Between Riverside and Crazy is an Engrossing Play Filled With Fascinating Characters at Park Square Theatre

Isabella Dunsieth, Darius Dotch, Terry Hempleman, Laura Esping, Emil Herrera Photo Courtesy Dan Norman

Between Riverside and Crazy is a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Stephen Adly Guirgis playing on the main stage at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. It’s a story about specific people in a specific place and time. It deals with race but only in the way in which being black or white affects the characters lives. What I mean to say is that race is not the primary focus of the play. The story focuses on Pops, played by Emil Herrera who has been battling the city for eight years trying to get them to pay him 5 million dollars in compensation for being shot six times by a police officer whom he alleges called him a racial slur. He was an off duty police officer at the time he was shot, and he is black. I know that it sounds like a play all about race, but that is just one of several plot lines that propel the story. Pop now retired on 3/4 pension is living in his rent controlled apartment with his son Junior and his girlfriend Lulu, played by Darius Dotch and Isabella Dunsieth, along with Juniors friend Oswaldo, played by José Sabillón. They each have their own things happening that contribute to the overall story of Pops’ world. There’s also his former partner from his days on the force, Audrey and her Fiancé Lt. Caro played by Laura Esping and Terry Hempleman. Caro is trying to get Pops to settle with the city. Then there’s the Church Lady played by Kiko Laureano, who brings unexpected tangent into what may or may not have been real or imagined. Whatever it is, it’s pretty graphically performed and not for children.

The cast does a fantastic job of engrossing us in the lives of the characters. Guirgis’ play takes it’s time revealing the various conflicts and relationships which works to it’s benefit. We become interested in the characters to the point where we don’t really care if there is conflict, part of you just wants to sit back and watch these folks live their lives. The dialogue is colorful and entertaining and it’s not only fascinating what the characters say, but how they say it. Herrera is in every scene and he’s very natural and funny as Pops, it’s a great performance that feels lived in but not weary. I really enjoyed Sabillón’s performance as Oswaldo, a not very bright former convict who has 90 days of sobriety. The opening scenes between Herrera and Sabillón are among the most humorous and touching. Dunsieth is also very strong playing Lulu, who also isn’t too bright but has captured the good opinion of Pops. Dunsieth is so outrageous in the role, it’s hard not to see what charms Pops.

The other star of the show is the set by Benjamin Olsen, it’s a very realistic recreation of Pop’s apartment with a living room, kitchen, and even fire escape. The set is rich with details like the unwashed windows and ceiling light fixtures hanging from a nonexistent ceiling. Director Stephen DiMenna seems to understand the importance of making the space in which we spend our time with these characters, a way to ground them in reality. One aspect that I felt could have been tightened up were the slightly overlong scene changes; however, this did give Sound Designer Fred Kennedy a chance to play some great music during the changes. Lighting Designer Marcus Dilliard has some very effective lighting cues especially at the end of the first scene between Pops and the Church Lady. I tend to think that what happens is a reflection of Pops physical state, not a statement of something supernatural, but the way it’s handled by Dilliard makes it an intriguing moment that is open to interpretation. Matthew J. LeFebvre’s costume designs are great especially every little thing Dunsieth wears, just look at those boots in the photo above, they really help establish some unspoken things about Lulu.

Between Riverside and Crazy runs through June 8th at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://parksquaretheatre.org/

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!

Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West is a Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius Don’t Miss This World Premiere Musical at History Theatre.

The question I asked as I left the Theatre after seeing Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West was not what did I like best or what were the shortcomings… It was this, was there anything about that show that wasn’t brilliant? The answer is a resounding no! It’s all brilliant. Every cast member, every song, every costume, every element of the set design, every lighting cue. Look at that photo at the top of this review, that isn’t just one moment, the entire show is filled with bold choices that create imagery and emotional imprints on the brain. This show solidifies Laura Leffler as one of the great Directors of the Twin Cities Stages. Her direction is dynamic, simultaneously intimate and epic.

(Pictured Em Adam Rosenberg Photo by Rick Spaulding)

Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West is an original musical written completely, that means book, music, and lyrics by Josef Evans. I’ve seen Evan’s work before in his outdoor summer shows for Open eye Theatre, Loch Mess and Hair Ball both of which were light hearted, fun, and silly shows. I enjoyed them quite a bit, but they did not prepare me for these exquisite compositions. Even the silliest of songs seemed musically complex as is the narrative of Nellie King, whose story the show tells. The story unfolds as a vaudville show from beyond the grave. Nellie King, like so many real life legends of the late 1800’s, is obscured by mythology. What’s true? What’s fiction? So who better to help tell her story than a group of fellow long deceased legends. Some who helped create the myths like Nellie Bly and some who were mythologized like Annie Oakley. There are performers who were famous for impersonating the opposite sex, which touches on King’s tendency to dress as a man at times throughout her life. Everything is overseen by Bert Williams who acts as an emcee for the show, and if that makes you think of another musical, I don’t blame you for going there. It’s a role performed by John Jamison II and he’s magnetic to the point of stealing the show, and he would if the rest of the cast wasn’t as strong as it is.

(foreground) Em Adam Rosenberg. (background l-r) Erin Nicole Farsté, Jay Owen Eisenberg, Leslie Vincent, Therese Walth. Photo by Rick Spaulding

Em Adam Rosenberg continues their ascent as one of the most talented rising stars of the Twin Cities. Rosenberg keeps astonishing me show after show. They play the humor of Nellie’s wild and crazy antics with a slow and gradual slid towards the tragic. In the opening we see more of the legend, by the end we will see something of the truth. We begin by getting a sense of how the legend began and end with how the woman began. Every aspect of Rosenberg’s performance is as pitch perfect as their vocals which are stunning. As is Rosenberg’s apparent mission in life, they made me cry, again. This time their accomplice was Grace Hillmyer, who charmed us last year in Kinky Boots at Lyric Arts and here is hauntingly touching as the Child, a character shrouded in mystery that only Nellie occasionally sees.

This is where things get hard, as with the recent Theatre Pro Rata shows Three Sisters and No Sisters, every single person in this cast deserves a paragraph of praise. But, that would take me all night and you would stop reading so I’m going to be brief, but please understand I have to mention them all and the shortness of those mentions does not reflect the quality which is universally sublime. All of the cast with the exception of Rosenberg play multiple characters I’ll likely be mentioning just one of my favorites for each. Tod Petersen, Leslie Vincent, and Jay Owen Eisenberg have been praised in this blog many times, the reason for that is because they are versatile and gifted and they put those talents to great use in Whoa, Nellie!. Petersen’s greatest moments come at the end when he is reunited with Nellie twenty years after they first met. Vincent as Annie Oakley gets some fun insider jokes related to the show Annie Get Your Gun, and gets to put those wonderful pipes to work in the song “You Gotta Be Crazy (Not to Go Crazy)“. Eisenberg gets to do some wonderfully quirky character bits, he does this set jaw, and worried eyed expression as a man accused of steeling a horse that hit me just right, it’s such a small thing but it brought that character right to life. Erin Nicole Farsté plays Aida Walker and the music she makes with that vocal instrument of her’s might be proof that there is a God. Therese Walth plays Nellie Bly a reporter who fills in segments of the narrative with a no nonsense approach that pays tribute to the real Bly’s role in journalism history. Thomas Bevan rounds out the cast playing multiple roles but he’s especially good as Edward Loudon, one of Nellie’s multiple and likely simultaneous husbands and perhaps the one man Nellie actually loved.

Erin Nicole Farsté, Tod Petersen, Grace Hillmyer, John Jamison II, Leslie Vincent, Thomas Bevan Photo by Rick Spaulding

Alright I can feel you scanning down the screen to see how much longer this is so I’ll try and wrap up with quick mentions of the design team. Joel Sass designed the sets and I could have told you that without looking at the program. It has that Open Eye Theatre attention to detail, every brush stroke, every silhouette, every curtain, and every floorboard is precise and stunning. Sass has found a wonderful collaborator for his style in Lighting Designer Grant E. Merges, there are so many moments in which the light helps to create an image that feels iconic. Bryce Turgeon is the costume designer and creative doesn’t seem to do his work justice. So many wonderful designs but hands down my favorite was Nellie’s final costume which includes a cape made out of headlines from newspapers about her. The hats are all wonderful as well and while I didn’t notice them, because I just don’t, my wife assures me that every shoe and boot in the show was to die for. Great Sound Design work by C Andrew Mayer and Prop Designs by Rebecca Jo Malmstrom, and Choreography by Joey Miller, everyone working together creating a breathtaking experience on every level.

This is undoubtedly one of the best theatrical experiences of the year and you should not miss the opportunity to see something this bold and original. I promise you will not leave this show disappointed. I plan to see it again, which is hard with my schedule but there is no way I’m letting this one go without experiencing it at least one more time. Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West runs through June 8th at History Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.historytheatre.com/2024-2025/whoa-nellie-outlaw-king-wild-middle-west

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!

Sanctuary City Was Worth a Return Visit at Theatre in the Round

Diego Symouksavanh and Ana Paulina Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

If Sanctuary City written by the Pulitzer Prize winning Martyna Majok sounds familiar it’s probably because it was staged by Frank Theater just a few months ago. It’s a thought provoking and challenging play that explores the timely topic of immigration. Uniquely structured, the first act contains dozens of brief moments, memories over a course of a couple of years that establish the close friendship between two teenagers G and B, who live in the US illegally. During these scenes which last anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes each, we learn that G becomes a citizen, and they hatch a plan to marry each other so that B can legally stay in the country as well. Act II is one scene which explores what happens to that plan when a third person, Henry, enters the picture as a romantic partner. Every reveal in the second act clarifies the situation while complicating the issue itself. It forces the audience to constantly reconsider what they thought moments earlier.

Majok’s script is well crafted, seeing it for a second time within about three months is a unique opportunity to consider the different approaches the two companies took. The set design by Christopher Goddard mirrors the differences between the two halves of the show and make tangible the idea of the first being a series of memories. Where Act One is Impressionistic with time fractures and a very simplistic approach to set Design. Act Two is more formalized and structured. If you feel lost or confused at the beginning, hang in there, you’ll come to understand what is happening, and know that the second half will be much more traditional. Majok’s script further distinguishes this fact by the simplistic, almost black and white aspect of the dialogue and emotions in Act One compared to the intricate and often amorphous reality of the final Act. Andrew Vance’s lighting helps to tell the story particularly in Act One in which the lights are visual cues to indicate the jump to a new memory. There are also some nice sound effects added by Sound Designer Eevee Pavey that again, especially in Act One, help to set the stage in our imagination. Like the sound of windows being opened and closed. Director Vanessa Brooke Agnes does a nice job of differentiating the abstract nature of the first act with a much more grounded reality of the second.

The entire cast was new to me, but they were all as strong and in some cases stronger than the Frank production. Ana Paulina who plays G allows the unexpressed emotions of Act I show through the cracks. With her body language and looks we begin to answer our own questions about things that are not said. Diego Symouksavanh approaches the character of B with more energy than his Frank predecessor, where the character was portrayed as more passive and lost. Symouksavanh’s more engaged and active interpretation is an equally interesting and valid take on B. B spends his life in Limbo; as an illegal, his life options if he wants to stay in the US are limited, he can’t get aid for school and he needs to work jobs that don’t enforce certain regulations. Because of the introduction of Henry to the plot, he doesn’t know if he’s still going to be able to escape Limbo with G. If he can’t, should he continue to live this life or return to his birth country? Henry is played by LJ Soudaly and is his stage debut. Soudaly is a natural and hopefully he’ll pursue future roles. Henry is a difficult role, after spending the first Act witnessing the close friendship of B and G, it’s hard to blame Henry for coming between the two friends. He enters the play at a point where a third is unwanted by the audience and first impressions are that he’s just going to make everything fall apart. But he softens and as more is revealed, we find something to appreciate in the character for a time. It is here, that Majok’s script kicks into overdrive, requiring the performers to manipulate the audience’s allegiances from moment to moment.

Sanctuary City runs around an hour and forty five minutes with one intermission. It is a drama, but also contains humor and while it will leave you with a lot to think about and does not end with a super sunny resolution, it’s creativity and performances will leave you feeling excited and engaged rather than depressed. Sanctuary City runs through June 1st at Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/sanctuary-city/

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!

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

Clare Rolinger and Hawken Paul Photo by Brent Knutson

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

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

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

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!

& Juliet Dazzles at the Orpheum Theatre

Rachel Simone Webb and Michael Canu Photo credit Matthew Murphy

& Juliet is a jukebox musical using popular songs from a time in which I did not listen to popular songs. That said, I recognized several and the ones I didn’t know I still enjoyed. There are those who shun the jukebox musical, but I prefer them by far to most of the movies adapted to stage musicals, at least the songs are likely to be good. & Juliet takes place on opening night of Romeo and Juliet and the Authors wife Anne Hathaway has gotten a babysitter and come to London to attend. But she isn’t happy with Will’s ending and she proposes a new one in which Juliet doesn’t kill herself. Instead, she flees her family who want to get her to a nunnery, she heads to Paris with her besties April (a role Anne has assumed for herself) May, her obviously gay first bestie, and her nurse. There she finds herself hitched to another ill advised suitor, one who is really in love with May. Add to this, a back from the dead Romeo and a bickering Mr. and Mrs. greatest writer in the English language, and you have the makings of high drama, but what you get is pure fun with a capital FU.

Set against a fabulous design, this has hints of Moulin Rouge, not as big and splashy, but somehow more organic and magical. Like the perfect balance of stage magic to heighten the emotional highs without being garish. Like Moulin Rouge but with some sense of decorum. So hats off to the design team; Soutra Gilmour, Set Designer; Paloma Young, Costume Designer; Howard Hudson, Lighting Designer; and Andrzej Goulding, Video and Projection Designer. The book is by David West Read and for Shakespeare enthusiasts, he packs it with Easter eggs, from lines in his plays to little details in costume and historical details. It’s a very funny script and it’s packed with positive messaging from LGBTQA+ issues to female empowerment. The music and lyrics are by Max Martin and Friends, which a search tells me that there is one original song “One More Try“, the rest are existing pop songs co-written by Martin.

Corey Mach and Teal Wicks play Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway, and they are both very good. Mach especially has a great voice and Wicks plays everything as if it’s just occurring to her, which is fitting for the time period historically, though the design is sort of Renaissance Modern, which isn’t a quibble, I kinda loved it. Daniel J. Maldonado has just recently replaced Michael Canu as Romeo on the tour, so the photo attached to this review show Canu, but I couldn’t bear to part with that photo, as it was one of my favorite moments in the show. I enjoyed Maldonado’s performance and other favorites included Nick Drake as May, Paul-Jordan Jansen as Lance, father of Juliets new fiancé and an old flame of the nurse, and speaking of the nurse she wonderfully portrayed by Kathryn Allison. But as good as everyone else is, the star of the show and the one that just nailed everything was none other than Juliet herself, Rachel Simone Webb.

If you are on the fence on this one, I highly recommend it, it’s not that often that you get to just sit back and laugh and rock out and be genuinely wowed by the spectacle of a show. This is one of the shows where the crowd is super into it and screams fun. & Juliet runs through May 18th at The Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepinarts.org/events/and-juliet-2025

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!

Finding J Mitchell is a Fun, Light Whodunnit With a Nicely Constructed Script.

Finding J Mitchell is a new comedy murder mystery play by Kiernon James having its world premiere this month at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. The setting is the Shady Oak Lodge in Wisconsin run by Shelly and Jerry Brenner. It’s a quite place, where nothing ever happens at least according to the young errand girl, Molly. That is until now, with thirteen characters two of which will be dead before the end of the play there are plenty of suspects and lots of clues to mislead the audience.

Alison Anderson, Edwin Strout, Ward Eames, Nicole Wood Photo by BTE Media

Rounding out the locals are Chuck, Jerry’s hunting buddy who is also the town Sheriff and his deputy and Molly’s father Rob (no relation). Guests include Diane, a Senator whom Shelly used to be an Aid for; Kyle, her current aid; Alex, a P.I. from Chicago whose on the trail of a burglar known as J. Mitchell; Belinda, who is Alex’s client and wants the burglar who also killed her husband caught; Victoria Reichert, the governor’s wife who arrives a day early unexpectedly; Nate, her driver; Heather Sullivan, a journalist on the trail of a story; and a mysterious psychic named Jolie Donavon who arrives without notice. There is a survey in the program that allows you to keep track of the characters and make your guesses during intermission to compare with your friends afterwards. I got one of the who dunnits right, but didn’t quite have the motive figured out. It’s a very well scripted mystery with red herrings and real clues aplenty. The solution(s) make sense but are anything but simple and straight forward, which makes it hard to solve, but possible, which is the best kind of mystery.

The performances are good enough for what this is. Special shout out to my favorite performer of the show, Elliot Mayne who plays the young errand girl Molly, whom I’d guess was about 10 years old give or take 2 years, great job! If you like whodunnits, which I do, this is something to check out. If you do not, there’s not going to be anything to recommend this to you. There is definitely a community theater feel to the production. It has a solid set design by Marvin Jonason, some nice lighting effects and sound design from Ariel Pinkerton and Robert Hoffman, I’m a sucker for an effective thunderstorm. The costumes by Genevieve Kafka are nicely realized I really thought the garb worn by Jerry and Chuck helped telegraph their characters nicely right from the start. The show is directed by Brian P. Joyce effectively moving the multitude of characters in and out of the space leaving you always a little off balance in terms of remembering who was where and when. I brought the Aged P with me for Mother’s Day and we both really enjoyed the mystery and trying to figure out the solution. It’s a show best suited for Britbox junkies and Murder She Wrote fans, if that sounds like you, this should be a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

Finding J Mitchell runs through June 1st at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://kiernonjames.com/fjm-show/

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!

No Sisters Completes a Unique and Rewarding Theatrical Experience

Marci Lucht, Derek “Duck” Washington Photo by Alex Wohlhueter

No Sisters is a companion play to Chekhov’s Three Sisters written by Aaron Posner. It is designed to be performed simultaneously in separate spaces in the same facility as Seven of the Actors in Three Sisters also play their characters in No Sisters. It’s amazing how precisely they are timed so that they reach the end of each act at the same time, they reach intermission at the same time and they finish at exactly the same time. The setting for No Sisters is listed as an existential greenroom and I don’t think I could say it any better. The seven characters that carry between the two plays are Andrei, the brother of the three sisters; his wife Natasha; Baron, who is in love with the youngest sister Irina; Vasily Solyony, Baron’s best friend who is very strange and also in love with Irina; Alexey Fedotik, a young soldier who also loves Irina; Fydor Kulygin, who is married to the middle sister Masha; and Anfisa, the elderly Nanny who has worked for Andrei’s family for 30 years. The Actors play the roles straight in Three Sisters but in No Sisters, while they do stay in character, they are also aware that they are in a play. It’s all fairly meta, slightly participatory, very funny, but also provides a deeper insight into some major characters and other lesser ones. Posner’s play also makes room for a more positive outlook on life. The character Alexey Fedotik rejects the opinions of his elders and espouses his belief that people are capable of change. Played by Jonathan Edwards who so joyfully delivers a speech with shining optimism that he got a rare mid-scene applause from the audience.

As with Three sisters, probably because it’s the same actors, there isn’t a weak performance in the entire cast. As noted in my Three Sisters review Duck Washington and Sean Dillon are great as Andrei and Baron. Here they get to add greater depth to their characters and fill in motivations and backstory. Jeremy Motz gets to really go full scary about to go postal with the character of Vasily Solyony, he not only addresses the audience directly but actually criticizes and shows distain for us. As they used to say in the early days of 20th Century Russia, “that’s so Vasily of him”. Motz is funny, but also intense and truly a little scary, it’s a great performance driven by an underlying current of volatility. Meri Golden plays the elderly Nanny Anfisa, and she gets to do so much more than we see in Three Sisters. We get greater insight into her relationship with Andrei and we even get to see her face her younger self via a video with May Heinecke playing a young Anfisa. There is a wonderful lesson contained in that video scene, one that contains as an important a message as Edwards’ speech as Alexey. The two performers that already had nice juicy roles in Three Sisters get the opportunity to clarify and deepen their characters. They are Marci Lucht as Natasha and Matt Wall as Fyodor Kulygin. As much as I enjoyed Lucht’s performance in Three Sisters, this one tops it. At times she is a complete bitch and then at others she becomes so incredibly emotionally open and vulnerable, it’s a revelation. Wall’s character in Three Sisters is pitiable, but in No Sisters the character is revealed to have more intelligence, and depth. While in the other play he is amusingly boring, in this play he is genuinely fascinating.

If you can only see one, see Three Sisters. And if you do want to see both, which I highly recommend, I encourage you to see Three Sisters first for the most rewarding experience. But book early, because of the space available in the theater lobby, there are not as many tickets to No Sisters. In fact some performances have already sold out. I went into No Sisters expecting it to be good, how could it not with this cast, but was also prepared for a decent sized dip in quality between the plays. And there is no denying that Three Sisters is the better individual play. For one thing it can stand on it’s own better than No Sisters could. But while Posner’s play is not the Masterpiece that Chekhov’s is, it is very good, very very good. Smartly it isn’t trying to do what Chekhov’s play is doing, it’s something entirely new that comments on the original play, in fact could not exist without it, but does so in a fresh and non traditional way. Julie K. Phillips’ direction is as perfect for this play as Carin Bratlie Wethern’s was for Three Sisters.

This is the sort of theatrical situation that doesn’t happen very often and so it’s important to jump on it while you can. Three Sisters and No Sisters runs through May 24th at the Crane Theater in North Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreprorata.org/2025-season

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

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!