Elf The Musical JR. at Stages Theatre Company in Downtown Hopkins is a Fantastic Holiday Treat for all Ages.

Sayer Keeley as Buddy Photo by Fischeye Films

God did I need this! I was afraid I was turning into Ebenezer Theater Scrooge. This was the 4th show in a row that was an adaptation of a book or film that I love and the first three resulted in negative reviews. Stages Theatre Company has renewed my faith in theater with Elf the Musical Jr.! Frankly, I had gone into this production in light of the last week with lowered expectations knowing there would be a cast made up mostly of school aged theatre students and adjust my critical gaze accordingly. Completely unnecessary! This cast and production require no handicap, they were fantastic! Looking for a Holiday show to take your young kids to, or older kids, but the Children’s Theatre Company a bit out of your price range? Stages tickets will cost you about a third or less of Children’s and this productions ranks right up there With Annie.

Elf the Musical Jr. tells the story of Buddy, an orphan who as a child snuck into Santa’s bag. Santa’s elves decided to raise Buddy as their own so Buddy grew up at the North Pole believing he was an Elf. When he learns he is human and that he has a father in New York City, he sets off with Santa’s blessing to find him. Having grown up at the North Pole, Buddy is unfamiliar with the way life works in the world of humans and much of the humor comes from this fish out of water setup. Buddy finds his father along with a stepmother and half brother as well. Buddy’s father doesn’t know of his existence and assumes Buddy is insane and has him escorted out by security. He ends up in the the toy department at Macy’s and is mistaken for an employee as he’s dressed like an elf. Here he meets the toy department manager and a girl he falls in love at first sight with Jovie. Before the end of the play Buddy must connect with his new family, win over Jovie, and help the city of New York believe in Santa Clause so that his sleigh will fly again.

Elf the Musical Jr. is based on the new classic film from New Line Cinema Elf. The adaptations book is by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin with music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. The show runs about 1 hour 20 minutes with a brief intermission to get up and stretch and so the story needed to be condensed from the film. The script does a nice job of altering the films story to simplify things without losing the heart of the story. The songs were lively and fun, I especially liked “A Christmas Song” and “The Story of Buddy”. The Show’s opening song “Happy All the Time” burst forth as a promise that the show never failed to live up to. It was also with this first song that I knew I was in good hands. The Choreography by Krysti Wiita, the cast of elves, and Buddy were in perfect synchronization. You could tell how hard they had worked on their dancing by how effortlessly they seemed to be performing it. The Set Designer Joe Stanley created simple scene changes that flowed nicely. The sets conveyed the places they needed to, particularly effective was the park which really evoked the feel of a park with it’s bare branches strung with lights.

The cast led by Sayer Keeley was fantastic. Keeley though a bit short in what would be ideal in the height department for Buddy makes up for it and more with the Christmas joy he exudes. As a Senior, I sure hope he intends to continue in theater past high school. He has the stage presence to command an audience’s attention and the performing skills vocally and physically. Other standouts were Josie Turk as Jovie and Will Buckler as Michael Hobbs. Lending some adult assistance are Roy Richardson Jr. as the Macy’s Manager, Shana Eisenberg as Emily Hobbs, Bruce Rowan as Santa Claus, and Brent Teclaw as Walter Hobbs. All of them help the young performers excel and in doing so, shine as well. There is a particularly effective duet between Will Buckler and Shana Eisenberg on the song “I’ll Believe in You”. Really everyone from the main rolls down to the littlest elf were spot on and I believed them when they reminded me that the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.stagestheatre.org/. Elf the Musical Jr. runs through December 27th.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” at Lyric Arts

Photo by: Molly Weibel, 1000 Words Photography

It’s a Wonderful Life, the stage adaptation by Doug Rand from the great classic film by Frank Capra is on stage at Lyric Arts in Anoka. It’s an extremely faithful adaptation down to the opening showing a starfield and the freeze frame of George Bailey as an adult in his first scene. As I’m sure you all know, It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey who has come to the day of crisis in his life. The show opens on a starfield and we hear prayers for George Bailey. The heavens hear these prayers and call up Clarence, the Angel Second Class to try and help George through his darkest hour. Before Clarence can help George he has to learn about him and what has led him to this moment. We journey along with Clarence and watch the key moments from George’s life. From Saving his brother after he falls through the ice while sledding, his courtship and marriage to Mary Hatch, and the events of the day that have led to all the prayers being sent. After getting up to speed, Clarence is sent down to do what he can to help George through this night. The way to show George that he matters and has lived a wonderful life is suggested by George himself when he says it would have been better if he’d never been born. Clarence arranges it so he can see what the world would have been like if he had never existed. We see in call backs to all the events of his life what would have happened to his friends, family, and town if he had not been there.

The original film is so tightly constructed that there isn’t a single throw away moment. Everything that happens either informs the characters or illustrates something that, had it not happened, would have tragic repercussions for either a character or the entire town. The play is nearly word for word the same and is just as well constructed. I very much liked the design and staging of the show. The set by Greg Vanselow contains flats on which different images and even pre-recorded video can be projected upon. It allows for us to easily imagine we are in downtown Bedford Falls, the school gymnasium, the Bailey House, and even the bridge from which George contemplates whether or not he might be worth more to his family dead than alive. Unlike a play, films change locations rapidly and scenes are frequently shorter than what you would usually have. To some extent the production uses video scenes to move the story along. This technique works in what it intends to accomplish in terms of moving the story along and staging scenes that would be difficult on stage. I like the idea, and how it was executed technically for the most part. The one thing I cannot understand is, if you are doing video to project of a scene, why you would use takes where lines are flubbed and or the action comes off as unconvincing. Why not just do another take and get the scene right? The show opens with a couple of video scenes and it leaves you with a sinking feeling. Again it’s a clever idea and technologically well executed it terms of how the projection appears on the set. It’s the right idea but the idea isn’t exploited nearly as well as it could be.

The cast feels rusty, which is understandable, most probably haven’t performed live since Covid-19 shut down the world. But there are some standouts. I thought Eva Gemlo was perfectly cast as Mary she had the sweetness and pluck making the character her own. Rick Wyman as Clarence and other roles was equally well cast, he seemed natural and found the right amount of humor in his line readings. Jennifer Ramirez who stepped in for Lois Estell as Ma Bailey was also very natural. I don’t know if she was an understudy or had to step in at the last minute, but either way without the slip in the program, you would never have guessed she wasn’t supposed to be there. Warren Sampson as Mr. Potter was also quite good. There were several members of the cast who played multiple roles most making them distinct and different enough that we kept them straight. Kayli McIntyre was the most successful in this exercise. Doni Marinos did excellent voice work but the characters looked too much the same. He played multiple characters in the Dance scene and the addition of hats or glasses or a wig would have gone a long way to selling the changes. The costumes by Rebecca Bernstein were good for the most part but this was one area where more was needed. There was also a distractingly too large of a suit coat on Peter Bailey that should not have been allowed onstage.

This brings me to George Bailey played by Raul Arambula. I don’t know what is going on lately but this is the third show in a row that has taken a beloved character and tried to alter the interpretation so radically that it ends up diminishing the show. Arambula, plays George alternately as someone who doesn’t take anything seriously, too broad. Then as someone who is taking everything too seriously, as if suffering from PTSD. I think that was intentional and to my mind it’s all wrong. George Bailey is not a character suffering from mental illness, he’s a man having understandable reactions to serious events. In the Director’s note in the program, Hannah Wienberg-Goerger calls this production a “holiday card”. That is exactly what it should be and is, in most ways. But, this ill advised attempt to make the end about mental illness somehow is unsuccessful and antithetical to the “holiday card” intention. The recent revival of Oklahoma! taught us that you could take a classic and by changing the interpretation you could change the meaning without altering a single word. In that case it worked and it gave us a show that reflected the world we live in now through the prism of a show almost 80 years old. It was almost as if Wienberg-Goerger and Arambula were attempting that with the second half of this play. For this material, and with what you should be trying to convey to the audience with this production, it’s inappropriate and misguided. What audiences who are coming back to the theatre after covid need is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The material has such a strong message you don’t need to try and reconceptualize it for a modern audience. You’ve changed it from a play that celebrates the ordinary man who just needs his Guardian Angel to give him the time and clarity to understand the impact he’s had on those around him. Instead, they have tried to change it into a story of a man who has his mental illness cured by an Angel. This does not result in the same message.

I heard one audience member say at intermission “this is awful”. I don’t think that’s fair because there’s a lot of good work here as well. I think the adaptation is very faithful. The staging, the sets, and projection ideas are a great way to stage this. But it falls down in the performance and directorial concept. It’s hard to know when it comes to an interpretation of a character if it is the actors choices that do not work or the director’s vision that is at fault. But it feels like there was not enough attention paid by Wienberg-Goerger to what was happening on stage. Aside from the video takes used, there is a scene later on when a character is shown playing the violin, why didn’t someone tell the performer they need to try and make their motions while they fake the violin somewhat match the audio we are hearing. Another performer is capable of little more than reciting the lines, and not even that is done without multiple flubs. I love the Lyric Arts Theatre and I hate to write a negative review, but the bottom line is that the missteps outweigh the positives in this case and I can’t recommend this production. It’s heartbreaking when you see good ideas and good work undone. It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite film of all time. Maybe I’m being a little hard on the play because of that, I felt like I had put myself in the frame of mind to accept change and embrace a new interpretation. Maybe I just wasn’t able to do that.

It’s a Wonderful Life runs through December 19th for more information and to purchase tickets click here https://www.lyricarts.org/.

A Murder is Announced at Theatre In The Round Players.

Theatre in the Round Players presents their annual Agatha Christie adaptation with the Miss Marple thriller, A Murder is Announced. Many critics may sneer at such a quaint tradition of dusting off an Agatha Christie play every year to run from right before Thanksgiving to just before Christmas. I’m not one of those, my first show at TRP was an Agatha Christie featuring Poirot. I’m a fan of Christie, I’m well past halfway in through her bibliography. I have read the novel A Murder is Announced and have seen two TV adaptations. So, I know the story and I know Miss Marple. I’ll admit, it does hamper the enjoyment a little bit when you know the solution but that isn’t a really a big hurdle for me. I still enjoy seeing how the writer has adapted the plot, how the director has staged it, and what the actors have done with their roles. For the most part TRP has done a nice job with this years Christie. The adaptation keeps the plot and most of the characters intact. There are a couple of standout performances and overall the production is well staged. But, this was the second show in a row, that I have been to, where a major and beloved character has been altered to the detriment of the play.

As I say I knew who the killer is; however, the whodunnit I’d like the answer to is, who is responsible for this butchering of Miss Marple? Was it Leslie Darbon who adapted the novel for the stage? Was it Director Brian Joyce? Was it all the work of the actor playing the role Jane Hammill? Unfortunately, we may never know whodunnit in this particular case. I have enjoyed different interpretations of Christie characters from the most faithful Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple to the, shall we say less so with Margaret Rutherford’s take on the elderly spinster with a knack for criminology. But this was a bridge too far for me. Rather than the observantly quiet birdlike character we get an boldly arch version who takes command of the stage with a youthful energy and a conceited wit that utterly betrays the author’s intention. It isn’t just Hammill’s take on the character the costumes by Rebecca Karstad are all wrong for Marple. Though they do lend themselves to this interpretation. Only thing missing to complete this assassination would have been a cape and a fedora. It’s just the wrong choices all around in relation to this character. Perhaps they were looking to freshen things up with a new take on the character. But that too is the wrong decision. This is TRP, this is the annual Christie play, the average age of the audience has to be 60 or higher. They came for their Christie they have known and loved for decades. This is not the show of any given season to experiment with. This is our Holiday treat, this is when we want something traditional. It’s what TRP typically does really well.

Now, if you are not a Miss Marple fan, and have no particular expectation or love for that character, there is a lot that is right about this production. If that isn’t going to be an issue for you then there is no reason you wouldn’t have a fun time with this little mystery. It keeps to the basics of Christie’s plot and as such, you’ve got about as solid of a mystery as you’re likely to come across. An advertisement is placed in the local paper announcing that a murder will take place at Mrs. Blacklock’s home on a certain evening at a certain time. Everyone assumes it’s either a joke or a game, until the announcement proves deadly accurate. Miss Marple is on hand to lend assistance to Inspector Craddock and there is little doubt that justice will be served. It’s a plot choke full of coincidences that bring revelations but not solutions. It’s a very intricate scheme the killer has devised and if you don’t already know the solution you probably won’t see it coming.

The good news despite the unfortunate portrayal of Marple is that the character of Inspector Craddock seemingly has more stage time. He is played by Erik Steen and is one of the standout performances. The other is Meri Golden as Letitia Blacklock who is the owner of the house where the murder will take place and quite possibly the intended victim. Her character is put through a lot and and she does a convincing job of being the caregiver and diplomat to and between the other characters. And then slowly losing it as death closes in around her. Another highlight of the cast is Shara Marquez as the Cook Mitzi who provides some appropriate comic relief. It’s a broad character but she keeps it from becoming cartoonish. The rest of the cast does what they can with their parts. One of the downsides of a whodunnit is you have to have enough characters so that the who isn’t obvious. Several of the performers fail to make much of an impression, possibly due to lack of lines and stage time.

I know that wasn’t a glowing review, but I would like to add that if you are unfamiliar with the story and don’t know your Miss Marple from your Ariadne Oliver, you might want to give this a go. It’s a clever mystery and well staged. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/

Bloomington’s Artistry Brings a Musical Version of Little Woman to the Stage

Little Women has been a favorite story since I first saw the Winona Ryder film adaptation in theaters in 1994. I’ve since read the novel by Louisa May Alcott and seen various other screen adaptations, but this was my first experience of it on the stage. It’s a mixed bag of an adaptation, much of it works well, but when it falls short, it’s in fairly significant ways. But, if you are a fan as I am of Alcott’s timeless story of the four March sisters and the characters that orbit them, you’ll have a very enjoyable evening out.

Little Women the Broadway Musical tells the story of the March family of Concord Massachusetts during and following the civil war. The father is away at war and Marmee March is raising her four daughters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The story focuses on Jo as we’ll learn she is the one who has written down the story of her and her sisters. Most of the play is told in a flashback as it opens after the war is over and Jo has moved to New York City to become a writer. She is having a conversation with her friend Professor Bhaer and reads him one of her “blood and cuts” stories which transitions nicely into the past where Jo and her sisters prepare to act out her latest opus. Jo is the passionate nonconformist writer in the family. Meg the romantic but also down to earth sister. Amy the baby and brat of the family. Beth the timid and selfless daughter. They are befriended by Laurie, the grandson of the wealthy old curmudgeon across the street. From that, friendship flourishes other relationships that enrich the story; Laurie’s Tutor John Brooke and his Grandfather also become involved with the family. The heart of the story is the relationships between the sisters, their mother Marmee, and the connections and bonds that form with those around them.

The book for the musical by Allan Knee hits most of the major plot points of the novel. But the whole thing feels like the Cliff Notes version. If you were not familiar with the story I’d wonder if you would really understand everything thing that happens. None of the relationships are given the time to develop. For instance, the relationship between Laurie’s Grandfather and Beth. If you know the story you can extrapolate from the one scene they are given. If not, Well then it seems like a throwaway scene that’s an excuse for a fun song. Towards the end there is a song between Beth and Jo at the seaside that tells us about their special bond, the problem is that special bond is being told to us at the end of the play, when it should have been shown to us throughout the play. The most grievous error in judgment comes in the portrayal of Beth. In the novel, and other adaptations, Beth is timid and shy, she is a homebody but has a heart of gold who would give the food off her table or even her life to those less fortunate than herself. There is nothing of that character here. She is vibrant and outgoing there is nothing about the character in this version that rings true to its source. It’s hard to say if the actor Lauren Hugh who plays Beth, made these choices or if she was directed to this interpretation. I tend to think it’s the latter as the script seems to sidestep the clues to the character that we would normally see. What makes the four sisters so enduring is they are all unique and fully formed characters. Each is an individual but in this version, Beth and Meg are almost interchangeable. Beth is the most poignant characters in the entire novel, but here to achieve that all we are left with is her fate, a plot point rather than a character. That is the major flaw with this bullet point adaptation, none of the characters have room to grow and change. The other disappointment character wise is Amy played by Shinah Hey. In Act I, she’s a brat and we kind of dislike her as the annoyingly little sister she is playing. That’s how we are supposed to feel about her. In Act II, she’s older but still a silly girl, hasn’t really matured at all, and that is not how we are supposed to feel about her. These are not really performance issues, this is script and direction.

One thing I’ve come to expect from the Artistry is superb music. Little Women the Broadway Musical is no exception. The orchestra under the musical direction of Anita Ruth was, as always, impeccable. The songs music by Jason Howland and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein were fun right from the start. The first number “An Operatic Tragedy” is an acting out of one of Jo’s stories. It’s full of humor and creativity and was a great start to the show. I enjoyed many of the songs and the cast performed them all beautifully. Standouts in the vocal department are hard to single out as they all were top notch. Bradley Johnson as Laurie and Madeline Trumble as Jo were particularly strong. Acting wise I particularly like the performances of Angela Timberman as Aunt March and Dwight Xaveir Leslie as Professor Bhaer. Neither had as much stage time as I would have liked, but both made use of every minute they got. Lastly, the Set Design by Leazah Behrens along with the lighting design by Mike Grogan worked beautifully together to create at least seven distinct locations during the course of the show. Minimal but very effective.

Little Women the Broadway Musical runs through November 28th for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/2022-season.

A New Interpretation of the Annual Guthrie Theater Production of A Christmas Carol is Worthy of its Legacy.

Matthew Saldivar (Ebenezer Scrooge) and John Catron (Bob Cratchit) Photo by Jenny Graham

If you’ve lived in the Twin Cities for a decade or more it’s likely you’ve seen one of the Guthrie Theaters annual productions of A Christmas Carol. It’s sort of a MN tradition, like Lefse at Thanksgiving. If you are new to town and haven’t gone yet, don’t worry you will, it’s as inevitable as taxes and the Vikings not going to the Super Bowl. Every production is different of course, casts change from year to year certainly, but for many years they utilize the same costume, set designs, and script. This year for the first time since 2010 they have completely reimagined the production. Using a new script by Lavina Jadhwani and Directed by Guthrie Artistic Director Joseph Haj, they have once again breathed fresh life into Dicken’s classic ghost story of Christmas. I like that The Guthrie has created this tradition. I like to think of families getting together once a year at the holidays to take in a live show every year, theatre as a tradition. I’m not implying that people should see A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie every year, but create that tradition. This show is probably too dark and scary for kids under 12, but there are plenty of other shows, Annie at the Children’s Theatre Company is perfect for them. When the kids get to the age of 12, introduce them to this MN Staple of Christmas. The next year find another show perhaps Penumbra’s Black Nativity, and then another, and then, well then probably circle back to A Christmas Carol. There is a reason it’s in it’s 47th year, people come back to it. Partly because it is one of those stories that resonates with all of us. The other reason is that every so often, this year being one of those times, they refresh the show from top to bottom. This reimaging is a welcome change and shows the story in a new way.

A Christmas Carol was first published as a Novella in 1843, in 1844 the first stage adaptations appeared. It tells the story of a miserly old business man Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited on Christmas Eve by three ghosts sent by his old business partner Jacob Marley. The Ghosts are spirits of different times. The first is the Ghost of Christmas Past and shows him scenes from his past. Second the Ghost of Christmas Present, which gives him a look into the lives of those celebrating Christmas that year, including his nephew Fred, and the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Lastly the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, wherein he sees his own future and people’s responses to it. The point of these visitations sent to Scrooge by Marley is so that he might learn the error of his ways and change while there is still time. Scrooge of course comes to realize how he changed over time and of the fruitlessness of such a selfish existence. By the end of the play he has found the spirit of Christmas and no longers thinks of it as a humbug. What this new adaptation does that is different from its predecessor is early on Scrooge’s desire to change. Not simply from be frightened by the ghosts, but we sense very quickly he has seen the errors of his ways and is trying to find the path to redemption. Rather than being frightened not to change, we see a Scrooge who is seeking change. This shift in focus is a real change from previous versions, it doesn’t alter the plot but it does make Scrooge more of an active participant in his own redemption. It is a positive message and fits well with Dickens themes and message.

Matthew Saldivar as Scrooge gives a good performance, he finds humor when appropriate but also sells the desire for redemption. His Scrooge did strike me as too young. This Scrooge struck me as decidedly late middle age, which wouldn’t seem odd, if it wasn’t such a familiar character and one that we usually associated as being a bit older. I don’t know if this was a choice to play him younger or if they missed the mark in capturing the age they were going for. The Guthrie always puts together a fine ensemble of actors. Some standouts in this production were John Catron as Bob Cratchit, whose embodiment of the glass is always half full philosophy felt like a sincere representation of a deeply good person rather than a fool who doesn’t realize how badly off he is. Also Emjoy Gavino as his wife, who is not quite as charitable as Bob, but won over as we are by his unwavering goodness. They play a very well matched couple and their banter rings true. Charity Jones as the Ghost of Jacob Marley is a performance that felt rather fresh, it wasn’t the usual slow talking moaning ghost, there was a little more there and that definitely worked well and marked this as a fresh take on the material. It was also nice to see some local favorites in the cast like Regina Marie Williams and Tyler Michaels King.

Aside from the script changes the biggest alterations are on the technical side including a new set design, lighting, and projection effects. For the most part I found all of the new elements worked really well. I like the set design, this old London cityscape that seems to tower over the characters. Shifting into different configurations so that new elements can be brought forward or rotated to reveal a new environment. While much of it as I say works there were a couple of things that didn’t. First off, the scenery has windows that can be seen through, on a couple of occasions I was distracted by seeing characters I shouldn’t moving behind the scenery. Secondly, and I suspect this was more of a technical glitch but the clock face flickered at one point during the show in a way that did not look intended. Lastly, was a short scene where Scrooge visits a ship out at sea. Firstly, it felt unnecessary, like a cool set piece with a cool projection effect included because they could create this cool effect. Secondly, in terms of the sea projection it is an effective technique but it stayed on far too long after that scene had ended. We were into the next bit, back on land, and it will still running. Another very well executed technical aspect was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The Costume Designer Toni-Leslie James has created a costume that frightened Scrooge onstage and I didn’t feel so brave myself. It is a marvel and though there is no dialogue for Rush Benson the actor in the costume, wearing and controlling it took talent and it is done very well.

A Christmas Carol plays through December 27th at the Guthrie Theater in Downtown Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets got to https://www.guthrietheater.org/

Annie At the Children’s Theatre Company is the Perfect Family Outing This Holiday Season.

The Children’s Theatre Company has decided to stage for their first show since the Covid Pandemic shut theatres down, Annie. It’s a great show, Children’s maybe going the route Disney used to before home video and restaging when the next generation comes of age to enjoy it. That would be an ideal model, Annie is full of memorable songs and a nice dose of humor, making it a great introduction to live theatre for audiences. The original Broadway production debuted in 1977 with Book by Thomas Meehan, Music by Charles Strouse, and Lyrics by Martin Charnin. You can’t go wrong with this show and CTC has mounted an excellent production. An elegant set, a great cast make for the perfect outing this holiday season in the tradition of the annual pantomime.

Annie is set during the great depression, depending on the age of the child you might take, this can be an in to discussing a bit of history as well. Annie and her friends lives in an Orphanage under the strict eye of Miss Hannigan, who incidentally hates kids. Unlike the other orphans, Annie has hopes that she will be reunited with her parents. She has a locket and a note that was left with her by her parents. It says that they will be back for her when they can and will keep the other half of the locket so they will know each other when they come back. Annie has been waiting 11 years for them to come back and decides she has waited long enough. She sneaks out of the orphanage in the laundry basket and sets off to find them. Before long she has made friends with a stray dog, Sandy, but just as quickly she is caught by the police and taken back to Miss Hannigan. Luckily before Miss Hannigan can exact retribution on Annie, she is plucked from the orphanage by the personal secretary of billionaire Oliver Warbucks, Grace Farrell. Warbucks has decided to have an orphan stay with him for two weeks over the holidays. Before long, Annie has won over the industrialist and he has decided to adopt her. But when he learns of her note and locket it agrees to help her find her real parents. Enter Miss Hannigan’s Brother Rooster and his girl Lily St. Regis, who will cook up a scheme to pose as Annie’s real parents using Miss Hannigan’s inside knowledge of Annie’s locket and the note. Will they get away with it? Will Annie and Sandy ever be reunited? You can probably guess but you’ll have to see the show to know for sure!

There are two actresses playing the role of Annie on alternating days, I saw Lola Ronning and she was great! A nice singing voice and a stage presence that put her on equal footing with her adult counterparts. She never, and this is true of all the young actors, appears to be acting. She is just in character and completely natural. Other standouts in the cast are JoeNathan Thomas as Oliver Warbucks. Thomas was able to convey a busy man running an empire a complete master of his world, that also has a tender heart which is easily won over by Annie. His duet with Ronning on “I Don’t Need Anything But You” shows off both his musical chops and his naturalness with the young performer, there seemed to be genuine affection between them and a pride in the work Ronning was doing. Reed Sigmund is clearly having a lot of fun with the role of Rooster, his performance making it clear why they call him Rooster. And a standout in the excellent cast of ensemble players was Dean Holt who played multiple characters, each distinct. My favorite was Lt. Ward, who seemed like he stepped right out of a Frank Capra or Preston Sturges film from the 1930’s.

Directed by Peter Rothstein he keeps the show moving along nicely keeping the younger audiences attention for the most part. The Set Designer Vicki Smith has created a very practical yet elaborate set whose transitions between multiple locations are quick and fluid and each setup is a marvel. The sets and the environments they create may be more important in a children’s show than in an adult one. I think they can have their imaginations ignited by the creativity they see before them. Smith creates an orphanage, a mansion, a cityscape complete with overpass and skyscrapers. Lighting Designer Paul Whitaker helps to complete the feel of a 1930’s film. The Musica Direction by Victor Zupanc and the the orchestras performances are spot on. The show is filled with memorable songs like “Hard Knock Life”, “Tomorrow”, and “Maybe”

Annie runs through January 9th 2022 for more information and to purchase tickets go here https://childrenstheatre.org/.

New Production of “Oklahoma!” At The Orpheum Oh What a Beautiful Revival!

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II are Icons of the Broadway Musical, collaborating on five of the most well known golden age musicals: Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and of course Oklahoma!. Oklahoma! was the duo’s first full collaboration, which premiered on Broadway in 1943 and won a special Pulitzer Prize in 1944. One might expect that a show nearly 80 years old might have little to offer a modern audience. One would be mistaken. If you want to teach a young person about the art of theatre show them the Classic film version of Oklahoma! (1955) and then take them to see this revival. Without altering a word of the text the show takes on new meaning, the staging and performances demonstrating the way choices made by directors and actors can greatly affect a production. It is a reminder of why great works should be restaged and reinterpreted. There are choices made by individuals that can uncover new meanings. The new version is darker particularly in the ending. But, the show also contains a lot of humor and has all those classic songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein. This may not be the show to take Grandma too, even if she loved the film version, but it should play well for younger audiences, including teenagers. I would hope the ending in particular would illustrate something to the younger generation. This revival of Oklahoma! breathes new life into an American classic by more accurately portraying the America of today.

This revival which launched on Broadway in 2019 is directed by Daniel Fish. Fish along with Projection Designer Joshua Thorson and special effects creator Jeremy Chernick are responsible for the most impactful elements of the production. Fish has created a seismic change in the tone of the show. It is still the story of two love triangles: Laurey and her two suitors, Curly the Cowboy and Jud the Farm hand, and Ado Annie and her Cowboy the mathematically challenged Will Parker and the peddler Ali Hakim, who will do whatever he can not to win her hand in marriage. The audience has no doubt who either will end up with. Curly and Laurey have a Sam and Diane thing going, or if you are not a child of the 80’s, a Benedict and Beatrice thing. Plus it’s clear that Jud would be a candidate for school shooter in our times. You don’t need Shakespeare or Cheers to show you that Ado Annie isn’t going to end up with the guy who desperately doesn’t want to be with her over the man who repeatedly spends his last cent to try and win her hand. One change Fish has made that worked and didn’t work was in the Dream ballet. It works in that it’s an interesting and absorbing dance routine done in this version by a single dancer wearing a shirt saying “Dream Baby Dream.” It doesn’t work in that in changing it from the cast acting out a dream to simply an individual interpretive dance it loses its meaning for those not familiar with the concept that this sequence is supposed to be happening after she uses the Egyptian smelling salts and is reflecting the confusion she is having over her feelings for Curly and her anxieties and fear of Jud. Another aspect which does still work with this sequence is the use of video projection. Again I don’t see how the uninitiated will be able to grasp the concept of the ballet as it’s presented but it does add a quality to the sequence that, while not forwarding the story as the ballet did in previous versions, is all the same compelling. The video projection technique is used in a couple of scenes, where they basically have someone with a night vision video camera recording and casting through a projector the action that is happening on the darkened stage. The special effect that creates an impact and visually illustrates the message of this new production comes towards the end, so I’ll leave you to experience that for yourselves.

The casting of the 2019 revival was notable for its inclusiveness. Ali Stroker famously became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony Award for her portrayal of Ado Annie. I was pleased to see the touring company kept the casting colorblind and also chose to cast Ado Annie with another nontraditional choice. In this production Ado Annie is played by Sis, a black Transgender actor, who frankly steals the show. Ado Annie’s most famous song is “I Can’t Say No” and Sis’ performance resulted in a standing ovation in the middle of Act I. The rest of the cast is cast without an eye towards race. It’s nice to see the Hamilton effect in action. Sean Grandillo does a nice job as Curly. At first I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t take long for me to be won over by his guitar wearing interpretation, and I thought he had good chemistry with Sasha Hutchings’ Laurey. The other stand out was Christopher Bannow as Jud. The choices made with this character led one to see him as creepier than other versions while at the same time adding a sense of sympathy as he came across less as sinister and more are someone with some mental health issues. Bannow did a nice job of conveying this to the audience. Also making his last actions in the musical more ambiguous adds to the shift in tone that resonates more with a modern audience.

Oklahoma! runs through Sunday November 14th at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Minneapolis for more information and to buy tickets go to https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/oklahoma-broadway-tickets-minneapolis-mn-2021/