Pvt. Wars is a one act play by James McClure having an extremely limited run at Bryant Lake Bowl Theater (BLBT) in Uptown. A stripped down piece of theater, it’s success or failure rests of the shoulders of the three actors. This production is a resounding success. Frankly, I cannot begin to tell you what a relief that was. Full disclosure, one of those actors is a friend whom I hadn’t actually seen perform since our college days. I was excited to see him perform again, but also a little anxious. What if he’s bad? What if the play is bad? Well, the answer is then I’d have to write a bad review or simply decline to write one. What a relief when the lights came up at the end of the play, not only were all three of the performers great, but the play itself is a tight intelligent character study, full of humor and humanity. As I mentioned at the opening, this run is extremely short as is the running time of the play, right around an hour and some change. BLBT is the perfect stage for a show like this, tickets are inexpensive, you can arrive early, order food and drinks to enjoy during the show, and still get home before the babysitter has had a chance to raid the liquor cabinet.

The play is broken into short scenes giving us small glimpses into the lives of it’s three characters over an unspecified time period. The setting is a Veterans hospital in the 1970’s, the characters are three patients, it’s never stated, but it seems they are recovering from psychological injuries rather than physical; though at least one of them was injured in the war. The play isn’t about politics or overt about the war in Vietnam, though the subtext is certainly about the costs of war on those who fight them. The focus is really on the ways in which these three men relate to each other and bond. On the surface, some of them appear to hate each other, but even hate is a way of connecting. Gately, the quiet somewhat simple seeming patient, who is constantly trying to repair a radio. He says that if he fixes it, maybe they’ll let him leave. He knows, and the others remind him, he is free to leave whenever he wants to. This is his way of saying he isn’t ready to leave yet, trying to fix the radio is how he manifests trying to fix himself. When it functions again so, he believes, will he. Silvio was wounded, though I don’t get a sense that he’s still physically recovering from his injury but that the nature of the wound has deeply affected his sense of himself and led him to behave psychotically. He is the volatile patient who is compulsively flashing the nurses that which he no longer possesses. He gets along with Gately but is aggressively hostile to the third patient Natwick. Natwick is the wealthy one who grew up in Long Island with summer homes and private schools. It’s easy to see why he’s a target of intimidation for Silvio, everything about him rubs the working class patient the wrong way. What’s interesting is the way they all interact. We gain insight into their relationships and how they connect to one another in spite of themselves. It sounds heavy, but it really doesn’t play that way. It’s surprisingly funny throughout. Well written humor can be as clear a path into a characters soul as a dramatic monologue.

Bryan Bevell plays Gately as a man who takes life as it comes, if radio parts disappear he takes it in stride. He also takes everything literal, and while the character could come off as simple, Bevell gives him an inner stillness and deliberateness that speaks more towards a peaceful wisdom. He’s the peacemaker, the one that both Silvio and Natwick like and seek out, and it’s easy for the audience to see why. When he does get riled up, it’s not to the level of Silvio’s outbursts, it’s modulated perfectly to match the character we have come to know. Natwick is played by Nathan Christopher who tells you everything you need to know about the characters background just in the style of his speech. He perfectly captures that east coast uppercrust Ivy league man, who one senses may have enlisted in order to avoid his fears of not living up to the expectations that come with that background. Christopher plays him in a way that shows us the surface superiority so we understand Silvio’s dislike, but he also shows us the insecurities and fears which help us understand why Gately doesn’t judge him the same way. My friend Ryan Newton Harris plays Silvio. It was my favorite performance of three very good performances. It’s not because he’s my friend but because he has the juiciest role. He’s completely believable as this character who’s messed up but that’s not who Harris is in real life. I don’t have the benefit of comparing the actors to their characters in the other two cases, I’m sure they are nothing like the characters they are playing either. The fact is that Harris has two advantages and he uses them to full effect. He does have the role that grabs your attention, he’s loud, he’s vulgar, he’s threatening. He plays all of that, but he doesn’t overplay it, he keeps it grounded in a reality that makes those outbursts all the more startling. If you go too big, it gets cartoonish, if you don’t go big enough, it falls flat. Harris finds that sweet spot and never leaves it. His timing, of not only his lines but his reactions, are also spot on. His second advantage is I know him, and I can tell you he doesn’t sound like that. From voice to body language he becomes a completely different person than the one I’ve known. That last one may be an unfair advantage, but who ever send life was fair?

The script calls for very little in the way of set design or lighting, which is good because the one thing you can’t call The Bryant Lake Bowl Theater is state of the art. This play doesn’t need anything but the smallest of props and furniture and some well planned lighting cues. The performers including Bevell, who is the Director of record along with Stage Manager Jeni Long, have really created a collaborative piece of theater art. Minimal as the costumes and props et al are they are exactly what you need for this show without anything being wasted. The one thing this show needs is actors who can pull it off, and this production has them! It’s as entertaining and thought provoking as you could want from an evening at the theater.

The remaining Performances are Friday and Saturday February 17th and 18th For more information about the show and to purchase tickets go to https://www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/pvt-wars.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of those rare books that most of us have read at least once thanks to junior high English classes. I would rank it in my top 10 perhaps even top 5, it’s one of the few books that I’ve read more than once, and certainly one of a very small number that I’ve read more than three times. There’s a reason we’ve all read it and why many of us love it, it’s a stone cold classic. There’s a danger in adapting something as cherished as To Kill a Mockingbird is, there are some many ways to go wrong. The more beloved the source, the more critical the audience is of changes or even interpretations that veer away from the audiences own. Aaron Sorkin is a beloved Playwright, Screenwriter and Director and he has brought his immeasurable talents to this adaptation which is faithful yet irreverently original at the same time. The spirit of the book remains intact as does the plot, but the way in which it is told and where the focus lies has evolved. This is also a very, very funny script, and funny isn’t a word I’ve ever used to describe To Kill a Mockingbird. Don’t let that scare you off, Sorkin hasn’t added a bunch of one liners. The humor is appropriate and mostly comes from the unique way in which the story is told. This is, To Kill a Mockingbird as you have never experienced it before, and it is not to be missed.

The story is narrated by Scout, Jem and Dill, but this adaptation changes the focus away from Scout and more upon her father Atticus’s journey. Sorkin fractures the narrative by staging scenes out of order, flashing forward and back throughout the stories timeline. The kids appear in the scenes but also narrate from outside the narrative, often speaking directly to the audience. All of this works, because we all know this story, we are never lost or confused because 95% of us know this book or at least the 1962 movie. Being able to assume that so much of your audience is coming in with that knowledge allows Sorkin to take chances and play with the narrative. The fourth wall breaking was a risky gamble but Sorkin ends up holding a winning hand. First off, everything from the book is here and it’s all handled wonderfully. So much of what surprises and adds humor in this production is the things that were added. The additions enrich and enliven the work without changing the story or spirit of this American classic. I was nervous going into this because in the last couple of years I’ve seen some favorite books and movies recieve terrible adaptations by people who fundamentally did not understand the essence of the work they were adapting. It’s clear that Sorkin knows the heart of this work and not only does he bring it to life, but he makes it feel fresh and new at the same time.

Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch isn’t just a bit of name recognition stunt casting, he is perfect as Atticus. Let’s face it, we all see Gregory Peck when we think of Atticus Finch, as a Producer or Director you’d be foolish not accept that. So it’s a smart choice to cast someone who is going to resemble in a physical way the character we’ve all embraced in our minds. Thomas fits that bill, but then he brings his own talents to bear on the role and makes it the Atticus we know, but with a sense of humor. Thomas brings the wisdom and the nobility that is so ingrained in the role but isn’t afraid to embrace the humor Sorkin has added into the script. It makes the character even richer and more layered as a result. There is one bit of stunt casting that is so platent, so obviously cheesy, and so wonderfully fun. Mary Badham plays the small role of Mrs. Dubose, the woman down the street who doesn’t have a nice thing to say to Scout or Jem. Badham played the role of Scout in the 1962 film of To Kill a Mockingbird and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for that film. Shameless? Yes. Fun? Absolutely! Who doesn’t want to see that? The one role that is going to be a bit of a audience divider I suspect is Melanie Moore as Scout. Her delivery is unique, it comes off like a blending of Alabama and Brooklyn. I initially found it very jarring, but I became accustomed to it after about 30 minutes. It’s tough because all of the actors playing the three kids are not kids. Moore, is playing the youngest and probably the largest and most front and center role of the three kids. Scout speaks with confidence, she is a character that calls it like she sees it. Also when she is speaking as her character removed from the timeline of the play, it’s fair to assume she’s not the young Scout but one from a later time and place. It’s a tricky role and one that some are not going to take too. I was won over but do have to admit, it wasn’t perhaps the best way to play the part. I do want to mention a couple of other cast members quickly that were just perfect. Steven Lee Johnson as Dill, of all the three kids who get to address the audience and comment of the proceedings, got the greatest laughs. Dill is always a bit of a character, Johnson really finds the perfect way to bring out his eccentricities but also brings a tenderness to him and intelligence. Dorcas Sowunmi plays the Finch’s housekeeper and the role is given some spunk by Sorkins script, Sowunmi plays the passive aggressiveness with just the perfect bit of sass and pride. That character, as much as any, speaks the audience’s thoughts as if Atticus is our conscience, Cal is our sense of fairness.

Bartlett Sher directs what feels like a very modern production. The scene changes happen smoothly and are almost always covered by having our attention drawn downstage by the young narrators. The show is two hours and 50 minutes with one intermission, but it doesn’t feel long at all. Sher keeps everything moving without a wasted moment, I think the moving back and forward in the plot narrative wise, and having the characters jump out of the narrative to comment on the action, gives it a sense of anything can happen, which is amazing. That’s a testament not only to Sorkin’s script but Sher’s direction as well. The sets are a wonderful representations of the courtroom and the front porch of the Finch home, among other locations. Miriam Buether’s sets moved in and out seemingly effortlessly, the Finch porch comes in from each side of the stage in two halves becoming one long porch in the blink of an eye. Jennifer Tipton’s lighting design adds a classic look to the sets, giving us that sense of a sepia tone past, which feels right where this story lives in our minds.

To Kill a Mockingbird looks like it’s close to selling out, if this is a book you’ve loved, do yourself a favor get one of those last remaining tickets while you can. I have a feeling this is one of the rare non-musical tours that could have sold a second week in the Twin Cities. It’s great and you owe it to yourself to see it while you can. To Kill a Mockingbird runs through February 19th as part of the Hennepin Theatre Trust Broadway on Hennepin Season for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/to-kill-a-mockingbird-broadway-tickets-minneapolis-mn-2023/

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. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, 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 bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Including our Prom Date with the TCTB!! see below for details. Click on this link and select the March 4th matinee performance https://bit.ly/PromDateWithTCTB

I have made the trek 40 minutes south of my home to DalekoArts in New Prague four times now, I have yet to go home disappointed. Native Gardens, their new production is no exception. Like Playwright Karen Zacarias’ The Book Club Play, which is playing for one more week at Theater in the Round, this comedy draws it’s humor from the characters. Humor that comes from who the characters are, and what their needs and wants are, is almost always richer and deeper than a series of one liners and pratfalls. Though, those can be a lot of fun too. Native Gardens is about themes we can all relate to on some level, race, privilege, what it means to be a good neighbor, and gardening. Themes like that can be serious stuff, particularly the gardening, but the scripts magic trick is in how entertaining it makes exploring these themes. It’s a cast that really owns these characters and a set that once again uses the DalekoArts smallish stage wonderfully. This one led to some interesting discussions afterwards, not just about race and privilege but of theater and it’s changing landscape.

Pablo and his pregnant wife Tania have just moved into their new home. Their neighbors Frank and Virginia are an older couple nearing retirement. Things start off friendly enough between the two couples with the sharing of wine and talk about their yards. Frank is hoping his flower garden will finally take first prize when the annual neighborhood eventis judged this Sunday. Pablo, impulsively invited the entire law firm he just joined to a BBQ at his house on Saturday. To get their yard in shape they want to take down an ugly chain link fence and put up a new wood fence. Both couples are in favor of the fence and everything seem to be going great until the surveyor’s come out and discover that Pablo and Tania’s yard actually extends beyond the fence line, in fact it’s happens to be on the other side of Frank’s prized flower bed. That’s when things get tense, to begin with but they escalate from there. Populated with characters we can relate to and understand, Zacarias script refuses to allow us simply to choose a side and sit back and watch the fireworks. Yes, you will likely lean towards one or other of the couples, but it’s hard to ignore that each side does make some valid points. It’s not all black and white, and it illustrates how we can all escalate things when the arguments become emotional. Things we might have been willing to compromise on, come off the table when we feel taken advantage of or disrespected. Karen Zacarias is becoming a favorite playwright in the span of a few weeks.

The cast is very strong particularly Raul Arambula as Pablo and Julie Ann Nevill as his neighbor Virginia. Arambula, has a rich character to play and he’s able to bring out each aspect of the character fully. An intelligent lawyer but also at times an angry young man, who’s tired of being taken advantage of. He’s reasonable until he’s pushed too far, but when that happens we see the the patience wear thin. Nevill plays the established white career woman who’s winding down to retirement and has grown accustomed to her place in the world and home. This perhaps felt like one of the most realistic characters, maybe she reminds me of people I know a little order than I. She is intelligent with that knack for twisting things to turn herself into the victim. What Neville succeeds in is not easy, she plays her so that we see that her entitlement is completely unseen by her. She plays the various cards of her arguments without irony. It’s what an actor needs to do with a character like this, she has to see her character as correct and play it that way. In doing so, she makes what could easily be a straight forward “Karen”, into a person we actually can empathize with at times. Abigail Chagolla as Tania starts off a little slow, before the conversations get heated there feels like there’s a little bit of line reciting rather than acting, but once we are ten minutes into the show and she gets something to do other than exposition, she blossoms. She has a great scene where she finally loses all patience with Virginia and curses her out in Spanish, you feel the heat in that moment and it’s electrifying. Of the four leads Rick Lamers as Frank struggles the most but it’s not a bad performance. It feels like the character is given some business to do that would be hard for anyone to make plausible. There’s a little boy quality to him with his gardening that just seems out of touch with his station in life and perceived place in society. Perhaps it’s the size of the stage working against him. For example, when he’s given a minute or two to show his joy of gardening, he has to content himself with wandering around the 10 x 10 space. His choices probably make it easier to stay busy in that time, but they sort of make us wonder if he’s all there or not.

Native Gardens was directed by Adlyn Carreras and she has a real feel for these characters and the situation. She finds the balance not letting the border dispute slide too far one direction or the other, realizing that staging it as she does, she can draw more people into the characters headspace. If we can see ourselves in both sides, maybe we can find the way towards compromise in our own lives. Robin McIntyre’s set design makes the best use of a stage that is a bit on the smaller size. As you can see in the photo at the top of the review the setting is the adjoining back yards of the two neighbors houses, both of which are well realized. My favorite element is the great oak tree in Pablo and Tania’s yard. It’s something that could have been just suggested by the dialogue and looks off stage or into the audience to indicate where it was located. I love that they actually built it and it looks great.

Native Gardens runs through February 26th at DalekoArts in New Prague, it’s a bit of a trek but it’s always worth it. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.dalekoarts.com/season-11/?wmTabs=native-gardens

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. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, 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 bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Including our Prom Date with the TCTB!! see below for details. Click on this link and select the March 4th matinee performance https://bit.ly/PromDateWithTCTB

Get set for another trip back to the past with one of my favorite monthly events. The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society (MORLS) performing on stage at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater in Uptown. If you’ve never been to one of these events you are really missing out. When your grandparents were kids, TV was called radio. Back then, radio didn’t just consist of commercials with the occasional song being played to break up the monotony, it actually had stories. Now when I say stories, I don’t mean what your Grandma called her “stories”, although there were those as well. But there was all manner of shows just like there are on TV, or as they are known nowadays, as platforms. There were sitcoms, dramas, westerns, romances, and the staple of the MORLS performances, horror, mystery, suspense, and science fiction. What this group does is perform just like they did in the old days, acting out the roles while creating the sound effects and music live as they perform. These shows are fun for the whole family from the wee ones to the great grandparents. The best part of going to something like this with someone old enough to remember those golden days of yesteryear, is the conversations the performances spark on the ride home.

Like many of their recent performances this will be a combination or performing the script from an old radio broadcast and performing original scripts by the company members. This months Performance is entitled “Valentine Of Death” and here’s the shows rundown:

“Death Robbery” from Lights Out (1935): A mad scientist cheats death… but at what price? One of the only surviving scripts from Wyllis Cooper’s original Lights Out program and a chilling example of early radio horror.

“The Chaser” from The Weird Library (premiere): Joshua English Scrimshaw’s short but deadly adaptation of the classic John Collier story made famous by The Twilight Zone.

“All’s Love and War at the State Fair” from The Minnesota Goodbye (2021): The second installment of Tim Uren’s original series, The Minnesota Goodbye. The state fair is finally open after last year’s outbreak of polio and private detective Raymond Lake has been hired to protect a pig who has been receiving death threats!

One great advantage to the move to the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater is that now you can enjoy food and beverage while taking in the program. The doors open at 6:30 with the show beginning at 7:00 PM. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.ghoulishdelights.com/. Seating is general admission. I’ll be there so if you come make sure to say hi and join us. You can also find information about their podcast at the link above and how to be become a Patreon supporter with all the honors and benefits that entails.

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. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, 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 bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Including our Prom Date with the TCTB!! see below for details. Click on this link and select the March 4th matinee performance https://bit.ly/PromDateWithTCTB

Well-Behaved Women is really a concert more than a play. The seven performers take on the roles of nineteen different women throughout history as they perform their songs, so in that way, it’s more than a concert. Perhaps the best comparison might be Six, another performance that features historical women performing, as if in concert. While this isn’t Six, it’s still damn good. There have been some really interesting and inspirational works in the last few years giving voice to historical women. From Six to Theatre Pro Rata’s 46 Plays For America’s First Ladies, and now Well-Behaved Women. There is something deeply satisfying about hearing from those who were overshadowed for so long. It’s refreshing to see narratives being told through the female lens with regularity. The diversity of perspectives is what keeps theater fresh and feeds creativity. Of the 15 songs performed during the performance there may have been one or two that didn’t have the potential to make your musicals playlist. Strong compositions from the creator Carmel Dean. Sometimes with a particular composer you get a sense of their style, but Dean seems able to write songs in any genre, all unique and make an impression. Of course the downside of just singing 15 songs one after the other in 80 minutes is that by the time it’s over, all you can remember of the first ones were that you enjoyed them. But those are good problems to have.

When there is no plot other than those contained within each characters song, there’s not a lot one can say to give you an idea of what to expect. The best I can do is tell you that you will hear 15 good to great songs sung by some phenomenal singers. You’ll learn about some women you were unfamiliar with and others you know well. Some of the songs will make you laugh like “In the Beginning” sung by Christine Wade in the character of Eve, first among women. Though, for my money the show stoppingly funny, “The Only Girl at the Table” sung by Serena Brook as Mary Magdalene, is the one that had me laughing the most. But there are also songs that move and inspire you such as the final three songs “Lady Liberty“, “Order in the Court“, and “Still I Rise“. And then there are songs that are just beautiful to listen to such as “Yo Simplemente Soy” sung by Estefania Sedarski as artist Frida Kahlo. There’s so much to take away from this show, it’s the kind I wish I had time to see again with my daughter, but this one isn’t going to be around for very long so get your tickets now.

Well-Behaved Women runs through February 18th at the elision Playhouse in Crystal. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.elisionproductions.com/

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. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, 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 bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Including our Prom Date with the TCTB!! see below for details. Click on this link and select the March 4th matinee performance https://bit.ly/PromDateWithTCTB

A Soldier’s Play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1982 and the 2020 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. It’s a celebrated drama, that explores race in the Armed Services in the early 1940’s, it’s also a whodunnit. More importantly, it’s a reminder that no matter how far we think we’ve come as a society, too much remains the same. I suspect that as powerful as this play seemed when it debuted Off-Broadway in 1981, that it’s message has only become more meaningful today. This touring productions features a strong cast that doesn’t hammer home the themes but plays realities and allows the ideas to come to light on their own. It’s the first time I’ve seen a play at the Fitzgerald Theater. At first I thought it was odd that the Ordway was presenting the play at the Fitzgerald, but having experienced A Soldier’s Play, it was an inspired move. This show would drown in the wonderfully spacious Ordway Center, it needs the more intimate space that the Fitzgerald provides.

“In 1944, on a Louisiana Army base, two shots ring out. A Black sergeant is murdered. And a series of interrogations triggers a gripping barrage of questions about sacrifice, service, and identity in America.”

From the Ordway Website

As with any whodunnit, one doesn’t want to spoil any of the mystery so the Ordway synopsis will suffice. Besides what Charles Fuller’s play is really about is race, it uses the murder mystery genre and the Army setting during World War II to explore that. The most shocking elements are not who killed Sergeant Waters, but the victims philosophy, and the realities of being black meant in that time. When we learn that the Army really doesn’t plan to do anything about the murder, as it’s a black sergeant and when we see the way the soldiers under his command just accept that this is how the world is, we are shocked. Then, we realize the similarities to what we read every week in the newspaper headlines. As a white man, I think of the reality I’ve only come to understand in the last decade, that in our world today, being pulled over for a traffic violation is a completely different situation for a black person than it is for me. I sit in the theater and am shocked at what I’m hearing, and then I’m disgusted when I realize how little we’ve changed. This is a powerful play that deserves all of it’s accolades and deserves your attention and attendance. It deals with hard things, in a matter of fact way, because that’s what they were then. We see it is as unconscionable, but the sad truth is, this is who much of our country was, and which far far far too many of our fellow citizens are still today. Fuller’s masterful blending of a really interesting mystery with social commentary is seamless. We don’t feel preached to, we feel as if the blindfold has been lifted and we can see the shocking truth, and it’s vital that we don’t turn away.

The remarkable ensemble cast of soldiers is led by Norm Lewis as Captain Davenport, a black officer who has been assigned to investigate the murder, and Eugene Lee as the murdered Sergeant Waters. Lewis is the hero and he gets to outthink his fellow white officers and beat them at their own game. He isn’t naive, but he also isn’t going to let the way the world is stand in the way of finding the truth. Lee is Shockingly good as Waters, whom we see in flashbacks, when Davenport conducts his interrogations. Whether playing a scene as the strict taskmaster or the letting his inner poisons out, Lee shows us many faces, some hard, others downright ugly. He’s not afraid to show us that hate and ugliness is color blind. While he’s playing the victim, he also plays perhaps the biggest villain of the piece. The rest of the cast is great as well, the members of Waters’ company of soldiers all have an easy give and take that really sells them as a group of soldiers who have been serving together for awhile. Of particular note is Sheldon D. Brown as Private C.J. Memphis, he gets a few moments to show off his vocal chops as well, making you almost wish it was a musical so you could hear more of his soulful voice.

The Production is directed by Kenny Leon who opens it in almost total darkness with the group of soldiers making music with their feet, hands, and voices while on the catwalk above the barracks we witness Waters’ murder. It’s a powerfully staged moment, that shocks the audience from the very start, letting us know that there are going to be some jolts along the way. The set design by Derek McLane and lighting design by Allen Lee Hughes wonderfully compliment each other. It’s deceptively simple looking but brilliantly executed, sliding panels slightly alter the scene as needed and there are some unexpected elements particularly at the end which feels like a splash of much needed cold water to sober you up as you begin to rejoice at the crime being solved.

A Soldier’s Play runs this week only closing February 12th so get your tickets fast! The Fitzgerald must seat less than a quarter of what the Ordway does so I would expect some performances may well sell out. For more information and to purchase your tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/a-soldiers-play/

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. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, 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 bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Including our Prom Date with the TCTB!! see below for details. Click on this link and select the March 4th matinee performance https://bit.ly/PromDateWithTCTB

Theater Latté Da presents Hello, Dolly! the 1969 film version of which was the most expensive musical ever at the time and was responsible for ending big budget musicals due to it’s financial failure. So from one of the biggest musicals ever they have staged an intimate small call musical. Does Hello, Dolly! work in a scaled down version? Yes, at least as well as any version would. Latté Da has done what they could to make the show relevant with a wonderfully diverse cast and a focus in their design on businesses owned by BIPOC. If you are a Hello. Dolly! fan, you are going to enjoy this production I’ve no doubt. If you are not, this isn’t going to change that. I’m luke warm on the show myself. My first exposure was the touring production that was part of the Hennepin Theatre Trust Broadway series a few years back, which I enjoyed, probably just as much for the spectacle as for the show itself. This production is short of spectacle, but has more heart, and on that emotional level I connected more than I expected to.

Hello, Dolly! the musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman was based on the play The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder. The central character is Dolly Levi, a widow who makes her income primarily as a matchmaker, but she can also provide pretty much any service you need, and she even has the business cards to prove it. Dolly has decided that rather than proceed with the match she’s made for wealthy Hay and Feed store owner Horace Vandergelder she will marry him herself. She has also been engaged by a young artist, Ambrose Kemper, who wants to marry Vandergelder’s niece Ermengarde, but her uncle forbids it. But forget about them, the show does for most of it, these characters are so inconsequential, that it’s a wonder someone didn’t think to cut them altogether. There are two other couples who’s romantic inclinations are of much greater interest. Vandergelder’s two clerks Cornelius and Barnaby who never get to do anything, decide in the bosses absence to fake an accident that forces them to close the store so they can have one evening off to live a little. All of these characters head into New York City from Yonkers. Vandergelder to propose to Mrs. Irene Molloy, Cornelius and Barnaby to have an adventure and kiss a girl! The other two to learn to dance or something, don’t worry you won’t care. Lastly, Dolly to orchestrate everything to her satisfaction. There is entertainment in Dolly’s manipulation of everything and the frustration of the Miserly Vandergelder with the way things are being manipulated. But the heart of the whole show frankly is Cornelius and Irene Molloy.

Regina Marie Williams stars as Dolly Levi with T. Mychael Rambo as Horace Vandergelder. Williams brings a fresh soulfulness to the musical numbers which is nice. Performance wise I felt like the comedic nature of the character seemed out of her comfort zone. Having been stunned by her recent dramatic turn as her Prospera at the center of the Tempest last winter, perhaps I’m too accustomed to her powerful intensity, but it seemed to me there was a playful mischievousness missing from the character. Rambo is more at home with his role and like Williams, he shines when he gets a chance at the end to really lean into the soulfulness of the songs. My favorites though, were China Brickey and Reed Sigmund as Cornelius and Molloy. To my mind there are two great songs in the show, “Hello, Dolly!”, and the best “It Only Takes a Moment”. When Brickey and Reed sing “It Only Takes a Moment” my heart opened right up and I got all warm inside. Reed is wide eyed and full all optimism playing Cornelius as a good hearted everyman in over his head. Brickey shows us her character slowly being won over by his innocent charm. She’s more intelligent, more worldly, she is a woman who thought that love ended for her when her late husband passed and she is now just looking for a match that will be comfortable. Watching Brickey we see that resignation slowly melt away as she falls for Cornelius. Also delightful are Anna Hashizume as Minnie, Molloy’s shop girl and friend and Brian Kim McCormick as Barnaby, they make another cute couple and one I’d like to have seen get more of storyline. These four performers are the heart and the fun of the show, they have the most romantic and comical scenes, and their chemistry and timing are perfect together. Lastly, in a multitude of roles is Minnesota treasure Sally Wingert. She doesn’t get a lot of time in any one role, but she brings something, usually very funny, to each of the different ensemble characters she plays.

Kelli Foster Warder directs and choreographed the production. In terms of direction it does feel like this wasn’t an idea that fully came together, the casting and the decision to have the shop signs reflect those of actual business owned at the time by BIPOC are excellent ideas. The problem is that the script itself doesn’t really give you anything more to work with. Warder cannot add lines of dialogue or change the plot. There are some shows that just changing what you focus on or highlighting a certain aspect in the design can change the entire show fundamentally, Hello, Dolly!, not one of those it seems. The choreography for being such a pared down production is really quite entertaining. The ensemble has some really gifted dancers, I was particularly impressed by Dayle Theisen and Kyle Weiler. Sanford Moore is the Musical Director, his five piece band provides the exceelance we’ve come to expect from Theater Latté Da. The period costumes by Rich Hamson are fantastic, less so the sets by Eli Sherlock, which were functional, but looked a bit plain compared to the costumes.

Hello, Dolly! runs through March 19th at Theater Latté Da for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.latteda.org/hello-dolly

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. Also you can follow me on Facebook, search @thestagesofmn and click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, 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 bloggers take on one. We have some exciting things in the works for 2023 for the TCTB and our readers, follows us to be the first to know about those happenings. Including our Prom Date with the TCTB!! see below for details. Click on this link and select the March 4th matinee performance https://bit.ly/PromDateWithTCTB