"'Til Death" by Bucket Brigade at Art House North

Bucket Brigade's original "marriage musical" 'Til Death returns for its 13th season! This was my 5th time seeing the show (counting a virtual version during the pandemic), and I was happy to spend a little time with old friends. Written by Bucket Brigade's married co-founders Vanessa and Jeremiah Gamble, and starring them and another married couple of #TCTheater artists (Anna and Damian Leverett whom I saw, alternating with Stephanie and Nathan Cousins) it's silly and sweet, over-the-top yet grounded in the reality of relationships. And while it would be (and has been) a perfect 90-minute-no-intermission show if not for the intermission, when they give me a cupcake and host a mini-concert* during said intermission, I'll allow it. 'Til Death plays Fridays and Saturdays through February 15 (plus one Monday night pay-as-you're-able performance featuring the full cast) at the charming and cozy Art House North in St. Paul's West 7th neighborhood, with two great restaurants within walking distance - Mucci's Italian and A-Side Public House (tip: make reservations).

The 2014 Ivey Awards at the State Theatre

Last night was the highlight of the theater year - the Ivey Awards. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Iveys honor a dozen or so individuals or productions from the last year. Unlike the Tonys, there are no set categories or nominees that people and shows compete in, but rather, exceptional work at any of the 68 participating theaters is honored, based on evaluations by volunteers. But in addition to the actual awards, and perhaps more importantly, the Iveys are a chance for theater artists and theater-goers to gather and celebrate all the brilliant work that has been done in the Twin Cities over the past year.

The hilarious Randy Reyes returned as co-host, along with new host, the fantastically talented Christina Baldwin (who sadly did not sing). They made for a funny, charming, and entertaining pair of hosts, with a running gag that had Randy attempting to share some of his writing, and Christina reigning him in, only to be interrupted by a crazy fight scene. Presenter pairs are typically made up of one winner from last year, along with someone from one of the Iveys' many sponsors. Speaking of which, this year's obligatory sponsor presentation was done with charm and aplomb by Ari Hoptman as a distinguished German man, speaking German with English words thrown in (my fellow study abroad students and I used to call that Germlish, a language in which I am fluent).

In addition to a special Ivey for the man who started this whole crazy wonderful thing ten years ago, Scott Mayer, and the usual Emerging Artist and Lifetime Achievement Awards, ten translucent green conical pyramids were given out honoring work in ten productions. I'm proud to say that I saw eight of these ten productions, which might be a record high percentage of Ivey winners attended for me. But it's not about me, so on to the awards (but it's still a little bit about me, so click on the titles to read my full thoughts on each show).

1. The first award of the night went to Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company's production of Rose, a one-woman show starring the divine Sally Wingert which was performed just last month in homes around the Twin Cities. I called it "inspirational, horrifying, funny, charming, disturbing, brutally honest, and utterly compelling." Ivey voters agreed.
2. Seraphina Nova was honored for her work as playwright of Candid Theater Company's Dogwood, which I called "a compelling and entertaining dark family drama."
3. Proving that the Iveys have a long memory, the next award went to a musical from last year that actually performed at last year's Ivey Awards. I absolutely loved Nautilus Music-Theater's Ordinary Days and its intimate staging and incredibly talented four-person cast, and called it "everything I want musical theater to be."
4. One of the two shows I sadly did not see is In the Heart of the Beast's Between the Worlds, for which Sandra Spieler and Julie Boada were honored for their properties design.
5. Perhaps the most surprising and exciting moment for me was this one, when my favorite theater in the 'burbs Yellow Tree Theatre received their much deserved first ever Ivey Award. Director Anne Byrd was recognized for The 39 Steps, a show I called "brilliantly choreographed and flawlessly executed."
6. A special award was given to Scott Mayer, not for his theatrical work but for his ten years of work putting on this annual fabulous event we call the Iveys (incidentally, the Ivey Awards gets its name from the Ivey Restaurant, the theater hangout of early 20th Century Minneapolis).
7. For their performances in Driving Miss Daisy at the Jungle last fall, the "perfect trio" of Wendy Lehr, James Craven, and Charles Fraser received an award, although only Wendy was there to accept it.
8. In the one sure thing of the night, an Ivey was awarded to Theater Latte Da and Hennepin Theatre Trust's "Broadway Re-imagined" production of Cabaret, aka "musical theater at its best."
9. Because one was just not enough, Yellow Tree's The 39 Steps received a second award, this one for the brilliant comic performances of Nathan Cousins and Tristan Tifft, who "stole the show."
10. Eduardo Cincago received an award for costume and set design of Cinderella at Children's Theatre Company.
11. The final award of the night went to the incomparable Sally Wingert, recognizing her four brilliant and distinct performances in four shows over the past year, two of which also received Iveys for the production, thanks in no small part to her performances. Sally played the mother of a dysfunctional family in Tribes at the Guthrie, the title character in Dark and Stormy's The Receptionist, Fraulein Schneider in the Ivey-winning Cabaret, and an 80-year-old Jewish woman who lived an incredible life in the Ivey-winning Rose. It's "a good time to be middle-aged," a good time to be Sally Wingert, and a good time to be a theater-goer who gets to witness her incredible and varied work.

Two years ago I called Tyler Michaels my favorite new artist of the 2012, and I'm thrilled that the Iveys finally caught up with me, handing him a much deserved Emerging Artist Award. Just this year he thrilled audiences and "rocked my world" as the Emcee in Cabaret, made his charming Guthrie debut as Freddie in My Fair Lady, and was featured in two shows at the Chanhassen (and can currently be seen there in Hello, Dolly!). Singing, acting, comedy, drama, aerial work, physical theater - there seems to be no end to this young man's talents.

All nine previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners were honored with creepy cool huge puppets by In the Heart of the Beast, and this year's award went to Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris for their 40 years as Illusion Theater's Executive Producing Director and Producing Director, respectively. I'm a big fan of Illusion and the work that they create there; you should definitely check them out if you haven't yet (next up: last year's Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award winner, playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, in his one-man version of Hamlet).

Because this is a theater awards show, there were of course wonderful performances, excerpts of past and upcoming shows. There's no better way to start any show than with Tyler Michaels descending from the ceiling, as he did in "Wilkommen" from the aforementioned Cabaret, accompanied by the entire fantastic cast. Other performances included a hilarious performance of Men-Struation by Brave New Workshop; a really cool song from Freshwater Theatre's Archival Revival; and Regina Marie Williams as Shug Avery singing "Push Da Button" from The Color Purple, coming to Park Square Theatre in January. To close the show, the cast of Bloomington Civic Theatre's just closed Guys and Dolls shared their energetic version of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat," sending us out into the beautiful fall night to the fun of the after party.

And with that, another Ivey Awards show and another season of spectacular theater comes to a close. But the good news is that great theater never stops in this town. So get out and see some local theater. Stay tuned to Cherry and Spoon for suggestions and info on what's available!

"The Rainmaker" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Sometimes something or someone comes along in life that changes everything. Such is Starbuck, aka The Rainmaker, to the Curry family in Depression era middle America in N. Richard Nash's play 60-year-old play. Yellow Tree Theatre is mounting a lovely new production of this play with an all-star team of YTT regulars and newcomers. It's funny and sweet, hopeful and devastating, a prime example of the beautiful theater that Yellow Tree has been doing for going on seven years, made only richer by the influx of talent from the larger Twin Cities theater scene.

The Curry family consists of patriarch H.C., smart and capable daughter Lizzie, older son Noah who runs the ranch, and the youngest, the easygoing Jimmy. The boys are worried about Lizzie's future and try to marry her off, first by sending her to a nearby town to stay with a family with six sons, then by inviting the local deputy over for dinner. But Lizzie isn't like other the other girls in town, flighty and flirty and intent on "getting a man the way he needs to get got." She speaks her mind, and thinks that no man would want her because she's always been told that she's plain. One hot, dry night, a stranger shows up and offers them something they're all craving - rain. Gullible Jimmy believes him, practical Lizzie and Noah do not, but H.C. wants to give it a chance just in the hopes of something happening.

Something does happen, maybe not what they expected, but something that changes all of their lives. Whether or not Starbuck is a rainmaker as he claims remains to be seen, but what he is is a dreamweaver, a catalyst for change to get them out of this rut they've fallen into. He's Professor Harold Hill, come to sell River City, or in this case, the Curry family, something more than a big band or rain, something much more vital - hope for the future, faith in something, and a belief in oneself. He teaches Lizzie to say "I'm pretty" and mean it, but it's not really about being "pretty," it's about believing she's a beautiful woman deserving of love and happiness and all that life has to offer. Even though the plotline about "marry her off before she becomes an old maid" could seem sexist and offensive, it's a product of its time and really represents any longed for and almost given up dream.

Lizzie and Starbuck (Dawn Brodey and
Peter Christian Hansen, photo by Keri Pickett)

Ivey Award winning director Craig Johnson brings out the best in this excellent cast. When Peter Christian Hansen's Starbuck says that he can bring the rain, I believe him, so perfectly does he portray this con man's confidence and determination, but also his uncertainty and insecurity that he only reveals to Lizzie in quiet moments. I've been a Dawn Brodey fan for a few years, but this may be the best I've ever seen her - so real and raw and natural; you can read Lizzie's every thought and emotion in her facial expressions and body language. Pat O'Brien brings a warm compassion to the role of H.C., who only wants the best for his three very different children. Nathan Cousins is adorable as the simple young Jimmy, and provides much of the humor, while James Rodriguez as the pragmatic Noah is the strong center of the family who may act like a jerk sometimes but has the best of intentions. Rounding out the cast are Tim Tengblad as the friendly town Sheriff who talks Jason Peterson's reluctantly charming Deputy File into letting go of past pain and his life of solitude for something more.

the Curry family at breakfast (photo by Keri Pickett)

Yellow Tree's intimate stage is crowded with furniture in the cozy Curry home, with an elevated part in the back as the Sheriff's office and, later, the tack room, allowing for easy and subtle transitions between scenes (scenic design by Eli Schlatter). It's so wonderful to be in that small intimate space, where you can see the expressions on the actors' faces up close and personal. There's nowhere to hide and no need to; each of them is so present in every moment, you could spend the entire show just focused on one of their faces and get a full experience of the story, although a slightly different one depending on who you chose.

This play marks the opening of Yellow Tree Theatre's 7th season in the little strip mall in Osseo. I've been with them since the 3rd season, and it's been a pleasure to watch them grow and succeed. They have a wonderful pool of talent that they regularly pull from, but to see them bring in the likes of Ivey Award winners Craig Johnson and Peter Hansen says a lot about how far they've come. I love to see the mixing and mingling of talent at theaters around town; I think it makes everyone better, as can be seen in this piece. The Rainmaker is a beautiful play and a beautiful experience at the theater. Head up to Osseo and spend some time with these warm, funny, stubborn, flawed, relatable people as someone comes into their lives and shakes things up so they'll never be the same.

"The 39 Steps" at Yellow Tree Theatre

Yellow Tree Theatre concludes their excellent sixth season with the zany British spy thriller comedy The 39 Steps, in which just four actors play dozens of characters and employ many delightful theater tricks to tell a story and entertain. It's another great choice for Yellow Tree's intimate stage, with its small cast, period feel, and fast and funny dialogue. The terrific four-person cast, director Anne Byrd, and the design team have obviously worked hard to make all of the tricks and transitions run smoothly and look effortless. The result is great fun and good old-fashioned theatrical entertainment.

The 39 Steps is based on the 1935 Hitchcock movie of the same name, in which Richard Hannay, a bored English gentleman with dark wavy hair, piercing blue eyes, and a pencil mustache, gets involved with a spy and goes on a cross-country adventure to save the world from some unknown evil. And since this is 1935, evil has a German accent. But the details of the plot and the chase really don't matter, it's the fun of the way that the story is told that matters. I've previously seen the show in larger venues (Off-Broadway and the Guthrie), so I was curious to see how a smaller production would handle the tricks of illusion. In some ways the low-tech version is even more fun; we can see the actors manipulating the effects, often with a wink to the audience, which only adds to the entertainment. There's a free-standing spinning door that represents the change of rooms, a puppet show of a plane with crash and burn effects, a car created by a trunk and a few chairs, a chase that requires imagination to follow the actors and their flapping coats to the top of a train, empty frames that create the illusion of windows, and invisible blinds. The scene changes are done quickly, with set pieces rolling on and off stage with remarkable speed. This is one of those shows that would be just as entertaining to watch from backstage.

Tristan Tifft, Stephanie Cousins, Sean Byrd,
and Nathan Cousins go for a drive 

And now a word about the cast, all of whom have been seen on the Yellow Tree stage before. Sean Byrd only plays one character but he does it well - the smooth and charming Richard Hannay. Stephanie Cousins excels at playing three very different woman who each become involved with Richard in different ways. But Nathan Cousins and Tristan Tifft steal the show as the "clowns" who each play dozens of characters of all ages and genders. They're able to create distinct characters not just through a quick wardrobe change, but also through change of voice and physicality. Sometimes they play multiple characters within the same scene, with just a quick spin and a different hat and accent to mark the change. Kudos to Peter Lerohl for designing a flexible set with lots of hidden tricks and to Carolann Winther for the ever-changing costumes that help the actors create the many characters. The whole escapade through city, planes, trains, automobiles, moors, and theater is brilliantly choreographed and flawlessly executed.

The 39 Steps continues at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo through June 22. If you're a Yellow Tree fan I'm sure it's already on your schedule. If not, this is a good time to become one - head out to the suburbs and see what great theater you can find there (discount tickets available on Goldstar.com). And stay tuned for Season 7 which includes a classic play directed by an Ivey Award winner, a new Christmas play by the playwright of Miracle on Christmas Lake, and one of my favorite new musicals of this century.


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"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!