"Salomé" at PAIKKA

Who knew there was an Oscar Wilde play that has never been professionally produced in the Twin Cities? Grant Sorenson, that's who. The actor-turned-director (he directed a couple of really great plays in the pre-pan years) moved home last year after receiving his MFA in directing from Boston University. Last fall he created a monthly play reading series called Table/Read, in which the audience doesn't know what play is being read until moments before it begins. And now he is producing and directing Salomé, hopefully the first of many unique and creative theatrical endeavors to come. Because Salomé is not just a play, at least not in the traditional sense of a stage and an audience separated by space and darkness. It's an immersive (but not interactive) experience that literally puts you right at Herod's banquet table. Which is not always a comfortable place to be, but always thoroughly captivating. With a talented eight-person cast performing literally a few feet in front of you and gorgeous 360-degree design, Salomé is not to be missed, especially if you're interested in theater that pushes the boundaries of what we think theater can be. But hurry - there are only three remaining performances and seating is limited.

"Plano" by Third Space Theater at Mixed Blood Theatre

Third Space Theater made an impressive debut at least year's Minnesota Fringe Festival with the original play Breach, a gripping tale at sea that was part psychological thriller and part family drama. It makes sense, then, that for their post-Fringe debut they chose playwright and screenwriter Will Arbery's surreal family drama Plano. This regional premiere plays at Mixed Blood Theatre through January 18, and it's an engrossing, fast-paced, fantastical, funny, devastating play. Co-directors Alex Church and Em Adam Rosenberg have assembled a fantastic cast, including several of the Breach crew, and did a great job with this tricky script. The play deals with themes of domestic violence, so Third Space has partnered with the local organization Tubman, that offers support to people experiencing this and other traumas. They're donating 10% of ticket sales to the organization, and have information in the lobby. The night I attended, after a horrifying week of ICE terrorizing our community, they also had helpful packets of info about dealing with ICE (with whistles). This new theater company is already proving to be one that not only does great, interesting, entertaining work, but also engages with the community and world around them. Their name, which derives from the theory of a third space, in addition to home and work, for people to gather in community, seems entirely appropriate.

"Pride and Prejudice" at Theatre in the Round

Perhaps best known for her modern, feminist, and funny Jane Austen adaptations, Kate Hamill was the most produced playwright in America last season. For some reason, we can't get enough of strong and relatable female heroines right now. Theatre in the Round is continuing this trend with the first show of their 74th season, Pride and Prejudice, everyone's favorite Jane Austen story by everyone's Jane Austen interpreter. Park Square Theatre produced the regional premiere of this play in 2019, and while I appreciated the fun and fresh look at the story, I felt it went a bit too far into over-the-top slapsticky territory for me. But I'm pleased to report that this production strikes just the perfect balance between comedy, modernity, and the traditional story we all love. So while I stated that I loved about 75% of Park Square's version, I love 100% of this show. It's so much fun, with a huge and talented cast portraying the endearing Bennet sisters and their charming beaux, and a really great use of music and movement, well staged in the unique in-the-round space. Pride and Prejudice continues for two more weekends, but this beloved story is already selling out shows so don't wait too long to get your tickets!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Breach"

Day: 6

Show: 19

Title: Breach

Category: Comedy / Drama / Original Music / Physical Theater / Puppetry

By: Third Space Theater

Written by: Mariabella Sorini and Alex Church

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: On board a fishing vessel searching for crabs in the Bering Sea, a storm, family drama, and possibly mutiny wreak havoc.

Highlights: This is a thoroughly gripping story told in an hour that flies by and also somehow feels like an epic journey. It's well written with natural sounding dialogue, creating interesting and complex characters and setting up mysteries that pay off later in the show. Siblings Lennox (Stephanie Kahle) and Monroe (Em Adam Rosenberg) inherited the ship from their father, the former named Captain even though the latter is better at it. They and the rest of the crew (Isabel Estelle, Hannah Leatherbarrow, Mary Lofreddo, and Mariabella Sorini, great performances by all) perform the functions of their job (including gutting fish represented by water bottles), talk and joke, and have a wild night of drinking during a lightning storm. But things keep going wrong, and the tension builds in a wonderfully suspenseful way. Director Alex Church makes great use of the in-the-round space, with the cast climbing up and down the stairs, using various parts of the space as different parts of the ship. The lighting is spectacular, from bring lightning flashes to total darkness lit by flashlights. It's an immersive, visceral experience that makes you feel like you're on this doomed ship, and that's not a comfortable feeling. Simple but effective props and costumes, the occasional singing of sea shanties, beautiful movement to represent the waves and water, and one amazing crab puppet complete the experience.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "Funny, Like an Abortion"

Day: 6

Show: 24

Title: Funny, Like an Abortion

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / POLITICAL CONTENT

By: EnCompass Theatre

Written by: Rachel Bublitz

Location: Rarig Arena

Summary: In a dystopian world where even talking about an abortion can get you thrown in jail, two friends have a party to plan a do-it-yourself abortion.

Highlights: Unfortunately, this dystopian world isn't that far from our own. Maybe not here in Minnesota, where our constitution protects a woman's right to choose, but in many places around the country since Roe v. Wade was overturned. This show is disguised as a comedy, and a funny and entertaining one at that, but it's dealing with some very real and scary issues. Performers Olivia Dubiel and Stephanie Kahle believably play best friends, and when one of them gets pregnant (birth control is also difficult if not impossible to get), she invites the other over for a surprise abortion party. She has a few dozen gift bags, with a home abortion remedy in each (note: the performers make a point to say multiple times - DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!). Each solution is worse than the last, as they contemplate various herbs and medications, as well as going to other countries. The two friends are in different places economically, and that is brought up as a very real factor in getting the care one needs. We never find out what happens to these two women; the performers break out of the story at the conclusion to recite some terrifying facts and stories about things that are happening around the country regarding laws, lawsuits, and personal experiences, sometimes just a few days ago. In times of turmoil, I always look to the artists to show us a way through. These young women are doing that just in talking about and dramatizing abortion rights, and reminding us that the fight is not over. Funny, Like an Abortion is a must-see both for entertainment value and for social advocacy reasons.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.