Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "Romeo & Juliet Are Dead"

Day: 4

Show: 15

Title: Romeo & Juliet Are Dead

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / MAGIC / LITERARY ADAPTATION / SHAKESPEARIAN ELEMENTS

By: Blinking Eye Theatre

Created by: Riley Parham

Location: Rarig Arena

Summary: A play that explores what happens after the ending of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, when they're together in the afterlife.

Highlights: I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, and was utterly charmed by it. Riley Parham, an Augsburg grad now based in Portland, wrote what sounds like a lost Shakespeare play, and also plays the role of Romeo. When Juliet (played by fellow Portland artist Ezra Veenstra) joins Romeo in the afterlife, where he's been counting the... counts until she arrived, they speak to each other in flowery rhymes that sound like an extension of Romeo and Juliet. But when they realize that they can draw things into existence with the chalk they found there, they begin to discover that maybe they want different things in life, or death. It turns out you don't really know each other very well after just five days together and only talking about love, not about who you really are and the things you like (leapfrog). Then Juliet finds out about Rosaline, and begins to wonder just what words of love mean to Romeo. This is where things turn modern, as Juliet loves Romeo but doesn't want him to be her whole life. It's a clever concept that's beautifully written and performed, with no props other than chalk and two mysterious rings, and sepia toned period costumes (designed by Ezra) that allow for lots of movement around the space and a little fighting. This is Shakespeare fan fic done right.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Follies" at Artistry

Artistry's production of Stephen Sondheim's 1971 musical Follies, the final show of their 2017-2018 season, opened two weeks ago, but the Great April Blizzard of '18 caused them to cancel several shows on their opening weekend. I finally had the opportunity to see it this weekend, and it was worth the wait! Having seen the 2011 Broadway revival, I knew what a gorgeous, but complicated, musical Follies is (does Sondheim write any other kind?). During my two-week delay in seeing the show I've been listening to the 2011 recording, so I was primed and ready for this show, and I loved every minute of it. Music Director Anita Ruth's 21-piece pit orchestra, Director Benjamin McGovern's large and talented cast (which includes three Equity actors, perhaps the most I've seen in a single show at Artistry), plus the dazzling design do justice to Sondheim and book writer James Goldman's complicated and beautiful musical. Congratulations to Artistry for tackling tricky Sondheim and pulling it off beautifully!

"Musical Mondays" at LUSH, January 2018

New location, same great entertainment. The monthly cabaret series formerly known as "Musical Mondays at Hell's Kitchen" has moved locations and is now "Musical Mondays at LUSH." The Northeast Minneapolis location is a nice space, slightly smaller, but with free street parking! This Monday, hosts and founders Max Wojtanowicz and Sheena Janson hosted the 4th Musical Mondays at LUSH (and the 55th overall!), with the theme of Bock and Harnick. While those names may not be familiar (they weren't to me), their work likely is, their most well known musicals being Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me (of which there are two productions coming up in #TCTheater this spring, if you go a little north or south - Lyric Arts in Anoka and DalekoArts in New Prague). Truth be told I knew very few of these songs, so it was a fun musical theater education.

"Sam's Son" by Bucket Brigade at Art House North

A new original musical is just about my favorite thing in the world, so the new musical Sam's Son by Bucket Brigade, a company that specializes in new work whose work I've enjoyed in the past, was on my must-see list in this busy #TCTheater October. Performed in the intimate, immersive space that is Art House North, I was not disappointed and found it to be a highly entertaining evening (complete with free intermission treats - root beer and a pretzel). While the plot points may be a bit cliche and predictable, the story is well told by the talented cast, with a fantastic original score tinged with gospel, bluegrass, and old-timey feel while still sounding like a modern musical. It's such a treat to see new work that is locally created (written by Bucket Brigade co-founders Vanessa and Jeremiah Gamble, and developed in part through Nautilus' "Rough Cuts" program) and showcases local talent in an intimate setting.