"Edith Stein" at Open Window Theatre

Open Window Theatre's play Edith Stein* is a powerful and thought-provoking play.  But it's not an easy one, either to watch or to write about.  Partly because it's about the Holocaust, which is an extremely complicated and sensitive issue.  And partly because I have my own personal issues with the Catholic Church, which are difficult to set aside.  Maybe the solution is not to look at it not as a general statement about the Holocaust and Jewish/Catholic relations (I think Minnesota Jewish Theater's Our Class did a better job of exploring the subtleties and complexities involved), but to look at it as a depiction of the life of one woman, who was inspirational not because of her conversion or death, but because of her intelligence, ambition, and conviction.

Edith Stein was a Jewish woman who converted to Catholicism and joined a convent, was killed in a concentration camp in 1942, and was later declared a martyr and a saint by the Catholic Church.  The play begins with a Jewish historian visiting a convent near the site of Auschwitz, asking them to move out of respect for the millions of Jews who died there.  The nun engages the historian in a conversation, and the story of Edith's life is then told, with occasional flashes to the present to return to the conversation.  We see Edith celebrating the holy day of Purim with her family, and hear about her work with wounded soldiers during WWI.  She leaves the home and family she loves to pursue her education and career.  She's inspired by reading about the life of St. Teresa of Avila to convert to Catholicism and join a convent.  Despite my issues with the Catholic Church, I do have great admiration and respect for nuns; throughout much of history the convent was one of the few places where women could go to receive an education and live an independent life.  Perhaps that's part of what drew Edith to it.  While she's preparing to take her vows, a Nazi soldier named Karl-Heinz begins to visit the convent and speak with Edith (now called Sister Teresia Benedicta of the Cross) through a screen.  He becomes obsessed with her, and she is asked to continue speaking with him as part of her service, despite (or because of) the fact that he represents everything she's fighting against.  This part of the play is fictional, but her conversations with him help to shed light on her beliefs as she tries to explain them to this man.  Edith is eventually transported to Auschwitz and killed along with millions of Jews.

Highlights among the very capable cast, directed by actor Josh Campbell, include, first and foremost, Kendall Anne Thompson as Edith.  She does a wonderful job portraying this strong and independent woman, at the same time expressing her vulnerability and doubts.  Meri Golden is believable and sympathetic as Edith's mother, who clearly loves her daughter despite being disappointed at the choices she's made and the direction her life has taken.  Jeremy B. Stanbary, the Artistic Director of Open Window, is a commanding presence as Karl-Heinz, somehow creepy and charismatic at the same time.  Unlike Karl-Heinz, the other Nazis in the play are caricatures of pure evil, which is an easy trap to fall into.  This oversimplification can be dangerous; if we forget that Nazis were human beings just like us who let their fears take over and turn into hate and discrimination, we run the risk of going down that same road, in small ways or big.

I always enjoy checking out new theaters.  This one is actually new, not just new-to-me.  Open Window Theatre is in its inaugural season in a warehouse behind the Basilica in Minneapolis.  The space reminds me a little of Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo - unassuming exterior, warm and cozy lobby, and black box theater (I think they even have the same comfy lawn chairs as theater seats).  The stage itself is set up as a cross (I doubt that's a coincidence) with the chairs facing in different directions.  There are no set pieces; the sparseness works well for the piece.  Despite whatever issues I may have with the subject matter, the play is very well done.  I wish them well in their new venture and will continue to keep an eye out for future productions.  Next up: The Hobbit, which is sure to be much lighter!


*I received one complementary ticket to see Edith Stein.

Mu Daiko's 15th Anniversary Concert at the Ordway McKnight Theatre

I've talked about Mu Daiko before, so I'll keep this brief.  Mu Daiko is Mu Peforming Arts' taiko drumming ensemble, led by Artistic Director Iris Shiraishi, and they're celebrating their 15th anniversary with a series of concerts at the Ordway's McKnight Theatre.  I attended last night's performance, and it was, as always, thrilling.  I don't know enough about the art form to really speak intelligently about it or differentiate songs - some are soft and gentle, but most are fast and loud.  Drum sizes and placements vary, and sometimes there is guitar or voice accompaniment (local actors Katie Bradley and Sheena Janson).  Megan Chao Smith as the featured performer is amazing (and she gets to wear a sparkly top).  Next weekend's concerts will also feature Hanayui, an ensemble from Japan.  I'm sure they're great too, but I was happy to attend on an all Mu Daiko night.

A few words that come to mind when watching a Mu Daiko performance:

Energy, Drive, Power, Passion, Playfulness, Joy, Grace, Beauty, Collaboration, Rhythm, Precision, Focus.

The bottom line is, if you ever get a chance to see Mu Daiko perform, take it.  I guarantee you'll have a great time.  Not just from listening to the amazingly intricate rhythms and watching the performers dance around their drums, but feeling it in your body right down to your bones.  Happy anniversary Mu Daiko!  I look forward to more performances, and if I'm brave enough, I might even take a class someday.

"Still Life with Iris" at Yellow Tree Theatre

For the past year and a half I've seen every Yellow Tree Theatre production with a group of co-workers from our nearby office.  The group changes in size and composition depending on the show and people's schedules, but we always have a good time at the theater (and the lovely and delicious Nectar Wine Bar in downtown Osseo).  After seeing Still Life with Iris this week, my friends said to me, "I can't wait to read what you write about this because I don't quite know what to make of it!"  I'm not sure I do either, but I'll do my best.

Still Life with Iris is a fantastical tale set in the fictional world of Nocturno, where the inhabitants create everything that exists in the world.  They paint spots on lady bugs, teach the wind to howl, and lift the fog.  They're the worker bees behind the universe.  And they seem quite happy to toil away every night, fulfilling that last minute storm order.  Most importantly, they must take care of their coat, for their coat is what holds in their memory.  If it rips, they start to forget things; if they take it off, they forget their entire life, everyone and everything they've ever know.  (What happens when they take a shower?  Sorry, there's no place for logic in Nocturno!) 

Our heroine Iris is chosen to go to Great Island, which is not as great as it seems.  First her mother's coat is removed so she'll forget she ever had a daughter, and then Iris' coat is removed so she won't mourn for her own life.  She's taken to Great Island to be the daughter of the Goods, who have one perfect specimen of everything.  Hence they only wear one shoe, one sleeve, one eyebrow, in a delightfully asymmetric world.  But Iris is a special girl, she knows something is off, something existed before she got to this island that she can't quite remember.  So she escapes, and is aided in her attempt by none other than 18th century composer Mozart (whom she affectionately calls Moz) and the fictional Annabel Lee, from the Edgar Allen Poe poem.  They manage to escape and find the lost memory coats, and Iris returns home to the life she loved and remembered.  If I were to try to make sense of this wild ride, I'd say that we need to actively hold on to our memories, our past.  Not just our own past but our family's past.  Like in the genealogical show Who Do You Think You Are (Fridays on NBC), in which celebrities search for their ancestors' stories, we need to remember our collective past in order to live our best present.  My great-aunt recently passed away, the last remaining member of her generation, leaving behind a treasure trove of stuff in my great-grandparents' house.  I feel like I've found a few lost buttons and threads of my coat, looking around in that beautiful, run-down, stuffy old house.

As always, the cast features wonderful members of the Yellow Tree family (for that's what it feels like).  The director, Andy Frye, has himself appeared on stage in Miracle on Christmas Lake II and [title of show].  The always captivating Mary Fox plays Iris, giving her childlike strength and wisdom and curiosity.  She's a hero we can root for.  I'm not quite sure why Mozart is there, but I'm glad he is, with his Austrian accent and oversized keyboard.  Yellow Tree newcomer Nathan Surprenant is a natural charismatic presence on stage and I look forward to seeing more of him.  Molly McLain gives a delightfully wacky performance with a Cockney accent as Annabel Lee.  Doree Du Toit plays Iris' mother; she has the role of the mourning mother down pat, having played a mother who loses her daughter in Steel Magnolias and Our Town.  Our favorite nerdy stereotypical Minnesotan couple from Christmas Lake, Carolyn Trapskin and Ryan Nelson, are reunited here as Mr. and Mrs. Good.  Their characters are just as quirky but much more evil.  I was particularly impressed with Carolyn's ability to gracefully maneuver in her dress with a long side train while wearing only one high-heeled shoe, and with her maniacal laugh.

The show has a wonderful look.  Yellow Tree regulars might do a double-take when they walk into the theater, as I did.  The stage is on the opposite side of the room, and the curtain dividing the stage from the lobby is gone, making room for the two story set with lots of stairs and doors and windows to play with (set design by Katie Phillips).  The costumes by Sarah Bahr are adorable (striped socks and colorful patchwork sweaters in Nocturno), sleek (the Goods in their stark, asymmetrical black), and whimsical (Annabel Lee's fairy-like layers).

I'm not sure how well I did in making sense of this play, but I'm not sure sense is what it's about.  It's more about the feeling that's created.  And as always at Yellow Tree, it's a good feeling.  Their next production is one of my favorite plays, The Glass Menagerie.  Unlike musicals, I don't have a lot of favorite plays (it's pretty much The Glass Menagerie and Tom Stoppard's Arcadia), so it goes without saying that I'm looking forward to it!

"End of the Rainbow" at the Guthrie

End of the Rainbow is the second show about Judy Garland that I've seen this season.  The first was The History Theatre's Beyond the Rainbow, which was set during Judy's famous 1961 Carnegie Hall concert.  It was a wonderful production with two actors beautifully portraying Judy, one in the present (1961) and another in memories from the age of 4 throughout her life.  At the time I wrote: "I can't imagine anyone capturing Judy better than Jody Briskey and Norah Long."  But that was before I saw Tracie Bennett.  Not that I think any less of Jody and Norah's performances, but this is a different Judy.  Only seven years later but in a much darker place - broke, desperate, bitter, and angry, and less than a year away from her death.  Tracie holds nothing back in a portrayal that is fearless, fierce, heart-breaking, and completely mesmerizing.

Similar to Beyond the Rainbow, End of the Rainbow is set against the backdrop of one of Judy's famous concerts - a five-week run at the London cabaret "Talk of the Town" in 1968 (here I am, back in 1968 again).  It turned out to be among her final performances.  Her new beau/manager and soon-to-be husband Mickey Deans arranged it and works hard to get her to complete her obligation sober.  When that doesn't work he gives in and eventually enables her addiction, anything to get her up on stage.  This is a woman who was fed drugs by the studio from a young age and probably couldn't have gotten sober without a serious and lengthy in-patient medical intervention.  And more importantly, she had to want it, which she didn't seem to at this point in her life.  In response to Mickey and her pianist cajoling her, she says, "I won't be clear of it because I don't think I need to be clear of it!"

Tracie Bennett has been involved in this project for ten years, as I learned in the post-show discussion.  In its earliest form, it started as a show at a pub for which she was paid "70 quid a week."  She had a lot to do with the creation of the piece as it now is, including choreographing her own drunken dance stops.  Since the show was first performed in London where it takes place, she spoke to several people who had been at Judy's concerts, so much of her performance is based on eyewitness accounts.  Tracie is vastly different from Judy, but just as entertaining a character.  As Judy she's completely convincing and authentic, throwing herself physically, vocally, and emotionally into the role.  She talked about how she made a conscious choice to almost go over the top, because that's what Judy did.  Judy was playing a role onstage, and Tracie plays the role of a woman playing a role.  There's no way she won't be nominated for a Tony (the show moves to Broadway in March) for Best Actress in a Play.  This is not a traditional musical, but a play with music; while the music is great and she sings with that familiar smokey vibrato, both a cappella and with a six-piece band, it's not the focus of the show.

The small supporting cast is great too.  Broadway veteran Michael Cumpsty is completely charming as her Scottish pianist, not a historical character but an amalgamation of many pianists who worked with Judy.  As they say in the show, "Judy Garland's pianist is a wider job description."  Anthony is also her friend, confidant, and sponsor, even offering to move her into his home and take care of her.  He represents the importance Judy has to the gay community and the gay rights movement.  Judy's young fiancee Mickey Deans is played by Tom Pelphrey, two-time Emmy winner for his role on Guiding Light (although I know him for his brief but memorable role on my beloved soap As the World Turns).  Tom is one of those great NYC soap/theater actors, a dying breed due to the demise of the New York soap.  So I'm very happy to see him get his Broadway debut.  He does a great job as the new man in Judy's life who's way out of his league (as Tom said in the post-show discussion, wearing a NY Giants shirt on Super Bowl Sunday like a good New Yorker).  Mickey thinks he can control Judy and help her out of her addiction and back into stardom, but that's an impossible task.  Tom is a good match for Tracie, countering her every move, and affects a great hearty laugh as Mickey (mostly at his own jokes).

Like the Kander and Ebb musical Scottsboro Boys in 2010, which also came to the Guthrie just before it hit Broadway, this is your chance to see an almost guaranteed Tony-nominated production before it gets to Broadway.  The elegant set and period costumes (designed by William Dudley) were built at the Guthrie and will be traveling to NYC along with the cast.  But be forewarned, this is not a pretty picture of the Minnesota darling.  She smokes and swears and throws things.  It's an honest portrayal of a woman at the end of her rope, worn down by years of drug addiction and fame and expectations.  But she can still sing and entertain a crowd!  End of the Rainbow is playing at the Guthrie through March 11; Broadway previews begin a week later with the official opening on April 2.


"It's a terrible thing to realize what you're capable of, and know you'll never get there."

"The Dragons are Singing Tonight" by TigerLion Arts at the Southern Theater

I've missed the Southern Theater.  Last season I had a season package that introduced me to several small theater companies I hadn't heard of.  Each show was unique and innovative and sometimes a little weird (in a good way).  Unfortunately the last show in my package was cancelled due to financial troubles, from which they're still recovering.  So I was happy to hear* about the new musical The Dragons are Singing Tonight, which sounded every bit as interesting as other things I've seen at the Southern.  And it is.  So many people and groups are involved in this show that I don't know whom to credit for what, so I won't even try.  The Dragons are Singing Tonight is based on a book of poems by Jack Prelutsky and is a collaboration of TigerLion Arts, Minnesota Boychoir, Puppet Farm Arts, Circus Juventas, In the Heart of the Beast, four actors, a composer, and twelve musicians, and more, all of whom seemed to have a hand in what's being presented at the Southern Theater.  And the result is delightful and whimsical and moving and silly and fun.

A boy (Maxwell Chonk Thao) wishes for a dragon of his own, and a girl (the luminescent Isabella Dawis), who herself has a dozen dragons, leads him to an egg in the garden which eventually hatches into a baby dragon.  But being a dragon-owner is harder than he thought, as Nasty (so named because of his breath and attitude) grows bigger and more independent.  The boy only wants Nasty to obey, so he puts chains on the dragon and makes him do his bidding.  But the girl warns him, "give him room or he will boom!"  And boom he does.  The boy eventually learns that he can't control Nasty; he has to let the dragon be himself so that they can both be happy.  Something that every pet owner (and Daenerys Targaryen) knows.  Nasty is portrayed by two actors as he grows from a spark to a huge dragon.  Elise Langer (who I've seen in several Ten Thousand Things productions) and Tyson Forbes (who's appeared many times on the Guthrie stage) are both amazing and work together so well to give life to the growing series of puppets.  At times they speak in unison, giving more dimension to Nasty.  The full-grown dragon puppet is graceful and lifelike, with Elise inside the body of the puppet and Tyson directing its head and expressions.  The two humans and the puppet combine to create a loveable full character.

Jack Prelutsky's poems have been beautifully set to music by composer Laurie MacGregor.  The songs are fun and catchy, sad and thoughtful, playful and whimsical.  I find they're still running through my head two days later.  "If you don't believe in dragons, it is curiously true, that the dragons you disparage, choose to not believe in you."  These are great poems for children that don't talk down to them.  The program includes a glossary of terms (such as disparage) that might be challenging for younger children.  The awesome twelve-piece band crammed into the side of the stage bring the words to life.  The Minnesota Boychoir joins the band and the actors in telling the story, and they're completely adorable - acting the songs instead of merely singing them.  Last but not least, three lovely and graceful aerialists perform on ropes and swings and add to magic.

The Dragons are Singing Tonight is a perfectly delightful theatrical experience for adults and children alike.  Here's a suggestion: if you can't get tickets to The Lion King, or if you don't want to shell out $100+ per person to take your family to the theater, go see The Dragons are Singing Tonight.  You'll save a ton of money but you'll still have a wonderful experience of theater, music, puppets, and circus.  And your money will go to support local artists rather than Disney.  :)


*I received two complementary tickets to The Dragons are Singing Tonight.

"1968: The Year that Rocked the World" by the History Theatre at the Minnesota History Center

I have to admit, I'm enamored of the late 1960s.  The music, the fashion, Woodstock, HAIR, people standing up for what they believe in.  It all seems so thrilling and, well, cool.  But the late 60s were not all love beads and peace signs.  It was a tumultuous time in our history, particularly 1968, the year that is the focus of an exhibit at the Minnesota History Center and a corresponding play by the History Theatre.  Two of our country's leaders were assassinated, the Vietnam War was at its height with hundreds of people dying every week, protests on our own soil turned deadly, and there was a dramatic and pivotal presidential election.  All of these events and more are covered in the exhibit and the play, and I learned so much more about this era that I find so appealing.

The play is comprised of seven scenes that showcase returning soldiers, the Civil Rights movement in various forms, people's reactions to the assassinations, the election, and Apollo 8.  The scenes are strung together with songs and dialogue as the cast guides us more or less chronologically through the year.  History Theatre's Artistic Director Ron Peluso structured the scenes (written by seven different playwrights) and directed the play.  Standouts in the cast include Lindsay Marcy, who plays three different characters equally well (the new wife of a soldier, a modern-day TV reporter in a clever tie-in with WCCO news, and the New Jersey mother of a future astronaut).  Randy Schmeling (who was in the first production I saw of one of my now favorite musicals, HAIR, at the Pantages in 2004) is a convincing Bobby Kennedy and a charismatic modern day astronaut visiting his family at the time of his birth in 1968, congenially interacting with the audience.  Perhaps the funniest scene (although at times scary funny) is a creative re-imagining of newly elected president Richard Nixon's experiences that year along with his friend and campaign manager John Mitchell.  Paul de Cordova and E.J. Subkoviak have an easy chemistry, and Paul does a great Nixon as well as a pretty good Johnny Carson (not surprising since he so convincingly played three different characters in last year's The Pride).  Last but not least is Karen Weber's (the witch in last year's Into the Woods) moving portrayal of Rosemary Clooney struggling with depression after the death of her friend Bobby Kennedy.

The music is great, although I would have liked more of it.  We only hear snippets of songs between scenes, when I wanted to hear the whole song.  This isn't a musical, it's a play with music.  The band is made up of students from McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul (which shares a space with the History Theatre's usual location), and they sound pretty groovy.  They start playing 10 or 15 minutes prior to showtime, so get there early if you want to hear some full song selections from this great year of music.  The play itself begins and ends with songs from HAIR, the ground-breaking musical that dealt so well with the issues of its day, which seemed quite perfect to me.

In the last week I've seen two pieces that deal with tumultuous times in American history: the fantastic musical Ragtime at Park Square Theatre, and this play.  I see a lot of similarities between the two.  In 1906 and in 1968 our country was dealing with issues of war, violence, race and gender discrimination and the fight to end it, poor people demanding to be heard.  All of things these things we're still dealing with today.  It's good to look back on our history and remember how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go.  The struggle, the journey, is not yet ended.

If you go, I would recommend getting to the History Center a few hours early to peruse the exhibit (your theater ticket gets you $2 off admission), but check the website for hours to make sure they're open.  The cafe there has good, local food (again, check the website for hours, Tuesdays seem to be a good day to go).  And if you, like me, love the 1960s aesthetic and are tempted to buy everything with a peace sign, stay away from the museum gift shop.  They have some dangerously cute stuff.

"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.

"Ragtime" at Park Square Theatre

I would like to say that Park Square Theatre's production of the musical Ragtime is the show of the year, but I know that it's only January, and there are 11 months to go.  But 2012 would have to be a pretty good year for this show not to make it onto my end of the year best of list.  I was a little afraid my expectations would be too high; I've been looking forward to this show for months because Ragtime is one of my favorite musical theater soundtracks and the cast list looked superb.  But I was not disappointed, the show lived up to my expectations in every way.  The cast is indeed superb and includes several of my favorites in top form; the music sounds divine thanks to the depth of talent in the large ensemble and the fantastic orchestra (as expected when Denise Posek of Theater Latte Da is the Music Director); and the costumes, choreography, and sparse set all add to the feeling of time and place - 1906 in New York City and its suburbs.  With a cast of 35, this is Park Square's largest production to date, but the stage did not feel crowded, just full of life and music and pain and beauty.

Ragtime is based on the 1975 E.L. Doctorow novel of the same name and tells the story of three families - an upper class White family, an African American family, and an immigrant family.  The three families' lives become intertwined with each other, as well as with several historical events and figures, such as anarchist Emma Goldman, magician Harry Houdini, and chorus girl Evelyn Nesbit (played by Kersten Rodau, Sasha Andreev, and Caroline Innerbichler, all perfectly cast and wonderful in their roles).  The hero of our story is Coalhouse Walker, Jr. (the charismatic Harry Waters, Jr.), a ragtime piano player in love with a poor servant named Sarah (Brittany Bradford in a beautiful performance that's completely different from the last time I saw her, as Gary Coleman in Avenue Q).  Coalhouse's journey takes a drastic turn when he's faced with discrimination and tragedy.

Sarah lives with the seemingly perfect well-to-do family consisting of a father, a mother, and a son, as well as mother's younger brother and father.  Curiously, these characters (with the exception of the son, Edgar) don't have names, so that they could be anyone or everyone.  I've seen Lee Mark Nelson and Christina Baldwin many times, but I don't think I've ever seen them perform together.  It was worth the wait, they both give great performances as these layered characters.  Mark makes Father both sympathetic and aggravating as he's caught in the old ways and refuses to change.  Christina gives Mother such strength and yearning, hope and determination, and her voice is amazing as always, especially in the moving ballad "Back to Before."  Noah Coon is adorable as little Edgar, the boy who mysteriously knows more than he should (warn the duke!).  Finally, Younger Brother is on a journey all his own, always looking for something to cling to and finding it in unfortunate places (or persons).  Aleks Knezevich (the rightful captain of the Pinafore) is perfect for the role in this perfectly cast show.

At the center of our third family is another one of my favorites, Dieter Bierbrauer, as a poor immigrant trying to make a better life for his daughter (the adorable and talented Megan Fischer, who doesn't have as much to do here as in last year's Annie).  Tateh's path crosses with Mother's several times, in what turns out to be a most excellent love triangle.  (Lee Mark Nelson, Christina Baldwin, and Dieter Bierbrauer singing in three-part harmony, I thought I'd died and gone to Minnesota musical theater heaven!)  All of the characters in this story are connected somehow, and what each does affects the others.  The ensemble is spectacular, and several of them shine in their spotlight moments, such as Timotha Lanae (who was also on board the Pinafore last summer) as Sarah's friend.

In addition to the perfect cast and music, the choreography (by another Latte Da regular Michael Matthew Ferrell), set design (by Rick Polenek), and costumes (designed by Andrea M. Gross) also add to the production.  I'm not sure where the direction (by Gary Gisselman) ends and choreography begins when you're moving this many people around a small stage, but not only is it flawlessly done but it also really enriches the characters and helps define their story.  The same can be said for the costumes, especially in the opening sequence, when all the upper class people are dressed in pale linen, the immigrants in dark earth tones, and the "Negroes" in bolder colors, creating an obvious division that melts away as their stories blur together.  The stage is sparse, with a second story around the edge of the stage to allow for characters to come and go in the background. The few set pieces almost look like "silhouettes" (as Tateh sings), allowing the story to be the focus.  A screen is occasionally lowered to display real images from the time period, further adding to the sense of time and place.

This is a heavy show, at times so difficult to watch that I closed my eyes to try to erase the images of violence and injustice.  But there are also lighter moments of humor (I particularly enjoyed the ode to baseball, "What a Game").  I read the book after first seeing the musical in 1998, and remember thinking that it's not a book that screams "make me into a musical!"  But it proves that no topic is off limits for musical theater, if done thoughtfully and respectfully and creatively.  Ragtime is such a musical. 

This country is always struggling, always changing, always trying to better itself.  And there are always going to be tragedies and set-backs along the way, but hopefully each generation leaves the world slightly better for the next generation, for all the Coalhouse Walker IIIs of the world.  Ragtime deals with what it's like to be an American, then and now, good and bad.  As Gary Gisselman said in a post-show discussion, it's about racism and immigrants and the rich vs. the poor, themes that we are still dealing with today.  But it's also about family and love and hope for the future.  Ragtime officially opens tonight and plays through February 19, and it's definitely worth seeing.  It may even be worth seeing twice!



Ragtime trailer from Park Square Theatre on Vimeo.

"Broadway Songbook: Words and Music of Contemporary Broadway" at the Ordway

The Ordway is presenting a series of informal cabaret-style concerts this season called Broadway Songbook.  The first one featured the music of Irving Berlin, and was an entertaining and informative look at the history of musical theater.  The second installment, featuring music of "Contemporary Broadway," was the one I was most looking forward to, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was a fairly accurate representation of the state of Broadway today - the good (The Book of Mormon), the bad (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), and the ugly (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark).  I'm not a big fan of jukebox musicals or adaptations of blockbuster movies; it seems like an easy way for producers to make money without taking any risks.  But that's a lot of what's popular on Broadway these days, so it's only fair that they included it in this show.  Fortunately there were also plenty of original musicals and revivals featured to balance things out.

The host for the series is Ordway Artistic Director James Rocco, and once again he introduced each song with a little background or a funny story about the show or composer.  Accompanied by Raymond Berg on piano, the talented singer/actors included Joel Liestman, Robb McKindles (both of whom also appeared in the Irving Berlin show last fall), Kym Chambers Otto, Allison Tilsen-Kassabian, and Cinderella herself, Jessica Fredrickson.

Some highlights of the show:

• The opening number was a beautiful, soaring song that I was unfamiliar with (and I thought I'd know all the songs!), from a musical called Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown. 
• Jessica sang several musical theater songs that always get me teary-eyed.  "The Beauty Is" from Light in the Piazza by Adam Guettel, "There's a Fine Fine Line" from Avenue Q, "For Good" from Wicked (a duet with Kym), "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins.  OK maybe that last one doesn't quite fit with the others, but she was definitely channeling Julie Andrews!  James announced that Jessica will soon be moving to New York City.  I'll be sad not to see her on local stages, but I wish her well and hope to see her on Broadway one day!
• In addition to the duet with Jessica, Kym sang the beautiful ballad "I Get a Kick Out of You" from Anything Goes, currently running on Broadway (and I'm kicking myself for not seeing it when I was there last fall - sadly I can only fit so many shows into 5 days in NYC).  She also led the cast in "Day by Day," the 1970s pop hit from the musical Godspell, also currently being revived on Broadway.
• Two of the shows I did see on Broadway last year (and adored) were featured in the show.  Joel sincerely and hilariously sang "I Believe" from the brilliant original musical by the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon (there are only a few songs from that show that you can sing at the Ordway on a Sunday afternoon), and James himself sang the classic "Broadway Baby" from the divine revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies.
• A newbie to the Twin Cities theater scene, Allison has a fabulous voice and personality to match.  She got one of the biggest rounds of applause for her rendition of "When You're Good to Mama" from Chicago, and closed the first act on a high with "I Will Survive" from Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which I earlier referred to as "the bad" because: 1) it's a movie adaptation, 2) it has no original music, and 3) they use some canned music instead of a full live orchestra.  That's three strikes and you're out in my book.  But despite the origins of the song, it was still a fabulous rendition of a classic pop song.
• Joel and Robb made for an entertaining Pumbaa and Timon in the super fun song "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King.  Too bad they didn't also sing this song's counterpart from The Book of Mormon, "Hasa Diga Eebowai."  Oh wait, that's one of those songs you can't sing at the Ordway on a Sunday afternoon.  Slight digression: I've been seeing the ads for The Lion King everywhere, but I will not be seeing it.  Don't get me wrong, I've seen the show several times and love it.  It's that great familiar music from the movie but with a much richer and deeper orchestration, and the puppets/masks are truly a sight to behold.  But for the price they're charging for tickets ($100+ for just about every seat in the house), I can see 2-3 local shows that are just as good, if not as splashy.  So I'm choosing to spend my time, money, and blog space on supporting local artists and new work.
• Joel sang the beautiful and dramatic song "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera, a show I'm proud to say I've never seen (I seem to be the only person on the planet who hasn't).  He also sat down at the piano to channel Billy Joel in the title song from the jukebox musical Movin' Out (which I have also never seen and don't plan to).
• Robb and the cast sang "Steal Your Rock and Roll" from the Tony award winning musical Memphis, a show I am looking forward to seeing on tour at the Ordway in a few months.  He also sang one of my favorite songs from  Jersey Boys, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."  I know I said I'm not a fan of jukebox musicals, but Jersey Boys is the exception that proves the rule.  I've seen it twice and I love it.  I think the reason it works for me is that the book is really clever; it's the true story of The Four Seasons' rise to fame (and subsequent fall), not some silly story made up to fit into the body of songs.
• Finally, you can't really talk about contemporary Broadway without at least mentioning the spectacle that is Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark (aka "the ugly").  James gave a brief history of all the trials and tribulations (and expense and injuries) the show has gone through, describing the songs as guitar-heavy Bono songs.  "Let's do a song... no, let's not do a song from the show."  Wise choice!

It was another great afternoon of exploring the world of musical theater at the Ordway.  The only shows I thought were missing were two of my recent faves - Next to Normal and Spring Awakening (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is probably too much to hope for).  But other than these two absences, it was a truly wonderful selection of the best of Broadway, performed by some fantastically talented local actors, singers, and musicians.  Next up: the music of Johnny Mercer.

"Julius Caesar" by The Acting Company at the Guthrie

The Acting Company's production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar* is an intense and beautifully acted drama, even if I didn't quite understand what the war was about or why (spoiler alert) everyone decided to stab themselves at the end.  I wasn't very familiar with the play (other than the well-known quotes "et tu, Brute," "beware the ides of March," and "friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!"), and it's a little too much war and politics for my taste.  (It brought to mind the magnificently epic HBO drama Rome, about some of the same historical figures, which I also remember loving except for all of the war and political drama.)  That being said, The Acting Company once again brings an energetic,  vibrant interpretation of Shakespeare to the Guthrie as one of the stops on their tour around the country.

Last year The Acting Company performed two Shakespeare plays in repertory - the hilarious slapstick comedy The Comedy of Errors and the classic romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet.  Four actors from last year's troupe return this year (including Juliet herself, Kaliswa Brewster as Caeser's wife, et al), joined by some familiar faces as well as some new ones.  It's a great ensemble, led by Bjorn DuPaty as the powerful, charismatic, and doomed title character.  But despite the title, the star of the play is Brutus, the conflicted friend of Caesar who loves Rome more than he loves Caesar, and therefore conspires to kill him to save the people of Rome from his tyranny.  William Sturdivant (a graduate of the U of M/Guthrie training program who's appeared several times on the Guthrie stage) makes this conflicted character completely believable, embracing Caesar even as he delivers the final blow, following through with what he started until the situation becomes hopeless.  Zachary Fine gives a wonderful performance as Mark Antony, who grieves for Caesar and promises to avenge his death.  He gets to play a wide range of emotions - devastated, angry, compliant, defiant, persuasive - and reels the audience in every time.  Kathleen Wise, one of only three women in the cast, also gives a fine performance in a short scene as Brutus' wife and as several other characters.

This is a modern-day production of an ancient story.  Contemporary clothing (the men in sharp suits, the women in business attire or beautiful dresses), cell phones, and a block of video screens make the drama feel current.  Walking into the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie, cable news pundits are displayed on the video screens, and the play opens with a demonstration by cheering young people with signs.  It seems like a pretty high tech show to tour with, but it's a nice element that adds to the play.

The moral of the story (if there is one) - violence begets violence.  An arguably noble act leads to more destruction and war, the very thing they were trying to avoid.  That's an idea that is, unfortunately, timeless.  Julius Caesar plays at the Guthrie through the first week of February, and then continues on tour around the country, ending up in New York City in April.



*I received two free tickets to this play as part of "Blogger Night at the Guthrie."

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" at Bloomington Civic Theatre

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Bloomington Civic Theatre is an energetic, fun, sweet, colorful, and downright adorable show.  All I knew about this musical before I saw it is that Kristin Chenowith won a Tony for her role as Sally.  Based on the classic comic strip Peanuts by Minnesotan Charles Schultz, it was originally produced in 1967 and revived in 1999.  There's not much of a plot to the show, it's more like a series of vignettes that bring to mind the comic strip.  With just a six-person cast, this is the smallest show I've seen at the BCT.  There's no room for weak links in such a small cast, and there are none here.  Each character is a familiar friend, and these actors bring them to life in front of us.  I happened to go on a "talk-back" day, which is always fun for me, and one of the actors commented that their characters are bigger, more exaggerated versions of themselves.  I'm not sure if that's true, but it sure could be judging from their performances.

Our Charlie Brown is Adam Qualls, who was so good as the baker in Into the Woods last year.  He again does a wonderful job as our hapless hero, for whom nothing ever goes quite right.  Adam's Into the Woods wife is now his adversary/friend Lucy.  Colleen Somerville was last seen as one of the hilariously evil stepsisters in Cinderella at the Ordway, and is everything you'd want Lucy to be - relentless and pushy and selfish, and somehow loveable.  Charlie Brown's cute, spoiled, and not very studious little sister Sally is played by Courtney Miner, who, as she joked in the talk-back, gives Kristin Chenowith a run for her money!  She's adorable and fun to watch, especially chasing rabbits with Snoopy and in her big song "My New Philosophy."  Also great are Andrew Newman as the blanket-carrying, thumb-sucking Linus, whose intelligence and eloquence contrast with his babyish ways; and Eric Heimsoth as the classical music obsessed Schroeder, who gets to sing one of the funnest songs, Beethovan Day!

Last but not least, stealing every scene he's in, is Tyler Michaels as Snoopy.  He completely inhabits this canine character with great physicality and energy, in the way he moves and dances as well as how he reacts to what's going on around him.  He said in the talk-balk that he studied physical theater, which is obvious in his performance.  According to Tyler's website he will soon be playing my favorite character, Moritz Stiefel, in the highly anticipated (by me) Spring Awakening by Theater Latte Da.  It's the first bit of casting news I've seen, and I'm very excited to find out that someone I now know and like will be playing my sweet, troubled Moritz.

A few more great things about the show: colorful, oversized children's clothing that makes the adult actors look like kids; cartoonish sets that look like the comic strip come to life; delightful, childlike choreography by Joe Chvala who also directed; and really fun, catchy songs accompanied by the fabulous six-person pit orchestra led by Anita Ruth.  I saw a lot of kids in the audience who seemed to be having a good time, but the Peanuts characters are timeless and relatable at any age.  The final song is the familiar refrain "Happiness is...", listing all the wonderful and seemingly trivial little things that add up to make life worth living.  This production definitely captures the bittersweet life-is-tough-but-wonderful feeling of the comic strip.

I saw my first show at BCT just last year, and it kills me that I missed some of my favorites (like Light in the Piazza and Urinetown) in previous years.  Longtime Music Director Anita Ruth talked about how BCT is a stepping stone for young actors between college and some of the bigger stages around town.  Most of the actors have "day jobs," and the experience they receive at BCT is invaluable and will surely lead them to bigger things.  BCT seems to be the place to spy young up-and-coming talent, in addition to seeing some great theater.

Brian Stokes Mitchell at Orchestra Hall

In my first theatrical experience of the new year, I saw Tony award winning Broadway actor Brian Stokes Mitchell at Orchestra Hall last weekend.  I know him best as the voice of Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in the original cast of Ragtime.  I've never seen him in the role but it's one of my favorite soundtracks (which I've been listening to a lot lately in anticipation of Park Square Theatre's upcoming production featuring an all-star cast of local talent).  It was one of those rare experiences when one of your favorite soundtracks comes to life, when a voice and a song that's so familiar is live right there in front of you (like when I saw Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in RENT a few years ago).

Brian performed with the fabulous Minnesota Orchestra, led by Sarah Hicks and her super-toned arms (I want that workout!).  To begin the show, the orchestra performed a medley from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, and then Brian appeared to sing "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific.  His voice in person is everything it is on recordings: deep, rich, expressive, gorgeous.  Not only that, but he's also handsome, charming, funny, and entertaining; an engaging performer.  As expected, he sang a selection of musical theater classics, some from musicals that he's appeared in ("The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, his encore) and some that he hasn't ("Soliloquy" from Carousel, "Don't Rain on My Parade" from Funny Girl).  But he also sang some standards from outside the musical theater world ("How Long has This Been Going On," "Waters of March," a Gershwin medley).  In an interesting twist, he blended the Duke Ellington classic "Take the A Train" with "Another Hundred People (Just Got Off of the Train)" from Sondheim's Company.



Brian Stokes Mitchell in Ragtime

Brian was involved in writing the children's alphabet book Lights on Broadway, and he sang the single that goes along with the book.  "I Was Here" was written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (the composers of Ragtime) and tells about the life of an actor.

One of my favorite moments was when Brian put down his mic to sing another song from South Pacific, "This Nearly Was Mine." With the orchestra playing softly behind him, his voice soared through the beautiful acoustics of Orchestra Hall.  It was magical.  But of course, what I was waiting for was the glorious "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime, and I was not disappointed.  He sang it in a medley with "America the Beautiful," and it was a lovely expression of hope for a better world and a belief that those dreams will come true.

I've had the good fortune to see several of my favorite Broadway actors perform at Orchestra Hall, both with and without orchestra accompaniment.  Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Idina Menzel, and now Brian Stokes Mitchell.  On the top of my wishlist is Mandy Patinkin, so I'm putting that out in the universe: Mandy Patinkin, come and perform at Orchestra Hall!