Moonwatchers is a remounting of a 2022 Minnesota Fringe show that won The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award. It’s been over two years since I initially saw it so I didn’t recall much of the show going into it. Here’s what I said then: It’s a hilarious show about two moonwatchers whose job it is to turn on the moon each night and manage various night sky activities like having the cow jump over the moon and a comet fly by. It’s all pretty routine until one night they discover the moon has been stolen. While one of the moonwatchers subs in for the moon the other goes off in search of the moon rustler who made off with it. Yes, you read that right – they are not just a myth, there really are moon rustlers. This show gives you everything: comedy, music, comets, cows, and if that isn’t enough, it gives you the moon as well, literally. It’s the kind of show that sinks or swims on the personalities of it’s two performers. Nigel Berkeley and Corey Farrell are two very charming moonwatchers.

The show runs a quick 45 minutes and if you’ve never seen a Fringe show here’s a great chance to experience one without the overwhelming Fringe atmosphere. This is the very definition of a Fringe show, silly and offbeat and just a damn good time. It felt very close to what I remember from 2022, but with the addition of the creative production design from Open Eye Artistic Director Joel Sass. Sass adds his trademark theatrical magic making this a perfect way for Open Eye Theatre to open their 2024-2025 season. It’s the type of show that’s a great introduction to tween and teenagers who are maybe growing out of the Children’s productions. This has the whimsy of something aimed at kids but is decidedly more mature without being FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. No, this is just perfect for anyone say 10 and up, and I mean all the way up to 100! Moonwatchers runs through September 22nd at Open Eye Theatre in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.openeyetheatre.org/moonwatchers

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.

Back to the Future the 1985 movie was the first movie I ever officially called my favorite movie. Cinephiles can relate, it doesn’t mean I didn’t have a favorite movie before that, just that at 13 I decided to declare that this was my favorite movie, at that point in time. Now I’m not a huge fan of movies that were not musicals turned into Broadway musicals. Some work, some don’t, usually the idea seems misguided and thus usually have an upward battle justifying the transition. This adaptation definitely took me by surprise when I first heard of it, but I wasn’t a naysayer. To me this seemed like something completely different. This would be more along the lines of the Indiana Jones stunt show in Orlando Florida than Pretty Woman. I wasn’t wrong and I wasn’t disappointed. From the moment the DeLorean bursts on the scene, and believe me that is an accurate description, it’s clearly the star of the show. The production design and theatrical illusions take center stage and they will not disappoint. If you came to Back to the Future: The Musical for the music, you came to the wrong show. Don’t get me wrong the songs aren’t terrible, but the best songs in the show all came from the movie. There are a couple of fun exceptions a 1950’s pastiche of girl group bubble gum songs ,”Pretty Baby“, has a nice feel to it, though honestly, that may be me. My pop music taste more or less resides squarely in the 1950’s and 60’s.

The adaptation is by the creative team who created the film. Bob Gale,who co wrote the original movie with the films Director Robert Zemeckis, wrote the Book. The Music and Lyrics are by the original films score composer, Alan Silvestri along with Glen Ballard. I won’t go into the plot as I cannot imagine anyone going to see this that hasn’t seen the film. Are there changes to the plot? yes, but they are not significant and one can generally see why the changes that do occur were made. The changes are all details and they don’t change the overall plot. What is different is the tone in some ways the production takes itself very seriously, mainly in it’s design and execution of the illusions. In other ways it doesn’t take itself seriously with knowing winks to the audience, moments where everyone on stage and in the audience acknowledges we are at a musical. I didn’t have an issue with that, and I think you faithful reader, knowing that info going in will be on board as well. In those moments it’s the creators saying to us, this is ridiculous, so let’s just have fun, and in that respect it succeeds brilliantly.

It’s tricky when you have new actors stepping into roles played indelibly by the original performers. We almost have to give ourselves a pep talk ahead of time with a reminder it’s Okay if the characters are a little different. No one could hope to replace Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Crispin Glover. Well ok, Burke Swanson who plays George McFly pretty much nails a Crispin Glover impersonation, which is awesome. The rest are not afraid to veer away from the iconic portrayals to avoid attempting to replicate that which could never be replicated. I think you’ll agree that if there is one character whose mannerisms and look are so stylized and unique that it wouldn’t be the same without them it’s George McFly. What Swanson does is chancey but it works. In terms of the rest of the cast everyone is solid. Aside from strong vocals by Zan Berube who plays Lorraine and Cartreze Tucker who plays Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry, no one has a particularly strong singing voice. But again, that isn’t really the point of the show.

What is the point of the show is the amazing magic that the production design teams have brought to the show under the direction of John Rando and designer Tim Hatley. As I stated before, the star of this show is not Caden Brauch who plays Marty McFly or Don Stephenson who plays Doc Brown, it’s the DeLorean. Chris Fisher who is credited as illusion designer and Finn Ross as Video Designer have worked magic together to create an effect that actually wows a 2024 audience. This is a production that features a fair amount of projection. But, while some shows rely too heavily on the tool, simply creating locations rather than building actual sets, here it is used strategically to enhance physical set pieces. The two showstopping moments in the show are not musical numbers but the moments leading up to the two trips through time that Marty makes in the DeLorean. Such well timed and expertly married physical elements and video projection in these scenes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

As a musical, Back to the Future: The Musical is fine, as an experience it’s spectacular. When you go in knowing what to expect, it’s sometimes easier to relax and enjoy yourself, and that’s really all this show wants to do, which is all I needed it to do. Back to the Future: The Musical runs through September 22nd at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets visit Hennepin Arts at https://hennepinarts.org/events/back-to-the-future-the-musical-2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lincoln’s Children the new play by Mike McGeever opened to a sold out house this Friday. Now it’s in the Crane Studio which is rather tiny so that isn’t as unlikely as one might think. But, having seen the work I can tell you if there is any justice in the world it should be a sold out run. The next time we see it performed, and it is a work we should see again and again, it will be in a larger venue. It’s not only important work, it does the one thing that theater needs to do in this time and place, it entertains. There is a line in the play attributed to Abraham Lincoln, and I’m paraphrasing without a script at hand, If you can get a man to laugh you can get him to think. Which is exactly what McGeever does with his play. Don’t mistake me, it isn’t a comedy, but like life, it has plenty to laugh at. A superb cast along with an intelligent script combined with a tiny venue, the answer to that equation is get your tickets now.

Lincoln’s Children tells its story across two timelines. In the present Professor Mathers, a white academic hires Chloe, a young black graduate student to be his research assistant. Mathers is writing his umpteenth book on Lincoln and looking for an assistant with a fresh perspective. Chloe is the descendant of a black slave who was loaned to Mary Todd Lincoln in the mid 1800’s. That is the other time period that the play takes place in. Chloe is a good researcher but she also has her own agenda which is to try and prove that she is a descendant of Abraham Lincoln. Chloe represents Black America in the present and in the past. In both time periods she’s clearly intelligent, but it’s only in the present that she can show it freely. As we all know freedom as a concept and freedom as a reality are different things. Present day Chloe is able to question and argue and through her the things that are still very wrong in our country have a voice. She debates points with Professor Mathers who is not the embodiment of all that is wrong with the white man in modern times. That role is played by his mentor Calhoun Alexander, a good ol’ southern white academic. Mathers is the white America that tries to do better and thinks he does, but still doesn’t get that the field is not level. What struck me most about McGeever’s script is his ability to understand, present, ridicule, yet still show compassion for a character like Mathers. We don’t hate him, but we shake our heads at him. The other great thing McGeever did is give the character of Chloe the intelligence to make the arguments against the status quo, clear and effective.

As Chloe and Mathers, Kyra Richardson and Jeremy Motz are perfectly cast. Richardson knows how to make her point and make it stick, her line deliveries are like darts hitting the bullseye every time. We see her intelligence but also her flashes of anger at the world that isn’t color blind. Her Chloe in Lincoln’s time is completely different, there is still intelligence, but it’s used not to fight injustice or ignorance but to stay alive, which means keeping her head down and intelligence to herself. Motz plays the mansplainer who doesn’t know he’s a mansplainer. He’s intelligent as well, but he’s not as tenacious, he’s a white man, he’s never needed to be. Motz is the stand in for the good intentioned but entitled white male, he finds the humanity in the character so that we are genuinely angry with him when he makes a feeble and misguided move. I was so involved that I actually tried to verbally restrain him before I realized what I was doing. My apologies to the cast and audience, that “No!” was me. I can think of no higher compliment to pay Richardson and Motz than to admit that I was so involved with what they were doing that I forgot I was in the theater. The supporting roles are so well cast from Nicholas Nelson who is perfect in look and speech as Lincoln to Ariel Pinkerton who makes you see what a difficult woman she would have been to cross. Winifred Froelich, Dawn Krosnowski, and Scott Gilbert all make the most of their small roles and it’s a credit to their talents and Mcgeever’s writing that none of them feel like caricatures, well maybe Gilbert’s Calhoun Alexander does, but it’s a true to life caricature that’s perfectly executed.

The play is directed by Duck Washington whose timing within scenes is impeccable. The play clips along, but there is no sense of it being rushed. The only decision I don’t agree with, though there may be reasons for it, is the shifting of the table between scenes. One assumes this is done to show a change of location but it’s unnecessary. Otherwise the set design by Keven Lock is exactly what is needed without anything extraneous, which is essential given the space limitations. CJ Mantel has done nice work with the costume design particularly with Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, and the Chloe from that time line.

Lincoln’s Children is a play that deals with very real and important issues, more than there was time to unpack in this review. It makes you laugh and then helps you to think about our world, what it is based on, what is true, what is fact. It reminds us that history isn’t truth, it’s the story told by those in power. It runs through September 22nd in the intimate Crane Studio Theatre for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://fortunesfooltheatre.org/what-were-doing

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.