The Brontide From Nimbus Theatre at the Crane Theater Tackles Very Relevant Creative Themes

The Brontide the latest work from Nimbus Theatre is packed full of ideas, to the point where at intermission you’re wondering if it’s been over stuffed. But Playwright Josh Cragun brings everything home, answering all the questions you find yourself discussing during the interval. That’s not to say that the play couldn’t do with a little pruning, at 130 minutes it feels slightly long. I liked the story, I liked all of the themes it was exploring, I liked all of the characters. If there is one criticism I have is that it feels like the material wants to be a Limited Television series rather than a play. Cragun does a great job of packing everything into a thoughtful and satisfying story, don’t get me wrong, but there are signs of what this wanted to be. One is the amount of scene changes, it wants to change scenes every two to five minutes. Also there are multiple storylines and characters going on that are unrelated until towards the end when they intersect. One character, that of Raveena, could be cut from the play entirely, but if expanded into a TV series could be really interesting. The role is played well by Wasima Farah, it’s not about the performance it’s about the sense that the characters function is all potential, but when you think about her function plotwise, it could easily be covered by other characters.

Here’s where I’m supposed to give you a plot synopsis, but I’m not going to. Instead, I’ll tell you about the themes the work explores. It’s about the nature of storytelling, the dangers of A.I., the creative stifling caused by corporate greed, and the dangers of over reliance on I.P.’s. These are some really interesting topics which they do a nice job of exploring without beating them to death. It’s shows us examples of some of these concepts with explaining them trusting the audience to carry the thoughts through. One of the concepts that has conflicted with the creative process in the last century or so is that of the copyright. Now obviously, the creator of something should have the right to protect it and earn from their art. But somewhere along the way those protections kept getting extended to the benefit of corporations as opposed to individuals. As the play points out in it’s opening scene there are a finite amount of stories. The creative process isn’t just about creating something entirely new, more often then not it’s about innovating or adapting that which has come before. Shakespeare, arguably the greatest writer in the English language, adapted many of his works from existing tales, and plays by others. But he didn’t just rewrite them he used his talents to make them better, to adapt and innovate. Corporate greed tries to prevent artists from doing the same and that is a major plot point of this play. If these are ideas you think about or discuss with friends, I think you’ll find a lot of interesting talking points in The Brontide.

This is truly an ensemble production, no one has the lead or steals the show, everyone is good even if no one especially stands out. Which works well in a piece like this, everyone does their part and seems like they are performance wise on the same level. In a true ensemble production the worst thing you can have is one or two people in the cast who are either way better or way worse than everyone else. The discrepancy is jarring, and will take the audience out of the show. The Co-Directors Mitchell Frazier and Ernest Briggs do a good job of keeping the show flowing despite the heavy number of scene changes. I do think they could tighten things up by having lights dim on one scene and come up on another, allowing for some minimal scene changing to be done silently in one area of the stage while the play moves forward in another. The set design by Erin Gustafson certainly allows for that approach, it’s very versatile and segmented allowing for all the changes of location. I really enjoyed the costumes designed by Rubble&Ash, there are two characters that morph into a sort of human insect hybrid , with very simple but effect costume and movement.

The Brontide runs through June 9th at the Crane Theater in NE Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://nimbustheatre.com/productions/the-brontide

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Machinal From Clevername Theatre Is a Successful Return to an Earlier Time in Many Ways

Machinal the new production by Clevername Theatre has the style and tone of a silent film. The set and prop designs by Connor McEvoy are a series of wooden furniture pieces that shift and fit together in new configurations like some bizarre jigsaw puzzle from the world of Dr. Caligari. Combined with the stylized performances of the cast the entire production seems based in a world of expressionism rather than reality which I absolutely loved about this show. The opening scene takes place in an office where the sound design by Alexander Gerchak combined with overlapping chatter of the workers creates an environment that is cacophonous. This places the audience in the position to empathize with the main characters state of mind. The play set in the 1920’s tells the story of a young woman who feels stifled by the world and trapped by the limited choices she has in life. In fact, she feels like there are no choices to be made when her boss proposes marriage, she wants to say no, but tells herself that all woman have to get married, and her Mother informs her love doesn’t enter into it. So she agrees, and the only ones more uncomfortable on her wedding night than her might just be the audience. It’s a masterfully performed and directed scene that plays upon our societal and personal experiences to a heartbreaking effect.

Front and center is the at times fragile and other times wondrous performance of Victoria Jones as the young woman. Jones manages to own the stage even as she appears to shrink from the light and tremble and every touch from the characters around her. Director Grace Barnstead has the entire cast on the same tonal discord, their performances don’t hold a mirror up to reality they hold a funhouse mirror up to a dream. Bruce Abas plays the husband as the type of man who assumes his wife only wants to hear about him and his same old jokes and turns of phrase. Kjer Whiting is wonderfully obtuse as the mother, only concerned with the day to day tasks and unable to comprehend or discuss anything emotional. Caulden Parkel is quite amusing playing, among other characters, the Doctor that delivered the young woman’s baby with a aspect of Groucho Marx. Boo Segersin is the nurse, who seems incapable of understanding what the young woman is feeling or to correct or disagree with the Doctor. It’s as if every character in the play were written by a stereotypical man but that of the young woman who is written by a woman who sees the way in which society, particularly in the early part of the twentieth century, stifled woman.

The play was written by Sophie Treadwell and was first produced in 1928 but it’s easy to see why Clevername Theatre chose to produce it. Under Barnstead’s direction in place, similar to their recent Minnesota Fringe Festival productions, in that it views a world we recognize but through a warped and surreal lens. Understand going in that this is a somewhat absurdist approach and you’ll get swept up in the chaos and over stimulation but find your anchor in the beautifully controlled performance of Victoria Jones. Machinal runs through June 2nd at the Center For Performing Arts in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://tix.gobo.show/events/event/bgxWGxsJuZKMAa7ScsxB

Men On Boats at Theatre in the Round Players

* Disclaimer: On March 28th I suffered a rupture in my right bicep muscle, which has left me without the use of my right arm. I will endeavor to continue seeing and reviewing shows however the reality is that the reviews will need to be significantly shorter. For now I will attempt to provide you, faithful readers, with a few sentences that will make clear whether a show is worth your time and money. My apologies to all of the artists in front of the curtain as well as behind whose work I may not be able to comment on. Hopefully this will be a short-term accommodation, I will do everything in my power to get back to writing full reviews as soon as is humanly possible.

Men on Boats somehow reminded me off Valley Fair, the amusement park in Shakopee, specifically the Thunder Canyon and Flume rides. Are those still attractions at the park? It’s been at least a decade since I’ve been out there. The set design, by MJ Leffler, no doubt has something to do with this flashback effect. It’s a rather remarkable build complete with cave, river, and western vistas. Every available bit of real estate is utilized to tell the story of a 1869 expedition by 10 men down the Green and Colorado Rivers from Wyoming to Big Canyon (now known as the Grand Canyon). Technically the show is on par with the higher standard we have come to expect under Executive Director Larisa Netterlund’s tenure. Director Sophie Peyton and Movement Director Kelly Nelson find effective ways to bring this tale of exploration and adventure to life in the arena. Honoring Jaclyn Backhaus, the playwright’s intentions, the cast is made up of non-cisgender white males.

Per the Director’s note, the play seems designed to be a commentary on Colonialism and White supremacy. I’m not sure that subtext comes through as strongly as they may have desired. There are moments in the script that certainly address these issues, and the casting definitely changed the way the audience reacts to the characters and what they are doing. It’s an interesting and effective way of forcing an audience on an almost subconscious level to view the world of the play through a different lense. The 10 actor cast are all solid, no one stands out from the others performance wise but they all stand apart from each other in terms of creating distinct characters that we remember and feel consistent. They work as a true ensemble, which is exactly what is required for this play. While the play doesn’t wow in any single aspect, it’s entertaining throughout, there are moments that of humor, drama, adventure, and social commentary. It also leaves you wanting to find out more about the history of the actual expedition led by John Wesley Powell on which the play is based. There’s nothing wrong with just being entertained, but I think anytime theater leaves you thirsty to learn more about something is a plus.

Men on Boats runs through June 2nd at Theatre in the Round Players in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/home/season-placeholder/72nd-season/boats/

Skeleton Crew at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

Jennifer Fouché, Darius Dotch, Stephanie Everett, and Mikell Sapp Photo by Dan Norman

Under the direction of Austene Van, the hardest working woman in theater, Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew comes vividly to life on the Guthrie Theater’s McGuire Proscenium Stage. The play follows four characters at a Detroit, Michigan, Stamping Plant that is facing the possibility of shutdown. While the plot follows the tensions that surround who knows if the plant’s closing vs who doesn’t, and at times the characters try and make it into a workers vs management battle, but it’s really about the characters. Morisseau’s characters are richly drawn, no one can be reduced to a simple description like Foreman, thief, Shop Steward, single mother. No one ends up being defined by their first impression, no one is a hero nor villain, they’re all just individuals doing the best they can for themselves and each other. The undeniable authenticity of the characters comes from Morisseau’s well crafted script. The fact that we come to care strongly for all four characters is due to the remarkable talents of the four-person cast.

Faye, who seems to live in the break room, is played by Jennifer Fouché, she’s the Union rep who’s been at the plant for 29 years, at 30 years her retirement benefits are greatly increased. Darius Dotch, plays Reggie the Foreman under enormous pressure to keep productivity up and discover who’s been stealing materials from the factory. Stephanie Everett, plays Shanita a single woman who is the best on the assembly line and is also pregnant, she needs her job and her benefits. The final character Dez normally played by Mikell Sapp, was performed by the understudy Domino D’Lorion at the performance I attended. Dez is a young man who has dreams of opening his own auto shop and only six months away from having enough money saved. I won’t go into further details of their characters but to say that we care about all of them and that they defy any attempt to categorize or stereotype them. Fouché and Everett were brought in from out of town so they are both new to me as performers and are excellent in their roles. Both Dotch and Sapp are performers I’ve seen before and while I can’t comment on Sapp’s performance not having seen it, I’m familiar with his work and am confident it will be at the same high level as the rest of the cast. Dotch is the role I most identified with and he does an excellent job playing the reality of being the boss, but one who has come up with workers. He’s trying to serve the needs of two different groups that in some ways have opposing goals, Dotch skillfully finds the way to communicate that internal struggle and the stress it puts on the human being in that role. I do want to mention that I thought Domino D’Lorion’s performance as Dez was flawless with a winning combination of charm and toughness that served the character well.

The drama and humor is played out on a wonderfully detailed set designed by Regina Garcia. Built into the set are some tinted windows which when lights are shown through backstage allows the performers to be seen in silhouette dancing, which is used during the scene changes. It’s a neat effect, though I’m not entirely sure what it’s purpose is, I took it to represent the assembly line, the workers doing their choreographed moves down on the factory floor. I liked Samantha Fromm Haddow’s costumes as well, especially the one’s for Reggie several of which I wouldn’t mind having in my own closet. It’s a fantastic production that does what all great art does, help us see the world through eyes other than our own. It’s refreshing to see a drama that feels real, engaging, and doesn’t feature an antagonist. No one is the bad guy, no one is the savior, we are all just at the mercy of life, and it’s how we navigate it which decides whether we are victims or not. None of these characters are, they are all fighters, and working for the best possible outcome they can get from life.

Skeleton Crew runs through June 9th at the Guthrie Theater in Downtown Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2023-2024-season/skeleton-crew/

Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters at History Theatre a Co Production With Theater Mu

Morgan Kempton, Suzie Juul, Ann Michaels, Audrey Mojica, and Kelsey Angel Baehrens Photo by Rich Ryan

Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters is receiving its world premiere at History Theatre in St. Paul. Commissioned and produced with Theater Mu, the original musical with book and lyrics by Jessica Huang and music by Jacinth Greywoode tells the story of the Kim Loo Sisters during the 1930s and 40s. From their first appearance on Broadway through their reunion in post World War II America, the musical tracks parallel lives over two decades as a quartet becomes a trio with one sister marrying and moving to China. The musical does a nice job of giving us look at the singing act and following the life of the expat sister Jenee. We also get nice moments between the Kim Loo Sisters parents, between Bubbles, the youngest sister and up and coming dancer Ann Miller, between their mother and George White the Broadway Producer, and Jenee and her father-in-law General Li. The musicals filled with so many great scenes that it’s easy to lose sight of the fact the theme of racism, which one feels should be central, seems buried in subtext. When it’s brought up, it’s front and center for a few moments and then we moved on. Maybe no one wants to see a musical that’s heavily about racism or maybe there’s just too much story here to tell that there isn’t room to layered and subtly. It feels like it’s either completely absent and then moments of “aha, racism!”. It seems like it is the motivation for a lot of what happens in the play but isn’t integrated so that we feel the impact as much as we understand it.

The show is filled with great new songs performed very well by an extraordinary cast. From the opening number “Four for the Price of One” it’s clear that the actors performing as the Kim Loo Sisters, Morgan Kempton, Suzie Juul, Audrey Mojica, and Kelsey Angel Baehrens sound and perform well together. Likewise, it’s our first look at the choreography by Rush Benson which I really enjoyed. It perfectly captured the style of the 1930s and 40s musical. As seems to be true in all singing groups one or two of the Act stand out from the others. Here it’s the character of Jenee who leaves the Act and ends up living in China with her husband and child, the daughter-in-law of a general. The other is Bubbles who is the youngest has the most charmingly confident personality of the siblings. Baehrens plays Jenee in a way that we feel the characters uneasiness with the way they’re Act is molded to appeal to White America. There’s an intelligence and thoughtfulness in the portrayal that sweeps you along and gives you a sense of this character has traveled the world and made hard decisions. Meanwhile, Mojica as Bubbles is the spitfire of the group we see glimpses of her wit in the very first number but she really shines in the song “Worship Me” which is wonderfully humorous, Mojica absolutely owns it. There’s some great numbers between the girl’s Mama played by Ann Michaels and the producer George White played by J. C. Cutler, negotiators who negotiate a couple of times in a song titled “Grateful” which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

I’m not a huge fan of video projection in Live Theater I think there are times where it can be overused and I fear for a day when we lose the craft of creating sets. That said, the use of video projection in Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters, makes a very good case for its use. Here we see it used effectively in multiple ways. First, it’s not replacing set pieces but helping to augment them, creating a backdrop for certain scenes. Secondly, they’re a few scenes at train stations that are very well done. Thirdly, and this is probably my favorite use during the song “Pantages” by Jenee and her Papa, played by Ariel Estrada, who does a great job in the dual roles as Jenee’s father and father-in-law. As the characters sing about trips to the movie theater when she was young specifically mentioning Buster Keaton and Clare Bow, we are treated to Clips projected behind them from those Legends of the silent Cinema. Anytime anywhere someone incorporates Buster Keaton into their work whether it be Star Trek: Discovery or Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters, I’m all in. So kudos to Video Designer Miko Simmons and Video Programmer Leslie Ritenour for appropriate and well executed use of video projection. Also Director Lily Tung Crystal for this well-paced energetic and Charming production.

Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters runs through May 26th at History Theatre in downtown St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.historytheatre.com/2023-2024/blended-harmony In the spirit of Theater Mu’s Pay As You Are program, History Theatre has set up a special code for Mu patrons. Make sure to use the code MU23-24. You will receive 50% off Tier Five, 49% off Tier Four, 21% off Tier Three, 15% off Tier Two, and 9% off Tier One seats—making the lowest tickets start at $15. Click here for a screenshot of where to enter the code/what it looks like when it’s applied.

Bonehouse/Outsider Two One Act Plays From Ghoulish Delights at the Crane Theatre

Ghoulish Delights is the theater company behind the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society (MORLS) podcast and live shows. In fact the first of the two one act plays in this current production Bonehouse by Kendra Fanconi is a story I first heard via the MORLS. I don’t think it was a regular podcast I think it was a Patreon extra. It’s told from the perspective of young boy played by Xan Mattek who lives in a small town with a secret. The character recounts his numerous attempts to escape the town which are always thwarted by his fellow townspeople. The second story Outsider is by H.P. Lovecraft and is told from the point of view of Tim Uren’s character who speaks of existence totally in darkness in a castle from which he longs to escape. Uren narrates the characters circumstances and eventual escape from his dark prison, but what new horrors await in the outer world? I enjoyed both acts but I’m conscious of the fact that they’re not for everyone. They rely heavily on the spoken word and an audience for whom language and ideas are as effective at creating a world in their mind as seen action is. Fans of the MORLS podcast will feel right at home with these as they are use to creating that theater of the mind imagery.

Mattek has the always tricky task of an adult playing in adolescent, but she does a solid job of carrying the play and not falling into the trap of playing the role too childishly. Uren for his part is squarely in his element in a role reminiscent of his one man portion of Ghoulish Delights’ Rattus Rattus “The Rats in the Walls” from a couple of years ago. Dence with heightened language which verbally creates an atmosphere of ancient darkness and dread. The velvety descriptions flow from his mouth like blood from a head wound, freely and ceaselessly until the moment they coagulate in his throat in a moment of dawning horror. Uren does the great job of physically realizing this character that has been twisted and shriveled hidden away from the world outside. The cast is rounded out in each play by the Reverend Matt Kessen, at least that’s how I think of him, and Ariel Pinkerton. The duo play various Town Folk in Bonehouse and share bits of the narration with your Uren in The Outsider, well also stage managing the small but effective Scenic Design. Extra shout out here to Pinkerton aside from performing in both one acts, also ran the box office, sold concessions, and was responsible for the production design and construction, undoubtedly sewing costumes and carrying the cast across raging rivers in a thunderstorm. I may have made up that last part but I wouldn’t be surprised.

The program runs around 1 hour total with no intermission, each one act ends right when it should, they are nice short digestible but dark stories. Those who’ve read H.P. Lovecraft may share my view that a little is really effective, but a lot can be very draining. For more information and to purchase tickets to Bonehouse/Outsider go to https://www.ghoulishdelights.com/shows/

Rasputin Returns For a Two Week Run at Open Eye Theatre, Do Not Miss!!!

Ryan Lear, Brant Miller, Allison Vincent, and Matt Spring Photo by Dan Norman

The best show of the 2023 Twin Cities horror festival is making a special two-week return engagement at Open Eye theater. Slightly expanded but in no way diminished the show has to be seen to be believed. Every performance sold out at the TCHF last fall so don’t wait to get your tickets. Below is reprint of my review from last fall.

Rasputin from Four Humors, the theater group that started the TCHF returns with their first post pandemic show and it was the best of the night, running neck and neck with Marie-Jeanne Valet, Who Defeated La Bete du Gévaudan from opening night as “Best of the Fest”. What do they have in common? Both are based on historical events, both set during a period in history when a revolution is just over the horizon, both feature a live musical score performed on stage, and finally, both feature Allison Vincent. It’s becoming clear that if you want to have a hit show at TCHF, you cast Allison Vincent in it. This time Vincent also is credited as co writer along with the three other cast members Ryan Lear, Brant Miller, and Matt Spring. The play uses a Rashomon style narrative device, wherein the three men who killed Rasputin, the Mad Monk of Russia, tell their different stories to the inspectors investigating the murder. We see the same evening play out in three different versions. Spring plays Rasputin with the swagger and confidence of a rock star, it’s a brilliant turn, but then so are all of the performances in this production. There is some rather effective special effects in this show too, including a spectacularly realistic gunshot. This was sold out and I wouldn’t be surprised if that trend continues for the entire run. Definitely more on the humorous side of things, but it’s not all fun and games!

Rasputin runs through May 18th and open eye theater in Minneapolis for more information and purchase tickets go to https://www.fourhumorstheater.com/