The Welkin Is Riveting From Start To Finish From Frank Theatre Ending Sunday at the Gremlin Theatre

Cast of “The Welkin” Tracey Maloney and Elizabeth Efteland front and center Photo by Tony Nelson

The Welkin continues Frank Theatre’s tradition of producing incredibly thought provoking and relevant work that speaks directly to our world. I had to reschedule this one three times due to some ongoing health issues. I didn’t want to miss it, but by the third reschedule, when I was looking at finally seeing it during the last weekend, that’s usually when I cut my losses and move on to something with more of a run left. Big shout-out to my friend Jill over at Cherry and Spoon, who made sure I knew this was not to be missed. She has never been more right in all the years I’ve known her. This one has TCTB Awards written all over it.

Here’s the thing: it’s now almost midnight on Thursday, and this show closes Sunday. So this is going to be short and sweet, because I have another show tomorrow night, and if I want to give anyone a chance of catching this, I need to publish tonight. And those health issues? Still ongoing. I’m tired. So Frank Theatre, forgive me if this feels a little rushed.

“It’s 1759 in rural England, and the country is awaiting the return of Halley’s Comet. A young woman, accused of murder, is sentenced to death. When she tries to escape the noose by claiming she is pregnant, twelve ordinary women are gathered to decide whether she is telling the truth.”
—Frank Theatre website synopsis

Wendy Knox directs Lucy Kirkwood’s script, which had its U.S. premiere in 2024, making this the first chance for local audiences to experience it. The show runs close to three hours, with a 15-minute intermission, but I swear it feels like two, and a quick two at that. Knox’s great strength is her work with actors. There are 16 performers onstage, and not a single one fails to captivate for even a moment.

My biggest problem with this show is already looming: when I submit my nominees next January, do I just nominate it for Favorite Ensemble in a Drama, or do I also single out individual performances? Elizabeth Efteland as Sally, the accused, and Tracey Maloney as Elizabeth Luke, the local midwife and her chief supporter, both deserve Favorite Performance in a Drama nominations, but do they end up canceling each other out? That’s a problem for next year. The point is: they are both brilliant.

And then, frankly, so is everyone else. That includes Stages of MN favorites like Grace Hillmyer, Suzie Juul, Eva Gemlo, and Wini Froelich, who shows a side of herself you never saw at The Mystery Café. Simply stunning. Even performers with the fewest lines hold your attention completely. There isn’t a wasted moment, not a throwaway line. In fact, there are a couple of subtle, intriguing lines that could easily be missed but leave you questioning what you’ve actually seen. I won’t spoil those moments. This play is so strong that others will undoubtedly produce it, but I doubt they’ll do it as well as Frank.

The remainder of the run, which ends March 29, is nearly sold out. If you can make it, I urge you to act fast and grab one of the remaining tickets. I’ll make it easy, here’s the link to the Frank Theatre website:
https://franktheatre.org/events/the-welkin/

Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Hungry Like The Wolf Ushers in a Bold New Era At the History Theatre. Hilarious, Important, Bold, and Unique!

Sandra Struthers, Jen Maren, Jen Burleigh-Bentz, and Allison Vincent, back row: Sam Landman Photo by Rick Spaulding

Hungry Like the Wolf is the first official production at History Theatre under newly appointed Artistic Director Laura Leffler. It feels like the perfect show to launch a new era for a theater approaching its half-century mark, and one that has the potential to bring in a younger audience. Written by and starring Sandra Struthers, the show is part autobiographical, partly the story of the Willmar 8, and wholly original. Struthers breaks the fourth wall, as do her characters throughout, acknowledging her role as the playwright. The play, in turn, becomes about the act of writing itself, an exploration of creative power, authorship, and whose voices get heard.

There is a lot going on, but the underlying message centers on equal rights and a well-argued call for dismantling the patriarchy, something that, far from fading, seems to be strengthening under the country’s current political climate. The show is unmistakably political, but it avoids feeling preachy thanks to the cleverness of the writing and the cast’s commitment to keeping things entertaining and fast-paced. The ideas emerge organically through story, which always makes them more impactful than a recitation of facts. We see the world through the eyes of the characters, who, in many ways, represent the experiences of women more broadly. As a man, it’s a pointed reminder of how the deck is stacked in my favor, whether I choose it to be or not. It underscores a responsibility to help level the playing field, to be mindful not only of my own behavior, but of that of other men, and, above all, to listen, and keep listening.

The title comes from the hit song by the British band Duran Duran, who were hugely popular in the 1980s. Their lead singer, Simon Le Bon, was Struthers’ number-one crush during that time, a detail I can relate to, as my sister was also a devoted Duran Duran fan. Stages of MN favorite Allison Vincent plays, among other roles, Simon Le Bon. The gold medal in tumbling goes to Vincent, who elevates her impeccable comic timing with brilliantly executed physical clowning. Another Stages favorite, Sam Landman, plays what feels like every terrible man ever. Most are merely pigs or entitled jackasses, but one particularly creepy dad, who drives Struthers home from a babysitting job, truly makes your skin crawl. Landman, as always, commits fully, as any great character actor should. You creeped us out, Sam, but don’t worry, we still love you.

Jen Maren is superb across her roles, especially in her various interpretations of Glennis, one of the Willmar 8. Jen Burleigh-Bentz plays actress and director Lee Grant, as well as Struthers’ mother, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and several others. My favorite of her turns was RBG. It’s truly a cast without a weak link, they are all sublime.

The heart and driving force of the show, though, is Sandra Struthers. She’s funny and energetic, yet able to pivot on a dime into moments of genuine emotion. There’s a scene in which she recalls suddenly wanting to be with her mother and chasing her down the street, trying to get her attention so she can go along to the store. It’s a small moment that becomes deeply moving in the blink of an eye.

The show is directed by Laura Leffler, who continues to demonstrate why she is one of the best directors working in the Twin Cities today. There is so much in motion here, and the pace requires a steady, skilled hand to keep everything clear and focused. History Theatre is fortunate to have Leffler at the helm, she’s poised to guide it into the future with both a commitment to excellence and a willingness to make bold choices.

Hungry Like the Wolf runs through April 12 at History Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets, visit:
https://www.historytheatre.com/2025-2026/hungry-wolf

Abuelita From Prime Productions Needs More Time To Tell its Characters Stories.

The cast of Abuelita Photo by Dan Norman

Prime Productions closes out its 8th season with the world premiere of ABUELITA, a new play by Nathan Yungerberg. There is a lot of good stuff here, but there also seem to be many threads that don’t really lead anywhere. What this material feels ideally suited for is a TV series. There are seven great characters, and four of them get about one scene in which to shine, when they are clearly interesting enough to hold our interest for dozens. In its present form, it feels like there are three characters too many, or perhaps three who are given stage time that should have gone to others, so that more of them could fully realize their roles in the story.

The play opens with Davia, a 72-year-old white grandmother from Iowa who has moved to Spanish Harlem in the summer of 1993 with her fifteen-year-old mixed-race grandson, Jesús, to expose him to his father’s Puerto Rican culture. They meet the other residents of their apartment building on the stoop when they arrive. Davia and Yvette quickly bond over being grandmothers raising grandchildren who have lost their mothers, getting drunk on some sort of alcohol Yvette smuggled back from her last trip to Puerto Rico. Yvette’s granddaughter, Sonya, and Jesús become friends, and she introduces him to her group, some of whom are gay, as we learn Jesús is as well. Davia, in turn, begins to find companionship with Yvette, her sister Indigo, and Wilfredo, a bongo-playing singer who lives next door.

It’s hard to escape the feeling that many of these interactions play like the first of what should be many scenes, or like the third scene, with the previous two missing. Davia is a great character, but almost every moment with her feels like it needed more room to breathe and develop. I also don’t think the character was helped by Mary Gant’s performance; there were simply too many missed or flubbed lines. There is real potential here, but Gant doesn’t quite convey the nuance the role requires. Or perhaps the issue lies more in the script, which rushes toward “aha!” moments that would land more effectively if the relationships had time to grow and unfold.

There are, however, several very enjoyable performances. Skyler Seiler as Sonya is sassy and fun. King Jackson as Jesús starts out somewhat awkwardly, but that seems to be a deliberate choice that tracks with the character; as he becomes more comfortable in his new environment and freer to be himself, the performance comes alive. Pedro R. Bayon is very good as Wilfredo, though he’s another character who gets one strong scene and little else to do, despite feeling like someone you’d want to follow further. Gabi Del Moral as Yvette is also very good, though her relaxed, fluid performance only highlights Gant’s relative stiffness, and their instant friendship doesn’t quite feel earned. Adlyn Carreras as Indigo has a few line flubs as well, but her swagger and attitude carry her through them more successfully. Like others, Indigo feels like a character with much more story to tell. And since I’ve mentioned everyone else, I should note Elsa Vega Pérez as Niego, who is apparently related to Yvette and Indigo, though it’s not entirely clear how. She has only a few lines in Spanish before disappearing for a stretch and then briefly reappearing. She’s good, but likely the first character to cut if tightening the piece.

Ultimately, I’d happily watch these characters for 10 or 12 hours a year. If this play were the first season of a TV series, the ending we see here would probably land around episode six. It’s not that the play is bad, it’s one of those cases where you can clearly see its potential to be something more, and it’s hard not to focus on that. Most plays are easy to take as they are: good, bad, or somewhere in between. But every once in a while, you encounter something that so clearly should be, not different, just more. These characters don’t need better writing; they simply deserve more of it.

ABUELITA runs through March 29th at the Capri Theater in Minneapolis. For More information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.primeprods.org/abuelita

Sweet Clone of Mine is Something to Buzz About at the Hive

I feel, in a way, like I’m experiencing déjà vu. I keep running into Neil Diamond. First it was A Beautiful Noise, the touring production of the Broadway show about the man in the sparkly blouses. Then Song Sung Blue, the film about a tribute band that I watched in the run-up to the Oscars. And now Sweet Clone of Mine (ba ba ba!), a sci-fi cautionary tale about the dangers of AI, all within the span of six months.

Not that I’m complaining. I love Neil Diamond. I grew up in a household where Mr. Sparkles was on heavy rotation on the turntable in the living room. From a young age, I was immersed in his music, and I liked it. I still do. So for me, these shows are a chance to revisit one of the soundtracks of my childhood. Diamond wrote so many great songs, not just for himself but for other performers as well.

Sweet Clone of Mine opens with Neil Diamond performing his final set of the evening at The Bitter End, a venue he frequently played early in his career. We’re treated to four or five songs, all stunningly performed in the Hive’s intimate space. Then Neil heads to his dressing room, where he’s held at gunpoint by a woman named Leslie, who has something important to tell him. Throughout their time together, we get snippets of a few more songs, and Leslie performs “Forever in Blue Jeans.” The show closes with Neil returning to the stage for two final numbers.

What’s just OK about the show? The plot in the middle. It’s interesting, but the musical performances are so strong that you can’t help wishing they’d stop talking and get back to the music. That said, the final threads of the storyline, which lead into the closing performance, make it worthwhile. The narrative and the song dovetail nicely, lending an emotional resonance that was rather unexpected. The show is apparently based on an episode of the podcast Space Croutons, which like this show is created and written by Jeff, Della, Jerry, and John Goodson, which I intend to check out.

So what’s superb? The music, the performances, and the quality of the audio at The Hive Collaborative. Jeff Goodson plays Neil, and from certain angles, he could pass for Diamond today. He doesn’t sound exactly like him, but he sounds great, and that’s just the beginning. The rest of the performers are equally impressive. Janessa Iverson (bass, piano, vocals) nails everything she touches. Kyle Simons Baker shines on lead guitar, with Goodson accompanying on guitar as well. And Abbi Fern, as Leslie, comes into moving focus in the home stretch.

The only thing that truly sucks about this show is that it’s too short. At about 80 minutes with no intermission, there’s easily room for three or four more songs as an encore and still plenty of breathing room in the runtime.

What’s the most tragic thing about this production? Its run is way, way, way too short. I’m booked elsewhere for the remaining performances, which only run through March 22, 2026, or I’d absolutely be back for more of this live music. This group should be booked at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres for their Fireside Concert series. I would gladly pay top dollar for an evening of these musicians performing as many Neil Diamond songs as they can cram in.

If you have any affinity for Neil Diamond’s music, you’ll want to catch this, but act quickly. Sweet Clone of Mine runs through March 22 at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. For more information and tickets, visit their website https://www.thehivecollaborativemn.com/events/sweet-clone-of-mine-a-neil-diamond-experiment

STRANGE HEART: The Dream Songs of John Berryman is… Different. So a Perfect Fit for Open Eye Theatre

Bradley Greenwald & Anna Hashizume Photo by Bruce Silcox

Strange Heart: The Dream Songs of John Berryman is different. Not bad different, but very much its own thing. It centers on Pulitzer Prize winning poet John Berryman, who died by suicide in 1972, the year I was born, which may explain why I wasn’t very familiar with him going in.

Billed as a jazz-infused operetta, the show primarily focuses on one of Berryman’s hospitalizations for alcohol abuse. There, we meet a puppet named Henry, representing his subconscious and giving him someone to interact with beyond his nurse and his wife. Through reminiscences, we get backstory about his mother, his father, and his wife, Kate.

Much of the show unfolds in a fluid, stream-of-consciousness style. The subject matter is dark, but the tone is decidedly humorous. Bradley Greenwald plays Berryman with an almost impish sense of humor, as if everything is a joke and most people, aside from him and Henry, aren’t in on it. There’s a song about whiskey that he performs with Sam Albright, who puppeteers and voices Henry, and it’s genuinely delightful, or at least as delightful as an alcoholic singing about whiskey with a puppet can be. If that sentence makes you wonder what the hell this show is, that’s exactly the point. It’s different, with a capital DIFF.

There are also sweet moments, such as the first date between Berryman and Kate, played by the always fabulous Anna Hashizume, and another where they reminisce about those early days. The duet they share looking back, along with the whiskey song, are the musical highlights.

This world premiere, written and composed by Greg Brosofske, runs about 90 minutes with no intermission, which feels like the perfect length. There are only five or six songs total, fewer than I expected. It’s definitely not a play, but it also feels a bit light on songs to be a full musical. “Operetta” is probably the closest label, though even that doesn’t quite capture it. Again, it’s its own thing. And if you find it’s not your kind of thing, well, I refer you back to the 90 minutes, no intermission.

Directed and designed by Joel Sass, the production has that Open Eye Theatre aesthetic I love. Sass has a knack for offbeat material and feels like a perfect match here. Music direction is by Wesley Frye, and his quartet provides exactly the right sound for the venue. As an added bonus, they entertain the audience with 15–20 minutes of preshow music. Remember when Theater Latté Da used to do that for shows like Once and Hedwig?

Strange Heart: The Dream Songs of John Berryman runs through March 22 at Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis. For more information and tickets go to https://www.openeyetheatre.org/strange-heart

The Importance of Being Earnest Reminds of the Importance of a Little Silliness at Lakeshore Players

Oscar Wilde was perhaps the greatest wit of the 19th century, and The Importance of Being Earnest is the perfect showcase of his genius. Unlike the comedies of William Shakespeare, Wilde’s play makes no claim to profound insights into human nature. It pokes fun at pomposity and the upper class’s detachment from reality, to be sure, but its greatest achievement is much simpler: it is hilariously entertaining. That, and Wilde’s innate mastery of the English language. It truly is a marvelous script: very smart, very funny, and very, very silly.

It is also one of those rare plays from the 1800s that needs no modernization to make it accessible. There’s no need for conceptual updates, explanatory framing, or footnotes aimed at the audience. Wilde’s language and comic structure still land perfectly well on their own. As an avowed anglophile and connoisseur of British humor, his work has always hit the sweet spot for me, and Earnest remains one of the purest examples of how well that style of comedy can work.

The play, which premiered in 1895, centers on two members of the idle upper class: Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, both of whom make use of aliases in order to get out of obligations and do whatever they please. Jack has created a younger brother named Earnest, which he uses as an excuse to leave his home in the country, where he lives with his ward, the 18-year-old Cecily, and go to London to live a carefree and pleasure centered life as his imaginary brother. Algernon has invented an invalid friend named Bunbury, whom he uses to escape dinners with his aunt, Lady Bracknell, under the excuse of being called to Bunbury’s sickbed.

Jack has fallen in love with Lady Bracknell’s daughter Gwendolen, and she with him. But Lady Bracknell will not allow the engagement due to Jack’s not knowing where he came from, having been discovered in a handbag as an infant in Victoria Station. Algernon, thinking Jack will be in London through the weekend and having discovered his country address, and the existence of the young ward Cecily, arrives at Jack’s country home pretending to be his younger brother Earnest. Cecily and Algernon immediately fall in love.

When Jack returns early to inform his household of the death of his brother Earnest, he’s surprised to find that Earnest has apparently moved into the bedroom next to his. The final ingredient comes when both men, who have wooed under the name Earnest, discover that the women they love insist they could only ever love a man named Earnest, which neither of them actually is. Hilarity ensues, and one can’t help suspecting that this play must have served as a template for half the books P. G. Wodehouse would later write.

Director Craig Johnson’s production at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake features a cast as nimble of foot as they are of tobgue. They bring a physicality to their roles that heightens the already deliciously ludicrous tone.

Cody Carlson plays Jack, the straight man, at least compared to Lewis Youngren’s Algernon. Both play their roles superbly. They have a wonderful scene where they argue while each tries to claim the muffin tray for himself. Skye Stuempert plays Gwendolen and Aerin O’Malley plays Cecily, who verbally spar over their mistaken belief that they are both engaged to Earnest. They play the cattiness of romantic rivals perfectly. Mary Cutler is a delight as the formidable Lady Bracknell, deliciously selling the leaps of logic and nonsensical rationale behind her firmly held beliefs, which conveniently change depending on her immediate goal.

Michael Garry plays both Algernon’s manservant in town and Jack’s servant in the country. The former feels like a template for Wodehouse’s Jeeves, and Garry captures that unflappable, dry delivery perfectly.

This is a great opportunity to see one of the great comedic plays brought to the stage by a cast that clearly knows how to make the laughs land. I always tell folks that when a classic like this comes around, make sure you see it. Plays are meant to be experienced live, and some of these classics don’t come around nearly as often as they should.

The Importance of Being Earnest runs through March 22nd at Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/earnest-season-73

Sleuth Will Keep You on Your Toes and on the Edge of Your Seat as This Classic Thriller Hits The Guthrie Stage

John Tufts (Milo Tindle) and Ramiz Monsef (Andrew Wyke) Photo Credit: Dan Norman

I’m fairly familiar with Sleuth, though I’d never seen it performed. I have seen the two film versions, which have their own interesting backstory. The play, written by Anthony Shaffer, premiered in 1970 and won the Tony Award for Best Play. It was adapted by Shaffer into a film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine.

The play was adapted again in 2007 with a screenplay by Harold Pinter, who had never seen the earlier film or the play before. That film, directed by Kenneth Branagh, starred Michael Caine again, this time in the older role, with Jude Law taking over the part Caine played in the original film. Few plays have such an interesting lineage, where one generation of actors quite literally inherits the roles from the previous one.

Which made it a particular pleasure to finally see the original version as it was intended: on stage.

The two-act play is a cat-and-mouse game between Andrew Wyke, a writer of mystery novels, and Milo Tindle, who owns a travel agency and happens to want to marry Andrew’s wife. Andrew says he has no objections; he just wants to make sure that Milo can afford her and won’t find her back on his doorstep. Andrew has a plan to have Milo pretend to burglarize his house and make off with a fortune in jewels, which Milo can sell for cash while Andrew collects on the insurance money. But is it as straightforward as that? Is that even straightforward? The twists and turns are what make the show such an enjoyable entertainment, so discussing the plot any further feels like robbing it of its bread and butter.

John Tufts as Milo and Ramiz Monsef as Andrew both do solid work. Tufts in particular is very good, and while Sleuth isn’t exactly a comedic thriller, the performers find quite a bit of black comedy to play with.

That said, I was a little disappointed in the Guthrie for bringing in a cast of out-of-towners rather than utilizing the deep bench of talent we have here in the Twin Cities. Monsef also strikes me as a little young for Andrew. I couldn’t help imagining what someone like David Andrew Macdonald might have done with that role, with Peter Christian Hansen as Milo.

Rounding out the supporting cast is a particularly droll performance by Stanley Rushton as Inspector Doppler, with smaller roles for Liam McNulty and Robin Mayfield as fellow policemen.

I always say that a play that uses black wooden boxes to stand in for every piece of set can be just as thrilling as a set that costs the budget of some theater companies’ entire seasons. And I believe that to be true. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love a well-dressed and elaborate set. Todd Rosenthal has created a playroom of a set, which you can see in the accompanying photo, and it’s a thing of beauty.

If you enjoy a twisty-turny mystery, Sleuth will be right up your alley. It’s a well-mounted production and the cast is really quite good, even if they aren’t local. Sleuth runs through May 10. I read in a program recently that Agatha Christie was single handedly keeping theater doors open. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but this is along those lines and should fill seats and entertain theatergoers.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to:
https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2025-2026-season/sleuth/