Endometriosis: The Musical is simultaneously drop dead funny and deadly serious, not dramatically but thematically. It brings into the spotlight a painful and sometimes debilitating disease that affects 10% of all menstruating humans. It dares to sing about things that too many people are afraid to even whisper. The show created by childhood BFF’s Maria Bartholdi (book and lyrics) and Kristin Stowell (music and lyrics) began life as a 2022 Minnesota Fringe show, that was performed at Theatre in the Round. I awarded it the second ever The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award, it also won three other actual MN Fringe sanctioned Awards, I’m sure those are nice to have too. The powers that be at Theatre in the Round saw what everyone in the audience did that August, a show that had a life beyond Fringe. They asked Bartholdi and Stowell to continue to develop it and now three years later it has grown from a 45 minute show to over two hours. Length hasn’t dimmed it’s energy or creativity, and at nearly three times its original length it still seems to fly by in the blink of an eye. The expansion has allowed it to touch on other areas of Women’s healthcare, sharing some statistics that would be sobering if we weren’t already drunk with the potent cocktail of musical theater absurdity.

Jane played by original cast member Abby Holstrom loves “business” and has dreams of working on her employer Business, Incorporated’s “big account.” When her co-worker Brad is mauled by a bear while on his morning run (did I mention this was in the absurdist comedic vein) she gets her big chance. But as she prepares for the meeting she is stricken down by her period, which is always so painful she can barely stay standing. Throughout the play we are given glimpses of how she is dismissed by co-workers, family, and healthcare providers when she tries to make them understand how bad the pain is. Sadly this is not a fantasy, this is what really happens to women. The average sufferer will see seven providers before they are correctly diagnosed. Endometriosis: The Musical brings all of this into the light through clever songs and a hilarious script. It also adds to the cultural lexicon Pussy Porridge, a euphemism only a mother could love. Some might add a disclaimer that this show should only be seen by those over say 16, but isn’t that part of the problem? I think this show should be seen by everyone who is old enough to be entering puberty, of both sexes. We need to destigmatize (my spell check indicates I may have coined a new word there…cool!) openly talking about issues that affect around 50% of the worlds population. Maybe if we can talk about it, we can learn to finance research into finding ways to improve healthcare for every human with a uterus.

I really don’t want to leave you with the impression that this is a covert message show. The message isn’t covert, they sing about it. And while sure, you might learn a thing or two, you’ll be having too much fun to even realize it. The show is directed by one of The Stages of MN favorites Shanan Custer. Custer is the perfect fit for this material, her comedic sensibilities aline perfectly with the material. With clever and knowing winks to the audience she invites us all to let go of theatrical distance and embrace the silliness. The cast led by Holstrom is stellar including a couple folks on my must see list, such as Tara Borman and Nora Sonneborn, and a few I feel like I’m really noticing for the first time including Christopher Knutson and Jack Strub who approach their characters in very different ways, each perfect for their roles. But all of the talent isn’t on stage, there is great technical work from the production team. Sadie Ward’s Set Design includes giant tampons hanging in the ceiling. Ryan McCanna’s costumes are spectacular including an Elvis like suit with a cape adorned with a uterus. It’s hard to know sometimes which items are set design, costume, or props, but I’m giving a shout out to Prop Designer Mark Steffer as well, because I know some of the stuff that had me almost rolling on the floor must have been his. All of it is enhanced by some really nice sound and lighting cues from Sound Designer Kristin Smith and Lighting Designer Mark Webb. Last but not least Music Director Jean Orbison Van Heel gets a lot out of a three piece ensemble.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a musical at Theatre in the round before. Likely one of you faithful readers will correct me, but if there have been, they are few and far between. It’s so great to see the cities oldest running Community Theater host a world premiere of such a fantastic musical. This is a must see and one I’m very tempted to try and see again, which is even harder now due to The Stages of MN’s expansion into the audio visual world, more on that at the bottom of this review. Endometriosis: The Musical runs through July 13th at Theatre in the Round Players in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/endometriosis-the-musical/

Necessity requires that going forward in order to produce a weekly YouTube show and podcast that reviews will become shorter. There are only so many hours in a day, but I have no intention of abandoning the blog version. Faithful readers, you have year after year grown The Stages of MN audience. While I hope you will become viewers or listeners as well, there will always be things here that cannot be found there. This will be the place for longer reviews, though slightly shorter than before, as well as Reviews of more shows than can be covered on the YouTube and Podcast versions. Essentially there will be some overlap, but each format will have unique content.

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