"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.

"Death and the Maiden" by Gremlin Theatre and Torch Theater at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Often after going to the theater, there's one word that sticks in my head, that I then use probably too many times when writing about it. After seeing Death and the Maiden, that word is disturbing. This is not a light and happy show; it's dark, intense, thought-provoking, and beautifully done, as I've come to expect from Gremlin Theatre and Torch Theater. Death and the Maiden is the first of four collaborations between these two excellent small theater companies that have been around a while, all to be presented at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage* in 2015. Next up is Torch's Boeing Boeing in March, Gremlin's H2O in June, and another collaboration TBA. But first there is this dark and disturbing little play with an ambiguous ending.

The 1990 play Death and the Maiden takes place in an unnamed country "that has recently emerged from a long period of dictatorship," perhaps similar to playwright Ariel Dorfman's native Chile. Fifteen years earlier, Paulina was kidnapped, tortured, and raped, and spends most of her life hiding in her beach house with her husband Gerardo, who has recently been appointed to a commission to find and punish the people who committed atrocities during the dictatorship. But only those ending in death, so Paulina fears that her captors (whom she never saw due to a blindfold) will never come to justice. By chance meeting, a Dr. Miranda arrives at the beach house, and Paulina instantly recognizes his voice as one of the men responsible for her assault. She ties him up, holds a gun to his head, and puts him on trial. Gerardo doesn't believe his wife and defends Dr. Miranda. And it's unclear to the audience as well whether the doctor is the sadistic man who participated in countless atrocities against Paulina and others, or an innocent man falsely accused. All else being equal I tend to believe the woman, but there are just enough glimmers of uncertainty to leave me a bit unsure what, and whom, to believe.

Peter Christian Hansen, Craig Johnson, and Stacia Rice
(photo by Aaron Fenster)

Torch's and Gremlin's Artistic Directors Stacia Rice and Peter Christian Hansen, respectively, once again team up as the (not so) happy couple (see also Sea Marks), joined by Torch Associate Artistic Director Craig Johnson as Dr. Miranda. All three of these actors are among the best in the Twin Cities, performing on stages around town, and it's a joy to watch the three of them together. But that's the only joy found in this play. Remember, the word of the day is disturbing, and Craig embodies that in his performance of the seemingly nice and harmless doctor who may or may not be hiding a dark secret, with one particularly intense confession scene. Peter is the charming and supportive husband who wants to help his wife, but just can't seem to believe that this pleasant man is a monstor. But the show really belongs to Stacia as Paulina, in a performance that's raw, painful, and vulnerable, while still showing Paulina's fierce strength and determination to make this man pay so she can finally move on with her life. All of the interactions between these characters crackle with tension.

The lovely beachy set features designer Michael Hoover's clean lines, in cool shades of blue and tan. The peaceful surroundings are in sharp contrast to the turmoil of the story, both past and present.

Death and the Maiden continues through February 21 (discount tickets available on Goldstar). I can't say it's a fun play, and it doesn't wrap things up nicely, but it's worth your time to see these three talented actors tackle this meaty, thought-provoking, and yes, disturbing play.


*Last year plans were announced for a new residential and commercial building on the site of the Garage, with a new theater as part of the new space. I have not been able to find any updates on the project since then. But the Garage is a nice little venue, so I hope it sticks around in some form or another.

"Prints" by Torch Theater Company at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

This has been a most excellent week of theater. I saw five shows (four plays and one musical), and each was so different from the rest but so wonderful in its own unique way. I truly experienced the breadth and depth of the Twin Cities theater community this week, from a lovely and intimate two-person musical, to an intensely dramatic historical play, to a funny and poignant play about small town Minnesota, to a wildly inventive new fairy tale. And capping it off is Prints, a sharp and funny new play written by local actor John Middleton and presented by Torch Theater Company (their first production in over a year), brilliantly acted by the company of eight, "corrupted from a true story" about the kidnapping of Minnesota beer tycoon William Hamm in 1933.* I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to this most excellent week of theater.

The story in Prints features a mishmash of facts from the true story of the Barker-Karpis gang, along with completely made up bits designed to tell an entertaining story. And it works. We view the kidnapping through the eyes of two reporters who are asked by the kidnapped man's daughter Pearl to help investigate. They soon decipher that it must be the work of the infamous Barker-Karpis gang, and work with a corrupt cop and the Hamm family to try to prove it and find Hamm. The FBI gets involved and applies the brand new "Silver Nitrate Method" to pull fingerprints off the ransom note (this part of the story is true). Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the stage, the gang is holding poor Mr. Hamm hostage and trying to figure out how they're going to get out of this mess.

The highlights are many and include:

• The tone is pitch-perfect, as director Craig Johnson gets just the right mix of sharp humor and occasional darkness from his cast. Some audience members were laughing during the shooting scenes but I found them sad and scary.
• Speaking of, Zach Curtis is truly formidable as the unstable gangster "Creepy" Karpis, and is the one dark element that anchors the comedy and gives real weight to this crime story, despite the silly shenanigans going on around him. There's nothing funny about Creepy (at least not that you would admit in his presence).
• On the opposite end of the spectrum, Karen Wiese-Thompson cracked me up as the flighty socialite Mitzi Hamm with her every expression and gesture, and also brings a bit of pathos to the role of Ma Barker - a mother who loves her boys, even though those boys are gangsters.
• Playwright John Middleton and Mo Perry share a witty banter and sly humor as the reporters, in a His Girl Friday sort of way.
• Most of the cast play multiple roles, and slip easily and quickly back and forth between the different skins they inhabit, including Summer Hagen as Pearl, Creepy's girl, and FBI director Hoover; Casey Hoekstra as an uptight FBI agent and the nervous gangster Doc, who's on the receiving end of much of Creepy's brutality; Ari Hoptman as everybody's favorite bartender, the kidnapped man with a bag over his head, and a stand-up comic with jokes so bad they're funny; and Sam Landman as the corrupt Minnesota cop and one of the Barker boys. Just really beautiful and interesting and funny performances by everyone in every role.
• The writing is really fantastic - sharp and tight, with one particularly clever scene featuring two interrelated and overlapping interrogations by the two reporters.
• I love the range of accents, from gangsters who talk like we think gangsters talked, to women who talk like women in old movies, to Mitzi's occasionally returning German accent, to the very Minnesotan cop.
• The set by Michael Hoover (who I swear is the busiest set designer in the Cities) is a perfect backdrop. A brick wall with several doors, and a Hamm's label functioning as a scree upon which videos are played and behind which shadowed scenes take place. (Although the multiple levels seemed to be a bit tricky for the cast to negotiate as they tripped more than once, but never breaking character for a moment so that the stumbles almost seemed planned.)
• Finally, the period costumes (by John Woskoff) look pretty snazzy and help differentiate the multiple characters.

Welcome back Torch Theater Company, don't be gone so long next time! This is a great example of why the Twin Cities theater community is so stellar - a new play by a local playwright, an ensemble of individual talents who work well together, and an all around high quality production. Playing now through March 8 at the Minneapolis Theater Garage, with discount tickets available on Goldstar.

*This is not the first show I've seen on this topic, see also History Theatre's Capital Crimes: The St. Paul Gangster Musical.

"The Turn of the Screw" by Torch Theater Company at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

I'm sitting outside on a lovely fall day after just having seen Jeffrey Hatcher's stage adaptation of the 19th century novella The Turn of the Screw, and I'm still creeped out despite the sunlight and fresh air. Torch Theater Company's production is a deliciously dark and spooky ghost story that will stay with you after it ends. When the lights went down on the final scene, you could hear the audience squirming and trying to shake off the spell before breaking out into applause. I can't think of a better way to celebrate this Halloween season than seeing this excellent production of a classic ghost story!

In the original novella, a man tells a story told to him by his governess when he was a boy. The events in question unfold over seven days during the governess' first assignment. Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, whose work has been seen on many local stages this year, has adapted the story into a two-person play. Lindsay Marcy plays the governess, and Craig Johnson plays all the other roles, including the master of the house, the housekeeper, the little boy, and various spooky sound effects. I don't want to say too much about the plot, because it unfolds in such perfect suspense and anticipation, that I don't want to ruin it for anyone. Suffice it to say it involves a governess with the best of hopes and intentions about her new position (which means things are sure to go wrong), a little girl who does not speak, a little boy who was kicked out of school because of "unspeakable" acts, a cowering yet dependable housekeeper, a Gothic tower, a stormy lake, ghostly apparitions in a stately home in the English countryside, rumors of lust and suicide, and an ambiguous ending. What more does a spooky story need?

Lindsay Marcy as the governess and
Craig Johnson as her charge

Everything about this production is top notch. The two actors give brilliant performances. Lindsay transforms before our eyes from an optimistic young woman with romantic ideas about her first appointment (the estate is perfectly picturesque, the adorable children will be her fast friends, the master will fall in love with her) into a desperate and haunted woman who doesn't know quite what is going on but is determined to prevail. Even her physical appearance goes from neat and proper (in a gorgeous period dress) to frantic and bedraggled. As I mentioned, Craig plays several different roles, and each is a specific and spectacular creation. The master is powerful and confident, the housekeeper is fluttery and frightened (I especially love the way he brings his trembling hands up to his mouth), the little boy is charming and naughty. And when he's not playing a character, he silently walks across the stage and adds sound effects in the creepiest performance of all!

The Theatre Garage stage is bare and open, with a spiral staircase hinting at the majesty of the manor, a barren tree representing the garden, and a miniature house hanging from the ceiling (set by frequent Jungle Theater contributor Joel Sass). The lighting (by Paul Epton) and sound (by Katharine Horowitz) do much to create the sense of foreboding that's so much a part of the piece. Whether it's music or a sound like a heartbeat, or anything in between, the sound keeps you on the edge of your seat. Similarly, the lights go up or down depending on what's going on in the moment, and the darker it gets, the bigger the delightful chill you feel. Directed by David Mann, the pace is pitch-perfect and all of the elements come together very satisfactorally.

There are only three performances left of this show. Get your tickets now if you want to experience a classic spooky thrill this Halloween. As a bonus, you can stay for more late night ghost stories after the Friday and Saturday night performances (see Torch Theater's website for more information and to reserve your tickets, and check out the half-price ticket deal on Goldstar.com).

"Dangerous Liaisons" by Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Have I mentioned how much I love the Minneapolis Theatre Garage?  I think it's the best theater deal in the Twin Cities.  For $20 cash at the door (and free parking) you get to see some great theater by small but talented theater companies.  Everything I've seen there has been worth the money, and much more!  Last week I saw Dangerous Liaisons by Torch Theater, and it was no exception.  I'd never seen the play (aka Les Liaisons Dangereuses) or the 1988 movie before so I was largely unfamiliar with the story, if not the general concept.  It's a deliciously wicked story; two friends cruelly manipulate people for their own amusement and benefit, with no regard to the consequences for their victims.  In the end everyone loses.

Stacia Rice (Torch Theater's Artistic Director) is excellent as La Marquise de Mertueil, the widow who plays these wicked games.  What she doesn't want anyone to see is that she does it in self-defense, to keep herself from being hurt or used.  And as a woman in 18th century France, it's the only power she has.  Her friend and partner in these games is Le Vicomte de Valmont (John Middleton, also excellent), an 18th century Barney Stinson.  (Or rather, Barney Stinson is a modern day Vicomte.)  He knows exactly the right things to say and do to get seemingly any woman into bed.  It's a game for him, and he always wins because he doesn't play fair.  He sets his sights on the pious married woman Madame de Tourvel (Mo Perry in a heartfelt and moving performance), and unintentionally falls in love with her.  But that's only part of their scheme; things get more complicated and don't quite work out the way they had planned. The Marquise is left alone to crumple sadly and beautifully into a heap in her full skirts.

The supporting cast is also excellent, even those playing the servants who don't have a lot to do except smirk as they're changing sets between scenes.  The stage is as deep as I've ever seen it at the garage; usually it's much shallower but they must have opened it up to allow for more space for the bed and period furniture.  The costumes (designed by Rich Hamson) are rich and luscious enough to make you drool (see the photo above), including matching hats and coats for the dresses.  Perhaps my favorite feature of the play is the live music that's played between scenes.  Most of the singing is done by two members of the ensemble, Ann Michels and Matthew O'Connor Riehle, who also plays the lute and other period instruments.  They sing various songs in English and French (including "Alouette"), and it's really quite lovely, sometimes heartbreakingly so.

I'm a little late with this one so it's only playing for another week.  Check it out if you want a great cheap night at the theater.


Celebrity Sightings
This is a good one, friends!  I got to the garage in plenty of time to pick out a good seat.  After I got settled I noticed that three seats down from me was a sign that said "Reserved for Sally Wingert."  And next to her was "Reserved for Dominique Serrand."  Wow, that's like Minnesota theater royalty!  Sure enough, they came in and watched the show.  Sally will soon be appearing in Crashing the Party at Mixed Blood Theatre, and Dominique's theater company with Steven Epp, The Moving Company, will be presenting a new work at the Lab Theater in March.

"True West" by Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

I received a tip about this show about a month ago, but I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to look into it until a few days ago.  Truthfully, I was hoping to rule it out because I have a pretty busy theater schedule in the next month, with more shows to add.  But when I saw that it stars John Skelley, one of my faves, and Peter Christian Hansen, who recently won an Ivey Award, I changed my mind.  This show was another must see, and I fortunately just caught it before it closed.

True West was written by American actor and playwright Sam Shepard and first produced in 1980.  It tells the story of two estranged brothers who meet up later in life.  Austin (John Skelley) is the younger brother and the responsible, mature, educated one who has a job, wife, and kids.  His mother has asked him to house-sit for her in L.A. while she's on vacation.  He's a screenwriter so he's using the time to do some research and writing, and as well as meet with an L.A. producer.  His older brother Lee (Peter Hansen) shows up and ruins his plans.  Lee is a drifter and a grifter, never staying in one place too long, making money however he can, legal or not.  The two brothers have reacted to their father's alcoholism and abandonment in opposite ways - one by being an overachiever and hoping to win his love, the other by becoming more like him.  But eventually, they end up at the same place.

Austin is writing a screenplay on an old typewriter (remember, it's 1980), and is about to sell it to his producer Saul (a slick and slimy John Middleton).  But instead, Lee runs into Saul, and charms and cons him into buying an idea of his.  Saul drops Austin's movie (a period love story, which "no one wants to see") for Lee's silly story about two idiots chasing each other across Texas.  Austin is furious and frustrated - "everything is riding on this" - which makes you wonder what else is going on in his life that makes him so desperate to sell this screenplay.  The brothers fight and argue as they work on the new screenplay based on Lee's story.  Austin goes from drinking milk to matching Lee beer for beer, and then they both continue on to the harder stuff.  The kitchen becomes a mess of empty beer cans and littered dishes and silverware.  Austin begs his older brother to let him join him on the road, living in the desert.  Lee agrees, but their plan is quashed when their mother comes home unexpectedly.  This feels like just a snippet of this family's life that makes you curious about what happened before and what will happen next.

This play really gets deep into these two characters and their relationship with each other and their parents.  And it's not pretty.  In fact, it's brutal, and very physical.  I couldn't help but wonder how many injuries were incurred throughout the run of the show.  The actors are probably glad not to be hurling themselves and each other across the stage every night.  But it sure was entertaining, if at times painful, to watch.  John and Peter are both great and fearless in creating these characters.  I remember seeing Peter in Dollhouse at the Guthrie last year.  He was so good at playing this jerk of a husband, that I wanted to boo him when he came out for the curtain call.  This was a similar experience; they're both good at playing unlikable characters, but somehow finding the humanity in them.

I can check another theater off my list, Torch Theater, whose Artistic Director is Stacia Rice, another one of my faves.  I've been to the Theatre Garage three times in the last few months and have really come to enjoy it.  It's pretty unassuming from the outside, but for $20 cash at the door you get to see some great theater in an intimate little space (so intimate in this case that I was glad I was not sitting in the front row because it appeared that the fights were about to spill over into the audience!).  Over the last year or so I've been going to more and more venues around town to see more and more theater companies.  And the more theater that I go to, the more theater that I'm led to, as I discover more and more favorite actors, venues, and theater companies.  This town is an interconnected web of talent.