Steppingstone Theatre For Youth in St. Paul educates young people in Theatre both on and backstage. According their website:

SteppingStone ignites belonging, generosity, mastery, self-advocacy, and inspiration by creating art with young people to share with the world.

Steppingstone Theatre For Youth Website

What this means is that for a show like The Real Life Adventures of Jimmy De Las Rosa is that with the exception of two adult actors all of the performers on stage are between the ages of 12 and 17. They are also the ones shifting the sets and managing the shadow puppetry and lighting effects of which there are many. This is theatre for youth by youth and that’s a pretty incredible thing. As I go to anywhere between three and five shows a week, I have a fairly good idea of what makes up the average theatre audience. It can certainly vary based on show and theatre but the overwhelming majority of the theater audiences skew old, I’d be surprised if the average age was lower than 50. It seems more important than ever if we do not want the market to shrink even more dramatically over the next ten years than it did the previous ten, we need to engage younger people with theater. Whether it be as performers, backstage crew, or as audience members, we need to show today’s youth the possibilities of theatre as entertainment and an art form. Open up their view to what theater can do, and that’s why I am a huge fan of companies like Steppingstone, Stages, and The Children’s Theatre Company. Not only do they teach young people the art but they are often a young person’s first exposure to live theater as an audience member.

I attended a matinee performance of The Real Life Adventures of Jimmy De Las Rosa with a theatre full of elementary school kids. Hell! you say? Not at all, this is the audience you want to see it with, it’s the audience it exists for. I had a blast and it brought me back to those days of getting out of morning class, taking a bus to a theater and seeing a play with hundreds of other kids for schools all over town. If the goal for a theatre like Steppingstone is to engage and entertain young people, I’d say they achieved that goal admirably. The children in the theatre were laughing at all the right spots, they shrieked when something scary happened, and they all spontaneously sang along to a song that was heard in the play. They were engaged and entertained. At the end of the show they did a little Q&A on the stage with three of the actors to drive home the point that hey, the people on stage are your age or just a little older, this could be you if you are interested. The questions were all prepared and asked by a member of the theater staff, but they would have had plenty of questions from the audience, who must’ve had the impression they got to ask the questions as there were quite a few little hands in the air.

If it’s to teach performance and stagecraft to young people who are curious about theatre, then I’d have to say that was another success. They attempted things technically that were really quite creative and challenging, They did a lot shining lights behind screens creating silhouettes of people, puppets and pictures that then shone on screens built into the flats of the set pieces. They may have been a little too ambitious on this front as there were several moments during the show when you could tell you were supposed to be seeing something on the screen but it wasn’t being executed correctly. But for the sheer number of cues involved in those techniques it would have been a miracle if there hadn’t been a few misses. Hats off to the leaders who chose those techniques to tell this story. It could have been done in a much simpler fashion, but by choosing this they taught the students a different technique that can be used. They challenged the whole team to learn all of these different cues and I think that was a really bold decision.

The show itself tells the story of Jimmy who has super powers, he can make objects move with his mind, handled by some simple tricks onstage, but that elicited gasps from many of the kids. His neighborhood is plagued by mysterious disappearances. When his mother disappears, Jimmy along with new super friends Eddie, Ayana, and the neighbor lady Juani set out to find her and the other missing people. They will meet and do battle with mutant Chihuahuas in very effective costumes. They will chase each other through the audience, and believe me, that gave them a thrill! It all worked well and keeps the kids focused on the story, there is plenty of humor and action so their attention doesn’t wander. Parents looking for a show to introduce their kids to theater will be in safe hands, it’s recommended for ages 10 and up, but I think there were younger kids than that in the audience today. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.steppingstonetheatre.org/

This is a reposting of a review written in 2020. Walking Shadow Theatre Company is bringing back this unique experience which I really enjoyed as did many of my readers. You can scroll to the bottom of the review for the new Dates for April and May 2022.

I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t scared. When the directions to the Theatre contain instructions like, park in the lot inside the fence, go to the red door with the number 5 above it, someone will let you 15 minutes before show time, put the lotion in the basket. Ok I added that last part, but I swear the rest is true. Combine that with the fact that the audience has to be between six and ten people, roughly the number of counselors at a summer camp massacre, yeah I was a little nervous. Of course it was also the unknown aspect of the production. Cabal is billed as a play with puzzles and I didn’t know what that meant. I suspected it was something like the “escape room” events one hears about, and I think in some ways it is, though I’ve never been to one. This was more like escape rooms, as we went through multiple rooms, and we weren’t escaping them we were solving puzzles to move forward in the story. Here’s the tricky part, I want to tell you something about the experience, but I don’t want to tell you anything about it either. What’s unique about this show, is not really knowing what to expect. This is like a real life video game, where you have to explore the environment and collect things to unlock the next level.

The story is that you and your fellow audience members are being initiated into the Order of the White Stag, but before you can be sworn in something happens and reality is altered and you must join Adepts, Thaumaturge Jack Nimble played by Jamie Case and Medium Morgan Zakar played by Laila Sahir to try and protect the Cabal. The play progresses with a number of ingenious puzzles punctuated by connecting dramatic scenes, the two combined furthers the plot. And that is about all I dare tell you about the plot. I’m not going to spoil the fun by describing the puzzles one has to solve. I will tell you that I was very glad to be with a group that seemed to have done escape rooms before. When we were first let loose in the room to try and figure out what we needed to do I didn’t have a clue where to start. But before long I was following the other Initiates lead and played right along. The puzzles were challenging but fun and the natural teamwork that resulted was invigorating.

The production Management and Scenic and Puzzle design for Cabal were by David Pisa who is the Executive Director of Walking Shadow theatre Company. He also co-created the story along with the Scriptwriter and Performance John Heimbuch, who is one of the company’s Artistic Directors. There were a lot of crew involved in putting these rooms together. The detail and quality of the rooms is rather incredible. For example when the… no, I can’t say that, but when they pull… nope, can’t mention that either. Trust me, the interiors are a 180 degree turn from the stark slightly creepy building in which it is housed. There is excellent use of projection, lighting and sound to create new environments and illusions. Bravo to the creativity and skill that went into Cabal.

Things to know: You need to come to this sober, you need to leave your cell phone and other personal belongings in secure lockers for the duration, there is no intermission and if you have to leave at any point after the show starts you will not be readmitted, There is no late seating so be on time, do not bring anyone extra with you, tickets must be reserved in advance it’s a maximum of 10 people per show, you will walk, sit and stand at different times, but it is accessible for wheelchairs and walkers. You will need to embrace the unexpected, rise to the challenges, and let go and have fun. I highly recommend this experience, it’s a great activity for families with older kids, or a group of friends of any age. I’d recommend finding a performance that has 4 to 10 slots still available and getting another couple or group of friends together, I’d do that if I hadn’t already experienced it. The downside is that it wouldn’t really be a good show to repeat. It would take the fun out of it for the others if you already knew what needed to be done to move on. Cabal runs through March 1st for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.walkingshadow.org/ .

**** Updated dates for 2022

CURRENT PERFORMANCES DATES:

Wednesday, April 13 (7:30pm) – Preview

Saturday, April 16 (7:30pm) – Preview

Monday, April 25 (7:30pm – Preview

Wednesday, April 27 (7:30pm) – Preview

Friday, April 29 (7:30pm) – Opening

Saturday, April 30 (7:30pm)

Monday. May 2 (7:30pm)

Friday, May 6 (7:30pm)

Saturday, May 7 (7:30pm)

Monday, May 9 (7:30pm)

Friday, May 13 (7:30pm)

Saturday, May 14 (7:30pm)

Sunday, May 15 (2:00pm)

Thursday, May 19 (7:30pm)

Friday, May 20 (7:30pm)

Saturday, May 21 (7:30pm)

Sunday, May 22 (2:00pm)

Wednesday, May 25 (7:30pm)

Thursday, May 26 (7:30pm)

Saturday, May 28 (7:30pm)

Sunday, May 29 (2:00pm)

The Walking shadow Theatre Company’s The Ugly One is being staged at the Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis. This was my first Walking Shadow show and my first time at Open Eye. These are the sorts of discoveries it’s a pleasure to discover and spread the word about. My colleagues from the TCTB I’m sure all know about the theatre company and this performance space, but before I began doing this site these were exactly the size theatre’s and theatre companies that I would never hear of. So it’s one of my hopes to bring attention to these type of productions. If they don’t even know about it, people can’t know what they are missing. This is a small play put on in a small theatre but with some big talent and a script with some big ideas.

The Ugly One by Marius von Mayenburg, translated from German by Maja Zade refers to Lette, a man who while heading up development in a manufacturing company and being married is just now, well into adulthood, being told that he is hideously ugly. Dismayed to have this knowledge confirmed by his wife, who up until this point has made it a practice to look into his left eye rather than his entire face. He goes with his wife to see a Scheffler, a plastic surgeon, who at first refuses to operate on him because he wouldn’t know where to start, there is nothing to work with. Lette points out to him it would be a challenge and that convinces the Dr. to try. When the bandages are removed everyone, including the Dr. is amazed at how perfect his face is. Now one of the most attractive men in the world, Lette finds he has a new role in life. When before he was not allowed to represent his company at a sales convention, he is suddenly being seduced by prospective clients. The Dr. recruits him to come on tour with him demonstrating the effects of his new surgery technique. Lette is on top of the world until the Dr. starts giving others his same face. Then he learns that the value of beauty is not as straightforward as it seems. The play is a comedy, but there are also questions within the work about the role beauty plays in our society, what worth it adds, and what it costs.

A small cast of four performers that play 8 roles with only 4 character names. Sean Dillon is Lette, who is as at home playing the everyman, who didn’t realize he was ugly as he is the increasingly full of himself stunner he becomes. He’s at his best having a frantic discussion with himself in an elevator. Julie Ann Nevill plays Fanny his wife, Fanny the Nurse and Fanny the wealthy client. She undoubtedly shows the most range as she has three completely different characters to play and with the wife role alone she plays supportive, loving, hurt, and rejected. The nurse is no nonsense, and the the rich client who is 76, and very randy, is the most out there and fun. Edwin Stout Plays Scheffler the boss and Scheffler the Dr., his take on the characters is confident if a bit too the same, but regardless he’s quite fun in the roles. Finally Corey DiNardo plays Karlmann Lette’s assistant and Karlmann the wealthy clients son, who is also attracted to the new handsome Lette. DiNardo differentiates his characters well, the assistant being a bit nervous and awkward, the son being rather wild and open. Some of the scenes between the son and mother are the most outrageously hilarious in the show.

Director Amy Rummenie does an excellent job staging and pacing this show. It clips along, running about 70 minutes. The decision to show Lette before and after with the same face was the right one. It works fine, we understand what is happening without some strange mask or makeup. It also adds to the commentary of beauty. The stageing of the surgery and the elevator scenes are both models of simplicity that effectively convey the action and let us focus on the performances and the humor. The scene changes happen at times mid conversation sometimes by as little as the character turning to another as he speaks and a simple lighting change. In that way the lighting design by Tony Stoeri was also effective, subtle shifts made it instantly understandable that we had moved location and time. Scenic Design by Sarah Brandner was simple, I liked the economy of the surgery table folding down from one of many stacks of cubes that made up the set. Otherwise, it was the equivalent of the blocks improv theaters will use. I was less taken with the costume designs by Kathy Kohl. The characters outfits were like patchwork versions of regular clothes. I suspect some link between fashion and our ideas of beauty was at work, but the message wasn’t clear. It felt like an idea that didn’t play very well and worked more as a distraction than as a supporting piece of the whole.

The Ugly One one is a lot of fun, the cast are all game, with Sean Dillon truly nailing his two sided conversation with himself. It’s a faced paced commentary of beauty, that’s more absurd than preachy. It’s a fun time out to a theatre you may not have heard of before, but once you see them, you’ll be watching to see what they do next. For more information and to buy tickets go to https://www.walkingshadow.org/

Not my first visit to the Gremlin Theatre, I saw Spring Awakening there last year, a production that was plagued by microphone malfunctions. However, this was my first Theater Mu production and I’m happy to report there were no technical issues. I’m also thrilled to say that the hype I’d heard from friends about Theater Mu were true. Peerless is a thrilling piece of theater, enormously entertaining on the surface with a strong vein of thought provoking commentary just underneath. A solid script that is brought to life by a talented cast.

Peerless by Jiehae Park is inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth but set in High School. In the place of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth we have M and L, Asian American twins, whose ambition is not to become ruler but to get into “The College”. Historically, there’s one affirmative action spot given and M and L have been plotting to get it their entire lives. L was purposely held back a year so that M could get the spot. L would then have the edge the next year as there is a preference given to siblings as well. As the play opens the spot they assumed was going to be M’s is awarded to D who becomes the stand in for Duncan and will be the target of the ambitious sisters. Dirty Girl, an apparently mentally disturbed fellow student, steps in for the three witches prophesying that M will get into “The College” and her little dog too. That last line, a nice touch in making the connection between Dirty Girl and the witches, bringing to mind the Wicked Witch of the West, and also coming into play later, leading to a second target for the twins. The twins progress throughout the play with their ambition driving them to more and more despicable acts. The play is a black comedy that slowly turns darker and darker.

The twins played by real life sisters Francesca and Isabella Dawis as M and L are simply amazing. The dialogue between the two is so rapid fire, almost overlapping, but not. They perfectly time their lines to butt right up to each others, as if they are finishing each other’s thoughts. The make the timing of those exchanges look easy but I assure you it isn’t. Francesca’s M is the more hesitant of the two characters goaded on by L, as such her character is more sympathetic and we get to see a slightly softer side which she plays wonderfully as well. Isabella’s L is the more straightforwardly manipulative one and as such she is able to go full on in that mode, deliciously jumping from one tact to another always with her end goal in sight. Neal Beckman has the plum role of D and the more shadowy role of D’s brother. Beckman gives a performance that brings an ultra nerdy and socially awkward teenager to full life. It’s a highly characterized role that is responsible for most of the all out laughs of which there are many. He takes a character that would be annoying to anyone in M and L’s position and makes him completely endearing to us, the audience. Even M finds empathy for him and struggles with their plans, that conversion made believable by the skill of Beckman’s performance finding the balance between what he is meant to represent and who his character is inside, showing us all of it. Completing the the cast is Meredith Casey as Dirty Girl and Kenyai O’Neal as the Boyfriend, both rounding out the cast nicely with strong work.

Peerless is directed by Theater Mu’s Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal. She has created a fast paced and inventive production, never sacrificing the humor and entertainment of the play, but also shining a light on the issues underneath. As a white male, you’d think I’d be the perfect audience for a theater company devoted to spotlighting diversity, and a play that addresses the opportunities historically my demographic takes for granted. It’s a great play for a privileged class to see, because while it’s a comedy there are a lot of messages that can be seen through the laughs. But it’s also a play that spotlights the ways in which other communities should be working together, not against each other. The problem at the core of the play is not who should get the one spot, but that there is only one spot. There is a lot more to unpack there, but essentially this is a play that we can all learn something from. It’s also really funny, entertaining, thrilling, and shocking. That’s some accomplishment.

Other highlights of the production were the Scenic Design by Joe Stanley. The Gremlin Theatre is basically a black box, there is not a lot of options in terms of bringing sets on and off and as such productions need to be economical in their design. Stanley has created a set whose back wall can rotate creating a new backdrop for which ever location they are at. In the school halls we have a row of lockers, when they are in the Gym there is a basketball hoop, at “The College” we have the school banner. Desks, couches, and other props are whisked on and off stage through panels that open either side of the rotating wall. Two rectangular boxes stand in for beds, benches, a TV stand, with props stored inside, making the transitions from scene to scene as quick and seamless as possible. The Lighting Design by Karin Olson and the Sound Design by Kevin Springer are both very effective many times working in unison to create effects. Examples being a rat running across the floor, cars racing past on the street and an explosion.

Peerless runs through February 16th for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatermu.org/

This was my first visit to Artistry in Bloomington and it reminded me of my first visit to The Jungle Theater, Lyric Arts, and Theater Latte Da. When I left each of those after the first performance I said to myself, I love this theater. The similarities? If you’ve been in these theaters you’ll know they look nothing alike. The similarities, there isn’t a bad seat in the house and my first show in each was a stunner. I was expecting the production to be good, I’ve had friends and colleagues rave about the music of this show and the quality of musicians at Artistry shows in general. I also knew that when when the book on which The Bridges of Madison County is based was published it was considered a romance, something akin to a Danielle Steel novel, though with more cross over appeal. But I was just out of high school and it was what all my friends Mom’s were reading and not something I would have picked up. I saw the Clint Eastwood film in the theater but since that was 25 years ago I can’t say I remember much but the basic plot. It was what we called a “chick flick” back in our less woke times of the mid 90’s. That thought stayed with me as I headed out to the theater tonight. Well this is not a … whatever the theater equivalent is of a “chick flick” is, it’s a “middle aged flick”. And it will not only appeal to your friends’s mothers, it’ll resonate with anyone who has ever had regrets, even if only for a moment, about where they are in life or felt an attraction for someone new. In other words this is a show that should have almost universal appeal.

Jennifer Baldwin Peden stars as Francesca a middle aged Iowa Housewife who came to America after WWII from her home in Italy. With her American G.I. husband over the next 20 years they raised a family and built a home together. Her husband Bud played by Charlie Clark and their children Carolyn played by Alyson Enderle and Michael played by Ryan London Levin head off to a state fair in Indianapolis. Photographer Robert Kincaid played by Eric Morris pulls up to their house, he works for National Geographic and is on assignment taking photos of the covered bridges in the area but he cannot find one of them. Francesca offers to ride with and show him where it is. After that she invites him to stay for dinner and over a bottle of Brandy and dinner they get to know each other. As they spend more time together they fall for each other and must decide what to do with those feelings.

I said early that this is a “middle aged show” One of the things I mean by that is that it seems more mature than say a show like Rent or Be More Chill, it isn’t better than those shows, it just has a different temperament. It’s a more contemplative work. It isn’t a show simply about passions and plots it is grounded in real life emotions and the characters are not simply archetypes. For instance the noisy neighbor Marge played by Wendy Short Hays. When she is introduced as a binocular using neighbor watcher we anticipate the troubles she will cause the lovers. But the play subverts that stereotype and she, along with her husband Charlie played by Fred Mackaman, provide comic relief but also wisdom and another view of life in small town Iowa. The show could have presented this life as a suffocation for Francesca and a dead end life of washing clothes and cooking meals. That would have been enough to justify the temptation Robert, a world traveling Photographer, presents her. But it takes the time to present the positive elements of this life as well. The Song “You’re Never Alone” emphasizes the care they all feel for each other, their sense of community, and the willingness to help each other. The dichotomy of the the two perspective are personified by Francesca and Bud’s two children. Michael does not want to be a farmer he wants to get away from this small world. Carolyn loves the farm life and has raised an award winning steer. Francesca has made a life here, made friends, and raised two children she loves. She also loves her husband, but she is at one of those moments that we all come to from time to time. Where you lose sight of the love, it has been lost temporarily in the day to day chores of life. It is this more encompassing view of life that gives it the nuances that I associate with the patience and understanding that comes with achieving middle age. The show has an understanding of the shades of grey that make up the world, whereas many musicals rely on a more simplified black and white perspective, so that they can focus on other aspects.

The book of the musical written by Marsha Norman alternates scenes between Francesca and Robert with scenes of Bud and the kids on their trip. They call home and talk to Francesca frequently reminding her and us that they exist. Never allowing us to lose sight of Francesca’s reality, at times it illustrates why she would be tempted away, at other times it makes clear who she would be hurting and what she means to them and they to her. The Music and Lyrics were written by Jason Robert Brown and it is a truly beautiful score. There is a nice full sound to the orchestrations and the acoustics at artistry are amazing. The Songs themselves are beautiful particularly when performed by such a talented cast. From the moment Jennifer Baldwin Peden began the first song “To Build a Home”, it was clear I was hearing one of the best singers in the Twin Cities. Sometimes when a singer has an operatic quality to their voice, which Peden does, I find I lose clarity of the lyrics. This is not the case here, I never lost a single consonant. I was expecting the other actors to pale in comparison, but that didn’t happen. Eric Morris was also phenomenal, their Duets were powerful, their voices perfectly matching the hauntingly beautiful score particularly on the song “One Second and A Million Miles”. Clark, Short-Hays and Mackaman, all have their moments to shine musically and they all contribute to the high level of the show.

The direction by Benjamin McGovern is tight, the show is perfectly paced. Shifting focus between the farm and the group at the fair, the neighbors, and flashbacks seamlessly. The scenic design by Rick Polenek was very creative. The perspective of depth created by the three arches representing the covered bridge and the truck cab that is moved around the stage by other performers as they characters drive around. The farmhouse kitchen with it’s detached door which can be turned so we can follow the character from the kitchen out the door and then observe them on the front porch. The phone booth that can be pushed out on the stage so we can watch both ends of phone conversations. The lighting design by Michael P. Kittel also deserves praise. It hard to articulate the perfect match that is achieved between the mood of the music and the lighting, but they are perfectly in sync. Lastly, the Orchestra under the direction of Anita Ruth is the incredible foundation of which this entire production builds.

The Bridges of Madison County at Artistry is a work of maturity featuring some of the most amazing vocal work I have heard. I was won over by this show and it’s incredibly talented artist both on and backstage. You couldn’t ask for a more accomplished and deeply rewarding evening at the theater. The show runs through February 16th for more information and tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/