Eurydice is the third Sarah Ruhl production to be staged in less than a year. Last March, Theatre Pro Rata gave us the gender non-conforming story of Orlando. It was then followed last summer with Yellow Tree theaters, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play). I enjoyed both of those works immensely, and given the season Theatre in the Round Players (TRP) has been having, expectations were high for this one. What can I say, TRP is on a roll, this is another winner. Perhaps their most accomplished set and lighting design ever, certainly the best I’ve seen. Sarah Ruhl is working her way up my list of favorite playwrights as well with another thought provoking and engaging script.

Not being a student of mythology I was grateful that I’d recently had a little refresher in the form of last springs Hadestown tour at the Orpheum of the Orpheus myth from which Eurydice is another interpretation of. The main difference in this telling, it’s not Orpheus’ story but Eurydice’s. Not set in ancient times but in a version of our own world. Ruhl also makes other changes to the basic story, in her version, Eurydice’s father is already dead and writes her a letter for her wedding day, which he hopes will somehow reach her in the land of the living. The letter is found instead by The Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld (Hades for short), who lures her away from her wedding party by promising to show her the letter which says was delivered by mistake to his high-rise apartment. Rather than being killed by a snake, she instead falls in her attempt to escape Hades’ unwanted seduction. When she arrives in the underworld she is greeted by The Stones, Six stones who can talk and move and function as Ruhls unique take on a greek chorus. Her memory of the upper world is mostly gone and the the language of the underworld is limited. It’s in these moments that Ruhl finds a way to inject humor into the production. The underworld is surreal, reminding one at times of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Her Father finds her and though she doesn’t know him at first, he eventually gets through to her and her memories begin to return. Throughout her time down below, Orpheus is trying to reach her. He’ll eventually make his way to her and this will be set up the traditional chance to lead her back to the land of the living. Where as long as he doesn’t look back to make sure she is following him they can both return to the upper world.

This is a superb cast led by Eva Gemlo as Eurydice. Gemlo gives a nimble performance switching direction, emotion, and style from moment to moment and exceling every step of the way. She’s light and breezy at the opening as she is enjoying living and loving and when she first arrives in the underworld she doesn’t miss a beat as she goes into absurdist nonsensical comedy mode. There is a decided lack of heat or chemistry between her and Troy Lowry, Jr.’s Orpheus. The real emotion comes through in the relationship with her Father played by Jim Ahrens. Both Gemlo and Ahrens sell the father daughter relationship to the point where it’s unclear if Ruhl’s intention is to pivot the heart of the play from the romantic relationship we normally associate with the story, to that of the familial, or if their performances are responsible for the shift. Either way, the heart lies Gemlo and Ahrens relationship. Corey Boe as Hades, in what I think is the fourth performance I’ve seen him in, finally gets a chance to let down his hair and surprise us. We basically see him in three guises and each is radically different from the others. Always solid in previous roles, this performance gets me excited about him as a performer and looking forward to what he does next. Finally, I have to list the performers who play The Rocks, their movements and vocal timing as the chorus is too perfect and beautiful not to mention each one of them by name. Marie Finch-Koinuma, Lena Menefee-Cook, Morgan Mulford, Tess Rada, Caleb Reich, and Kassy Skoretz.

Sophie Peyton directs the hell (pun intended) out of this production. So many choices are bold and surprising from the use of music to Hades first appearance in the underworld. I’d say, I would love to see what she would do with a Guthrie budget with this play, but I kinda think it wouldn’t make any difference. I don’t think you can improve on what they’ve done here. Bigger doesn’t mean better, and the creativity that has gone into the staging and the performances she’s gotten from this group of artists is everything you could want. There’s something to be said about the intimacy of a smaller theatre, where as is the case here, there are actors sitting next to your seat at times in the aisles. Kelly Nelson is the Movement Director, if you don’t really understand what is meant by that, after you see Eurydice you will. There are moments of movement that feel are simply beautiful in a way I cannot express in words, one of which is Eurydice’s fall and descent into the underworld. The Set and Lighting were co-designed by Crist Ballas and Dietrich Poppen, you can feel how entwined the lighting is with the set. This is the best set design and lighting I’ve ever seen at TRP. I’m going to mention the Assistant Lighting Designer as well Noelle Kirscht, because this is one beautiful looking show. The Costume Designer is Sarah Christenson, there is no way to improve upon the work here, it’s really good. I really loved Hades final costume, it’s a page out of something from a Tim Burton movie. The Sound Designer is Robert Hoffman and it again is just as good as anything I’ve seen at TRP before. I don’t want to leave the wrong impression here, I’ve always really enjoyed TRP, they didn’t need “improving” or anything. That said, something is different this year, they have stepped up their game and I for one am hoping this winning streak lasts a long, long time.

Aside from a fantastic production, this is also one of the most reasonable tickets in town. It’s great that there is a theatre in town offering this level of theatre at prices a family can afford. For more information and to purchase tickets to Eurydice go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To Subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Such as our recent Prom Date with the TCTB at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. The talk back for which can be viewed here https://bit.ly/promtalkback

Mercy Unrelenting is the true story of the Catholic Saint Maria Goretti and her murderer Alessandro Serenelli. It’s a brutal story filled with horrific acts and should not be attended by who may have endured a violent sexual or non-sexual assault, or is under the age of 14, would be my recommendation. With that out of the way, it’s an extremely well acted and ultimately inspirational story that will leave you pondering forgiveness, but also what message is sent by the canonization of Maria Goretti. It makes a strong case for the peace that can come from accepting forgiveness from others and from yourself.

The play is written and co-directed with Stephen O’Toole, by Jeremy Stanbary. Stanbary also plays the older version of Serenelli that we meet as the play opens. A female journalist named Vittoria Cimarelli has been given permission to interview Serenelli by his superior. This occurs nearly 50 years after the murder was committed, and around the time that Maria Goretti is becoming a Saint of the Catholic Church. We see the story that Serenelli tells Cimarelli played out in flashback on the stage. Maria Goretti was a 12 year old girl who was stabbed 14 times by Alessandro Serenelli after refusing to submit to his demands for sexual favors. On her death bed, she forgave Serenelli. For years, locked away in prison Serenelli was unrepentant. One night he had a vision of Goretti and afterwards requested to see the Chaplain. When he was released from prison he spent the remainder of his life a lay brother of the order of Friars, Minor Capuchin, as the gardner and receptionist.

Sarah Stanbary plays Serenellis interviewer, Vittoria Cimarelli. Jeremy also plays Giovanni, Alessandro Serenelli’s father, in the flashback sequence. Both give excellent performances. Jeremy is so effective in both roles that despite having a similar appearance, a striking beard and bald head, I had to check my program to ensure it was the same actor. Sarah gets a very powerful moment in the second act when she reveals a secret of her own that really challenges Serenellis beliefs. It’s an emotionally raw scene and both Stanbarys are riveting in it. Dawson Ehlke plays the young Serenelli and Abby Slater is Goretti. Again fantastic casting, the pair of them build such tension and suspense in the scenes leading up to the murder. The cast is rounded out with Molly Delaney Druffner as Assunta Goretti, Maria’s Mother. Jeromy Darling plays The Prosecutor in a short seen at the beginning and the prison guard throughout. Finally, a friend Tim Perfect in not one, not two, but three pretty much one scene roles. I was looking forward to see Tim but was disappointed in the lack of stage time he has despite playing three roles. His best role is the Doctor who attended Maria, he describes the wounds and the surgery she endured without anesthetic and speaks of the girls braveness, it’s a nice if all too short moment.

Stanbary and O’Toole direct the action which takes place on and a round a stage built in the shape of a cross. I like the way the elder Serenelli was gardening around the cross and then the story he was telling, the flashback, took place upon the cross. Essentially, we have Maria dying on the cross, Serenelli suffering years in prison upon the cross, and old repentant Serenelli caring for the cross. The set design is by Nate Farley and it works well in conjunction of some well executed but simple projections designed by Jeremy Stanbary. Olivia Lundsten does some neat effects with her lighting design using light to create the vision Serenelli sees in his prison cell and giving us the shadow of bars on the ground to emphasize that he is caged, as there are several moments of dialogue that refer to people as either not being animals or being nothing more than an animal.

Mercy Unrelenting runs through March 26th at Open Window Theatre in Inver Grove Heights for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://openwindowtheatre.org/live-theatre/

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To Subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Such as our Prom Date with the TCTB that we held on March 4th. If you didn’t make it to that event there’s still time to see the The Prom at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and you can use the discount code TCTB1 for $20 off each ticket on performances through 3/12/23.

So I’m having one of those weeks where I see all sorts of strange little connections and it’s as if these things are signs, letting me know I’m on the right path. Last Sunday, I reviewed Minneapolis Musical Theatre’s production of Analog and Vinyl, in it I mentioned that the first show I saw of theirs was Be More Chill, which started me on the path to creating The Stages of MN. The Wedding Singer featured two actors I recognized from Be More Chill, Caitlin Featherstone and Doni Marinos. Wednesday I reviewed Tina – The Tina Turner Musical at the Orpheum, in The Wedding Singer there is a Tina Turner impersonator. Saturday my friends and I, collectively known as the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, are hosting a Prom Date with the TCTB at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. The Prom‘s music is by Matthew Sklar with lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Three guesses, the first two don’t count, who wrote the music and lyrics for The Wedding Singer? Ding ding ding that’s right! Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Don’t, tell them what they’ve won, it’s a look into the bizarre way in which my mind makes patterns out of coincidences that I can use to justify spending most of my free time going to the theatre and writing about it. You know what else The Wedding Singer did? It made me smile, it made me laugh out loud, and it had me tapping my feet along with the music. One other connection, the first show I ever saw at Lyric Arts was Rent, my now wife and I saw it there the weekend we got engaged, tonight we were back in a theatre that acts as a reminder of our wedding to see The Wedding Singer.

The Wedding Singer is based on the 1998 Adam Sandler film which was written by Tim Herlihy who co-wrote the book for the musical with Beguelin. I have never seen the movie, I suspect I’m in the minority there. I probably will see it now, though I don’t expect it to be nearly as good as what I saw on stage at Lyric Arts on Friday. It’s your standard rom-com, they rarely do anything that unique. What separates the good ones from the rest isn’t a unique plot, but the quality of the humor, the performances, and above everything, whether it gets through your defenses and into your heart. If it doesn’t do that, the best jokes in the world are not going to elevate it. In the case of musicals, there are those that feature songs that seem to be improvised. By which I don’t mean they feel spontaneous, I mean they have the feel of that segment on Who’s Line is it Anyway?. Like an accomplishment that they made it work, but not anything your going to leave the theater and start singing along with in the car. Thankfully, The Wedding Singer doesn’t have that style, it has proper songs that have melodies and choruses. I shouldn’t be surprised, The Prom doesn’t have a bad song in the show. I should know, I’ve listened to it 237 times. This was my first exposure to the music of The Wedding Singer, but based on how caught up in the songs I was during the performance, I suspect It’s going to earn multiple slots on my musical playlist when I give the Broadway Cast album a few listens – if Apple Music carried it. I liked the energy and the clever lyrics of the songs as well as the humor in the script. It’s not as mature as The Prom, but it’s very easy to see that they came from the same creative DNA. The Prom will make you laugh out loud and let your inner rock star out to jam along with it’s toe tapping songs.

What I want to to talk about rather than get bogged down in plot are the performances. Chris Paulson as Robbie Hart, the titular wedding singer and Haley Methner as his love interest Julia are both great in their roles. I’ve been a fan of Paulson since seeing him in Bright Star at Lyric Arts several years ago, and his run as The Guy in Once last season at DalekoArts was fantastic. Methner is new to the Twin Cities and I’m sure we are going to be seeing and hopefully hearing a lot more from her, a very welcome addition to our areas talent pool. But I want to shine a little light on some of the supporting and ensemble roles. Caitlin Featherstone shows off her fantastic dance skills and her talent for broad comedic caricatures with a hilarious take on the baby talking bride. Justin Michael, whom I first saw in Something Rotten! at Lyric Arts is the wedding singers bassist and best friend Sammy. Michael’s unusual look disarms you against the talent that bombards you once he gets rolling. I’d say he was a surprise but I saw him as Nostradamus, so I new he had the goods. Sher U-F as Grandma Rosie should be arrested for theft as she steals every scene she’s in. Morgan Kempton is a member of the ensemble who plays the bride at the first wedding that Robbie and his band perform at when the show opens. There is a lot going on in that first scene, lots of dancing and background information coming at you, but all eyes are on Kempton. If there was a moment in this show where you looked at a performer and thought, this moment feels real, it’s seeing her in her wedding dress on her wedding day. You see her, the light in her eyes, the smile on her face, and you believe this is the happiest day of her life and that joy makes her the most beautiful person in the entire theatre (except of course my wife). Audrey Johnson plays Holly, Julia’s best friend and Sammy’s ex-girlfriend, she’s got a stunner of a song with “Right in Front of Your Eyes”. And finally ensemble member Alex Stokes, somebody write this boy a show, this is the third time I’ve seen Stokes and the he gets a brief scene as the best man at that first wedding that properly utilizes him. The show that took the best advantage of him was Nimbus Theatre’s A Count Up To Christmas. This guy has a niche, he couldn’t pull of The Guy in Once or Robbie in The Wedding Singer, he has a different skill set, which is unique and needs to be utilized. I couldn’t even tell you what role he should be cast in, but he’s got something and I have a feeling nobodies quite sure what it is yet. I repeat, somebody needs to write a show for this guy, I would be first in line.

Director Jake Sung-Guk Sullivan and Choreographer Michael Terrell Brown fill the stage with energy and creativity. The staging of a scene in a revolving restaurant is really well done. The dance moves throughout are really well synchronized and full of energy. Wesley Frye is the Music Director and the band is Burning Sensation who perfectly capture the sound of the 1980’s. Justin Hooper Set Design is versatile, transforming with little effort into various locations, the bed in Grandma Rosie’s basement is particularly inventive. The costumes by Emma Kravig are a hoot! Wait until you get a look at Robbie’s outfit to go clubbing in. This is a production that really just comes together beautifully from a truly cohesive ensemble cast to the parachute pants.

The Wedding Singer runs through March 26th at Lyric Arts in Anoka for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/the-wedding-singer

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To Subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Such as our Prom Date with the TCTB that we held on March 4th. If you didn’t make it to that event there’s still time to see the The Prom at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and you can use the discount code TCTB1 for $20 off each ticket on performances through 3/12/23.

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical is a story of second acts and comebacks having come of age in the 1980’s. I was familiar with Tina Turner’s music from that period and aware that she was divorced from Ike Turner, who was an abusive husband. When it came to Ike and Tina Turner, beyond two or three of their 60’s and 70’s hits, I was more or less unfamiliar with their music or the details of their lives. This made for an interesting first act filling in the biographical details, and hearing some really good but unfamiliar classic R&B songs. As interesting as the first act was, like Tina’s career, the show really comes alive in the second act. Realizing what a comeback Tina Turner really made is astonishing. Speaking of astonishing, be warned, do not leave at the curtain call or you are going to miss the best part of the show. The show ends with an encore after the curtain call, basically a showstopper after the show ender, which was in and of itself a real showstopper! I had a great time Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, it brought me back to my teenage years when songs like “Private Dancer” and “What’s Love Got to do With It?” where featured.

The book for the show was written by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins. It begins with a young Anna Mae singing in church loudly, which embarrasses her mother but pleases her father. This results in what we assume is a typical partner of an argument between her parents that leads to physical abuse. Anna Mae’s mother leaves her husbanding taking her older sister Alline with her, but leaving Anna Mae behind to be raised by her Grandmother. Later, when she is 17 her mother sends for her to come live with her and Alline. Alline takes her out with her friends where she eventually meets Ike Turner, where he discovers she’s a good singer, and convinces her mother to let her tour with him. Ike renames her Tina Turner, they get married, and he forces her to promise never to leave him. Ike is a controlling and abusive man, who is clearly at the mercy of his fragile male ego. After 16 years of marriage, Tina finally decides she must leave Ike. She apparently has the worst divorce lawyer on the planet as she then spends the next however-many years working every singing gig she can book at night just to make ends meet, even after she’s been a charting R&B singer. The success she has after taking a chance on a new manager and switching to the Rock-N-Roll genre is like a fairytale.

The Performance I saw had 11 changes to the posted cast list and I see the matinee on Thursday is cancelled due to illness. The actor I saw perform as Tina Turner was understudy, Parris Lewis. I didn’t know the understudy was in while watching the performance. I had no reason to suspect it was an understudy because she put on one heck of a good show. Garratt Turner was Ike Turner and he plays the brutalizing control freak so perfectly, that when Tina finally has enough and fights back, the crowd cheers when she lays him out. As you would expect the singing is very good throughout and there was one particular singer that really won the crowd over. Ayvah Johnson as young Anna Mae is fantastic, she really gets a nice spotlight moment in that encore I mentioned. Believe me you want to stay until the end of this production!

The production is directed by Phyllida Lloyd with Anne Shuttlesworth as Musical Director and Conductor. The show flows well and while somewhat small feeling in comparison to something like Ain’t Too Proud, I think that makes the final moment before the curtain call really pop! The physical confrontation in particular are handled rather convincingly, thanks to the Fight Direction by Sordelet Inc. The Set Design and Costume Designs are by Mark Thompson, and it’s very simple set that is augmented creatively by Jeff Sugg’s Projection Design. The final set reveal is really impactful and is well assisted by the projections used. Bruno Poet’s Lighting Design makes you feel like you are in the audience of a rock concert. It’s a smallish scale production but an effective one.

Tina – The Tina Turner Musical runs through March 12th at the Hennepin Theatre Trusts Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/tina-the-tina-turner-musical-broadway-tickets-minneapolis-mn-2023/ .

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To Subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

My fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers and I would like you to be our date to The Prom at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre March 4th matinee performance! We have a discount code that will save you $20 per ticket, and we’ll be hosting a talkback afterwards with the Director Michael Brindisi and cast members Monty Hays, Maya Richardson, and Tod Petersen. click on this link to purchase tickets, the code should apply automatically to get you that discount. And hey, if you cannot make it to the March 4th performance you can use that code for any performance through March 12th use the code TCTB1 for $20 off each ticket. Follow the TCTB on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.