The Drowsy Chaperone is a show that pokes fun at the musical form while being a great example of a musical. This is flat out entertainment, no pretense, just joy. This was my first time seeing the show but had heard good things for years. This was also my first trip to The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson Wisconsin. I know what you are thinking, what’s up with this guy, that’s the second show out of his territory in less than a month. Well don’t worry, I’m not playing fast and loose with the rules, banking on flying under the radar and not getting caught. I’ve worked out a deal with the WI Blogger and snack foods council to attend and write reviews as a near resident. It’s all legal and above board, so don’t worry about me. I’m glad I made the trip as The Phipps production was hugely entertaining with an amazing production design. For those who haven’t seen this show either and for those for whom it’s a favorite, it’s definitely worth the extra travel time. It’s a wonderful facility and the area around The Phipps is rather charming as well.

The shows conceit is a man listening to his vinyl of the original cast recording of a 1920’s musical called The Drowsy Chaperone. He speaks directly to the audience throughout and as the album plays he talks us through the plot and gives us background on the performers. Meanwhile, we watch the musical play out on stage seeing what he is seeing in his mind’s eye. The story of the musical involves a bride and groom on their wedding day. The best man is planning the wedding, the matron of honor is the drowsy chaperone of the title, her job is to make sure the bride and groom don’t see each other before the wedding. The “B” plot is about a theatrical producer, who is trying to stop the wedding so that the bride, his star, doesn’t give up the stage and thus close his show. Adding pressure to the producer are a couple of gangsters who are in disguise as pastry chefs and are there on behalf of their boss, the producers biggest financial backer. Misunderstandings and mistaken identities ensue while the narrator comments on everything from the quality of the songs to his dislike of intermissions, of which this show has none.

The cast is solid, at the performance we saw the Chaperone was played by the understudy Bridget Benson who was very good in the role. Lewis Youngren, who was the choreographer as well as playing the groom, and Evan Wilberg who plays his best man have a really well done tap dance number “Cold Feets“, that’s very entertaining. Paul Reyburn plays the man who’s commenting on the musical and does a great job of connecting with the audience, making us feel he generally does love this show. Molly McGuire plays the bride and Broadway star and really gets to show her stuff in the number “Show Off” in which she claims she won’t miss the spotlight all the while doing everything she can to show off. James Lane has a very fun turn as a foreign lothario called Aldolpho with dance moves at once sensual and laugh inducing. The cast is filled with talented performers and while only a couple of them have superb singing voices they all can carry a tune.

It’s a delightful script and it’s brought to life not only by its talented cast on stage but by the artists behind the scenes as well. I loved the set design by M. Curtis Grittner. It starts as the man’s apartment and transforms in so many ways throughout that I almost lost track. Favorite clever designs were the fridge doors that open and become an entrance, the bed that comes out of the wall, and an airplane that arrives at the conclusion and helps to resolve the final obstacle to the happily ever after the musical needs to end on. I was also impressed by the costume designs by Kathy Kohl. Again I lost track of the number of costumes there were and they were all fantastic. The sheer volume needed for such a large cast and then to have them change outfits over and over again was very impressive. Director Sean Byrd and Music Director Christopher Stordalen have made this production a rousing success.

The Drowsy Chaperone runs through September 29th at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson Wisconsin for more information at to purchase tickets go to https://thephipps.org/events/drowsy

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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/ from time to time.

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Peter and the Starcatcher is a play by Rick Elice based on the YA novel by humorist Dave Barry and Author Ridley Pearson. I’ve not read the book, but assuming the play more or less follows the plot, it’s a prequel to Peter Pan. Pan’s origin story if you will. I know Barry’s work as a columnist and writer of humor books, but I wasn’t under the impression that the novel was comedic. The same cannot be said of the play version which is very, very funny. Fans of Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood will find this production right up their alley. What makes this production at Lyric Arts so entertaining aside from a great script is the superb cast and the creative direction of Scott Ford. I love a production that embraces the reality that it is a play and uses imagination to create the world of it’s characters. Stage magic, like blue banners for the ocean waves or a tiny model ship to represent a mighty frigate, are as welcome to me on a stage as a meticulously crafted real world style set. I love the choices Ford and his Scenic Designer Peter Lerohl have made here. In fact, kudos to the entire artist team which include Samantha Fromm Haddow (Costume Designer), Shannon Elliott (Lighting Designer), Corinne Steffens (Sound Designer), Kat Walker (Prop Designer), as well as Music Director Wesley Frye and Choreographer Lauri Kraft.

Ford is blessed with a talented cast that includes a few names that faithful readers will recognize, Noah Hynick, Alex Stokes, and Brendan Nelson Finn. Hynick, who seems to be a strong component of the majority of Lyric Arts productions over the last few years plays Black Stache, the pirate villain of the piece. Hynick plays into the absurdity of scenes but also knows when to be the one who’s smarter than everyone else and sees how silly everyone is being. Stokes who plays Mrs. Bumbrake among other roles, and Finn who plays ships captain Bill Slank among other roles, are both master of the comedic look, and the master at hilarious throw away line readings. The roles they both play are perfectly suited to their comedic strengths which are considerable. Also contributing considerably to the hilarity are Brendan Veerman as Smee and Charlie Morgan as Alf. The one bit of casting that is a bit of a head scratcher is Nate Turcotte who’s performance as Peter is surprisingly bland and one-note. As I say, I’ve not seen the play before, perhaps it is the way the role is written. Thankfully for a Peter Pan origin story, Peter isn’t any larger than most of the ensemble roles and doesn’t detract from the production as a whole, he just isn’t funny, inspiring or heroic. May Heinecke who plays Molly, think Wendy in Peter Pan, does come off as heroic and fiery, and Eric Knutson as her father Lord Aster, isn’t comedic, but comes across as engaging and steadfast.

Peter and the Starcatcher is a very entertaining and hilarious adventure, with great comedic turns from multiple actors which should not be missed. It runs through September 29th at Lyric Arts in Anoka for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/peter-starcatcher

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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/ from time to time.

But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’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/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.