It's a perfect cohesion of script, direction, design, and performance that made me both laugh and cry - my favorite kind of show. See Significant Other at Lyric Arts in Anoka Thursdays through Sundays until June 22, and start your summer theater season off right.

"Log Kya Kahenge (what will people say?)" at Lyric Arts, a co-production with Exposed Brick Theatre and South Asian Arts and Theater House

There have been a lot of co-productions in #TCTheater lately (which is a great way to share resources and audiences, and support the work of other companies), but this might be the first co-co-production. Not one, not two, but three theater companies have joined forces to bring this engaging new play to life on Lyric Arts' stage. Exposed Brick Theatre supplied the playwright and director (co-Artistic Directors Aamera Siddiqui and Suzy Messerole), South Asian Arts and Theater House (SAATH) provided some of the cast members and the connection to the local South Asian community, with Lyric supplying production and design resources. And probably countless other ways that the three companies contributed and shared duties. Judging by the final product, it's a beautiful partnership. Log Kya Kahenga (which means "what will people say?" in Hindi or Urdu, two related languages of South Asia) tells the story of a family dealing with grief, loss, change, mental health challenges, and societal and parental pressure. It's a story specific to the South Asian community, but universal in these themes. The short run continues for two more weekends only at Lyric Arts in Anoka.

"Newsies" at Artistry

Artistry's production of Newsies has done so well in its first two weekends, selling out several performances, that they extended it for a week. I saw it the second weekend, and it's easy to see why it's so popular. The musical adaptation of the 1992 cult hit Disney movie appeals to kids as well as their parents, with an inspiring and relevant story about young people standing up for their rights. Artistry has assembled a young, talented, and energetic cast, with some fabulous high-kicking choreography. Catch it at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, now through August 18.

"The Servant of Two Masters" at Lyric Arts

"On some evening 278 years ago, an Italian audience sat together and had an experience similar to the one you are about to have." So says Lyric Arts' Resident Director Scott Ford about their new production of The Servant of Two Masters, an 18th Century Italian comedy written in the style of commedia dell'arte. It's reassuring to think that as much as our world is vastly different than the world of this play's original audiences, we still laugh at the same things. At double entendres, at pratfalls and physical humor, at overly melodramatic emotions, at mistaken identities and near misses. Ford and his absurdly talented 15-person cast (plus one musician) are having a great time playing around with this classic piece and milking every comic moment, which translates to the audience having a great time too. I do wish the runtime were closer to the two-and-a-half hour mark than the three-hour mark, but take a nap or have a coffee and settle in to enjoy a few hours of classic timeless comedy at Lyric Arts in Anoka through June 23.

"The Pajama Game" at Artistry

Artistry is back, and I think they've got another hit on their hands! After financial troubles that cancelled several shows last fall and winter, they have pulled things together and are currently presenting the first of their three-show 2023 season. The 1955 Tony winner for best musical, The Pajama Game, is a great choice for their comeback. It's a classic musical, of the type they've done so well in their long history, but it's one that's rarely done (I've never seen it). It's light and funny with a sweet love story, but not without significance in its depiction of a union demanding fair wages for workers, and features a great score with a few familiar songs, even if you think you don't know the show. This cast is dynamite, the dancing is lively, and it had me grinning under my mask for the whole show. In fact it's so good, I will happily see it twice. Scroll down for details about a special event - a Pajama Party with TCTB! There's nothing I love to wear more than my PJs, and no better reason for a party than to celebrate the return of Artistry, an important fixture in the #TCTheater community. So put on your best PJs or poodle skirt, and head on down to Bloomington to see The Pajama Game, now through May 14.