Scarecrow on Fire is a Charmingly Askew Take on the Further Adventures of the Characters of Oz

Dan Chouinard, Kevin Kling, Simone Perrin, and Stephen Yoakam Photo by Lauren B Photography

I didn’t expect when I headed to the Center for Performing Arts in South Minneapolis for Illusion Theater’s production of Scarecrow on Fire to find quite such a confluence of my personal interests. The play written by Kevin Kling is performed as an old time radio show, faithful readers will know of my love for this genre by my frequent praise of shows from The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. The show features musical performances from the House of Mercy Band, which are often accompanied projected on the back of the stage clips from silent film versions of The Wizard of Oz, silent film is another passion of mine. The play itself begins in the land of Oz and is narrated by the Scarecrow played by the playwright Kevin Kling. After receiving a troubling response from a Crow, the Scarecrow sneaks a look into the Wicked Witches crystal ball and sees a vision of Dorothy seeming distressed and saying the phrase Scarecrow on Fire! The Scarecrow gathers the Tin Man and the Lion and they agree to use the ruby slippers, which are a doorway to Kansas to journey from Oz and find and help Dorothy. In Kansas, the trio all arrive separately and have their own odd adventures in the mysterious land of Kansas.

There isn’t anything that doesn’t work in this production, the live music performances from House of Mercy Band are terrific beginning with a terrific version of “If I Only Had a Brain“. But to forewarn you, almost all of the rest of the music and songs do not come from the famous 1939 film. That isn’t a bad thing, I just don’t want to leave you with the wrong impression. The play is however filled with little Easter eggs and winks to our collective cultural consciousness of the film. It’s part absurdist fish out of water tale and part exploration of the mind itself. Much like Dorothy’s experience in the film, where everything could be explained by her mind taking parts of her reality and molding them into a fever dream fantasy. The script is smart, funny, and knows its audience has this shared knowledge of The Wizard of Oz, which we do, it’s like it’s part of our genetic makeup. Though I wonder now, if I’m among the last generations that will contain that film within our DNA.

Along with Kling as the Scarecrow the cast contains Dan Chouinard as The Tin Man, Stephen Yoakam as the Lion, and as Dorothy Gale, Simone Perrin, who wonderfully sings a couple of songs during the show with a real 1930’s feel to her style. Both Chouinard and Yoakam along with their primary roles fill in as other side characters as needed. All four members of the cast are excellent vocal performers perfectly suited to the requirements to play multiple characters within a scene. Yoakam particularly has fun conversing with himself, swapping hats as he changes his voice as a visual gag for us, the studio audience. Along with the House of Mercy Band, Chouinard tinkles the piano keys occasionally and other background music is performed by Cellist Michelle Kinney. There is so much happening in the intimate black box theater space that you sort of forget it is being performed as a radio play. I don’t think anything would be gained and a lot might be lost if this were performed as a fully mounted stage play. This is the ideal format for this story it’s such an original and delightful piece that is built upon all of these artifacts from years gone by.

Scarecrow on Fire runs through May 4th at Center for Performing Arts in South Minneapolis as part of Illusion Theater’s 50th Anniversary season. For more information, to purchase tickets or to make a donation to Illusion Theater go to https://www.illusiontheater.org/scarecrow-on-fire

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!

Waitress is Sexy and Delicious at Artistry!

Adair Gilliam, Erin Capello, and Julia Diaz Photo by Alyssa Kristine

This production of Waitress at Artistry serves up the best slice of this modern American classic yet. Portions of this review not specific to this production are taken in part from my review of the touring production at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in 2022. I know, I know, another musical based on a movie, the difference is this time it wasn’t a blockbuster hit movie that everyone and their grandmother saw. This time, the musical is based on an independent film that your Grandmother probably didn’t see. Chances are you haven’t either, but you should, and you should see this musical as well. The film was released in 2007 starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion and co-starring the films Writer/Director Adrienne Shelly. It’s cult success was bittersweet due to the murder of Shelly in 2006. It’s nice to see her work gain a new life and continue to bring joy to audiences. Opening on Broadway in 2016, it ran until 2020. National Tours began in 2017. The tour made two stops in the Twin cities and I saw and enjoyed them both. But this production takes the pie! It’s a fairly naughty show, but in a very sweet way. If you haven’t seen a production yet, you are in luck like a tasty dessert you’ve saved the best for last. Maybe I’m just becoming more in tune with our local talent but the last two shows I’ve seen produced locally, I had also seen and loved the touring productions of, I’ve come away preferring the local productions. First it was Fun Home at Theater Latte Da, now Waitress at Artistry!

Jenna Hunterson is the Waitress of the title she has a gift for making pies which she puts to good use at Joe’s Diner. Work is populated by the grouchy short order cook and manager Cal, fellow waitresses and Jenna’s friends Dawn and Becky, and daily customer/owner the elderly Joe. Home life is Earl and only Earl, from that magic mold that so many Earl’s seem to come from. You know the type, the kind that makes people write songs with titles like “Goodbye Earl“. Things go from bad to worse for Jenna’s personal life when she discovers early in the show that she is pregnant. A trip to her OB/GYN further complicates matters when she finds herself attracted to him. During times of stress Jenna creates new pies with fabulous names like Deep Dish Blueberry Bacon, Betrayed By My Eggs Pie, and Almost Makes You Believe Again Pie. While the play focuses on Jenna, we also explore the love lives of the other characters. Particularly the introverted and innocent Dawn who has her own whirlwind romance with Ogie, whom she meets through a service and who is a spontaneous poet.

The book is by Jessie Nelson with Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles based on the film written by Adrienne Shelly. This being my third time seeing the show, I went from more of the songs sticking with me to, I love these songs!!!! Bareilles has some real winners here from the truly funny to the emotional. Maybe I just needed the right cast to bring all of them into focus for me. Although, I suspect it also has something to do with the tight and on stage orchestra under the musical direction of the Bradley Beahen. Director Amanda White has taken a show that I felt warmly about and transformed it into a show I feel giddy about. She’s found the exact right person for each role and found the perfect way for each of them to find their moment in the spotlight. If I start listing cast members and my favorite moments this will become too long and you’ll stop reading. So I’ll limit it to a few and them. Erin Capello as Jenna is brilliant and her vocals are angelic. Eric Morris is genuinely loathsome as Earl, I’ve met Eric Morris, he is no Earl, but a disturbingly good portrayal of a really nasty guy. Armando Harlow Ronconi brings every possible laugh and then some out of the nerdish Ogie. JoeNathan Thomas plays the cantankerous old joe with no nonsense, and then stuns with his song “Take it From an Old Man“. Oh shit I’m doing it, It’s getting long, but I just have to mention that I also loved everything Julia Diaz and Adair Gilliam did as Dawn and Becky. Oh and Ryan Lee as Cal, and of course Chris Paulson as Dr. Pomatter, and the matter of fact delivery of his “your not pulling the wool over my eyes nurse played by Lisa Vogel.

When you can’t pull out just a couple of good performances to mention you know it’s a very special production. It’s brought to life with wonderful design work by Sarah Bahr and the choreography by Gabrielle Dominique that really adds to the visuals and magic of this show. Waitress runs through May 11 at Artistry in Bloomington, but it’s selling very well so don’t assume you’ve got plenty of time. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/waitress

Disney’s Frozen Makes You Want to Build a Snowman as it Brings an Arctic Blast of Magic to Children’s Theatre Company

Laura Marie, Julia Ennen, Gillian Jackson Han, and Adam Jones Photo by Glen Stubbe Photography

The Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical National tour came through the Twin Cities in the fall of 2021 where I saw it and was wowed by the stage magic employed by the touring company. Now The Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) has mounted their own production using a fraction of a fraction of the Broadway budget of $35 million. And you know what happened? I was wowed by the stage magic employed by the CTC. CTC’s original production can’t recreate all the awe and wonder of the touring production with all its Disney dollars behind it, but they find effective ways to bring their own sense of wonder. Even finding their own way to recreate one of the biggest gasp inducing costume changes from the Broadway production. I was as thrilled by that moment as the theater filled with parents and children, we all collectively gasped then applauded! It doesn’t hurt that that scene is accompanied by the best song in the show “Let It Go” sung wonderfully by Gillian Jackson Han as Elsa.

The cast brings all the characters from the beloved Disney animated film to life including Olaf a living Snowman played by Laura Marie and Sven the Reindeer played by Adam Jones in terrific puppet designs by Eric Van Wyk. Gillian Jackson Han is fantastic as Elsa and admirably keeps the character front and center even when competing with some elaborate special effects. Julia Ennen is delightful as Anna and the heart of the production. Matthew Hall is magnificent as Kristoff and gets to show of some very strong vocals in the song “Kristoff Lullaby“. Other highlights in the cast were CTC constants Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund, bringing their signature quirkiness to multiple characters each.

Scott Davis’ scenic design is grand and striking, the large wooden doors to the castle of Arendelle that dominate the stage at the opening led a sense of the epic to the production. The ice staircase is an impressive stage piece and I appreciated the fact that it didn’t simply roll on and off stage, it appeared in different locations of the stage. That added mobility gave the impression of the point of view changing as different characters came upon it, as if we the audience had ourselves moved position in the ice palace. The Lighting Designer Driscoll Otto, The Sound Designer Sten Severson, and the Projection Designer Michael Salvatore Commendatore pool their talents creating a seamless blend of elements to create the magical powers of Elsa, the Ice Queen. The show is wonderfully choreographed by Rush Benson making even a song like Hygge, which I had trouble understanding the lyrics to, a great deal of fun. Director Tiffany Nichole Greene keeps the story moving and lively and with the reveal of the true villain, it’s clear from the collective gasp, that despite 95% of the audience knowing what’s coming that Greene had us in the palm of her hand. The Music Director Denise Prosek gets a nice full sound out of her miniature orchestra, it never overpowers the vocals but feels rich and full and well, magical.

Disney’s Frozen The Broadway Musical runs through June 15th at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. For mor einformation and to buy tickets go to https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/frozen/

Be a Part of The Stages of MN, Write the Theme Music For The Stages of MN YouTube Channel!

The launch of The Stages of MN YouTube channel is still over a month away. But I’m hard at work in developing what I hope will be an engaging new way to celebrate live theater. I want this to be a collaborative platform where I can engage with theatergoers and makers. With that in mind I’m sending out this request to you, faithful readers, if you or someone you know has experience writing music or songs I’m looking for something original to use as the Theme music for the show. Watch my latest video on YouTube for an idea of what I’m looking for.

I love the idea of having the show open with the something created by you whether you are a professional music and theater maker or just a novice fan of theater. I’m looking for something between 20 to 60 seconds, that I can use for the opening and closing of each episode. Like I say in the video anything goes, silly or serious, instrumental or with lyrics. I’m open to anything and everything. Send your creations to robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com, ideally by May 11th. I’d love to get as many options as possible, if there are multiple great choices I may use some for individual segments. I’m excited for you to be a part of The Stages of MN as it expands into new territory.

Feel free to reach out via email or any of the social media channels if you have any questions. I look forward to listening to your creations.

Spellbound Launches World Premiere From Threshold Theater at the Phoenix Theater

Zakary Thomas Morton and Leor Benjamin Photo by Nick Mrozek

Threshold Theater, a company dedicated to telling stories by and about the LGBTQ+ community launched the world premiere of Matthew A. Everett’s new play Spellbound at the Phoenix Theater in Uptown tonight. It’s an incisive work that begins with a high concept comedic idea and then uses it to explore the issue of consent in a whole new way. Grounded by strong performances and skillfully directed by Denzel Belin, this is a new work that has a lot to say and does it in a fresh and exciting way. It addresses outmoded perspectives by coming at them via a non traditional route. Allowing us to process something we know in a new way, reinforcing our collective values and allowing us to clear our minds of any lingering traces about consent and gender. We don’t need reminding of what is right and what is wrong, but we need to fully understand that those distinctions apply in every circumstance. This play imagines something that we assume can’t really happen, but treats it seriously and explores the ramifications that this fantasy would have on real people and relationships. It also acknowledges the darkness and selfishness that exists in everyone without excusing it.

The plot sets up what could have been a funny Three’s Company episode, if there was magic in that show. Micah and Auggie are best friends. Micah is gay, Auggie is straight, married to Sarah, who is pregnant with their first child. Jeffrey is Micah’s second best friend, he is gay and grieving the loss of his Grandmother, who was a witch. Jeffrey has made a potion from his Grandmothers grimoire (spell book) which he gives to Micah to give to Auggie, that he says will make is tongue turn colors. Micah thinks it will be funny to tease Auggie about his strange colored tongue and is assured it will only last for 24 hours. It’s really a love potion that has made Auggie fall in love with Micah, laughs do occur, but I assure you hilarity does not ensue. It becomes a race against time for Jeffrey and Sarah with the help of a metaphysical supply store owner to create an antidote before anyone does something they will forever regret.

Zakary Morton plays Micah and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say his performance affected every molecule in my body. Morton has you liking Micah from the first scene, he plays the opening with the beats of a sitcom, but if you really watch and listen to what he is saying, he genuinely is concerned over what has happened, and feels guilty for his part in it. He thought he was playing a harmless prank on his best friend, now if he stops holding Auggie’s hand for a moment, Auggie will start to cry. As the play progresses Morton, above everyone else in the cast, breathes a sense of reality into every line of dialogues. We feel his guilt, we feel his affection, we feel his fear and his pain and we believe every moment. At the end, he’s left devastated but we are given hope that everyone will heal and who knows what will happen, but the romantic in me wants to believe that Micah and Duncan, played very sweetly and with perceptive understanding by Xae Copeland, will get together. Auggie is played by Leor Benjamin who finds just the right moments to make eyes at Micah, or put a head on his shoulder for comic emphasis, but his truest moments are when he’s teaching Micah how to play a song his written for him on his guitar. And when Morton sings that song for Duncan, your heart heals a little bit. Keira Kowal Jett is good as Sarah, but she does play her a little too collected and controlled, she’s good at being the voice of reason, but I’d like her to have gone a little bigger when confronting Jeffrey, I’d like to see her lose it occasionally, then pull herself back together to accomplish what needs to be done. David Schlosser as Jeffrey is a piece of work, he perfectly captures that guy who doesn’t have many friends because he’s basically missing that part of a human being that gets it.

There are nice touches sprinkled throughout the production, in the opening scenes we have Auggie unable to not hold hands with Micah, we transition to flashback scenes of Auggie and Sarah with the transition occurring by Micah handing Auggie’s hand off to Sarah and then back again when we come back to the present. It’s a very cinematic transition and a nice detail. The set and prop designs by Jenna Mady are effective, giving us the bed that Micah and Auggie will have to share while they wait for the Supply shop to open in the morning. and the Supply shop portion of the stage is nicely detailed. The lighting design by Jack Hinz solidly assists with scene changes by shifting the focus to different areas of the stage, at times blacking out the rest while at others allowing us to see how the characters who are not the focus, here as well Morton shines in his performance.

Spellbound runs through May 3rd at the Phoenix Theater in Uptown. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.thresholdtheatermpls.com/#/

The Birds From Theatrex Will Get Into Your Ears at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul

The Birds, a play adaptation by Conor McPherson from the story by Daphne du Maurier, which was also the source material for the famous Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. Aside from a world turned upside down by the sudden revolt of birds against humanity, the title and source inspiration are the only things the play and the film have in common. Which was actually a nice surprise. I am a very devoted Hitchcock Fan but of his films that most people list as among his greats, The Birds is the one that I like the least. I’d downgrade it from classic to very good. In terms of the play, I would also characterize it as very good, not quite great. Which frankly, if a story about a world in which society has crumbled and being attacked by birds is just one of the life threatening challenges you are facing, along with starvation and fending off other humans for whom survival has trumped civility is your kind of story, very good is more than worth it for you. It was for me! The only real criticism I have is that it does feel a little long, at times the contemplative silences from the cast seem like they could be cut down a little bit. That said the cast is very, very strong.

The story is set in a farmhouse out in the country, narrated by Diane a novelist who was on her way to her grown daughters birthday party, when the birds began to attack. She found her way to this house along with Nat, a man she doesn’t know but is running a very high fever, and she is caring for him as best she can. Time passes and Diane’s wariness of Nat soon dissolves as they work together to survive. For some reason the birds respond to the tides, so they have 6 hour windows in which it’s safe to be outdoors to scavenger for food. At one point a young woman named Julia appears, she has been injured when attacked by a man who was trying to rape her. Her presence adds a new tension to the farmhouse and threatens the harmony that’s been established between Diane and Nat. There is also a stranger living in the house across the lake. He has been spotted on occasion but ducks out of sight when spotted, so he’s talked about but not seen until he comes along when he knows Diane is alone. A lot of the tension is built on our expectation of the worst thing that could happen, happening. McPherson’s script and Joe Hendren’s direction plays on our darkest suspicions of human nature. Giving us space to sit with situations long enough to assume we can read the thoughts of the characters.

First off, it has some of the best sound design I’ve heard especially in a theater as intimate and DIY as The Hive. Forest Godfrey who did the sound design has utilized a surround sound approach so you hear near constant bird noises but perfectly balanced so that you never miss a line of dialogue. The lighting design by Bill Larsen and the prop designs by Heather Edwards help to create a sense of claustrophobic reality. The cast is excellent beginning with Kari Elizabeth Godfrey as Diane, she does a great job of letting us read her thoughts through her performance and making some of her characters less noble choices understandable. We may not agree with what she does, but her performance has put us in this world and in these circumstances, we can see where she thinks this might be the right decision, considering what the world has become and what she needs to survive. Tim Reddy as Nat and Ankita Ashrit as Julia, both give good performances; Reddy lets linger a fog over his character from the initial fever and revelations about himself, that keep us questioning how he’s really doing. Ashrit, perfectly walks the line between seeming to be sweet while showing us her true nature. Finally in a single scene, Jon Stentz as Tierney, the man across the lake, makes a strong impression creating a mystery of a man that causes fear and pity.

The Birds runs through April 27th at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatrex.org/

Sister Act is a Joyous Noise at Lyric Arts in Anoka

The Sisters of Sister Act at Lyric Arts Photo by Molly Jay

Sister Act is a musical based on the popular 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, which I saw in the theaters and remember enjoying but it’s been 33 years and so you’ll forgive me if the plot is a little fuzzy now. Which really is to say that you don’t have to have even seen the film to enjoy Lyric Arts new production. There are some shows that really are just amazing works of art like Les Miserables or Company, and then there are shows that are just fun like Sister Act. I love both types and I’m as surprised as anybody to say that Sister Act is at the top of the list of just fun shows that I’ve seen recently. The more musicals I’ve seen based on hit movies the more I’ve come to expect them to more or less suck for every Once, A Little Night Music, and Little Shop of Horrors there are twelve Pretty Woman‘s. So I don’t go into that type of show with high hopes, which usually helps me to enjoy in more due to lowered expectations. But I don’t think expectations had anything to do with how much I enjoyed this show. I think the cast, which is fantastic, and the crew, under Director Siddeeqah Shabazz, probably had an awful lot to do with it though. I was laughing and marveling at the vocals and choreography right up until the point I was moved to tears. I absolutely loved this cast and found the story full of humor with an unexpected touch of heart.

If you are not familiar with the film or musical a singer named Deloris witnesses her boyfriend Curtis murder a man. In order to hide her until she can be a witness at trial, a policeman named Eddie arranges to hide her in a convent. There is a fish out of water aspect to the story that provides a lot of humor, but the show really begins to sing when Deloris begins to help the nuns choir. Which, prior to her involvement, sounded much like you might imagine if you ran over a liter of kittens with a lawnmower. This is also where the show turns from broad comedy to something that begins to have a bit of heart to it. The choir becomes a hit, reversing the fortunes of the failing church. Of course the success of the choir leads to publicity which leads to Curtis and his henchmen discovering where Deloris is.

I’ve mentioned a little game I play with whoever I attend a show with where I ask, “who was your favorite?” This doesn’t happen often but this is one of those cases where there isn’t a clear favorite or two that are too hard to choose between, there are literally over 10 members of the cast that are in the running. So many of them have these moments that I thought as I was watching I have to mention that in my review! To the point where If I mention everything it will take forever to write and no one, not even my Mother… OK, especially my Mother, would ever read it all. So I’m going to mention a bunch of performers and moments, trying not to spoil anything and with the understanding this is just the tip of the iceberg. Cassie Edlund plays Deloris, full of over the top comic hamminess that feels like it’s going to be one note, and then turns into a real human character, as the show progresses she begins to layer subtlety into the character and her singing goes from solid vocally singing energetic numbers, to beautifully soulful vocally and song wise. It’s a genius way to play the character giving us a tangible way to measure the characters growth and opening up to her fellow “Sisters”. Caitlin Featherstone translating the Spanish speaking thugs threats for the other Nuns. Darius A. Gillard as Curtis, is a great villain and his rich vocals are delicious. Quintin Michael as Eddie the cop, he has a double costume change that is brilliantly conceived and executed. Sher U-F as Sister Mary Lazarus, doing a biblical rap during a choir performance is pure gold. Kaoru Shoji probably the best vocals in the cast, and the character that finally broke the dam and had the tears streaming down my face. Again, this is like half of the performers I want to mention and moments that stuck with me.

Big props to the Director Shabazz who guides this show with such a sure hand that the audience feels like they are part of the congregation. Laura Long’s musical direction is tight and perfectly balanced with the singers. I absolutely loved the choreography from Michael Terrell Brown, it’s full of comedic touches, every move serves a purpose and it’s usually to make us smile. Bradley Whitcomb’s set design is rather elaborate, with a set of stairs that can slide backwards or forwards to change the scene and to allow for more stage space as needed for the dancing. It’s one of the more elaborate sets I’ve seen at Lyric Arts and it looks like a real stone church. I also want to acknowledge the work of Costume Designer Khamphian Vang, the habits of the nuns are a given but Officer Eddie’s costume changes, the 70’s style of Curtis’s henchmen, and the glamorous costumes that Deloris sometimes wears, not to mention the blue fur coat are all very memorable.

Sister Act runs through May 11th at Lyric Arts in Anoka. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/sister-act