"Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

To begin their 28th season of doing theater musically, Theater Latte Da is celebrating their 100th show with a wonderful cabaret that highlights many of the previous 99 shows. They did not offer tickets to review this production since it's such a short run, but I've loved Theater Latte Da for nearly 20 years and I wasn't going to not see this show. I bought a ticket for myself, and I'm writing this for myself. Checking my show spreadsheet, I have seen over 100 performances by Theater Latte Da, but that includes readings, concerts in the park, and repeat performances (it's rare for me to go back and see a show a second time, but it happens more often with this company than any other). And I'm not sure how they're counting their shows, e.g., is All is Calm, which they've done many productions of, counted as one show or eleven? But I think it's safe to say I've seen three-quarters of Theater Latte Da's 100 shows. There's something truly special about this company and the way that they tell stories, and the stories they choose to tell. Nothing cracks the hard shell I've built around myself like the intersection of music and theater, and Latte Da has cracked me open countless times, as well as made me laugh, surprised me, made me think about the world differently, and moved me (literally and figuratively). I had a smile on my face and tears in my eyes throughout the Journey On cabaret, filled with lovely memories and exciting plans for the future (continuing through October 19). If you'd like to enter for a chance to win two tickets to any Theater Latte Da show this season (or the Guthrie Theater), all you need to do is donate $15 to your favorite theater and fill out this form.

"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.

"We Shall Someday" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

The world premiere new musical We Shall Someday is unlike any musical I've seen. Theater Latte Da continues to expand and redefine the artform of music-theater. This new musical written by prolific and talented #TCTheater playwright Harrison David Rivers and composer Ted Shen is a series of "musical monologues" (as Director of New Work Elissa Adams says in a note in the program). Three characters each tell their story in one act of the piece through a monologue that is both spoken and sung. The three generations of one family tell the story of violence against Black Americans, as well as resistance against injustice and moving towards a better future for all. It's an epic story told in an intimate, moving, and lovely way. See the innovative We Shall Someday at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis now through May 14.

"A Christmas Carole Petersen" by Theater Latte Da at Crooners Supper Club

In addition to their new holiday* favorite Christmas at the Local (playing at the Ritz Theater through December 31), and the beautiful tradition All is Calm that is on a national tour and streaming on PBS, Theater Latte Da is bringing back their original holiday show that was an annual tradition for many of their early years. A Christmas Carole Petersen is #TCTheater artist Tod Petersen's love letter to his family, his childhood Christmases, and his upbringing in Mankato (with a good amount of skepticism and "bah humbug" thrown in). Since its first production over 20 years ago, A Christmas Carole Petersen has gone through several iterations and was last seen at the Ritz in 2017. This production, at Crooners Supper Club, is a more streamlined version of the show, with no bells and whistles of fancy sets or costumes, more of a cabaret storytelling show and running just about 70 minutes. But it works, because at its heart this show is a collection of stories and songs, with no need for embellishment  (beautifully directed by Peter Rothstein, as always). The remaining four shows of this one-weekend run are sold out; contact the box office for cancellations, or check out some of the other great holiday offerings at Crooners this year.

"Thunder Knocking on the Door" by Ten Thousand Things at Capri Theater

When I returned home from two weeks in paradise (aka New Zealand) on March 11, 2020, one of the shows I had on my schedule to see that weekend was Ten Thousand Things' production of Thunder Knocking on the Door. That didn't happen, for reasons we are all too familiar with. But now, more than two years later, I was finally able to see it. While they're still unable to tour like they usually do (to prisons, community centers, homeless shelters, and other locations were people don't usually have access to theater), Ten Thousand Things is performing the show at Capri Theater and Plymouth Congregational Church, with pay-what-you-can tickets, and have even recorded a cast album (that never happens in regional theater!). No one does theater like Ten Thousand Things, so accessible, raw, up-close-and-personal, with "All the Lights On," but with the highest quality of performance. This show is a rollicking, feel-good, fairy tale of a "bluesical" that was worth the two-year wait (trite but true). Catch in North or South Minneapolis through May 8 (click here for info, tickets, and to purchase the cast album).