Cold Planet Warm Heart is a new musical from Daniel Pinkerton and Robert Elhai having it’s world premiere at the Crane Theatre. The Musical is staged by Fortune’s Fool Theatre of which Pinkerton is a co-producing Artistic Director along with his daughter, one of the actors in the show, Ariel Pinkerton. It’s a sweet little story about an alien who crash lands in Median Minnesota, which from the name we can assume is an average midwestern small town. The alien named Wubu is befriended by Andy a linguistics expert who has dropped out of her PHD program, lives in her Mother’s basement, and works as a Barista. Filled with touches of regional humor, sprinkled with Science-fiction easter eggs, and sporting a positive message it’s a low-fi sci-fi musical the whole family can enjoy.

Book and Lyrics are by Daniel Pinkerton with the music by Robert Elhai. The music has a toe tapping quality that keeps the proceedings up beat with a pop-rock vibe. Like many science fiction stories, Pinkerton’s script is clearly a commentary on our society with the outer space aliens taking the place of undocumented aliens. The show is staged as if it’s a pageant put on by the locals for tourists. Andy’s job is at Lagos Coffee and Tea run by Ifede who immigrated to the US from Africa twenty years ago with who she can practice her language skills. Her best friend is Sprocket who owns a local auto repair shop and not so secretly, pines for Andy and who’s with her when they witness Wubu’s spaceship crash. Andy quickly picks up on Wubu’s language which has a basis in musical notes. There is an ICE Agent who complicates matters adding the requisite drama and need for Wubu to find a way to escape.

The cast is good, but did feel slightly under rehearsed, possibly intentional to convey the idea of locals putting on a reenactment. There was one standout, Xan Mattek as Sprocket has a confidence, stage presence, and the voice best suited to her role. The entire cast does good work but most seemed to have moments where it seemed the singing was occasionally just out of their ideal range or they had over-taxed their vocals. It’s not bad, but there is a slightly discordant nature to it. Many of the cast play multiple roles, Fawn Wilderson for example plays Ifede and the Hockey Coach. Ifede is the deeper character and there are sweet moments of connection between her and Andy as they converse in her native tongue. Eryn Tvete plays Jerome K. Jerome the ICE agent and Mrs. Nelson, as Nelson she provides some fun MN humor, a bit of that exaggerated accent made famous by the film Fargo. Ariel Pinkerton plays Wubu which is a silent role as their musical language is provided by the band. Pinkerton uses her large expressive eyes and gift for body language to help communicate to the audience her characters feelings without the use of speech.

The band is a quartet made up of Musical Director Justin D. Cook conducting and on keyboards, Steve Cochran on Guitar, Brian Glenn on Drums and Percussion, and Joan Griffith on bass guitar and guitar. The costumes are by A. Emily Heaney, the highlight is Wubu’s costume which has extra appendages, it’s pretty cool looking though Director Jen Scott could have staged the production to show it off a little more effectively. Wubu’s translations are projected on the right side of the stage, which works well when they are on the right side of the stage where Andy’s Bedroom is located, but when they spend a scene in the Coffee shop on the left side of the stage, it’s a lot trickier to watch the action and read the subtitles. It would have been nice if they could have been on both sides of the stage or more centrally located.

Cold Planet Warm Heart runs through November 19th at the Crane Theatre in Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://tix.gobo.show/events/event/t6avXq60qef4G0GVZRx7

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 when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. 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 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.

I don’t talk about my companions for shows very often but I think this one is a good exception as it illustrates how universal the appeal of the productions by The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company (GSVLOC) can be. My plus one for H.M.S. Pinafore was the girlfriend of my oldest son, a 20 year old woman for whom this is her 4th show, aside from vaguely remembering seeing something in Junior High. Someone who has not been exposed to any form of Opera directly. Now I’ve said in previous reviews of GSVLOC that the Gilbert & Sullivan oeuvre is a link between traditional opera and the modern musical and as thus a nice introduction to novices. My seatmate enjoyed it immensely and ranked it second of the four shows she’s seen, all of which have been in the last 30 days. Now not every young person is as open to being exposed to new things theatrically, but if they express an interest you can be confident they are going to find it entertaining and engaging and most importantly accessible, no prior Opera experience needed. H.M.S. Pinafore is silly in the best G&S tradition and the large cast are all in step with the tone and tongue in cheek nature of the work. As always, the GSVLOC lean into a modern sensibility without losing sight of the creators intentions, taking minor but clever liberties with the occasional dialogue or lyric. Featuring a cast of nearly three dozen, the sound of both vocals and orchestra are thrillingly note perfect.

H.M.S. Pinafore was the first of many successes of the treasured duo of Arthur Sullivan, who wrote the music, and W.S. Gilbert who wrote the Librettos. Premiering in 1878 it led to an off again on again partnership which created a body of work so beloved that there are theater companies who solely produce their work. Set entirely on the British navel ship of the title, it’s a tale lovers kept apart by class, parents, and rivals. As much a satire of the Royal Navy and the British class system, as a story of star crossed lovers. The humor flows from the absurdities inherent in all of these targets, and the resolution is right out of one of Shakespeare convoluted comedies. The plot hardly matters, it’s the execution that makes the work sing.

A cast so large cannot be singled out particularly when each voice is essential in creating the wonderful sound of this superb production. But, there are a couple of favorites to mention. Kaoru Shoji who plays Josephine, the heroine of the show has a wonderful voice and and excellent stage presence. She really shines performing with Scott A. Gorman as her father and Scott Benson as the First Lord of the Admiralty as they all think they have agreed to a belief that will get them what they want though they are at cross purposes. Benson is hilarious as the idiot in charge of the Navy who’s never been to sea and hilariously, can’t even draw his sword without help from his cousin. Anthony T. Rohr is in fine voice as Ralph Rackstraw Josephine’s Sailor love and Josh Conroy’s deep rich voice is as powerful vocally as his character Dick Deadeye is repulsive to his fellow shipmates, which is to say very!

Music Director and Conductor Randal A. Buikema deserves high praise, it’s not often that I enjoy An Overture, I’m usually wishing the show would just begin already. But This Overture was so joyful and upbeat and beautifully rendered, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Gary Briggle directs the show finding a way to somehow have 30 people of stage at the same time without tripping all over themselves, but actually always appearing like they were exactly where they should be. His directorial touch is light and filled with humorous touches throughout including his clever cell phone lyrics before the show begins. Set Designer and Scenic Painter Wendy Waszut-Barrett has created a splendid set complete with riggings for the sails and a spinning steering wheel. Costume Designer Barb Portinga does a good job considering she’s dressing such a large cast, a few of the sailers costumes are a little ill fitting but it works as they a relatively shapeless uniforms anyway.

H.M.S. Pinafore runs through November 19th at The Conn Theater in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://gsvloc.org/on-stage/

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 when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. 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 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.