"The Nacirema Society" at the Guthrie Theater

The Guthrie is returning to playwright Pearl Cleage's repertoire* after producing the beautifully tragic Blues for An Alabama Sky two years ago. Unlike that play, which was set in 1930s Harlem, The Nacirema Society is actually set in Alabama, and there's no tragedy, only comedy, romance, and a whole lot of fun. Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement in 1964 Montgomery (there's a nice article in the program about the events of that "memorable year"), The Nacirema Society is a multigenerational story of a wealthy and powerful Black family preparing for a debutante ball. The playwright summarizes it best (quoted in a program note from Artistic Director Joseph Haj): "Even in the midst of massive social upheaval and revolutionary change, people still found time to fall in and out of love, to keep the family secrets or spill the beans, and to embrace the great human chaos of their very specific lives." That feels very familiar and very human; with all the madness happening in the world right now, we still have to live our day to day lives and find joy wherever we can. And The Nacirema Society, with a fantastic cast of Black women (plus one token guy) and stunning design, is one such source of joy. See it on the Guthrie's thrust stage now through May 24.

"Paradise Blue" at Penumbra Theatre

In 2015, Penumbra Theatre produced Dominique Morisseau's Detroit '67, the first of her three-play series known as The Detroit Project, set in her hometown. Now almost ten years later, they're bringing us the second play in the series, Paradise Blue. In between they've produced a few other plays by Morrisseau, and we've seen the final Detroit play Skeleton Crew at Yellow Tree and the Guthrie (directed by Austene Van who was in Detroit '67). So if you're an avid #TCTheater goer, this is your long-awaited chance to complete this trilogy. But don't worry if you haven't seen any of the others; the three plays are stand-alone, set in different decades and featuring different characters and storylines. But what they have in common is the beautifully real and relevant way they explore Black culture in Detroit specifically, and in America as a whole. From the 1967 Detroit Riot, to the closing of an auto plant in the late aughts recession, and in this play - a jazz club in the late '40s. A fantastic cast and stunning design bring this powerful story to vivid life on Penumbra's stage, continuing through March 9.

"The Ally" at Mixed Blood Theatre

For the second mainstage production as Artistic Director of Mixed Blood Theatre, and the first he's directing, Mark Valdez choose a new play by Itamar Moses (whom I know primarily for writing the books of the musicals The Band's Visit and The Children's Theatre's stage adaptation of An American Tail). The Ally debuted at The Public Theater in NYC earlier this year, and now it's here in Minneapolis - a smart choice of a brilliantly written play, artfully executed by Mark, the creative team, and this terrific cast. The Ally is a must-see, and the kind of theater we need right now. It delves into one of the most contentious issues of our time, the Israeli/Palestine conflict, and brings the kind of nuance and humanity to it that seems to be missing in a lot of the debates, arguments, and accusations surrounding it right now. I don't know the solution to this decades, even centuries long problem, and the play doesn't offer one either. But what it does do is provide a place for thoughtful, informed, respectful discourse about it. Not that the characters are always respectful; the play is tough to watch at times as some real pain and righteous anger are on display. But through these characters we're able to explore, process, and maybe come to some new understandings about the conflicts in our lives.

"A Walless Church" at Pillsbury House + Theatre

Certain religious traditions say that humans were created in god's image, but I've also heard it said that humans created god in their image. Which is often not a good thing. But this is a good thing: in Pillsbury House + Theatre's production of the world premiere new play A Walless Church (walless = wall-less = without walls), three Black women, "godlings," show us how to create god in just about 70 minutes (and they're not happy about the time constraint). You need a big emotion, a common intention, and a conduit (although this one isn't absolutely necessary). But they need our help. Join in this loving, playful, heart-warming ritual of a play happening four to five times a week through October 13 at Pillsbury House in South Minneapolis.

"The Color Purple" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Alice Walker's beloved 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple is such an inspiring story, and one I've loved for a long time. It's had many successful adaptations - the 1985 Steven Spielberg movie, the 2005 stage musical adaptation, the 2015 Broadway revival, the recent movie musical (which is how I spent my Christmas Day last year). And now we have Theater Latte Da's version of the Broadway musical, a co-production with Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY. The visually stunning production features many fantastic performances, and all of the emotional highs and lows of this epic American story. See it at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis now through May 5, and #bringtissues.

"Wine in the Wilderness" at Penumbra Theatre

Last weekend, I saw four plays written by women. The first three were by living playwrights (Grace McLean's musical In the Green, Lauren Gunderson's Silent Sky, and Keiko Green's world premiere Hells Canyon), and the fourth was by Alice Childress, one of the most prolific Black female playwrights of the 20th Century, who had her Broadway play debut just a few years ago - Trouble in Mind (which the Guthrie produced a few years earlier). Her plays seem to be having a resurgence in recent years, and it's about time. In 2017 Penumbra Theatre Company produced the gorgeous and devastating Wedding Band, and now they're presenting Wine in the Wilderness, about an artist painting Black women in 1960s Harlem. It's a thoughtful and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection of race and gender, as always beautifully done by Penumbra.

"A Raisin in the Sun" at Guthrie Theater

The American classic A Raisin in the Sun premiered in 1959, making Lorraine Hansberry the first female Black playwright on Broadway, but it's anything but dated. Unfortunately, racism, discrimination, and unjust practices like redlining are still very much a part of our world, as evidenced by the recent racist and anti-Semitic fueled mass shooting in Buffalo, and the fact that in Minnesota 77% of White families own their homes compared to only 26% of Black families. This is the legacy of the world Hansberry wrote about that we're still experiencing. The Guthrie's production of this ever-relevant piece is beautifully wrought, from the detailed set to the raw and emotional performances by the entire cast. You can see it now through June 5 on the Guthrie's proscenium stage.

"The Comedy of Errors" by Ten Thousand Things at Plymouth Congregational Church

Last night I saw Ten Thousand Things perform Shakespeare (live and in-person, which 20 months ago would have seemed like an absurd qualifier), and for about 90 minutes, it felt like everything was right with the world. No one does Shakespeare like Ten Thousand Things; no one makes it as understandable, relatable, relevant, and fun. And when you're talking about Shakespeare's silliest and most slapsticky comedy, The Comedy of Errors, it's all about the fun. With just six actors playing all 15 (or 47, who's counting) roles, it's a rollicking good time. Of course not all is right with the world, we're still very much in the thick of this pandemic, which means TTT can't do their most important work - bringing theater out into the community to people who aren't usually able to experience theater. But they can still do what they do for the people who show up at Plymouth Congregational Church, with a pay-what-you-can option to make it more accessible. And what they do is tell stories, in the most delightful and in-the-moment way imaginable, with all the lights on.