Next to Normal is a well known and highly celebrated rock musical that I had somehow never seen. Now that I have, I’m not sure I know where to start with this one. There is a lot to process, and I think in terms of content, everyone’s experience will differ. It’s going to depend on how close to home the themes and emotions explored in Next To Normal hit. There is one aspect that will strike everyone the same, the quality of the production is beyond reproach. That is no surprise, this is Artistic Director and co-founder of Theater Latté Da Peter Rothstein’s final production before he makes the move to a new state and a new creative adventure. Based on the quality of his work over the years, I don’t think there was the slightest doubt that he was going to end on anything but the highest of notes. For his final production he has brought us a show he’s been wanting to mount for years. As an audience, we are in the fortunate position of being on the receiving end of what happens when someone of Rothstein’s artistic vision has years to contemplate how to produce a certain show. The result is accomplished through the precise execution of every departments talents which culminates in an emotionally devastating production.

With music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal premiered Off-Broadway in 2008, opened on Broadway in 2009 winning three Tony Awards that year. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Next to Normal is an exploration of mental illness, specifically Bipolar Disorder and its effects on the person suffering and their family. The show tells us the ways in which her Bipolar Disorder manifests itself in Diana, the mother of a suburban family. We see her in the opening moments as a woman who seems to be holding the entire family together, worrying about her kids, advising them, and keeping the romantic spark alive in her relationship with her husband. Going in blind as I was to this story, the opening song reminded me of the more recent Dear Evan Hansen, and assumed one of the children would be the one with Bipolar Disorder. It wasn’t until she began making sandwiches on the floor that I realized I had it wrong. We will see through Diana’s visits to various Doctors the different treatments and the side effects of them, including ECT and the memory loss she suffers from it. We will also see the results of her condition on her relationship with her husband. We get a sense of what life is like for Diana but also for her husband Dan. The important thing about the work, it shows us the hardship that both Diana and Dan are dealing with day in and day out. It doesn’t judge either of them but allows them both to have their feelings and perspectives heard through the songs. We also see the effect on her children, particularly her daughter Natalie, who is in high school, which is hard enough. Natalie is driven to get a musical scholarship to get away from the home life that is all too uncertain and unstable. She begins a relationship with a fellow student, Henry, and we can see how her home life impacts that relationships development; it also leads to some exploration of drug use. While her relationship with Henry ultimately feels like a positive, it’s hard not to see some of the codependent aspects of her parents relationship developing between the young couple.

Leading the cast as Diana is Erin Capello who is absolutely flawless. A strong voice that never misses a note, never has a moment that feels less than at full power even when flooding it with emotions. Matt Riehle plays her husband Dan and a good match for Capello vocally. Dramatically, he captures the constancy of the character, but also shows us his frustrations and moments of hopelessness. Kyle Weiler plays their son Gabe and Audrey Mojica is Natalie. Weiler plays Gabe with a confidence which helps explain Diana’s over attentiveness to him. Mojica plays Natalie as someone who has learned to guard herself against caring too much about parental attention, as she is clearly not where her mother’s focus is. Henry is played by Sayer Keeley, who caught my attention two years ago at Stages in the role of Buddy in Elf, it’s great to see him in a professional role with such a prestigious company, and proves that he deserves to be there. The various Doctors are all played by Riley McNutt who as my wife pointed out, is an All is Calm boy and thus can do no wrong, which has yet to be disproven.

Rothstein has given us a tremendous parting gift in Next To Normal. Having not seen any previous productions, I can’t say what was inspired by other runs and if there’s a new take on the material. What I can say is that it all works beautifully. The Band led by Music Director Jason Hansen does what Theater Latté Da always does, makes a small group of musicians sound like a much larger group; they do Tom Kitt’s compositions justice. Paul Whitaker’s Lighting and Set Design are a thing of beauty. The lighted outline of the house gives us enough to suggest the settings, and the use of changing the outline from white to red makes the emotions in those moments pop. The decision to utilize a second layer both as the upstairs on the family home but also as the school music practice rooms help to clarify the change of locations and allowed for some visual variety. There is one aspect that I’m still wrestling with and it has nothing to do with this production, it’s with the book itself. I was going to try and keep this vague so as to avoid spoiling the story for others new to the show as I was, but as I tried to write it, it became obvious that no matter how vague I was, in order for it to make any sense almost anyone would know what happens. So skip to the next paragraph if you don’t know the show, and I promise to be brief. At the end of the show Diana decides to not pursue treatment, no more ECT and if I followed it correctly no more medications. Bipolar Disorder is incurable, it can only be treated. I have concerns about the message this sends. To put it another way, a person suffering from severe alcohol abuse has a right to drink themselves to death if they chose, but I’m not sure that’s the best reality to perpetuate.

Next To Normal, is a powerful and difficult work, I was moved throughout the performance by the emotional truths of its characters. Technically and artistically it’s superb, but be prepared to be put through the emotional wringer. Please note these trigger warnings (suicide, drug use, ECT, BiPolar Disorder). Next To Normal runs through July 16th at Theater Latté Da for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.latteda.org/next-to-normal

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. You can dial 988 or go to this link for more information and to access their chat service https://988lifeline.org/

Click here to listen to the new Twin Cities Theater Chat Podcast episode featuring an interview with Peter Rothstein https://bit.ly/43UtIuQ

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. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where 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 blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Theatre in the Round Players (TRP) has the ball at the 10 yard line, it’s 4th and goal and there are seconds left on the clock. If they score here they’ll close out the season with a perfect record. The curtains close to the arena and Jeffrey Nolan has the ball, it looks like he’s stumbling though (gasp!), but wait, it isn’t a stumble, it’s comedic genius! TRP using the Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood Play has scored!!!! The crowd goes wild with laughter! TRP has done it! A perfect theater season! Not only that but they seemed to gather steam and up their game in every area of production as the season wore on. Culminating in the most elaborate and immersive production design I’ve ever seen in this venue. Every season TRP, which is the oldest community theater in the Twin Cities, has some really good shows. so when they started with a strong production of Doubt, I wasn’t surprised. Then their annual Agatha Christie play, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, turned out to be their best Christie production ever. And then, play after play they didn’t take a single misstep, including their guest production of Wit. At $25 a ticket with a $5 discount for Seniors and students, or less than $19 a ticket if you go the season ticket route, which I highly recommend (checkout their upcoming season here https://bit.ly/TRP23-24Season), it’s quality to dollar the best ticket in town.

But enough about TRP, let’s get into this production of Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood. Maybe you saw the Yellow Tree Theatre’s production in 2021, I missed that one, partly due to scheduling and partly because frankly I couldn’t see how you do a Robin Hood Play on their stage. There were two things that really changed my expectations for this play. First, was seeing Ludwig’s Murder on the Orient Express adaptation recently at the Guthrie Theater, clearly this was a gifted playwright who knew how to successfully adapt a well known story. Secondly, the fact that after being produced in 2021, another theater was mounting a production so soon, that spoke volumes to the potential theatre companies were seeing in the play. When I think Robin Hood I think of Errol Flynn, swashbuckling action filled with archery and swordfights. I sort of forget about Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights, which is a more apt comparison to Ludwig’s play. I imagine Ludwig watching the Brooks film and saying to himself, “I can do better than that”. If that was the case, he was correct, he does. But don’t let me mislead you, it isn’t all silly jokes, there is a fair share of well designed swashbuckling as well. The script is filled with knowing winks including direct addresses to the audience.

Ludwig follows the general Robin Hood legend, if you’ve seen either of the films mentioned above or the Walt Disney animated feature from 1973, you’ll know the basics of the legend. King Richard of England has gone off to fight the crusades. In his absence his brother, Prince John along with his accomplices Sir Guy of Gisbourne and the Sheriff of Nottingham, are bleeding the country dry by raising taxes to fill their own pockets. With the people of England starving, Robin of Locksley becomes the outlaw Robin Hood, who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. He and his band of merry men and women make their home in Sherwood Forest carrying out their good deeds while thwarting and alluding Gisbourne and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin’s love interest is Maid Marian, who is not a damsel in distress in this version, but just as resourceful and skilled a fighter as Robin hood. The core group of of Robin’s crew are filled out by Friar Tuck, Little John, and Deorwynn. Deorwynn is a young woman whose father is killed by Gisbourne and who initially opens Robin’s eyes to what is happening to the people of England under Prince John’s rule.

The entire cast does a great job, from the leads to the ensemble, everyone understands the tone and knows when to be silly and when to be sincere. There are two absolutely brilliant performances that raise everything from “so good” to “Fantastic!”. Those are Jeffrey Nolan who plays the Sheriff of Nottingham and Lisa Shafer who narrates the play as Friar Tuck. I saw Nolan once before in Noises Off as Tim at the Lakeshore Players this past winter. I noted his unique take on the character and brilliant physical comedic bits, particularly during the intermissions, where at one point he spent several minutes somehow entangled with an end table. This production confirms the suspicion that Nolan is a major comedic talent. My only concern is that the theater community won’t know what to do with him as his vibe is so unique. If we don’t see him regularly going forward, it’ll be a disservice on the part of theater companies towards the theatergoing public. Shafer’s strong suit is the confidence and intelligence she brings to the role. Something in her eyes and smirk tells you she understands every letter of every line she speaks, not just the surface content, but every possible nuance, double meaning, and subtext. As the narrator we feel we are in good hands with Shafer. Lance Krohn and Madeline Achen play Robin Hood and Maid Marian with Michael Bloom as Gisbourne, Haley Dale as Deorwynn and Aaron Ruder as Little John. Finally, a broad but wickedly funny turn from Michael Bak as Prince John draws some hysterical laughs from the audience.

Director Stephanie Long pulls out all the stops to realize the various needs of the play. I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises in store, but you’ll witness the scaling of tower walls, death defying leaps from castles into moats, and arrows shot from bows during battles. Working in as immersive a set as I’ve ever seen in this space, and with the challenges of staging in the round, there are a few things that will be missed by a handful of audience members depending on where you are seated. My best advice when booking seats is avoid sections B and C and I think you’ll be able to fully appreciate everything. I want to draw attention to Sadie Ward’s set design which extends beyond the stage itself by crawling up every railing and wall and taking over the ceiling and lobby as well. there must be thousands of artificial leaves used in this production, as borne out by the the listing in the program of dozens of names as the Leaf Crew. The costumes by Colleen O’Dell and Carolann Winther are wonderful Renaissance Festival style garbs, I particularly like the Sheriff of Nottingham’s costume which looked like a second skin on Nolan and completed a perfect realization of the character. Also, top marks for Robert Hoffman’s sound design, if for nothing more than the sound of the arrows at the archery contest, and Mason Tyer’s Violence direction for thrilling and well executed sword fights.

Filled with laughs, action, and romance Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood is uproariously entertaining. The type of show that makes for a great family trip to the theater, appropriate and entertaining for anyone from the age of 8 to 85 (above 85 use your best judgement, it may be too funny for those with weak hearts or who have trouble catching their breath from laughing). The show runs through July 2nd at Theatre in the Round, for more information and to purchase tickets click here https://www.theatreintheround.org/home/season-placeholder/current_season/sherwood/.

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. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where 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 blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

After years of planning on the part of some members of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers and much practicing, we’ve officially gone live with our new podcast, Twin Cities Theater Chat. Before I forget, here is the link to our podcasts homepage https://bit.ly/TwinCitiesTheaterChatPodcast from there you can listen to our first two official episodes as well as two bonus bits of audio fun, which I’ll explain. But first, let me tell you about those official episodes, what they are and what they’ll be.

Twin Cities Theater Chat is going to consist of two different formats. The first will be a short form weekly podcast called TCTC Recommends. In those episodes, members of the TCTB community will gather and tell you what we each think is the show you should see that week. We’ll wrap up those episodes by letting you know what show we’re looking forward to the most. The first of those episodes has posted and it’s labeled TCTC Recs 6/5/23.

The second type will be a longer form, bi-weekly episode. The subject of these longer episodes will vary from episode to episode. Some will be interviews with a particular person, others will be discussions on a certain topic, we may focus on an upcoming production or a festival. We intend to explore theater from as many different perspectives and angles as we can. We’ve also published the first of those episodes and it’s an interview with the Artistic Director and co-founder of Theater Latte Da, Peter Rothstein, conducted by m’colleague Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon and Carol Jackson of http://www.mntheaterlove.com/

Now for those extra little bonuses, we have the audio from a Talk-Back that I moderated on behalf of the TCTB out at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. I spoke with the Director and stars of The Prom after a matinee performance on March 4th. The audio isn’t fantastic but our Producer, miracle worker, and driving force Carol Jackson has worked some magic and I think you’ll find it worth your time. It won’t be the same as being there in the room, that frankly was the highlight of my blogging career, to share the stage with those wonderful artists and to engage with the audience it what were truly meaningful ways. It’s almost a shame that was my first time hosting one of those, as I doubt I’ll ever top it. The second bonus is a test version we did a couple of weeks ago on the TCTC Recommends, it’s short and we do mention a few things that are still running so may be worth your time too.

At launch, the podcast has gone out to several of the most popular podcast listening apps, and more will be added over the next week or so. If July rolls around and it still isn’t available where you listen to podcasts, drop me a line and we’ll look into what we can do to get it on whatever site it isn’t hitting. You can always go to the host page and listen to episodes and follow me on facebook at @thestagesofmn and the TCTB on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers where we’ll post links to the latest episodes.

The Courtroom: A Reenactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings is being presented by Jungle Theater in two locations. The first group of performances is taking place in a mock courtroom on the campus of Hamline University in St. Paul. This is where I saw it and unfortunately, it has sold out the remainder of that run already. It will transfer to the Jungle Theater on June 13th and run there through July 2nd. This was one of the best uses of a nontraditional performance space that I have been witness to. The play is simplicity itself. We are witness to reenactments of the actual transcripts from three hearings held in the deportation proceedings of Elizabeth Keathley. There are no dramatic monologues, no gnashing of teeth or howling at the injustices of the judicial system. The actors are matter of fact and it becomes increasingly easy to lose sight of the proceedings as performance and view what you are experiencing as a real hearing. Which is deceptively hard to actually pull off and what makes the event so unique and engrossing.

Elizabeth married John Keathley, a U.S. Citizen in July of 2003 in the Philippines where she had lived her entire life. In May of 2004 she moved to the U.S. on a Visa and in November 2004 she went to the DMV to get a State ID and inadvertently registered to vote in the state of Illinois. She received a voter registration card and in November of 2006 she votes in an election assuming it’s legal for her to do so since the State had sent her a card in the mail. The result is that the Department of Homeland Security denies her application to become a citizen and she is classified as deportable. What we witness are the various hearings that will determine the future of Elizabeth Keathley, mother of one daughter with John and stepmother of his daughter from a previous marriage. What is at stake is dramatic, but the presentation is understated in such a way that it draws you in without realizing it. Like when a teacher begins talking really softly but it has the same effect as yelling. It’s not monotone or devoid of emotion, it’s devoid of what we think of as acting, it feels real, which is a credit to all of the actors involved.

The only actor that really gets to do much in the way of emoting is Stephanie Anne Bertumen as Elizabeth Keathley. She has some moments when she needs to compose herself, but as with every aspect of performance in The Courtroom: A Reenactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings, it’s indistinguishable from real life, so naturalistic and subtle. Dustin Bronson plays John Keathley and he’s making something of a name for himself playing characters that abhor being the center of attention. Like his character in Jungle Theater’s Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley last winter John is clearly ill at ease. Whereas then he turned that discomfort into comic gold, here it’s done in such a way that rather than laugh at him, we are won over to him, and becomes a person, not just a character, to entertain us. All of the judges and attorneys are equally grounded, there isn’t a false moment from anyone in the show. If you’ve ever had the chance to observe a actual hearing like this you’ll agree this feels like you’ve stumbled into an actual court hearing. The cast is rounded out by Vinecia Coleman, Alison Edwards, Jay Owen Eisenberg, Melanie Wehrmacher, Charlene Holm and in the performance I saw Understudy Megan Kim. The performance ends with the audience taking on the role of those about to be sworn in as new U.S. citizens. The judge for this portion will change between real local judges playing themselves and Lily Tung Crystal. For the performance I was at, we were given the oath by the Honorable Judge John Docherty. His remarks to the us as new Citizen’s are beautifully worded and express the ideals of our country. I wish his beliefs were those of all my fellow Americans, they echo my own, and they are a good reminder of what we as a country are meant to be.

The Courtroom: A Reenactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings is directed by James Rodriguez. Rodriguez’s choice to present it as if it was the actual hearings is absolutely the right approach. Choosing not to dramatize but simply present, reinforces our empathy. We identify with the character precisely because they do not feel like characters. This is a true story, one that lays bare all of the idiocy of Government bureaucracy. Where we see how the laws that exist can be followed to the letter and create grave injustices. It’s a reminder that sometimes there can be no justice so long as rules and laws are absolute. I was completely under the spell of this production, I was on the edge of my seat throughout, and you will be as well as long as you take the precaution not to read through the program ahead of time or during intermission. It’s safe to read the cast bios and Directors note, but stay away from the rest until after the curtain call.

I urge everyone to avail themselves of this unique theater experience. This is theater with a social conscience brought down to the most human level possible. One story reveals so much about our world, it’s flaws, it’s realities, it’s small victories and it’s quiet devestations. It also reveals our ideals and our potential. As I mentioned the run at Hamline University has sold out. I have seen photos of the set and space at the Jungle Theater and I feel like it will give you enough of that courtroom reality along with the fine work of the cast to pull you into Elizabeth Keathley’s world. The Courtroom: A Reenactment of One Woman’s Deportation Proceedings runs through July 2nd, for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.jungletheater.org/the-courtroom

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. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), here 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 blogger’s take on one I did. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers. Follow us to be the first to know about those happenings like our recent Prom Date with the TCTB that we held on March 4th at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres or our Pajama Party with the TCTB on May 4th at Artistry in Bloomington.

I am thrilled to finally share with you, faithful theater fans, the new podcast from the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers called Twin Cities Theater Chat!! Here is the link to our podcast homepage https://bit.ly/TwinCitiesTheaterChatPodcast We have our first bi-weekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also the first of our weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see, what we have on our schedules, and what we’re most looking forward too. Click on the link to listen, like, and subscribe. The podcast is slowly propagating out to the various podcast apps. If you don’t see it where you usually go for podcasts keep checking back we are confident that it will be available in most places within the next week or so.

Million Dollar Quartet: The Musical is a musical that takes place on December 4th 1956 at the Sun Records Studio. It’s based on an actual event when Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash all happened to be in the same place at the same time and ended up jamming together. The session was caught on tape and has been released in various formations beginning in 1981. In total there were 46 tracks, though most are incomplete songs, in total in runs a little under one hour and 20 minutes. It’s an interesting and historical moment in rock and roll history to be sure. Wisely, the authors of the musical, Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, use it as an incident to build a story around. Rather than utilizing the songs that were actually apart of that recorded jam session, they’ve sprinkled the show with a mixture of the four legends hits. The story such as it is, is threadbare and contrived and if you came to this show for a gritty behind the music drama about the early days in the music business, you’d be sorely disappointed. But, that is not the reason you should be attending Million Dollar Quartet: The Musical. The reason to venture out to the wild west of Excelsior to the Old Log theatre is the music. If you go with that in mind, you’re going to have a great time.

The show really comes down to the performers who are actually playing their own instruments. The star of the real recording session, according to Johnny Cash, was Elvis but in this production the performer that steals the show is Elijah Leer as Jerry Lee Lewis. Leer has Lewis’s flairtastic piano moves down, he stands to play, he sits to play, he plays while sitting on top of the piano. He also does a great job of mimicking Lewis’s unique vocal qualities. He goes for broke, which you need to do when playing Lewis, and it pays off. The second scene stealer comes from an unexpected corner, the character is Dyanne played by Myia Ann Butler. She is a stand in for Elvis’ girlfriend at the time Marilyn Evans who was a dancer. Dyanne on the other hand is a singer, which allows Butler to give us a fantastic rendition of the Peggy Lee song “Fever“. The character isn’t there for any reason other than Elvis had a girlfriend with him, but they don’t add any unnecessary jealous drama, instead she’s there to add a little class, some sex appeal, and give some stellar vocal performances. Mitchell Dallman plays Carl Perkins, the real life singer I’m least familiar, but he gives a good performance and sounds great rocking out. Eric Sargent plays Johnny Cash, he sings well in Cash’s style and is able to play the guitar in Cash’s unique style, he doesn’t look much like Cash, but what matters is the voice and he’s close enough on that count. Armando Harlow Ronconi plays Elvis Presley, he can play, he can sing, and he can dance, but there is a nagging sense watching him that he should be in Jersey Boys over at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Elvis is so iconic that it’s almost impossible for an actor to pull off, Ronconi tries, and it isn’t a bad singing or acting performance, there’s just something that screams ‘this isn’t Elvis’ about him. That isn’t his fault, butmore a casting issue. Playing someone that iconic, there has to be some aspect of being so spot on it overrides all the other things that would pull an audience out.

The show is directed by Christine O’Grady and she does everything right. She doesn’t let us get to bogged down in the flimsy plotline revolving around various contracts. She knows that’s just the little nuggets of story we need to get to the music and doesn’t give them more of the spotlight than is necessary. I like the set design by Erik Paulson, which is the Studio with the famous photo of the Million Dollar Quartet on the soundproofing tiles. It easily flies off stage when it comes time for the finale, which is really just some talented musicians and singers giving the audience a mini concert. But hey, let’s face it, that’s why we really came. The Music Director is Kyle Baker who is also on stage playing bass as Carl’s brother, Jay Perkins and he’s actually quite funny as well.

Million Dollar Quartet: The Musical is running out at Old Log Theatre for the foreseeable future tickets are on sale through February 17th 2024 at this time. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://oldlog.com/Shows/Million-Dollar-Quartet.

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. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), here 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 blogger’s take on one I did. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers. Follow us to be the first to know about those happenings like our recent Prom Date with the TCTB that we held on March 4th at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres or our Pajama Party with the TCTB on May 4th at Artistry in Bloomington.

Launching this week is a brand new podcast from the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers called Twin Cities Theater Chat!! Be sure to watch the Stages of MN Facebook page and the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers page for the first episodes.

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. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), here 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 blogger’s take on one I did. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers. Follow us to be the first to know about those happenings like our recent Prom Date with the TCTB that we held on March 4th at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres or our Pajama Party with the TCTB on May 4th at Artistry in Bloomington.

Launching this week is a brand new podcast from the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers called Twin Cities Theater Chat!! Be sure to watch the Stages of MN Facebook page and the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers page for the first episodes.

The picture above is the view from the front row where I am seated for Lyric Arts production of Our Town by Thorton Wilder. It’s about an hour before the scene displayed in the photo, in just a few minutes the show will begin. Behind me is a theatre full of folks as different from one another as any group of people, and yet in many ways we are all the same. We all have hopes and dreams, have experienced love and loss. Just like the characters in the play, who in the specific details are different from you and I. But, in the non-specific, even though they live in a time over 100 years ago, they are surprisingly like us. Off to the side is an actor I recognize, Rick Wyman, in a few minutes he will get up and participate in the production. A few rows back is m’colleague Jill who writes Cherry and Spoon, she will not be joining the actors on stage. In the specific different, but they’re both here because they love theater and in that way, are similar. In the lobby the smell of popcorn grabs you as soon as you walk in the door. Is there anything more enticing that the smell of freshly popped corn? I think not. So of course I have succumbed to the aroma and am settled in next to my wife with popcorn and a diet coke to see what I’m told is the most frequently produced American play, not just in the U.S., but in the world. It’s the play you’ve seen performed in countless TV shows and movies, every school district has performed it, it’s nearly impossible to avoid it in some form or other. For me it has always been the other, aware of its existence thanks to references in pop culture from Father Knows Best, The Wonder Years, and the X-Files. Like Rick, Jill, and I love theater, how is it that this is my first exposure to the actual play itself? Another production just closed at Open Window Theatre the opposite side of the Twin Cities in Inver Grove Heights. I chose Lyric Arts to experience Our Town for the first time, I have a fondness for this theatre that we discovered the weekend my wife and I got engaged. Quiet now, It’s 7:30pm. The Stage Manager has taken to the stage to announce the cast and prepare us, the play is about to begin, or has it already?

Some time has passed, it’s now about 10:00pm. We have spent most of that time in a little town called Grover’s Corners. In those two and a half hours, we’ve seen the town and a sampling of its people through twelve years, from 1901 to 1913. We’ve learned about the town, it’s geography, geology, and it’s genealogy. We have met many residents of the town to be sure, but our focus has been drawn to the Gibbs and the Webb families. I recently read that all theater is about life and by extension death. Our Town would seem to be the perfect play to support that thesis. It’s divided into three acts, Act I: Daily Life, Act II: Love and Marriage, and Act III: Death and Eternity. The most moving and beautiful human emotions are our response to love and death. Watching people give themselves over heart and soul to another person is one of the most joyful things in the world, watching them grieve for a loved one is one of the most sorrowful. When a production finds the emotional truth in either of those events it connects and results in an emotional response from the audience. I spent most of the second and third Acts with wet cheeks. The cast and crew of this production of Our Town, nailed it.

I have no frame of reference to judge this production by, it’s what I expected, and it isn’t. I knew there would be a narrator, I thought it would be old fashioned, it did premiere in 1938 after all. Thornton Wilder won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this play, one of three he won over the course of his career. My previous exposure to Wilder was for writing the first draft of the Alfred Hitchcock film, Shadow of a Doubt, which is about what happens when a malevolent force comes to a small town such as Grover’s Corners. Here Wilder allows the drama of life and death to unfold without an antagonist other than nature and life itself. He shows us a small town that could be any small town in the world, for most audiences Our Town becomes synonymous with my town by the end of the play. Thornton gives us details including dates that set the era but they all fade into the background because he wisely makes the character interactions universal. They’re not bogged down in current events or other things that might date them. They come from relationships between the characters: parent and child, husband and wife, young men and women. It’s amazing as one takes it in how little has changed in those dynamics over the 85 years since the play was written. Or perhaps it was the Directors and performers and the way they staged and performed the show. Either way, this doesn’t feel like a show that was written in the 1930’s.

The show is directed by Scott Ford, there is a decidedly minimalist approach to the productions design which is fine. The character of the Stage Manager makes no pretense that this isn’t a play. We have some chairs and tables that move about depending on where a scene is set. Ford emphasizes the meta vibe of the play and yet effectively creates a sense of reality in the firmly artificial setting. It’s the simplicity of the setting that allows us access to the characters souls. Ford lets the play speak for itself, his stylistic choices never distract from the characters emotional truth. Even the beautifully evocative dance that two ensemble actors Andrew Newman and Rae Wasson perform in the background while the young man and woman who will marry in Act II begin to fall in love doesn’t pull us out of, but rather deepens our connection to the underlying emotions of the scenes. A mention here of the music, Ben Emory Larson has composed a score for the play which is perfectly in synch with the tone of the production. Featured in the musicians is Jenny Liang who plays an instrument called an erhu, sometimes referred to as the “Chinese Violin”, has an amazing sound that seems to carry the souls of the characters along on it’s notes.

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I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), here 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 blogger’s take on one I did. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers. Follow us to be the first to know about those happenings like our recent Prom Date with the TCTB that we held on March 4th at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres or our Pajama Party with the TCTB on May 4th at Artistry in Bloomington. Launching this week is a brand new podcast from the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers called Twin Cities Theater Chat!! Be sure to watch the Stages of MN Facebook page and the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers page for the first episodes.