"Park and Lake" by Ten Thousand Things at Open Book

Friends, I love Ten Thousand Things. Seeing a Ten Thousand Things show (in their trademark bare-bones All the Lights On style) never fails to make me happy, and often also moves or inspires or thrills me. Their newest creation Park and Lake, an original piece written by playwright in residence Kira Obolensky and the ensemble, is no exception to that. It's a light-hearted, funny, optimistic fairy tale of a story about a community of people working together to make their lives better. It's as sweet and hopeful as it is ridiculous and silly. Under the co-direction of soon to be retired Artistic Director Michelle Hensley and ensemble member Luverne Seifert, with uniquely comic performances by this wonderful cast, Park and Lake is a delightful place to visit for a few hours. In fact I wish I could move there for an extended stay with these charming oddballs!

"Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders" at Park Square Theatre

The old adage "the show must go on" was tested last night. On the day that Park Square Theatre's world premiere play Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders was scheduled to open, Steve Hendrickson, aka Sherlock himself, underwent surgery for an aneurysm. The good news is he's going to be fine and will hopefully return to the show soon, but what to do about opening night? Director Peter Moore to the rescue! With one emergency rehearsal and script in hand, he took the stage to embody one of the most iconic characters in literature and film. And it was a success. Even though he often looked at the script (not even a show biz vet like Peter Moore can learn an entire play in a few hours), he never broke character and was able to convey that distinct Sherlock Holmes-ness. It probably helps that he's surrounded by a great cast playing multiple characters, acting a script written by one of Minnesota's best playwrights Jeffrey Hatcher, based on a novel by Larry Millett, based on the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. That's a recipe for success that's able to withstand last-minute challenges.

In Larry Millett's story, Sherlock Holmes and his trusty partner Watson are on a three-month tour of the US in 1896. They're about to depart Chicago to head back to London when they read about the strange disappearance of a wealthy groom in St. Paul. The mystery is too much for Sherlock to resist, so they take a detour to St. Paul to see what they can find. What they find is a daughter and son of wealthy businessmen with a stake in the Winter Carnival, about to be married in the Ice Palace until the groom disappears and the bride suspiciously returns her wedding dress. Holmes and Watson team up with a local barkeep/ex-cop named Shadwell Rafferty, along with journalist Miss Pyle who wrote the article enticing them to come to St. Paul. They discover a horrific scandal in the groom's past, and secrets that the bride is keeping as well. Suspects abound, from family members to Ice Palace workers to the town burglar. It's great fun to watch these two sleuths uncover the truth, especially in the second act as the clues start falling into place with greater speed.

Steve Hendrickson has played Sherlock multiple times on Park Square's stage (most recently in The Adventure of the Suicide Club two years ago), so those of you who see the show after his recovery are in for a treat! But even now, Peter Moore does a fine job filling in for him, and Bob Davis is so comfortable in the skin of Dr. Watson (a role he has also played multiple times) that it seems like a quite natural pairing. As their new partner/friend/adversary Rafferty, E.J. Subkoviak is a delight with his Irish-by-way-of-Boston accent and roguish charm. Tamara Clark and Taylor Harvey do as much as they can with the roles of the plucky reporter and the bride with secrets (the world of Sherlock Holmes has always been a boy's club, but it's too bad a modern update doesn't have better roles for women). The rest of the cast ably plays multiple roles, including Neal Hazard as the affable driver and the grieving father; Jason Rojas, reveling in the opposite roles of the bride's spurned and moody lover and her spoiled rich boy brother; James Cada, almost unrecognizable in his three roles of the Swedish Ice Palace guard, the father of the bride, and the gruff police chief; and Stephen Cartmell, deliciously creepy as the cross-dressing burglar and mysterious as the ice sculptor.

The stage is mostly empty, surrounded by a scroll frame, with images that look like book illustrations projected on a screen at the back of the stage to set the scene. There are some creepy cool effects in this murder mystery, and a charming sled (scenic design by Lance Brockman). Amy B. Kaufman's period costumes are lovely, especially the hats worn by the would-be bride.

Despite the opening night set-backs, Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders is a smart, funny, and entertaining mystery, with plenty of local references and jokes. The audience also seemed to enjoy the references to other Sherlock Holmes stories that I didn't get, not being a huge fan of the series. If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes, or if you're looking for a light and fun summery mystery (set in the winter), you might want to check this one out (continuing through July 26).

 
Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders from Park Square Theatre on Vimeo.

"The Mystery of Irma Vep" at the Jungle Theater

Vampires, werewolves, Egyptian mummies, English moors, haunted portraits, a sophisticated Lord and Lady, an Irish maid, a Scottish stable hand, and a euphonium. Mix it all up and you have the ridiculous and hugely entertaining farce that is The Mystery of Irma Vep. This 2010 Jungle hit is back again this year with the same director/scenic designer, Joel Sass, and one of its stars, Bradley Greenwald (proving once again there truly is nothing he can't do). The role(s) previously played by Stephen Epp (who is currently in Louisville with The Moving Company's Love's Labour's Lost, which they are bringing to the Lab in November) is played by another Stephen, Cartmell, and he brings his own kind of brilliance to the show. Watching these two actors fully commit to the distinct outrageousness of multiple characters is a joy.

This spoof of melodrama is set in the moors of England in some century past. At the spooky estate called Mandacrest, we meet Lord and Lady Hillcrest and their two kooky servants, the stern Irish maid Jane (Stephen Cartmell) and hunchback stable hand Nicodemus (Bradley Greenwald). Lord Edgar (Stephen) is still mourning his first wife, Irma Vep, and his second wife, Lady Enid (Bradley), is adjusting to live at Mandacrest. Enid urges Edgar to move on, but he just can't shake the hold that Irma has on him. Since he's an Egyptian scholar, he decides to look for the answer in a tomb in Egypt (I know it doesn't really make sense, just go with it). He returns home with a mummy case in tow, but strange and mysterious things are still happening. Intruders, hidden passages, violent deaths, it's all too ridiculous to relate or make sense of here, but it's a wild and fun ride.

loyal servants Jane and Nicodemus
(Stephen Cartmell and Bradley Greenwald, photo by Michal Daniel)

Every line and moment is milked for the maximum possible entertainment value; no pun or gag is too big or too small to go for, and they pull it off beautifully with well-choreographed precision. The quick changes between characters happens so fast that it's easy to forget it's the same actor. As deliciously wacky as Jane and Nicodemus are, I think I love Lord Edgar and Lady Enid the best. Stephen's Lord Edgar is almost dashing in an over-the-top way, while Bradley's Lady Enid is a sweet, delicate thing that you almost pity (with a dainty walk reminiscent of Eulalie Shinn). And although we don't get to hear Bradley's gorgeous voice in this production, we do get to hear him play the euphonium to hilarious character-specific effect.

Joel Sass' set is a dark and cluttered and creepy room, filled with stuffed animals from Lord Edgar's hunting expeditions. The Egyptian tomb scene is efficiently created in a small space at the front of the stage. As per usual at the Jungle, the sound and lighting design (by Sean Healey and Barry Browning) help create all the crazy effects, including some clever flashlight work. And Bradley and Stephen could not do what they do without Matthew J. LeFebvre's costumes that are not only detailed and character-specific, but, one assumes, easy to get in and out of without looking like tearaway clothing. This is the only play I've ever been to where the behind the scenes crew/stagehands take a bow at curtain call (in which, by the way, all four main characters take their bow in character), and deservedly so. This is one of those shows that would be just as much fun, perhaps moreso, to watch from backstage.

The Mystery of Irma Vep continues at the Jungle through October 19, so there really is no excuse to miss this one. Get yourself to Uptown in the next six weeks for some deliciously campy fun, and then plan to make another trip back to the Jungle later this year for On Golden Pond, starring the incomparable Wendy Lehr and the Jungle's retiring Artistic Director Bain Boehlke.

"Dirt Sticks" by Ten Thousand Things at Open Book

What Ten Thousand Things does better than any other theater company I know is harness the power of collective imagination to transport the audience to another world. Because they often perform in prison cafeterias and community centers, they cannot rely on the usual theatrical tricks of lighting, costumes, and set. The audience can clearly see what's going on and that this is make-believe, which somehow makes it even more magical when we willingly forget our surroundings and go on this journey with the cast, who are always so fully committed to and immersed in the story they're telling. In the case of Dirt Sticks, a new play written by playwright in residence Kira Obolensky, the experienced theater audience is in the same boat as TTT's inexperienced theater audiences - we're all approaching the show with no prior knowledge of the piece. It's a rare and wonderful thing to go to the theater with no idea of what to expect, and to be thoroughly entertained and completely transported to another world.

Henry Wand (H. Adam Harris) and
his mother (Sun Mee Chomet)

Dirt Sticks tells the story of a young man named Henry Wand, an orphan raised by his aunt, whom he calls Mother Spindle because she's tightly wound. He and Laurel, another stray that Mother Spindle has taken in, work in a ladder factory. They live a pretty uneventful life, until a peddler comes to town with the full moon. Along with the usual goods, he sells visions of the future and the past. Through this, the story of Henry's birth is told as his mother's ghost visits her sister and son. Henry's life is changed forever as he learns the truth of his history. It's a simple story really, but feels like an ancient fairy tale as it unfolds in front of us, occurring somewhere outside of time and space.

the peddler (Stephen Cartmell) and
Mother Spindle (Thomasina Petrus)

This five-person cast is just delightful and very interactive with the audience (if you're sitting in the front row, be prepared to be asked to buy a penny for a nickel). Stephen Cartmell is absolutely mesmerizing as the mysterious peddler, spinning tales as peddles his wares. Kimberly Richardson is her usual nimble clownish self, particularly when Laurel buys the magical dancing shoes that never rest. Sun Mee Chomet is lovely as Henry's ghost mother, full of life, happy to be alive again, and trying to entice Henry to join her. Thomasina Petra is the stern Mother Spindle, eventually revealing a softer side with a long ago hurt. And last but not least, H. Adam Harris is charming as our hero Henry Wand, so curious about life and his past, eager to move forward.

Helping to create this magical world are the extremely sparse set pieces by Irve Dell, including a whimsical flying pigeon (manned by Stephen Cartmell), a lopsided ladder, and a large bowl in which Mother Spindle cooks soup and her healing elixir. Peter Vitale again creates the sound world of the story, which almost makes you want to close your eyes and just listen. These elements and this cast under the able direction of Artistic Director Michelle Hensley create a very specific world that is a pleasure to live in for a few short hours.

Dirt Sticks continues through June 1 in an upstairs room at Open Book. These shows have a tendency to sell out so get your tickets now. I've said it many times before and I'll say it again - if you're a Twin Cities theater fan and you've never seen a Ten Thousand Things show, you're missing a huge part of what makes this community so special. Check out Dirt Sticks, and then come back  next season for Romeo and Juliet, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and another new Kira Obolensky play, The New Don Juan.

"The Birthday Party" at the Jungle Theater

I don't get Harold Pinter.  This is the second of his plays I've seen in the last year or so, and although the plots were very different, both left me with a feeling of "what just happened" as I left the theater.  Which I guess is kind of the point with the acclaimed English playwright, whose "style mixed domestic turmoil, evasive dialogue and not-so-heroic characters with experimental storytelling styles and an atmosphere of comic menace" (according to a note in the playbill).  It's more about the language and the fascinating characters than the plot, which is intentionally vague.  In The Birthday Party, two mysterious men show up at a boarding house by the English sea, inquiring about its sole resident, for some unexplained but clearly malevolent purpose.  It's bizarre and inscrutable, but the cast assembled by the Jungle Theater is fantastic in creating these crazy characters that are somehow still sympathetic.  I can recognize that it's a great production of a classic play, even if I don't really get it.  And it's still a lot of fun, albeit perplexing fun.

Real life husband and wife Richard Ooms and Claudia Wilkins portray the married proprietors of this shabby boarding house, and not surprisingly, they're quite believable as an old married couple.  Stephen Cartmell is particularly effective as the depressed, haggard, mysterious resident Stanley.  He's hiding out in this little seaside town, from what we never learn.  But it has turned him into a skittish, angry, frightful man.  Stephen dives into the role whole-heartedly, and somehow engenders sympathy for this mess of a man who just wants to be left alone.

Mr. Goldberg, one of the two nefarious men who show up to claim Stanley, is played by Tony Papenfuss, aka "my brother Daryl" from Newhart (he's returned home from L.A. to continue his career on Twin Cities stages, how did I not know that?).  Mr. Goldberg is deliciously evil and up to no good, as you can tell from his slicked back hair and mustache.  His companion, Mr. McCann (Martin Ruben), is the muscle of the organization.  The sensitive Irishman is nervous until they actually start doing the job.  The two are a great comedy team with rapid-fire dialogue, especially as they're questioning Stanley.  Not surprising that the interrogation ends in screaming!  Rounding out the cast is Katie Guentzel as Lulu, who seems much too pretty and normal to be hanging out with this crowd.  But she obviously has a story of her own, which we never really learn, that attracts her to these misfits.

The dingy and unkempt boarding house comes to life in the precise and detailed little diorama that is the stage at the Jungle Theater.  As is common at the Jungle, the director is also the set designer, in this case Joel Sass, which always seems to create a cohesive vision for the story.  It's so lifelike, with dust and dirt on the surfaces, that I wouldn't want to set foot in that room!  But I did enjoy peering into it for two and a half bewildering, engrossing, entertaining hours.