"Grumpy Old Men: The Musical" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at the Conn Theater

If Grumpy Old Men had to be turned into a musical (and I would argue it didn't), it definitely needs to be performed in Minnesota (where the 1993 film was set and filmed), and no company is a better choice to do it than Minneapolis Musical Theatre, whose motto is "rare musicals, well done." They specialize in this campy spoofy fun genre of musical, and always make the most out of the material. That's definitely the case here. The show is fun with lots of Minnesota references and doesn't take itself too seriously. But for a musical that premiered in 2018, it's disappointingly sexist in the way women are treated and talked about, with (relatively) young, smart, beautiful women dating and even marrying literal grumpy old men decades older than them. But MMT has assembled a winning cast that makes the most of it, with clever staging and choreography, for what is overall a fun time at the theater. Grumpy Old Men: The Musical continues at the Conn Theater in South Minneapolis through April 19 only.

"The Great Armistice Day Blizzard" by nimbus theatre at the Crane Theater

All signs point to this being a snowy winter here in Minnesota; since the first significant snowfall a few days before Thanksgiving it feels like it hasn't stopped snowing, and conditions are ripe for an above-average snowfall this season. This is good news for those of us who enjoy outdoor winter activities that rely on snow, but not so much for those who view snow as an inconvenience. But no one wants a recurrence of what happened on Armistice Day of 1940. This day that was founded to commemorate peace was anything but peaceful for people in the Midwest, where temperatures in the 60s lured them outside to enjoy the warm November weather, only to be blasted by dropping temperatures and several feet of snow. As is their wont, nimbus theatre has devised a new play about this historic event. But instead of focusing on the grand scale of a storm that resulted in 154 deaths, including 49 in Minnesota, playwright and director Liz Neerland has chosen to focus on four people caught up in the storm, resulting in an intimate and engrossing 80-minute story. It's worth going out into the snow and cold to see The Great Armistice Day Blizzard at the Crane Theater through December 21 (but if there's a blizzard - by all means, stay home!).

"Anyone Can Whistle" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at the Conn Theater

It's time to check another Stephen Sondheim musical off my list - the rarely done Anyone Can Whistle. For just six performances over two weekends, Minneapolis Musical Theatre (whose motto "rare musicals, well done" really applies here) is presenting a concert version of this musical that famously flopped when it premiered on Broadway in 1964. This is a smart way to do a lesser known and less successful work by one of the best composer/lyricists in musical theater history. For musicals that are hard to stage or challenging in other ways, a concert version still allows us to appreciate the music and get a gist of the story and characters, highlighting the good parts and jettisoning the bad. Anyone Can Whistle is a weird musical for sure, satirical and absurd in ways that work and ways that don't. But it's a lot of fun to watch in this concert version with a super talented (and mostly new-to-me) cast under the direction of Max Wojtanowicz, with a small but mighty on-stage band. If you're a Sondheim fan, don't miss your chance to see this rare and oddly charming show!

"Sister Act" at Lyric Arts

The 1992 Whoopi Goldberg hit comedy movie Sister Act was adapted into a stage musical in the late aughts, with music composed by frequent Disney composer Alan Menken. Lyric Arts is bringing it to their stage this season, and it's a whole lot of fun, with a wonderful message of sisterhood, faith, friendship, community, and standing up for what's right. What's not to love about that?! Lyric's production features a large and talented cast (many of them newcomers to Lyric's stage) and is a joyful and high energy celebration. It's playing through May 11, but musicals do well at Lyric Arts, especially a known name, so don't wait too long if you want to experience the joy.

"The Burning of Greenwood" by nimbus theatre at the Crane Theater

On the day before Juneteenth, a long-marked celebration of the end of slavery that was finally made a US federal holiday in 2021, I attended a play about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Awareness of this atrocious event in our history that destroyed a thriving Black community has increased in recent years. In just 75 minutes, The Burning of Greenwood shows us a day in the life of the business owners and families in this community, and how it all changed that day in 1921. The unsettling thing is that over a hundred years later, the destruction of Black communities and lives is continuing to happen, if in less dramatic ways. Plays like this shine a light on our history and the way it reflects the present, allow the Black community to be seen, increase empathy and understanding, and hopefully pave the way for a better future. The Burning of Greenwood continues at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis through July 25 only.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2022: "Black Wall Street: Dreamland Theatre"

Day: 6

Show: 20

Title: Black Wall Street: Dreamland Theatre

Category: DRAMA / PHYSICAL THEATER / AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION / HISTORICAL CONTENT

By: Doc Woods & Friends

Created by: Doc Woods & Friends

Location: Augsburg Studio

Summary: A reenactment of what happened inside the Dreamland Theatre during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Highlights: Like most White Americans, I only heard about this gross injustice in recent years (specifically through the HBO series Watchmen). This show doesn't try to tell you what happened on that tragic day, rather it makes you feel what happened. From the moment the show starts, the audience is immersed in the thriving Black community, gathered for a night out at the movies with friends and family. We see people entering and greeting each other, and then settling in beside us to watch the previews (cast includes Charla Marie Bailey, Dante Pirtle, Quintin Brown, Camrin King, B.E. Kerian, Kari Elizabeth Godfrey, Mike Galvan, and Emmanuel L. Woods). Clips from historical Black films from the early 20th Century (another thing I didn't know about) are played on the big screen, while the cast reacts to them and chats with each other. Even though I knew what was coming, I almost forgot about it as I enjoyed the show. Which made the eventual interruption with news of a probable lynching and ensuing violence even more shocking. The sounds of the massacre overwhelm the space, as a video reenactment of the events happening just outside the theater where we were virtually sitting plays on the screen. The visceral experience gets into your heart and gut in a way that a documentary or narrative drama could not. This show gives the audience a tiny glimpse into what the victims of that night felt, which can only spur one on to learn more about what happened, and do what we can to prevent racial violence and make reparations to its many victims all over this country.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.