Shane the new co-production between the Guthrie Theater and the Cincinnati Playhouse is the final play in the Guthrie’s 60th anniversary season. On paper it must have seemed like an ideal way to end the season with a bang. Unfortunately, the reality is a but more muted, like the six shooter was fitted with a silencer. A good idea bolstered by a great cast but handicapped by a script that is far too didactic and some directorial choices that alienate the audience. With all the fantastic theater in the Twin Cities it’s hard to recommend Shane, though it does have it’s good points. One of those actually is the exception to my main problem with the script. At the beginning of the performance there is what has come to be the standard land acknowledgement statement. What should have been the first step in a larger address of the historical injustice has become something that we almost stop hearing, like the safety instructions on an airplane. Within the play the characters actually discuss and correct some of the historical inaccuracies regarding the treatment of the indigenous people. That was a refreshing and effective moment that felt like knowledge being imparted to the characters and the audience.

I’m a fan of playwright Karen Zacarias, both her Native Gardens which was produced as part of Daleko Arts final season and The Book Club Play which was part of Theatre In The Round Players perfect season this year, were highly recommended. For this adaptation, Zacarias set aside the famous Alan Ladd starring film adaptation from 1953 that adapted the novel by Jack Schaefer. The correction to a more racially and culturally accurate adaptation is a welcome one. Unfortunately, Zacarias doesn’t trust those changes and the audience’s ability to make the connections, and uses the dialogue to drive home points that we’ve already grasped. The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission, which is a wonderful phrase in the theater. The plot and the runtime should make for a lean little western about a cattle baron trying to force homesteaders off their land. The title character of Shane is a mysterious man passing through, who upon meeting the Starrett family and experiencing their generosity, discovers a lifestyle that he didn’t know he longed for. When trouble comes knocking on the the Starrett family’s door, Shane decides to hang around awhile and help his new friends deal with it. The story is told in flashback by the Starrett’s son Bobby. This is another miscalculation either on the writer or the directors part. Both older Bob who is telling the story and young Bobby who is in the story are played by the same actor. It’s the technique used recently by Aaron Sorkin in his To Kill a Mockingbird adaptation, but what worked there, doesn’t work here. The difference is in the function of that choice, here it doesn’t need to be told in flashback, the commentary by the adult Bobby doesn’t add insight or humor to the story, as it did in Sorkin’s play.

Juan Arturo plays Bobby, always a difficult task for an adult to play a child and not be annoyingly childish. Arturo mostly avoids doing that, but something about the execution rather than his performance just falls flat. William DeMeritt is well cast as Shane. We sense, as does the Starrett family, that while he has been a hard man, there is a desire within him to change, to be better, to find a new way of life. When the need to fight comes, we see the vulnerability first cave him inward in resignation and then the steel creep in and the hard man he used to be is resurrected. Ricardo Chavira and Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey play Joe and Marian Starrett, they radiate goodness without being bland or one dimensional. It takes skill to make characters this well intentioned as these are interesting, but aside from Shane they were the most interesting character in the play, and I don’t mean that to say the other characters were not interesting, but to say that I really liked these characters and that was due to the sensitive and nuanced performances by Chavira and Fernandez-Coffey.

Blake Robinson’s direction was a mixed bag of creative choices, some worked, some didn’t. The opening of the play where the characters start slapping their arms and knees and stomping rhythmically, begged the question, why? It didn’t lead to anything, it felt affected and indulgent. Opening the show with an act that seems pretentious really started the show off on the wrong foot. But the unique staging of a fistfight between Shane and several other men was quite interesting. As was the staging of the final showdown. The set design by Lex Liang is cool looking but it’s also kind of pretentious. Maybe I think that the way to share this story that moved Zacarias in her youth was not to turn it into arthouse theater, but theater for the people. I write and talk alot about creating new audiences for live theater, I think it’s the single most important issue that theater companies face right now. A Western actually seems like a good way to lure some who might not normally attend the theater. Once you have them, giving them a faithful adaptation of the novel that reflects the diversity of the source material could be a powerful way to create empathy. But do it in an entertaining way, don’t get them into the theater and remind them of why they don’t go to the theater.

Shane is running through August 27th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2022-2023-season/shane/. This is a blip in the record of the Guthrie nothing more than a missed opportunity or a near miss, they will be back beginning Sept. 9th with their 61st season which is filled with must see shows.

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 on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. 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 weekly 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.

Elision Theatre’s new production of the musical Ruthless isn’t for everyone. For example, if you have an aversion to fun, laughing and general merriment, this isn’t for you. For pretty much everyone else, this show is for you. I had never heard of Ruthless and I went in only knowing the tagline from the theater’s press release “This all-female production spoofs Broadway musicals, like Gypsy and Mame, and movies such as The Bad Seed and All About Eve. It is the story of Tina, a precocious eight-year-old who knows she was born to play Pippi Longstocking in her school play, and will do anything to get the part, including murdering the leading lady!”. How I never heard of this musical which premiered Off-Broadway in 1992 is one of life’s great mysteries. Ruthless is fantastically funny, filled with bitingly clever songs, and featuring six performers whose vocal talents are only surpassed by their comedic instincts. This is the show to take your friends and family to. Theater lovers, if you’re like me and haven’t seen this show, do yourself a favor and don’t miss this opportunity. Old movie fans, if All About Eve holds a place in your heart, don’t miss this opportunity. Fans of laughing, I know you’re out there, do not miss this opportunity! Humans living on earth currently, do not miss this opportunity. Did I miss anyone? if you do not fit into one of the above groups, maybe skip this one, but I bet you’d like anyway.

The book and lyrics for Ruthless are by Joel Paley with music by Marvin Laird. As far as I can discover it’s basically the only show they’ve written. One interesting fact I discovered in my digging, in the original production the role of Tina was played by Laura Bell Bundy, her understudies were Natalie Portman and Britney Spears. Which illustrates one of the hidden joys in this show, trying to catch all of the easter eggs that the show is filled with. Some are obvious, some are deep cuts, and some you spot but are maddeningly just beyond your memories grasp. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be familiar with any old movies or musicals, that’s all just gravy, you can enjoy the show fresh off the bus. The other beautiful thing about Ruthless, 90 minutes, no intermission! It’s fast paced, full of twists, and a tone that works because everyone involved from the performers to the drummer is on the same page. I think the best way to describe the tone is to say, it’s like the best sketch from The Carol Burnett Show that never wears out its welcome.

Leading the cast is Christine Wade as Judy Denmark the happy housewife and mother of Tina the eight year old triple threat. Wade is so perfect in every aspect of the role, in the beginning she is like one of the Stepford Wives but one who hears everything literally and without punctuation. The pace of the show is so fast that you may miss a few of her funniest responses, so keep your ears sharp there are throw away lines that are just golden. Speaking of golden, that would be the term I’d use to describe her vocals as well. Vanessa Gamble plays Sylvia St. Croix, a theatrical agent who saw young Tina perform at an old folks home and wants to represent her. She’s delightfully over the top as a former actress whose moved on to representation, but hasn’t entirely left the urge to perform behind. Then there is Amanda Mai who plays Tina, who’s “ON” 100 % of the time. Mai perfectly balances the difficult task of acting like a child without being annoyingly childish. The cast is rounded out by Isabella Dunseith as Tina’s third grade teacher who’s directing the school play Pippi, Greta Grosch as Tina’s Grandmother, and Deidre Cochran in a duel role as Louise, the girl cast in the lead of Pippi, and Eve and assistant to a big Broadway star in Act II. Each one of them has moments of brilliance, comedic beats that are so perfectly played, some seemingly ad libbed. I cannot praise the cast enough, I have to wonder if Ruthless has ever been as good as it is with this cast.

Ruthless runs through Sunday July 30th at the Elision Playhouse in Crystal Minnesota. Again, I strongly urge you to see this show, you will not regret it. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.elisionproductions.com/ruthless

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 on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. 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 weekly 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 have a question for you faithful readers, who lives in a pineapple under the seas? If you knew the answer to that question then The Spongebob Musical is for you. My kids grew up on Spongebob Squarepants and unlike Teletubbies or The Wiggles, I never prayed for them to grow out of Spongebob. It was clever and funny and it played to adults almost as much as it did to kids. It didn’t pander to children and just try and keep them occupied, it told funny stories set in a grown up world of work, but you know, under the sea. Attending The Spongebob Musical on opening night felt something like I imagine attending a One Direction concert would be like. The audience was off the hook, there’s a double meaning in that for Spongebob fans. But in all sincerity, you couldn’t ask for a better audience to enjoy a show with. I have never heard an audience react like that at Lyric Arts. Sure, there were obviously a lot of Spongeheads in the audience, but the performance justified the hysteria. This isn’t the greatest show in the world, but it’s sure is one kelp of good time. The terrific cast brings these characters to life in a theater transformed from floor to ceiling into Bikini Bottom. It’s everything you expect from Spongebob and several things you don’t, and all of it is designed with one thing in mind, to make you smile.

This is kind of an unusual musical in that, the book is by Kyle Jarrow but the songs are originals by a variety of artists. There is one existing David Bowie and Brian Eno song “No Control” as well as the “Spongebob Theme Song” and the song “Best Day ever” from the Spongebob Squarepants movie. The list of artists that contributed original songs is kind of wild. There’s The Flaming Lips, Panic! At the Disco, They Might Be Giants, John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Cyndi Lauper just to name a few. The story involves a volcano that is going to erupt and destroy Bikini Bottom. The townspeople are in a panic and refuse to listen to the plan of resident Scientist and land mammal Sandy Cheeks. Instead they are led, using tactics of fear, by Plankton, the local mad scientist restaurateur to put on a benefit concert to raise funds to buy an escape pod large enough for them all to flee in. His true objective is to get them all in one place so he can mass hypnotize them into preferring his restaurant The Chum Bucket to that of his competitor the Krusty Krab owned by Mr. Krabs and in which both Spongebob and Squidward work. Given it’s themes of stirring up Xenophobia and anti-science, it’s surprising to learn that the musicals development and premiere pre-date the Trump Presidency. While Plankton has the towns folk turning against each other, it’s up to Spongebob and his best friend Patrick to help Sandy stop the volcano’s eruption and save Bikini Bottom. Meanwhile Squidward, attempts to organize the benefit concert in hopes of getting a chance to realize his life’s dream of performing at the Bikini Bottom Clamshell. Jarrow clearly understands the world of Spongebob as his book feels like a very extended episode of the TV show. In fact, now might be a good time to warn you, the show is kinda long, with the intermission it runs about two and a half hours. Children under 5 are not admitted, if your older kids say 7 to 12 are into Spongebob, don’t worry about the length, the show is so entertaining it will hold their attention. But if your kids don’t like SB or loudish sound, this isn’t the show for them. And 12 isn’t the top age for the show, my wife and I loved it as did our 21 year old daughter.

I always ask a question on the ride home from a show, which was your favorite performance. For my daughter it was Squidward, for my wife it was Spongebob, for me it was Patrick, no wait Sandy, no wait Squidward, maybe Spongebob. Which is one way of saying the cast is all around fantastic. After favorites, it’s all about the little mentions of the ensemble players, all of which had moments to shine. What’s amazing is how much you come to see the actors as these cartoon characters even though they use minimal makeup and while many of the costumes are quite good, they askew using any person inside a costume getups. They do it by capturing the mannerisms and voices and through a thorough understanding of the characters. Berto Borroto plays Spongebob he has the voice, particularly the laugh down as well as the way Spongebob moves. Justin Michael is Patrick, hands down the most spot on when it comes to the speaking voice, dead ringer for his cartoon counterpart, he loses the voice when he sings, but it’s forgiven because he probably has the best singing voice of the entire male cast. Taelyn gore is Sandy who wasn’t done any favors by a mic that seemed either to go out on her or get turned down, but I was front row and she was pretty amazing when I could hear her, which was most of the time. She has a strong stage presence and of the hero trio she has the difficult job of being the normal one, which means she doesn’t get the easy laughs, but she gets a nice emotional moment towards the end which really caught me off guard and had me wiping my eyes. Speaking of unexpected moments, I was not expecting a tap dance number, let alone featuring Squidward played by Noah Hynick who is starting to really gain my attention this year with all three of his Lyric Arts roles. An actor would be hard pressed to find a better sequence of roles to show of their range. Like the others he gets the voice right but also seems to understand the physical nuances and mannerisms of the character. Lots of ensemble performers that deserve a mention but I’ll limit it to Kaylyn Schmit who plays Pearl Krabs, who gets to really show off her vocal talents a couple of times in the show and it leaves you wanting a rewrite so she get’s another song or two to perform.

Matt McNabb directs the show with a clear understanding of the feel and tone of Spongebob. The scenic design by Sadie Ward is wonderfully low rent yet all encompassing. There are the floating flowers that always appear in the background on Spongebob made from LaCroix 12-pack boxes, the sea flowers along the dock that runs across the front of the stage made from cardboard toilet paper tubes. She is assisted by Scenic Painter Victoria Clawson, and Props Designer Cory Skold in bringing the world of the cartoon to life. The show isn’t over designed or under designed, it feels just right. The Costume Designer is Samantha Fromm Haddow and she’s got some really ingenious pieces in this production, I loved Squidwards multi-leg trousers, Mr. Krabs claws, and Sandy’s white spacesuit, which I think she wisely leaves us to imagine the helmet that Sandy needs so she can breath. the one area that seemed to need tweaking, which will hopefully occur as the run continues. The mixing engineer is Emily Ludewig and aside from Sandy, and sometimes Spongebob’s voices being hard to hear, there was a general imbalance between the music and the vocals, with the vocals on the losing end frequently. There are several songs where most of the cast is singing, with various groups singing different lyrics, it’s little more than a cacophony at times.

If you have any connection at all with Spongebob Squarepants I highly recommend seeing The Spongebob Musical. If you’re not familiar with the character and before you dismiss it out of hand, I would point out that it was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, tying with Mean Girls for the most nominations in 2018. It’s very hard to imagine anyone not having a great time at this show. It’s silly and fun, but there are also messages about friendship and believing in yourself, about the dangers of reacting out of blind fear and prejudice. The Spongebob Musical runs through August 13th at Lyric Arts in Anoka. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/spongebob.

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 on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. 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 weekly 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.

Originally produced by the History Theatre in 2015, Glensheen returns once more to the stages of the History Theatre this summer. This was my second time seeing Glensheen, and there is something about this show that grows on you. I really enjoyed it last summer, I enjoyed it even more this year. The production hasn’t really changed aside from one cast member. It’s easy to see why the History Theatre brings the show back, it’s an incredibly fun production, that apparently gets better the more times you see it. I’m not a true crime fan, but it turns out you don’t need to be to enjoy the show. It’s less about the details of a true crime as it is watching in disbelief the train wreck of humanity that is the main character, Marjorie Caldwell. The amount of suspicious things that have happened around her and the lack of punishment she recieved is mindblowing. It makes for a fascinating story but it also raises serious questions about the criminal justice system…oh wait, we already have those doubts didn’t we? What’s amazing, how enjoyable the whole thing is. I recently spoke with playwright Jeffrey Hatcher on the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat (you can listen to that episode by clicking here https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/2150807/13157328 ) and he made a comment about it being a real story that seems populated by the characters from Fargo. I thought that perfectly embodied what Glensheen the Musical is. A great cast brings us into the past with songs that oddly do not feel out of place in a story as weird as this.

The book for the musical is by Hatcher with the songs written by Chan Poling who was a member of the alternative rock band The Suburbs. The two have collaborated several times on musicals including the last production at History Theatre, The Defeat of Jesse James, which was another wonderfully original piece of musical theatre. Hatcher’s script leans into the craziness of the events without drawing us into that frame of mind. This allows us to view them through our reality thus we see them for the absurdities they are. He tells us the story of Marjorie Caldwell and her husband Roger who conspired together resulting in the murder of her mother Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse. Very quickly, Roger is arrested and found guilty but Marjorie proves to be a much harder catch for the justice system. She’s a master of staying one step ahead of everyone, but also seems to lose a half step with every one that she takes. Always avoiding the punishment but somehow also losing the prize. Poling’s songs are fun, often witty, sometimes quite touching. Favorites are the hilarious “Conspiracy” performed by Marjorie’s defense team. The defense they mount is so crazy, it works. On a sweeter note is “Just You & Me” which is a duet between Marjorie and Roger. It’s a beautiful moment on the surface, but underneath it’s incredibly dark as it’s simply Marjorie manipulating Roger to save herself.

The cast is filled with actors familiar to theatergoers of the Twin Cities, most of the performers play multiple rolls. My favorite was Wendy Lehr who plays Elisabeth Congdon and Marjorie’s defense attorney among others. Her over the top defense attorney was a big reason that the song “Conspiracy” was a crowd favorite. Dancing like a man half her age, she was as believable as the elderly matriarch as she was unbelievably outrageous as the attorney for the defense. Gary Briggle, whose rich vocalizations are a highlight and bolster every song especially the ensemble pieces. Dane Stauffer is perfect as the out of his depth, easily manipulated, Roger. He has the dumb and dumber act down perfectly and you are surprisingly sympathetic to him as the man in over his head. Jen Maren holds the whole show together as Marjorie, she perfectly straddles the line between being a smart manipulator and not quite smart enough to get what she wants.

Ron Peluso directs the show with a playfulness that lets the tone shift dramatically from scene to scene while still feeling like a cohesive whole. Rick Polenek’s set design is very impressive, recreating a section of the Glensheen mansion including the staircase on which the nurse was murdered. Bill Healey’s lighting design helps to emphasize the tonal changes and is cleverly used for dramatic effect, lighting flashes to create the dark and stormy night in an old mansion which basically screams for a murder. Bold flashes of red to strike a cord that syncs with Marjorie’s evil actions. It all works wonderfully with Sound Designer C. Andrew Mayer’s soundscape. David Lohman as musical director along with his orchestra are just off to the side stage right, with Lohman’s piano doubling as a bar. The choreography by Tinia Moulder is small and contained, it has to be due to the size of the stage. But Moulder makes every move count and the dancing and moves in “Conspiracy” are but of what makes that the showstopper it is.

Glensheen runs through July 23rd at the History Theatre in downtown St. Paul for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.historytheatre.com/2022-2023/glensheen

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 on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. 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 weekly 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.

This entry is going to be something a little bit different, I will share some thoughts on each of the plays but I want to focus on the experience itself. This is the 20th season for the Great River Shakespeare Festival. You can learn about how it started as well as what it’s like to perform in repertory theater on the recent episode of the Twin Cities Theater Chat Podcast, which Jill Schafer and Carol Jackson spoke with GRSF Artistic Director Doug Sholz-Carlson and Melissa Maxwell. To listen to that episode click here https://bit.ly/GreatRiverShakespeareFestivalTCTC. There are a few things to know so you get the most out of the festival. 35 minutes before each performance under a little white tent outside the theater, they hold the Green Show followed by Know Before You Go. The first, features actors from the professional understudy company who enact a variety of scenes from Shakespeare’s other plays providing entertaining information about the plays and his techniques. I always compare watching Shakespeare to watching a subtitled Foreign film, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes to adjust or tune into and then once you do, you have no trouble following along. The Green Show helps you tune into the heightened language so that when you go in for the play, you’re primed and ready. In the Know Before You Go portion, they will run down the characters and setting of the play and provide you with a handout cheat sheet to keep all the characters straight. I highly recommend planning to attend these little pre-show sessions, they’re really enjoyable and prepare you to get the most enjoyment out of the performances. Friday and Saturday evenings after the performances there are free ice cream socials during which you have an opportunity to mingle with the cast and crew and compare notes with the other members of the audience. Theater is meant to be a communal experience and this is a nice way to add to that aspect and foster a sense of community, plus ice cream’s awesome! Thursday evenings after the show there are talk backs, and Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM they have Company discussions at Blooming Grounds Coffee House in super cute Downtown Winona. There are other activities and educational opportunities throughout the festival, it really is so much more than just a series of plays. For a full rundown, visit their website at https://www.grsf.org/. Also be sure to leave time to shop at the gift corner in the lobby of the theater, I got a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion, a book and even a William Shakespeare Action Figure.

Before I dive into each play, let me say a couple of things generally about all of them. First, there wasn’t a bad performance in any of the shows the entire weekend, so I’ll likely touch on just one or two that really struck me in each. The seating is risers built on the stage in a thrust configuration, it’s wonderfully intimate and as such I don’t think there is a bad seat to be had. Now with the seats on the stage the choice was made for two of the shows to have minimal sets, only Imbroglio has what we think of as a traditional set. The two Shakespeare plays make do with a few set pieces like trunks that can be moved around, but don’t worry, it works. They make up for lack of sets with wonderful costumes, which my fellow bloggers and my wife were kind enough to point out to me. As my wife can attest, I have something of a blind spot for clothes … and jewelry, and hair, and make up. It is in this way, rather than a knowledge of cars or sports, that I present as the male of the species. Lastly, I’m not going to go into plot, there is one play in which it might be difficult to discuss at all without giving away things the audience would find more enjoyable to discover on their own. As for the other two, well you’ve had 400 years, so if you got this far without discovering their plots then go in blind, these plays are so well done, you will not be lost in them.

The first play we saw was The Winter’s Tale, I enjoyed both Shakespeare plays almost equally, which is to say, they were both really well done. But, if forced I’d give the edge to The Winter’s Tale. Probably because I was less familiar with it, as it’s been eight years since I saw it, compared to two days for As You Like It. The Winter’s Tale is considered by some to be one of Shakespeare’s “Problem Plays” due to its tonal shift from a rather dark drama in the opening acts to a light hearted comedy with a happy ending. It’s also contains one of the most famous stage directions in all of theater [Exit, pursued by a bear]. Which brings up one of the shining elements of this production, the Sound Design by Jeff Polunas, the bear attack being one example of a really effective soundscape. Performance wise De’Onna Prince in the dual roles of Paulina and Old Shepherd was a revelation. Trying to be the voice of reason and passionately pleading in the first acts as Paulina, she was utterly captivating, and then very entertaining in the second half as the Old Shepherd. Emily Fury Daly as Queen Hermione in the opening scene I wasn’t connecting with, but when she comes to be judged, she quite assuredly had everyone’s attention and that slight disconnect in the opening scene made this moment doubly powerful. Likewise, in the second half of the play as The Clown, she is thoroughly entertaining and her performance draws a lot of laughs from the audience and well deservedly.

Next up for our band of bloggers was As you Like it. In this one I did notice some of the very striking costume designs by John Merritt all on my own. Though to speak truly, not touchstone’s shoes, which I was instructed to note, and having noted them, I can proclaim them simply fabulous. I was taken with contrast between the costumes of those at court, which were primarily black and white with an almost fetishistic bent, all straps and leather belts and those of the characters in the forest, where more colors were employed. The characters that were native to the forest as opposed to those who had fled there, seem to have foliage growing out of the their costumes. The stand out scene in this play was the wrastling match between Charles and Orlando (pictured above). Director Tarah Flanagan’s idea to stage it as a slow motion action movie fist fight is brilliantly comic and the fight choreography by Benjamin Boucvalt milks the idea for every conceivable laugh and it’s expertly executed by Christopher Gerson and Chauncy Thomas. Boucvalt also gives a small but wonderfully broad comic performance as Audrey, a goatherd that Touchstone plans to marry.

The final play was about 400 years newer than the previous ones. Imbroglio as I stated early is having it’s world premiere at GRSF and was written and directed by Melissa Maxwell. The first rule of Imbroglio is, you do not talk about Imbroglio. At least you don’t until after everyone in earshot has seen it. Then all you can do is talk about it, it must have gotten my wife and I half way back to the cities discussing it. The cast was uniformly great, there’s no one to single out they all find the humor where they can and play the drama full on. This was the one play with what we traditionally think of as a set, in this case the living room of a house. It’s well designed by Ivy Treccani, I was caught off guard by a wall that is raised and lowered from the fly tower to show us the bedroom of the home. If you could only make it to Winona due to your busy summer schedule for one play, make it Imbroglio. I can’t tell you why specifically but I can tell you it’s original, engaging, and will have you discussing it long after you’ve left the theater. If you’re lucky you may run into Melissa Maxwell after the show and get some additional background on the plays genesis and structure. Our group was able to speak with her a couple of times during our weekend and the added glimpse into the creative process was fascinating.

GRSF runs through 7/30/2023 so there are still three weekends left to make it to Winona. We drove down Saturday morning and caught the Saturday matinee and evening performance and the Sunday matinee. Next year I plan to spend two nights in Winona, we got to see all three plays but we didn’t get to see much of Winona. From what we did see, I knew I wanted to see more next time. There’s a lovely downtown, unfortunately other than a few eateries and two shops, it’s basically closed on Sundays. So do your shopping on Saturday and your hiking and sightseeing on Sunday. Also when you look to planning your trip check out what other activities they have going on with GRSF and the town in general, maybe it makes sense to take Friday off and head down thursday evening after work or stay over until Monday, lots to do, make the most of it. For more information and to book your tickets to any and all of the plays go to https://www.grsf.org/. If you can’t make it this year, mark your calendars for next year, and if you are like me and glad to have some guides to show you the ropes the first year, as soon as I’m booked for next year I’ll post when I’ll be attending and will be happy to connect with any of you and show you what I learned on my summer vacation to the Great River Shakespeare Festival.

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 on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. 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 weekly 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.

Employee Appreciation Day is something a little different. More akin to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society shows that I frequently cover than Live Theater. But unlike those performances where the MORLS create live audio drama in front on an audience, this is audio drama that has been pre- recorded and available via this YouTube link to listen for free https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPPR_qsSNk&ab_channel=WorkLightFilms. So why review this “sound play” as the creators call it? Well for one thing, I’m all about trying to share my love of theater, and this is a way for folks to listen to a play while they’re perhaps in the car on their way to their summer vacation destination. I met the Writer and Director Phil Holt at last years Minnesota Fringe Festival where I positively reviewed his show Rewrites. In that show, I liked Holt’s Surreal plot and use of humor. Employee Appreciation Day is not a perfect play but I think anyone who has worked in the corporate sector will find a lot to enjoy in this comedic look at the work life.

The story is a look at all the ridiculous decisions and managerial B.S. that is corporate America in the 21st century. We have characters we identify with, like Eugene, who hasn’t seen a single one of his kids baseball games all year because his boss Kelly always needs him to work late. There’s also his co-worker Buddy who is just trying to keep his head down. Many of the characters are ones those of us who have spent time in large corporations will recognize. The Manager Kelly who uses corporate lingo and faux motivational and inclusive language to serve her own purposes. Mr. Malcolmson the President of Corporate Corp Incorporated who is completely out of touch with what it’s like not to make millions a year for being an idiot. His great plan is to spend a ton of money on an employee appreciation day to distract the employees from the fact they are going to do a mass layoff in order to cut costs. And there’s Chad the new employee who comes in and gets put in charge of projects over Eugene who has been there working extra hours for six years. He’s the weasel who does everything he can to usurp any authority or sense of ownership Eugene has, like take away the collecting for the office lottery pool and then leaving Eugene out of it. It’s basically a send up in the vein of Office Space.

Tim Perfect, whose performance is top notch as the put upon Eugene leads the cast. He gets the frustration, the anger, and the glee in the final scene just right. Magdalen Powers really captures in the character of Kelly, that tone that she’s above her subordinates and the whole corporate double talk. Rachel Ratkowski is Melody, the HR employee who has to deal with one crisis after another and gets the harried quality in her voice as well as handling a moment of a hysterical breakdown perfectly. I also want to mention Steven Todd Smith as Mr. Malcolmson whose completely clueless as the boss. The one issue with the performances in general is the pacing. I understand that the performances were captured via a zoom call and I’m sure that’s the reason, but the issue is that most lines feel like they are coming a second or two too late. The script also uses the technique of having characters repeat each others lines back in a questioning form much too frequently, a little of that goes a long way. The script builds to a moment of wonderful wish fulfillment but the details of that moment don’t really make sense and pull you out of the story questioning some of the logic.

Ultimately I had a lot of fun with this audio play. I think it would adapt well into a play or film and hopefully someone will take on the project in future. In the meantime, check out Employee Appreciation Day today, it’s free and funny, once again click here to access it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPPR_qsSNk&ab_channel=WorkLightFilms

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 on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. 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 weekly 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.

Classical Actors Ensemble (CAE) is Performing one of William Shakespeare’s most accessible comedies this summer in parks all over the Twin Cities and surrounding area. Much Ado About Nothing is the perfect play for this kind of endeavor, it’s light, funny, and the language is surprisingly modern for a play well over 400 years old. I attended a performance at Water Works Park in Downtown Minneapolis by the Mississippi River. We packed a picnic dinner (which is encouraged) and sat on our blanket eating fruit, cheese, hummus, and crackers, sipping on some Raspberry Lemonade. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor play, and the performers were so close you could reach out and touch them, but don’t do that. It felt like we were in Italy and a part of the proceedings. This is an ideal environment in which to introduce younger people or folks who have never been able to tune into Shakespeare. You’ve got snacks, you’re out in nature and the cast does a wonderful job of making the play not just understandable but genuinely funny.

The play is the model on which all modern day “will they or won’t they” romances are based. If you thought it was Sam and Diane from Cheers, I think you’ll realize once you see it that they, and all that followed, owe much to Benedick and Beatrice as well as other Shakespeare lovers who are too wise to woo peaceably. The story is the tale of two sets of lovers one young and experiencing love for the first time and the second older, more seasoned. The action kicks off when Don Pedro and his men fresh from battle come to stay at the estate of Leonato. One of Don Pedro’s men, Claudio, falls in love with Leonato’s daughter Hero. An engagement is set but Don Pedro’s brother, Don John who in his own words is a ‘plain-dealing villain’, hatches a plan to breakup the happy couple. Claudio and Hero’s story is the earnest straightforward romance, and quite effective as such. The second romance is between Benedick and Beatrice, old verbal sparring partners who never come into one another’s company without trading insults. Don Pedro, Claudio, Leonato, and Hero have decided to see if they can trick Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love with each other while they await the wedding day. Much merriment and some moments of heartbreak ensue.

The key to successfully performing Shakespeare is to make the dialogue feel as natural as possible. Conveying through performance, the meaning of the words even if at times, the words have lost their meaning over the last four centuries. The words themselves are wonderful, but they need an actor who understands the message that each line is imparting to the audience and has the craft to make that meaning clear. This cast does a fantastic job not only in communicating to the audience so that we have no problem following along, but also in using the performance space. This troupe of players had never performed in this space before, but the actors seemed perfectly at home, going up into the audience and using the walkways all around the set. Charlotte McDaniel and Tom Conry play Beatrice and Benedick and make for spirited sparring partners. They are a living illustration of the different ways in which to play Shakespeare that can work for a modern audience. McDaniel plays the more restrained performance which serves as an example of how Shakespeare can feel very subtle and “today”. Conry plays it rather large, but in doing so he engages and even interacts with the audience, showing how the humor can still work. Jin Suh makes for a well tempered Don Pedro, he has the gravitas of the commander of an army, but also feels real, showing some vulnerability in a moment when a proposal is denied. Two smaller roles I wanted to mention as well, firstly M. Smith Fraser as Constable Dogberry. This is a role that is sheer comic relief and one in which different performers can bring their own wild takes. In this production Dogberry and his partner Verges are combined into the character of Dogberry, who uses a sock puppet on his hand for the Verges lines, suggesting that he was probably kicked in the head by an Ass at some point in his life. It’s a character that always gets big laughs and Fraser’s approach is unique and quite entertaining. Lastly, in a couple of very small roles is Tim Perfect, who especially in the role of Friar Francis, stood out as perhaps the best in terms of ability to speak the lines in a way that captured their eloquence, their meaning, and felt completely naturalistic.

This is my favorite of Shakespeare’s comedies, and this was a delightful production. I encourage everyone to check it out when it comes to your local park. It’s running through July 16th for more information and to find where and when it plays go to https://classicalactorsensemble.org/. The performances are free of charge, but donations are welcome to help pay for the cost of putting on these performances.

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/