"Two Gents" by Ten Thousand Things at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Ten Thousand Things' new Artistic Director Caitlin Lowans is making their directorial debut with the company, and I'm happy to report that TTT is in good hands that will continue the tradition of making theater for everyone. I'm not surprised; Caitlin has been with TTT for a little while and delivered charming and endearing pre-show speeches, but it's a thrill to see their work on stage. Or rather, in a square on the floor surrounded by a few rows of chairs in a room with All the Lights On where TTT performs, replicating their community performances in treatment facilities, shelters, prisons, and other spaces that don't have regular access to theater. As Caitlin notes in the program, Two Gentleman of Verona, affectionately called Two Gents here, is an appropriate choice for this first - it's believed to be the first play  that Shakespeare ever wrote, and it's the first time TTT is doing it in their 30+ year history. I've seen this play a couple of times before, but there's no one I'd rather see do any Shakespeare play than TTT, and this production continues in making these 400+ year old plays clear and understandable, modern and relatable. Two Gents is an effervescent romcom that's also about friendship, loyalty, and accountability, with an impossibly talented cast of just five actors playing all of the roles in the play. It continues at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church through the 26th (across from the Walker with a large free parking lot), with one performance at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, and concludes the run at 825 Arts in St. Paul on University. You can find the full schedule and ticketing details here.

"Is Edward Snowden Single?" streaming from Jungle Theater

Jungle Theater's first ever virtual play Is Edward Snowden Single? is one of the best uses of this new medium that I've seen. Playwright Kate Cortesi wrote the play before this pandemic shut down all live performance, but the Jungle team has turned it into something that feels like it was written for this form that is sort of theater but not really, and sort of film but not really. Combining illustrations, animation, and fantastically versatile performances by two actors in front of green screens in separate locations, not to mention some pretty great voice acting, they tell this story of two best friends trying to navigate life, love, work, and the truth in a truly fresh and innovative 2020 kind of way.

"Pride and Prejudice" at Park Square Theatre

Park Square Theatre recently announced that they're cancelling two planned shows in their 2019-2020 season due to financial challenges. But fortunately, the regional premiere of Kate Hamill's new adaptation of the beloved Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice is not one of them. Kate Hamill is a young female playwright who's been adapting several classics with a modern and feminist bent, e.g., Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, and the upcoming Emma, to premiere at the Guthrie next spring. Walking into the theater we're told "this is not your grandmother's Pride and Prejudice," which turned out to be very true. The playwright turns the story into a full-out comedy, performed by an ensemble of just eight actors, many playing multiple roles. While the comedy went a bit too far for my taste in a few places, on the whole it's a fun and delightful new look at a beloved classic.

"Agatha Christie: Rule of Thumb" at Park Square Theatre

Park Square Theatre's final show of their 2018-2019 season opened during a busy July, followed by a busy Fringe Festival, so I'm finally seeing it now in the final two weeks of its run. As has become tradition at Park Square, they're presenting a fun summery mystery. Or in this case, three fun summer mysteries. Agatha Christie: Rule of Thumb is a triptych of short plays written by the famed mystery writer. They're performed by a talented and diverse nine-person company of actors, on the same set with some tweaks, all under the directorship of Austene Van who keeps the tone light, fun, elegant, and very dramatic. It's a delight to watch this team play together in this yummy summer mystery.

"She Persists: The Great Divide III" at Pillsbury House Theatre

For the third year in a row, Pillsbury House Theatre is presented a collection of short plays that speak to our divided nation. The 2017 collection was subtitled Plays for a Broken Nation, 2018 was Plays on the Politics of Truth, and 2019 is an all-female collection/creation called She Persists. The series has been a really wonderful way to examine what divides us in a non-judgmental, non-threatening way, while offering a path towards hope and greater connection and conversation with each other. With most theater companies planning their seasons out a year or more in advance, it's difficult for them to immediately respond to what's happening in the world. But this series allows for that, with five brand new 10-minute plays that could not be more timely and relevant.

"Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery" at Park Square Theatre

Staging a mystery play during the summer is a longstanding tradition at Park Square Theatre, and I've come to look forward to it every year. It's always fun to immerse yourself in the light yet brain-teasing summer blockbuster fare. But their production of Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is anything but traditional. This new play tells one of the most well known Sherlock stories in a fresh, fun, and imaginative way, with just five actors and a whirlwind, almost slapstick style. Director Theo Langason brings all the innovation and physical storytelling experience from Sandbox Theatre, of which he is an ensemble member, to bear on this wonderfully playful and endlessly delightful production. And the fantastic five-person cast is so playful and fun to watch, including a female Holmes and Watson, because why not?! At a time when so many of us need it, Baskerville provides pure escapist summer fun.

Fringe Festival 2017: "Much Ado About Nothing (as told by Dogberry and Verges)"

Day: 6

Show: 25

Title: Much Ado About Nothing (as told by Dogberry and Verges)

Category: Comedy

By: Rough Magic Performance Company

Written by: William Shakespeare (mostly)

Location: Jungle Theatre

Summary: A funny and clever and very meta adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing featuring an all female cast and creative team.

Highlights: Catherine Johnson Justice adapted and Sarah Agnew directs this perfectly delightful Shakespeare adaptation that starts with a couple of stagehands (Taj Ruler and Sara Richardson) wondering what to do when the actors don't show up. This is one show you'll want to show up early for as the comedy starts before the pre-show announcement. The stagehands soon take things into their own hands and tell the story on their own, with the help of actors Alayne Hopkins, Catherine Johnson Justice, Elise Langer, and Kirby Bennett, and a couple of puppets. The star-crossed love stories of Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick, are clear and concise in the less than an hour time limit, while the occasional breaks out of the play within a play add interest and fun to the proceedings, and this cast is full of comedians with perfect timing and hilarious comic choices. After seeing this and the lovely Twelfth Night adaptation What You Will, I'm beginning to think Shakespeare should always be 60 minutes long.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

A Reading of "Wink" at The Playwrights' Center

"Now in its 12th year, the Ruth Easton New Play Series gives selected Core Writers 20 hours with collaborators to workshop their script—to write, rewrite, experiment, and shape their work. For playwrights, this means great leaps forward for their plays. For audiences, this means a thrilling and intimate night of theater."

And that it is! I attended the second reading of the new play Wink by New York-based Jen Silverman at the Playwrights' Center. It's so much fun to be part of the play development process and get a peek inside what it takes to get a play on the stage. Here's a description of the play:

"The Liar" at Park Square Theatre

Playwright David Ives' adaptation of the 17th Century French farce The Liar, now playing at Park Square Theater, is a like a Shakespearean mistaken identity comedy (two women are mistaken for each other, and there are twins) mixed with a bit of Jane Austen (it's all about who marries whom and what they can offer), told with a sort of Spamalot wackiness, but instead of music there is rhyme. Sure the plot is sort of sexist (a man woos a woman he barely knows, then quickly switches to another woman he barely knows, and the women only care about getting married), but that blow is somewhat softened by the casting of a woman in as the most offending man, the titular liar. And the silly plot is just a frame upon which to hang the clever and beautiful pentameters and the hilarious performances by this fantastic eight-person cast.

"You for Me for You" by Mu Performing Arts at the Guthrie

You for Me for You. Judging by the title I wondered if this was a play about former American Idol judge Randy Jackson. But of course it's not, rather this regional premiere by Mu Performing Arts is about North Korea, a subject I (and most Americans) know less about than American Idol. I was fortunate enough to attend the play when there was a post-show discussion with the playwright Mia Chung and director Randy Reyes, facilitated by the Star Tribune's Rohan Preston (read his review here). Hearing from the playwright, the director, and the cast about their experiences creating this piece gave me greater insight into the story. Mia shared that because there is so little known about what North Korea is actually like, she felt freedom in creating this world through "magic realism" and really tried to focus on the human aspect of the story. She succeeds beautifully, as I was completely engrossed in the lives of these characters as brought to life by Mu's strong cast (the first to feature Korean actors in the three lead roles). This specific story of North Korean refugees is also universal in its themes of family, love, and sacrifice, themes that will feel familiar to any audience.

"The Night Alive" at the Jungle Theater

The Night Alive is an odd little play. Which is really no surprise - it's Irish. No offense meant, I love all things Irish, including odd little Irish plays. I'm not quite sure what to make of Irish playwright Conor McPherson's newest work The Night Alive, now playing at the Jungle Theater, other that it's funny, tragic, and wholly engaging. This tale of a bunch of misfits in a run-down house in Dublin is brought to gritty life by an endlessly watchable five-person cast speaking with lovely Irish brogues (some more authentic than others) and the Jungle's usual perfection in design. I may have left the theater a little perplexed, but definitely with something to chew on.

"Boeing Boeing" by Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Boeing Boeing is the perfect screwball comedy. Though this tale of an American playboy in Paris with three "air hostess" fiances was a hit in France, the English translation flopped on Broadway in 1965. But the revival over 40 years later was a hit and spurred a flood of regional productions around the country. Fortunately for Twin Cities theater-goers, Torch Theater chose it as one of it's 2015 shows at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage. With a stellar cast, spot on direction, and a swinging '60s vibe created by set, costumes, and music, it's practically perfect in every way (to quote that other big show). I can't remember the last time I laughed so much at the theater!

Bernard lives in a swanky apartment in Paris with his three international fiances, none of whom know about the other two. He tells his friend Robert, visiting from Wisconsin, that he's able to pull this off due to careful planning and paying attention to the time tables of the women's three airline employers, and of course with the begrudging help of his organized maid Berthe. Everything runs swimmingly and all parties are happy with the arrangement until a perfect storm of weather over the Atlantic and faster planes causes all three women to be in the apartment at the same time. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Bernard, Robert, and Berthe go to great lengths to keep the women apart for as long as they can, which results in lots of physical comedy and door slamming. It's like a shell game trying to keep track of who's in which room. But of course it can't go on forever, and the truth, or some version of it, eventually comes out.

Stacia Rice, Zach Curtis, and Sam Landman
(photo by Thomas Sandelands)

I can't decide who in this six-person cast is my favorite; they're each my favorite in different moments. Director Craig Johnson has set the perfect campy tone with precise comedic timing that the cast executes brilliantly. Sam Landman as Bernard is the picture of a cool and confident '60s playboy, until his perfect plan starts to fall apart and he becomes increasingly more desperate. As square Wisconsinite Robert, Zach Curtis* literally throws himself around the set in service of the comedy. Mo Perry's* expressions as put-upon maid Berthe are priceless; add to that her impeccable line delivery and she's quite the scene stealer. And the three air hostesses are all hilarious and fabulous. Stacia Rice (Torch's Artistic Director) is the master of the entrance, making Italian Gabriella's presence known with an arm flung elegantly over her head, her cape and gloves thrown down, commanding attention. As American Gloria, Rachel Finch is smart and confident, walking around the apartment doing exercises and eating her pancakes with ketchup. German Gretchen is embodied by Sara Richardson with her wide expressive eyes, her head cocked perfectly to the side in her short blond wig as she pauses for laughter, sweet one minute and sour the next.

Mo Perry and Sara Richardson
(photo by Thomas Sandelands)

Since the characters come from different countries they all speak in accents, but they're not meant to be realistic. They're the delightfully exaggerated accents of comedy - French, German, Italian - even American Gloria speaks with a tony East Coast accent, and Wisconsinite Robert sounds decidedly Midwestern (read Stacia's thoughts on the accents in this article in the Pioneer Press). Every aspect of the show is over the top, yet somehow you still seem to care about these characters and want to see them end up happy.

Eli Schlatter's set design looks like something out of a '60s sitcom: clean lines, bar stools, black leather furniture, a globe bar, corded phone, and a bright orange bean bag that gets much use. Katherine B. Kohl has created mod faux stewardess uniforms that are to die for, complete with matching hats, coats, gloves, shoes, and what looks like authentic vintage bags from TWA, Alitalia, and Lufthansa. The music playing before the show and during intermission is the icing on the cake, perfectly completing the cohesive '60 theme of the show.

Staging a play from the '60s about a man with three fiances during Women's History Month could be a mistake, but somehow it doesn't seem sexist. It's clear that the women have the upper hands in this polygamous relationship, and they all get what they want in the end. It seems that Bernard really does care for them all, even if he is lying to and manipulating them. And in the '60s, "air hostess" was one of the few careers open to women that allowed them to be independent and travel the world; these women are no pushovers.

Boeing Boeing is a hilarious broad comedy, perfectly executed by the Torch Theater team. If you're looking for a good laugh, go see it between now and April 4 (discount tickets available on Goldstar).


*It's worth noting that Mo Perry and Zach Curtis are doing double duty; they're concurrently appearing as Mrs. and Mr. Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at Park Square Theatre, which is mostly performed during the daytime for students. So it's logistically quite possible, but also probably creates a bit of whiplash going from the great romantic tragedy to this high comedy. On second thought, that probably makes it easier.


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur" by Gremlin Theatre in an Apartment Next to Open Eye Figure Theatre

I love site-specific theater, when a play is produced not in a traditional theater space, but rather in a location where it might actually take place. A dark office comedy in an office, a relationship drama in what looks like a Brooklyn apartment, or an early 20th century story of the wealthy and the help in the basement kitchen of the James J. Hill House. These very real locations make it easier to suspend disbelief, so that you feel like you're actually witnessing real happenings in a real environment. But as Gremlin Theatre found out last week, this sort of site-specific theater is not as easy as it looks. They were set to produce Tennessee Williams' A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur in a house in St. Paul, when they were informed of occupancy and legal issues just a day before performances were supposed to start. They were forced to suspend the production indefinitely, but were luckily able to quickly secure another location, an apartment owned by Open Eye Figure Theatre, proving the old adage of theater - "the show must go on!" And it just so happens that this is the perfect location for this funny, touching, and wistful little play set in a St. Louis apartment. Kudos to director Jef Hall-Flavin, technical director and scenic designer Carl Schoenborn (who can currently be seen onstage in Savage Umbrella's Rapture), the excellent four-person cast, and the entire Gremlin team for making a seamless transition in such a short time. The play looks as if it was always meant to play in that space. I have really come to appreciate Gremlin Theatre over the last few years, everything they do is so well-done and they make interesting and unexpected choices, so I'm happy to see them continue on after losing their permanent home last year. A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur is a wonderful production and a welcome return.

Tennessee Williams (one of my favorite playwrights), is most well-known for the American Southern tragedies he wrote in the '40s and '50s - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, and my personal favorite, The Glass Menagerie. Creve Coeur, written in 1979, is one of his later works but definitely bears a resemblance to those earlier plays. Set in St. Louis in the 1930s and focusing on one day in the lives of four women, it features the obligatory desperately and tragically in love Southern woman. Dotty has recently moved from Memphis to teach Civics in the local school, and is rooming with Bodey, a German woman intent on setting Dotty up with her twin brother (the title refers to the location of a picnic she's planning). But Dotty is in love with the school principal, and spends the day waiting for his phone call. Her friend and fellow teacher Helena drops by to collect money for the apartment they're planning to share in the nicer part of town. Helena looks down on Bodey and her shabby and colorful apartment. Bodey is fiercely protective of Dotty (and her plot to marry her to her brother), and tries to prevent Helena from telling her some devastating news. Complicating the situation is a visit from the upstairs neighbor Sophie, grieving the recent death of her mother and afraid to be alone in her apartment. There's no happy ending for any of these women (this is Tennessee Williams, after all), but as Dotty says, "We must pull ourselves together and go on. Go on, we must just go on, that's all that life seems to offer - and demand."

Suzanne Warmanen and Sara Richardson

The show is well cast. Suzanne Warmanen is always hilarious (see also: Pride and Prejudice and her many appearances in A Christmas Carol), but also gives Bodey a depth of feeling and heart beneath the busybody exterior. Sara Richardson, who can do broad comedy as well as intense drama, walks the line between the two and is pitch perfect as the classic Tennessee Williams Southern woman ala Blanche and Maggie the Cat. Sara takes Dotty from a happy and carefree young woman doing her daily exercises to a woman who's dreams have been crushed. As Helena, Jane Froiland is appropriately haughty, while also giving us a hint of what's underneath the polished exterior (see Jane in the hilarious locally filmed web series Theater People). Last but not least, Noë Tallen is equal parts humor (rushing to the bathroom because of what coffee does to her digestion) and pathos (wailing that she's "alein in der Welt" - "alone in the world") in her portrayal of poor Sophie.

All of this takes place in a very realistic apartment, because it is a real apartment. Walking through the door next to Open Eye, you are presented with a long narrow room with high ceilings. First are few rows of chairs and stools for the audience, followed by the living room area opening up to the kitchen behind. Stairs on the right go up to the upstairs apartment. Colorful wall hangings and props adorn the space, and it's hard to tell which came with the space and which were brought in for the production, so organic does it feel. The four women move around the space, from the open door letting in cold air behind the audience, to the living room, kitchen, stairs, and even bathroom (which the audience members can use before the show and during intermission). Bodey really fries chicken (you can hear and smell it) and makes deviled eggs in the kitchen. The period costumes (by Clare Brauch) also feel authentic, from the frumpy housedresses of the German women, to Helena's beautiful period dress and hat, as pretty and proper as she is, and Dotty's simple but pretty new dress. It all feels very real.

I once wrote "Tennessee Williams did not write comedies," although maybe he did, as this play is much lighter than his usual southern tragedy. But there are still elements of that tragedy, in a woman grieving her beloved mother, another desperately in love with a man who is not who she thinks he is, another hanging all of her hopes for happiness on someone else's possible relationship, and one who seems cold and selfish but is really just longing to not be alone.

With just 40 seats and a reduced performance schedule, tickets may be hard to come by (the performance I attended was sold out), but it's worth the effort. There are a few discount tickets left on Goldstar, otherwise call or get your tickets online at the Gremlin website. Don't miss this chance to see a lesser known work by one of America's greatest playwrights, brought to very real life by a great cast in an authentic location.

Fringe Festival: "The Cosmic Equation = 2 Wives + 2 Husbands / Adventure"

Day: 8

Show: 25

Title: The Cosmic Equation = 2 Wives + 2 Husbands / Adventure

By: Adventurer Press

Created by: Stephen B. Brooks

Location: Intermedia Arts

Summary: Narrated by a talking horse, two husbands work in an office rearranging numbers, while their wives go an adventure, meet a giant, are turned into dancing pennies, and eventually reunite with their husbands.

Highlights: Unfortunately, my last show of the 2013 Minnesota Fringe Festival was also one of my least favorites. I really wanted to love this show - it's about numbers (which I love), the cast includes several actors that I love (Tyson Forbes, Suzy Kohane, and Sara Richardson), and the three-minute preview I saw at Fringe-for-All was funny in a crazy way. But when I saw the whole show, I just didn't get it. The actors are great as expected, fully committed to what they're doing, but it just didn't make any sense to me. What I learned about marriage is that husbands work in an office all day and never come home, while wives go on crazy adventures and get turned into dancing pennies. Huh? The highlights are the musical accompaniment and whenever Sara and Suzy add their lovely voices to it, especially during the singing scene changes, and the attention to detail in the props and costumes.

Read more of my fringe fest reflections…

… including my top 5 shows

"Buzzer" by Pillsbury House Theatre at the Guthrie Studio Theater

The new play Buzzer by Tracey Scott Wilson premiered at Pillsbury House Theatre last year. It explores issues of race, class, gender, and gentrification in this seemingly post-racial world. It's one of those plays that'll leave you with a slightly uneasy feeling because of the very real and intense issues it brings up. Like all theater by Pillsbury House, it's more than just a play, it's an exploration of ideas, conflicts, and issues that are extremely relevant to the world we live in, but that we may be reluctant to face. That's what great theater does, make us face those issues head on. If you missed it last year, you have a second chance to see it at the Guthrie studio (playing now through March 3), where the entire cast and creative team has reassembled. The play may have been tweaked a bit since its last run, but I didn't notice any drastic changes from when I saw it last year; it's as if the entire production was plucked out of Pillsbury House and placed intact in the Guthrie Studio. It was one of my favorite plays last year, and the kind of play that almost requires repeat viewing, so I was more than happy to see it again.

Tracey Scott Wilson has crafted an intense one-act drama, with the action and the tension constantly building. Scenes overlap; a character will be having a conversation, then turn and begin a new scene and conversation with another character without taking a breath. It never lets up, until the final painful confrontation. Here's the plot summary I wrote last year:

Jackson is a successful lawyer who grew up poor in a neighborhood filled with drugs and violence, and was able to get himself out and make a better life for himself. He rents (to own) a newly remodeled apartment in his old neighborhood, which is transitioning from a "bad neighborhood" to one with coffee shops and lofts and restaurants. He and his girlfriend Suzy, a teacher in the inner-city schools, move in. Jackson convinces Suzy to let his down-on-his-luck best friend Don move in with them, despite her reluctance. Don is from a privileged background, and despite constantly getting himself into trouble, has been able to get out of it thanks to his rich and powerful father. Jackson was given nothing and worked hard to achieve the life he wanted, while Don squandered every opportunity he had. But somehow the two men remained friends. Their friendship is tested when Suzy tells Don that she's being harassed on the street, and they grow closer. Each member of the trio has their own plan to end the harassment. Suzy thinks that if she stays strong and ignores the bullies, they'll eventually stop. Jackson wants to threaten them with violence, while Don thinks reasoning with them and being friendly will solve the problem. The conflict grows inside the apartment and outside on the street.

Namir Smallwood, Sara Richardson, and Hugh Kennedy

Hugh Kennedy won an Ivey Award for his performance as Don, and seeing it again it's even more clear why.  He completely embodies this damaged character struggling with his demons and trying to live a better and sober life. It's a very physical performance; Don's addiction is apparent in his jittery hands and frenetic energy as he moves uneasily around the apartment. Namir Smallwood and Sara Richardson are also great as the troubled couple Jackson and Suzy. Each of these three actors creates a complex character, all of whom make bad choices at times but are very real and relatable. Marion McClinton returns as director and brings all of this complexity together in a cohesive way (check out this feature on MN Original about his amazing career journey). Lastly, the simple and elegant set by Dean Holzman (which looks very similar to what I remember from last year's production) provides a great space for the story to take place.

The title refers to the broken buzzer in the apartment building, and who the residents are willing to let in based on their own prejudices and assumptions, which may not agree with what they claim to believe. In the program notes, the playwright says, "The young characters in Buzzer think they are beyond race. They were raised on ethnic food, multi-cultural TV and hip-hop. They don't discuss race because they don't see race. They know slavery was an abomination and all men are created equal. What's to discuss? They discover that there is a lot to discuss and keeping silent is much more destructive than speaking the truth." This play breaks through the silence and speaks the truth, at least from the point of view of each of these three complex characters. It doesn't offer any solutions, but addressing the issues and bringing them to light is a great beginning.

"An Absolute Turkey" at Gremlin Theatre

An Absolute Turkey is a hilarious farce of a play, complete with mistaken identities, physical comedy, a humming war, and campy over-the-top emotions. It’s quite a change from Gremlin Theatre’s last play, the quiet and lovely long distance romance Sea Marks, but a nice change that shows the versatility of the theater.

An Absolute Turkey is set in Paris sometime in the past. The plot is too complicated to even try to explain. Basically, it’s about a bunch of people trying to have affairs, or hiding affairs, or exposing affairs, or promising to have an affair if they catch their spouse having an affair, all while declaring their love or hate for each other in grand demonstrative ways.

The cast is strong from top to bottom, and is clearly having a blast playing together. Sara Richardson best captures the spirit of the piece in campy style, with her clear enunciation, exaggerated facial expressions, and over-sized gestures. She’s having great fun with this, and it’s great fun to watch her. Also fun to watch are Peter Christian Hansen (Artistic Director of the Gremlin) as the suave single man (who spends quite a bit of time rolling around on the floor) that the married women understandably plan to have an affair with if they ever catch their husbands cheating; Ryan Lindberg as the relentless womanizer hiding his many affairs from his wife; Katharine Moeller as the lusty Swiss woman in braids and a dirndl, come to Paris to find her lover; and Peter Ooley as her large and threatening husband. (They even throw in a little German, which is always fun for me.) The cast is very adept at the physical comedy of the piece, of which there is plenty.

Peter Christian Hansen and Sara Richardson,
with Peter Simmons in the background

The set is furnished with pretty period pieces, and plenty of space for the actors to move around in. And the period costumes (and hats!) are quite enjoyable to look at. There's really not a whole lot else to say about this one. This is one of those plays that’s just pure pleasure, no thinking or reflecting required, just sit back and enjoy the ride. It's a fun romp, very well executed, and well worth the time invested. (As usual, be sure to check out Goldstar.com for half-price deals, I did!)

"Buzzer" at Pillsbury House Theatre

Pillsbury House Theatre's production of the new play Buzzer (by playwright Tracey Scott Wilson) is a very modern play about race, class, gender, relationships, and gentrification of neighborhoods.  Three characters, an interracial couple and their recovering addict friend, struggle to find their way in this seemingly "post-racial" world.

Jackson is a successful lawyer who grew up poor in a neighborhood filled with drugs and violence, and was able to get himself out and make a better life for himself.  He rents (to own) a newly remodeled apartment in his old neighborhood, which is transitioning from a "bad neighborhood" to one with coffee shops and lofts and restaurants.  He and his girlfriend Suzy, a teacher in the inner-city schools, move in.  Jackson convinces Suzy to let his down-on-his-luck best friend Don move in with them, despite her reluctance.  Don is from a privileged background, and despite constantly getting himself into trouble, has been able to get out of it thanks to his rich and powerful father.  Jackson was given nothing and worked hard to achieve the life he wanted, while Don squandered every opportunity he had.  But somehow the two men remained friends.  Their friendship is tested when Suzy tells Don that she's being harassed on the street, and they grow closer.  Each member of the trio has their own plan to end the harassment.  Suzy thinks that if she stays strong and ignores the bullies, they'll eventually stop.  Jackson wants to threaten them with violence, while Don thinks reasoning with them and being friendly will solve the problem.  The conflict grows inside the apartment and outside on the street.

The three-person cast is fantastic in bringing these characters to life, and making them all at times sympathetic and at times maddening.  Sara Richardson, who was fabulous as Fraulein Sally Bowles in Cabaret last year, is equally good here playing this completely different and much more real character.  Namir Smallwood (the exiled prince in Ten Thousand Things' Life's a Dream) plays her boyfriend Jackson with great intensity, and possesses a powerful angry stare (as was pointed out in the post-show discussion), which he wears as a weapon.  Hugh Kennedy (my favorite Hamlet) is the third wheel, Don, and plays him with a restless frenetic energy that's appropriate for an addict trying not to go back to his old ways (a little like David Arquette on a talk show, all fidgety nervousness).  The play is written in such a way that the scenes almost overlap.  One scene has barely ended when the next scene picks up immediately, which I found interesting and a great way to keep the momentum building.

In the audience the night I attended was a group of high school students.  It was really fun to watch them watch the play.  They were so present, so in the moment, so reactive to what was happening on stage.  I love theater, but perhaps a bit of the magic and wonder wears off when you see as much theater as I do.  But for these kids it was all still there.  It was refreshing to see.  They also had some interesting comments at the post-show discussion.  I love post-show discussions at Pillsbury because they always bring in someone from a community group that is working on some of the issues explored in the play.  With this piece it's the City of Lakes Community Land Trust, which "provides and fosters stewardship of perpetually affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income and moderate-income families and individuals."  It felt like a great community discussion, thoughtfully led by Artistic Associate and actor Kurt Kwan, rather than just a Q&A session with the actors.  There were comments from people who live in the neighborhood in which the theater resides (35th and Chicago), and someone who was a victim of gang violence, as well as the aforementioned students.  Theater is at it's best when it engages the audience in a conversation about very real issues facing people today, or at least gets you thinking about things in a different way.  That's something Pillsbury House Theatre does very well.

Buzzer is playing now through March 18, and all seats are "pay what you can," from $5 to $50, which is a pretty cool thing when theater tickets for the big touring productions go for $100.  You'll definitely get your money's worth and more, no matter what you pay!

"Cabaret" by Frank Theatre at the Minnesota Centennial Showboat

I went to see Cabaret by a theater company I'd never heard of, in a location I didn't know housed theater.  And it was one of those times when I felt so lucky to be in that room, experiencing such an amazing performance of a classic piece of musical theater, with wonderful guests for a post-show discussion.  I found out about the show from one of the many theater emails that I get, and since Cabaret is one of my favorites I looked into it.  I saw that Bradley Greenwald was playing the emcee, and that was enough to get me there.  "There" was a (permanently docked) boat on the Mississippi River in St. Paul, just across from downtown on Harriet Island.  A perfectly lovely location and theater, the original Centennial Showboat opened in celebration of Minnesota's Centennial, which as every Minnesota school child knows was in 1958.  The current showboat was built new after the original burned in a fire during reconstruction, and houses productions by the University of Minnesota and other local theaters like this one.  Frank Theatre has been around for over twenty years, and is "committed to producing unique work that stretches the skills of the artists who create the work while simultaneously challenging the everyday perceptions of the audience through the exploration of ideas and issues of social, political and/or cultural concern."  So far I like what I see, and I'll be keeping an eye out for future productions.

In typical Kander and Ebb style, Cabaret is such a layered, complex piece while still being hugely entertaining.  This production focuses more on the story rather than big splashy musical numbers, although with Bradley Greenwald in the cast the music is amazing too.  He has an unbelievable voice and can sing anything, and brings a lot of humor and depth to the role of the emcee, our guide through the story.  My favorite part of his performance is the opening number in which he sings lines in German, French, and then English.  He sings the English lines in a crass, over-exaggerated American accent that's completely fabulous.  The other star of the show is Melissa Hart, who plays Fraulein Schneider in this production but played Sally Bowles in the original 1966 Broadway and national touring production.  (Lucky for us Melissa moved to Minnesota a few years ago, so I look forward to seeing her on local stages again!)  Her history and connection to the show add a lot to the production, in addition to her amazing performance as the landlady who found love late in life, only to lose it.  Patrick Bailey is her sweet, funny suitor who doesn't want to face what's happening in Germany.

The Kit Kat Klub is filled with great performers, yet they're not too polished as one would expect in a seedy Berlin nightclub.  Fraulein Sally Bowles, "the toast of Mayfair" and star of the Klub, is played by Sara Richardson.  Not only does she have the look (cute short dark hair, smokey eyes and red cupie doll lips) and the voice, but she also has the vulnerability and strength of Sally.  Max Wojtanowicz (who has a lovely voice that I wish we got to hear more of) is the sensible, stable American writer trying to find himself in Berlin, while Sally is flighty and fluttery and scattered.  At first I thought Sally was naive, always happy and pretending not to notice what was happening around her.  But really, Sally is the realist.  She knows how hard life is, she's lived it, and she's just doing what she can to get through the day.  Max is the naive idealist who sees everything in black and white, and thinks all of their problems can be solved by taking a train to Paris.  When Sally sings the final number, "Cabaret," it's a gut-wrenching performance.

The finale of the show features a jumbled sound and look, as everything falls apart in Germany and the Kit Kat Klub.  Each of the characters sings a line or two of their song, reminding us of their journey.  The stage empties except for the emcee, who sings, "Auf Wiedersehen, A Bientot," followed by a shot and silence.  It's so sad, knowing what comes next.  Berlin has such a fascinating and tortured history.

As if all of that wasn't wonderful enough, the day wasn't over yet.  There was a post-show discussion which included director and Frank Artistic Director Wendy Knox, Melissa Hart, choregrapher Bonnie Bottoms, and her mother, Holocaust survivor Sabina Zimering.  She wrote a book about how she survived, assuming a false identity and working in Germany.  It was so humbling and such an honor to be in her presence, knowing she lived through the reality of the world that Cabaret gave us a glimpse into.  And I always love to listen to artists talk about their work, so it was a great ending to a lovely day of theater.

What I love most about Kander and Ebb is that they don't shy away from the tough stuff.  Starting with Cabaret in 1966, all the way through to their final show Scottsboro Boys which came out just last year, they deal with serious issues such as anti-Semitism in Germany and racism in America.  Issues that we like to believe are further in the past than they really are.  Kander and Ebb use the art form of musical theater to ask the difficult questions, not necessarily providing answers but encouraging the audience to wrestle with them.  It seems Frank Theatre has a similar viewpoint, which is perhaps why they chose this piece and why they do it so well.  It's only playing for one more weekend, "good lord willing and the creek don't rise" (literally!), so go see it if you can!