Melancholics Anonymous Presents Bart and Arnie Where Sesame Street Meets the Real World

Just when you thought depression and low self esteem couldn’t be fun anymore, those crazy kids from Melancholics Anonymous bring you Bart and Arnie by Adam Szymkowicz. Minnesota Fringe favorites, I encountered this troupe of merrymakers during my first year covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival in 2021. In that Festival they unleashed a deranged little horror comedy called A Day with the Newhearts, where it was evident they had already established a rabid fan base. Subsequent shows went by the names of A Girl Scout’s Guide to Exorcism and Beanie Baby Divorce Play. Bart and Arnie falls right in line with their other works. It takes something comforting and familiar and then adds a twist that makes you see that thing in a whole new light. In this case it’s Bert and Ernie, you know, from your childhood. But while Bart and Arnie are very much the same personalities as Bert and Ernie, the twist is that those character traits are taken from their children’s entertainment safe zone and extended to what might be the real world consequences. Artie’s carefree approach to everything means he doesn’t hold down jobs and never has his half of the rent. Bart gets frustrated with Artie but also enables him because he has low self esteem and a low simmering case of major depressive disorder.

While Sesame Street tropes are played upon throughout, the playwright applies real world logic to them, and surprisingly keeps from going too dark. When the play ended I turned to my fellow Blogger Erica of https://letteredintheatre.wordpress.com/ and we both said “that was so cute”. That is the magic of Melancholic Anonymous, they do dark and twisted with such positive energy and creativity. Hawken Paul and Clare Rolinger are perfectly cast as Bart and Arnie. Paul has his Bert mannerisms and body language down pat. Rolinger perfectly captures the boundless optimism and great good fortune that seems to belong to the truly clueless. It’s a wonderful comic performance with perfect timing and a knowing twinkle in the eye. The play is directed by company member Claire Chenoweth with inspired creativity, there is hardly an entrance or exit that doesn’t add a little comic touch. The wonderful sets and props are by Mady Smith, I loved Arnie’s bubble bath which can be seen in the photo above. The costumes are by Anneliese Garner who captures the look of Bert and Ernie without actually reproducing their look. Lighting Design is by Timothy Kelly, and includes some really nice little flourishes like when Bart is steaming mad, the lighting goes red. Sound Designer Bee Davis fills the play with little musical touches and sound effects that give the entire production a very polished feel.

If you grew up with Sesame Street and have fond memories of Bert and Ernie as I do, don’t worry, this isn’t a hatchet job, it’s gently dark, and still very funny and sweet. Bart and Arnie runs through May 18th at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.thehivecollaborativemn.com/events

Now more than ever in the wake of the most recent election and the hailstorm of stupidity and hate it has unleashed, theater companies need you and we need them. Buy tickets to shows, go out and support work that reflects diversity and inclusiveness. Donate to your favorite theater companies, don’t wait until they are on the brink of shutting down. We all need to stand up and fight for our theaters whose funding is under attack for promoting inclusion, equality and diversity. In short, theaters are being threatened for sharing stories that reflect our countries cultural and racial diversity.

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