"Treasure Island" at Children's Theatre Company

For high stakes adventure on the open sea, head to Children's Theatre Company in South Minneapolis. Their production of Scottish playwright Stuart Paterson's adaptation of the 1883 novel Treasure Island is a high energy tale filled with music, magic, thrilling fight scenes, and admirable heroism. Surprisingly, this was my first experience with the classic tale, having never read the book or seen any of the many movie adaptations. There are a lot of pirates and bad guys to keep track of, but the trajectory of our young hero Jim is clear as he risks life, limb, and reputation to do what's right and stand up to the bullies who will stop at nothing to get what they want. The kind of heroism that seems to be lacking in the real world right now, but maybe Jim will inspire us to be heroes in our own stories. CTC recommends this show for age 8 and up, and I observed some little ones getting a little squirrelly as the story and accents might have gone over their heads, and there's quite a bit of violence, including gunfights and murder. But for the older kids and the grown-ups, this show is treasure indeed.

"Fun Home" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

The long-awaited #TCTheater premiere of the 2015 Tony winning best musical Fun Home is finally happening! I was lucky enough to see this brilliant and moving musical on Broadway and have loved it ever since, even driving to Duluth for the Minnesota premiere by an intrepid theater company known as Renegade in 2019. I'm thrilled to finally see a production in the Twin Cities, and no one better to do it than Theater Latte Da. The smartly and succinctly written 90-minute musical is perfectly cast, perfectly staged, and perfectly designed, for an emotionally satisfying and epic journey through one person's story of coming of age, coming out, and coming to terms with her parents' flaws and humanity; a specific story that feels so real and relatable. Apparently I am not alone in this opinion; some performances are already selling out and they've extended it a week. Don't wait - get your tickets now to see this modern musical theater masterpiece (through April 11 at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis).

"School of Rock" by Zephyr Theatre at Lowell Park

Broadway by the Bridge is back! Zephyr Theatre's pandemic-inspired outdoor summer musical tradition began last year with a super fun Mamma Mia!, and will hopefully continue long past the point where it feels safe to be inside a crowded room. The riverside stage with the gorgeous evening sky and the historic Stillwater bridge as backdrop couldn't be more perfect for outdoor theater, and what's happening on stage is pretty great too. The regional premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Julian Fellowes musical adaptation of the 2003 Jack Black movie School of Rock features a slew of talented kids, and some pretty great grown-ups too, in this fun and feel-good celebration of music and the way it can bring people together and inspire a sense of confidence, purpose, and self-worth. The bad news is there are only seven performances, and five of them are in the past, so act fast to catch this great new outdoor #TCTheater tradition! (Info and tickets for this Wednesday and Thursday can be found here.)