I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas, A Laugh Filled Murder Mystery That You Get to Help Solve!

Eric Webster, Kathy Kupiecki and Paul Somers

I love a mystery, I mean it, I’m not just listing the name of an old radio program, I really do love a mystery. What I discovered today, but have suspected for a long time, is that I’m no good at solving them. But hey, maybe that’s why I like them so much, the solutions always strike me as ingenious. I’m content to be Dr. Watson along for the ride, baffled and then embarrassed at how elementary it all sounds when it’s explained to me like a fourth grader trying to grasp the difference between a semicolon and a colon. And like the mystery of the colons each time a new whodunnit arises I’m baffled all over again. All I know for certain is that a couple of years ago I had part of my : removed, so now I just have a ;. The Mystery Cafe has been baffling and making audiences laugh since 1989; but this was my first meal and a murder with them: and I found it delightful! The current show, I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas runs into January, but if you can’t make that they also have two other shows on their schedules and one of them runs into February.

I attended a brunch performance and aside from the very entertaining show there was a tasty buffet meal, I believe the evening performances come with a 3 course meal. The plot of I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas per the Mystery Cafe website is:

Albee Humphrey used to be a household name, but these days his star is fading. He’s got one last shot at a comeback – with a network televised Christmas special. There’s celebrity guests, variety acts, and…murder. This is his last chance to be a star again. He’ll either make it back on top… or die trying!

Albee Humphrey is played by Eric Webster of the MORLS or The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society for long, which faithful readers will recognize as a favorite of mine. I’d seen and heard Webster Perform with the MORLS and in other shows for years, I’ve even interviewed him for the Twin Cities Theater Chat podcast (click on link to hear that episode https://bit.ly/TCTCMORLS ), so I knew he could act and that he’s very funny, but what I wasn’t aware of is that he’s a very good singer as well. Webster is perfectly cast, his love of classic radio and films informs his performance as Humphrey, he nails the look and style of the character. When I booked the show I was also excited to see his wife Shanan Custer was also in the cast. I was a little disappointed when I found out she wouldn’t be at the performance but her replacement Kathy Kupiecki was wonderful playing three different characters. My favorite of which was Sheila, one half of a knife throwing act, whose name I can remember because she kept introducing herself. Also doing triple duty in the show is Paul Somers who plays the other half of the knife throwing duo as well as Pickles the Ventriloquist and Bernie Bridges. Bridges is the other half of a comedy team with Humphrey in the mold of Martin and Lewis who hate each other and haven’t worked together in 20 years. Somers is hysterical in all three roles getting the most fabulous costume and wigs to round out his eccentric characters. The other main performers are the wonderful Randy Schmeling as the Director of the TV special and Rita Boersma as Frankie his assistant. Both are decked out in 1970’s attire really looking the part, hats off to whomever is in charge of costumes and wigs they add so much fun to the experience. And lastly, as the almost overlooked Production Manager Simon is Michael Franssen, he doesn’t get a lot to say but you can tell he’s the guy behind the scenes keeping everything on track.

The wonderful cast does a great job of performing in and amongst the audience. I’m always surprised at the ability of certain performers to stay in character while stand right next to the audience and even interacting with them. I know some of these performers from seeing them in improv shows and I suspect those skills serve them well here. I got the sense that a couple of the lines spoken to each other were unscripted and it was fun to see them trying not to laugh at the lines they were being fed. For more information and to purchase tickets to I’ll be Homicidal for Christmas or any of the Mystery Cafe shows go to https://www.themysterycafe.com/

This Holiday season why not start a new tradition of taking in a live theater production with family and friends? It’s a great way to create lasting memories and will give you something to look forward to every year as you experience the magic of live theater. Whether your budget is large or small, there is a show for you. Looking for gift ideas? Don’t we all have enough “stuff”? Give the gift of live theater, go to your favorite theaters website, see what shows they have coming up in the new year and give the gift of an experience over material.

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I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Holiday Office Party at Strike Theater the Best Office Party You’ll Ever Attend… Granted, Not a High Bar. But Seriously, it’s Hilarious!!!

Holiday Office Party is a long form improvisational comedy which means everything you see at your show is being made up on the spot and that all of it fits together as one cohesive story. So that means two things, First and most importantly, if you love it, you can go again and see a completely new show! Secondly, anything I tell you specifically wouldn’t matter because those jokes wouldn’t appear at another performance. So what can I tell you besides that the performance I saw was really funny? Well, there is the set up which you should be able to inuit from the title. Essentially we are watching a group of coworkers at their company holiday party. Each of the performers becomes a character which they develop over the course of the show. Much of the humor comes from clever call backs to things that happened earlier. For instance, at our performance one of the characters, played by Anna Tobin, states she has a shellfish allergy. That allergy will be a running gag throughout the show referenced not only by that character but others not even in scenes with her. That’s what the best Improv performers bring to a show, not just a quick wit but the ability to create an arc for the character within the improvisational framework of a piece.

So I’ve seen some great improv at theaters like Strike, where Holiday Office Party is running, and Huge Improv Theater in Uptown. I’ve also seen some not so great improv, so how do you know what improv to spend your hard earned money and precious time on? Well the best way to hedge your bets is become familiar with the performers and producers of improv and watch for their shows. Holiday Office Party is produced and directed by Mike Fotis who is one of the co-founders of Strike Theater. I’ve seen Mike perform and the shows he’s created before so I know from those that he’s a good bet. Fotis doesn’t appear in this show but he’s up in the tech booth directing the show by the use of lights. So basically the performers know during specific video text prompts what the next scene will be, for example it might say small talk and mingling. The performers know to form small groups in designated areas of the stage and when Mike turns the light on their area that is their cue to speak. Fotis then determines when a scene has run its course and will turn the lights off and redirect us to another group. So that’s a name for the improv novices to remember Mike Fotis and when you see he’s either performing or behind the scenes you’ll know you are in good hands.

Aside from Mike there was another name that made me jump at this as one to see, Sam Landman. Since the first time I saw him at the Twin Cities Horror Fest in 2019 I knew he was someone to follow. I’ve seen him do improv at both Strike and Huge and he’s one of the best in town. He’s a performer who understands that whether you are acting in a play, a scripted comedy sketch, or doing improv, the best humor comes from characters, not jokes. One liners can be really funny on their own to be sure, but they are better when they build off of a characters personality. But here’s the thing, Fotis is a guy who works with and casts the best, there isn’t anyone in the cast who didn’t have a great show. There was one recurring scene clearly based on the Pam and Jim trope of the office co-workers who should be together but never quite get up the courage to move beyond flirting. The performers Gubby Kubik Nielsen and Lacey Mamak never quite found that perfect little thing to hook their scene on but were such engaging performers that it still worked. Nielsen in particular has a quality that made them the perfect performer for that role. Something in the eyes, so alive and sparkling with fun and mischief. Part of being an effective performer, especially in a show like this where you are one of nearly a dozen actors and the show is only an hour long, is knowing what your strengths are and playing to those. Nielsen knows how to use her eyes the looks she sends Mamak shout “you’re not imagining this, I’m feeling it too”. Ryan Robert Nelson went another route. His character slowly got a little drunk over the course of the show, but that wasn’t really his characters arc, he didn’t seem to really have one. Then, he sat to record a video message for Jerry who is retiring and he launched into a hot air balloon story that ends up being a confession that brought down the house. So all the little comments and bits he did earlier laid the groundwork that he’d had enough to drink to lose his inhibitions and decision making skills enough to unburden himself of his deep dark secret on his coworkers retirement video.

I can’t describe everyone’s shining moments but there were all fantastic and hilarious so I do want to mention everyone in the cast. Along with those already mentioned the cast included Erik Hoversten, Kerri Ann OHalloran, Christian Unser, Jerry Heather Meyer, Nels Lennes and Bailey Murphy. The cast changes from night to night, you will see some or all of the above when you go as well as Matt Prindle and Amee Nefzger Banks. The show runs for three more performances Thursday December 21st thru Saturday December 23rd at 7:30 PM. For more information about this and other shows at Strike Theater and to purchase tickets go to https://www.strike.theater/shows.html

Peter Pan Takes Flight at The Ordway in St. Paul

Nolan Almeida and Hawa Kamara Photo by Matthew Murphy

The Ordway is the first stop on a 40 city tour of this new production of Peter Pan that updates and modernizes the classic in a way that deals appropriately with some elements that haven’t aged well. It’s still the adaptation of J.M. Barrie play your familiar with by Jerome Robbins, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, and music by Morris (Moose) Charlap. The additional work on the book was performed by acclaimed playwright Larissa FastHorse as well as some additional lyrics work by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Amanda Green, and music by Jule Styne. Some traditionalists might balk at the changes but it’s important to remember this is a show for children. The few modernizations that are done make it relatable for children in 2023. The changes made to reflect equality and diversity better reflect our society and the world view we want our children to have. What remains the same is the sense of wonder and adventure. We still marvel at the flying boy who won’t grow up, we still clap and little children shout out that they believe in fairies in order to save Tinker Bell’s life, and we still boo Captain Hook and cheer whenever the tick tock of the crocodile who swallowed a clock is heard.

Peter Pan is played by 17 year old Nolan Almeida who’s well cast in the role and a lively and physical actor. The role calls for him to be naive but with an undercurrent of understanding, he refuses to grow up but he has his reasons beyond simply wanting to play. Almeida subtly conveys that Peter understands more about the world away from Neverland than he acknowledges. Wendy is played by Hawa Kamara who in this version is less interested in being a Mother than in being a caregiver, she plans to be a Doctor. This version of Wendy is much less damsel in distress and mother figure and Kamara projects a strong female protagonist. Another positive and strong female character is Tiger Lily played by Raye Zaragoza. This Tiger Lily is a leader and equal of Peter Pan and Zaragoza owns the role with a take no prisoners stage presence. One of the more amazing cast members is Reed Epley as Michael, Wendy’s youngest brother. Epley can’t be more than 8 or 9 years old but he’s flying and singing and holding his own with the big kids. Cody Garcia does the traditional duel turn as Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. His Hook is a lot of fun and he his interactions with his pirate crew and are some great moments of comic relief.

The show is a wonderful visual treat with clever sets designed by Anna Louizos and the show as directed by Lonny Price who knows how to transition between scenes so that we are never sitting in the dark waiting for Peter’s hideout set to transition into Hook’s Pirate ship. There is always something happening in front of curtains or on screens that we are focused on while sets are shifted, this is a key element of directing that so often is missed to the detriment of shows. It keeps the show from losing its rhythm and adds to the sense of wonder when a curtain raises and we are looking at a whole new scene. The production utilizes projections designed by David Bengali strategically, it isn’t over used and when it is used it’s very effective. When the Darling children first take flight and the nursery set whisks away, the projection kicks into high gear and I was reminded of the my first time as a child seeing Christopher Reeve take flight as Superman. Price also does an excellent job of hiding when and how the flying harnesses are attached and removed from the characters. There is a lot of stage magic that works really well, and one of the best is the way in which they present Tinker Bell which was designed by Paul Kieve. It’s a minor element but it’s simple nature starts to evaporate when you actually try and imagine how they accomplish some of it. The only point where the show missteps slightly is in the final battle between Peter Pan and his Lost boys, and Captain Hook and the Pirates. Something about this scene felt too haphazard, whereas earlier all of the flight effects were well executed, this battle felt like Peter was just floating around and that Captain Hook could have easily lobbed off his head about three times. For a show where everything else feels so precise and effortless, it’s an oddly loose final showdown.

Peter Pan will delight young and old alike and in the great tradition of the Christmas Pantomime, it’s the perfect family outing this Holiday season. Peter Pan runs through December 31st at The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in Downtown St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/news/ordway-presents-peter-pan/

Dinner For One is a Feast of Laughs at Jungle Theater

Jim Lichtscheidl and Sun Mee Chomet. Photo by Lauren B. Photography

Dinner For One is a throwback to a simpler time and style of humor but one that is essentially timeless. Based on a 12 minute sketch written by Lauri Wylie in the 1920’s, Jungle Theater presents this expanded variation co-created by Jungle Theater Artistic Director Christina Baldwin, who directs the production, and it’s two performers Sun Mee Chomet and Jim Lichtscheidl. Like the great silent comedies of the early 20th century, the humor of the piece builds one reveal after another. Each action building on the previous, every routine established has a new curve thrown at it the next time around. Just when it has gotten to a level of hilarity that you start to anticipate the next leap, it changes directions and makes you feel things. We don’t often see shows like this anymore, the closest thing folks of my generation might compare it to is the old Carol Burnett Show. At least aside from the old slapstick films of Keaton and Chaplin, that’s where my mind went.

The show was built through the creators workshoping it, improvising and leaving themselves open to discover where it could go. That sort of creative freedom for performers is a rare thing to actually be in on creating and building the story once beat at a time. Speaking of beats, the music plays a key role. Musical Director Emilia Mettenbrink was involved from the beginning of the workshopping which is evident by integral relationship between movement and music. Sun Mee Chomet plays Miss Sophie, a woman who is grieving a loss and Jim Lichtscheidl is her servant James who tries to get her to engage with life. After a short scene that sets up Sophie’s refusal to celebrate her Birthday and New Years Eve, we get several quicktime jumps that show her each year going a little further in celebrating again. Then we get a 20 year time jump and there is an established routine that seems to reenact her last birthday before the loss. James not only acts as servant but each party guest as well, really to say any more about what transpires would be to rob you of the joy of discovery. What I can say, these are clearly two performers who were made for these roles. Chomet brings a body language and vocalization to her role that is adorably eccentric. Lichtscheidl is a master physical comedian and wonderful at creating a sense of devotion that shines through even when James is exasperated.

Baldwin’s Direction is flawless from the dialogue free prologues through to James’ interactions with the chef (offstage accept for an arm) and the Musicians. The Musicians can be seen through a frame in the set which is a wonderful dining room scene and staircase down which miss Sophie can descend and retreat. Designed by Eli Sherlock it has a mixture of reality and abstractness that matches the action of the show which is dealing with a real dinner and some real emotions but acted out with a surreal sense of humor. The floor is covered in oriental rugs and the entire set is draped with gorgeous red curtains. Hanging on the invisible walls are picture frames with nothing in them. So much care has gone into every aspect of this production including the lighting design by Marcus Dilliard who adds a touch of magic to the proceedings. The costumes by Ora Jewell-Busche are wonderful, particularly Miss Sophie’s gown with an unwieldy train. Jaime Lupercio’s sound design plays an important role during a stylistic reversal. It’s the rare show where you really want to call out the Stage Manager and Properties Master but this is one where John Novak really makes you appreciate that role given how precise each prop has to be and that a million different things need to be exactly where they are at every moment.

Dinner for One is simply adorable and runs through December 31st at Jungle Theater in Uptown for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.jungletheater.org/dinner-for-one

Scrooge in Rouge is a Rowdy Risque Delight At Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis

Patrick Adkins (on Piano) Abilene Olson, Maren Ward, and Neal Skoy Photo by Bruce Silcox

There are a lot of shows with Christmas themes this time of year, and several that are quite funny, but in terms of being a consistently funny, audience pleasing production, this one probably takes the fruit cake. The premise is a British Music Hall production of A Christmas Carol where 17 of the 20 performers are out sick with food poisoning. So the three healthy performers play all the roles as of course for Queen and Country, the show must go on. Some of the humor comes from the backstage plotline of how the three will perform a script meant for 20. While much more comes from the music hall tradition of double entendres, silly word play, and wacky characters. Some of the jokes are old, but then so are many of the audience members. Old or new, obvious or out of the blue, it’s the delivery that makes the show. These are three performers who are brilliantly cast, they are completely believable as over the top music hall performers. This is the show to go to with your group of friends who love a good laugh, a great time will be had by all, respectful rowdiness is encouraged.

The cast is expertly accompanied on piano by Patrick Adkins who has the odd line as well but, declines to take the role of Tiny Tim when called upon. Will you answer the call? If you don’t want to be asked, avoid the aisle seats, you’ve been warned. Now when I say the three performers take on the roles of 20, I really mean two of them do. You see Maren Ward who plays Vesta Virile, a male impersonator mainly plays Ebenezer Scrooge, ge sund heit. She is excellent as Scrooge and as the center around which all the chaos revolves. Neal Skoy plays Charlie Schmaltz who in turn plays everyone from Bob Cratchit, to the Ghost of Christmas Past. But my favorite role was that of Scrooge’s nephew Freddie for which Skoy dons a set of snaggle teeth and does a remarkable imitation of the winner of the Upper Class Twit of the year contest. Abilene Olson is the the singing soubrette Lottie Obbligato, I’m not going to tell you what that means, I had to google it and so do you. Lottie makes it clear she’s happy to take in a little extra cash for extra services, wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Olson has a wonderful singing voice which serves her well, legitimately but also for comic effect. She’s the sauciest and bawdiest of the trio and gets a lot of laughs with her thinly disguised euphemisms. I’d have to say my favorite role she plays is that of Lottie herself. As opposed to Schmaltz, who is listed in the program as a “character actor” and thus tries to create a new personality and look for each role. Lottie isn’t, and thus it’s perfectly fine that Olson let’s Lottie shine through quite a bit no matter what role she’s performing in the show, within the show. If that didn’t confuse you … can you explain it to me?

The show has a book and lyrics by Ricky Graham with music by Jefferson Turner, additional bits and bobs of material were added by Jeffery Roberson and Yvette Hargis. The production is Directed by the Open Eye Theatre Producing Artistic Director Joel Sass. Sass knows his space well and makes effective use of Open Eyes small stage and all it’s nooks, crannies, and trap doors. As is always the case with Open Eye productions, the look of the show is one of the stars. Michael Sommers set design and Kathy Kohl’s costumes are gorgeousities. There really is nothing quite like the designed theatricality of an Open Eye production, merely functional is never the aim. Every wall, every sign, every prop, every effect has to do more than exist, it has to add to the atmosphere of the piece. Helping achieve the look and overall feel of the show are the expert skills of Lighting Designer Bill Healey and Sound Engineer Dan Dukich.

Highly recommended is Scrooge in Rouge a hilarious take on A Christmas Carol done in the tradition of the English Music Hall. The show runs through December 30th at Open Eye Theatre in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.openeyetheatre.org/scrooge-in-rouge

She Loves Me a Charmingly Delightful Throwback at Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake

She Loves Me has a rich pedigree starting as a Hungarian play titled Illatszertar AKA Parfumerie in 1936, it has been adapted to film as The Shop Around the Corner (1940) and In the Good Old Summertime (1949) as well as serving as the inspiration for the film You’ve Got Mail (1998). The musical premiered on Broadway in 1963 was revived on Broadway in 1993 and again in 2016, each production being Tony Award nominated for Best Musical or Musical Revival and winning for the 2016 revival. So how was I unfamiliar with it, I’d heard the title within the last 5 to 10 years and though getting my hopes up that it was a Beatles Jukebox musical, I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. I am a fan of The Shop Around the Corner from Director Ernst Lubitsch but wasn’t aware of the connection until I read up on this show before seeing it. It seems only fitting that I close out 2023 checking off another fairly large theatrical blindspot, it’s been a very good year for that. The Lakeshore Players Theatre has staged an excellent production of She Loves Me and it’s everything I hoped after learning it was based on the same source as the much cherished film. It has the charm and style of a 1940’s film including the wonderful performances from the leads down to the ensemble players.

The musical contains a book by Joe Masteroff with music by Jerry Beck and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. It’s a weird thing about the songs. For a much beloved musical, there isn’t a single song in this 60 year old show that I’d ever heard before. There also isn’t a single song I can see becoming one of those songs you’d sing out at the bar when you’d had too many in college, or was that just me who did that? But, There isn’t a song in the moment that I didn’t completely enjoy. It’s a musical without a breakout hit but also without a bad song. I’ve often had the feeling that many musicals seem to have strong first acts filled with great songs and driving narratives, then the second acts seem slightly less stellar. Like the writers started strong and then had to rush to make the opening. This is a rare show where the first act is really good and then the second act is even better. The plot synopsis from the Lakeshore Players website is “Set in 1930s Europe, two feuding perfume store clerks begin to unknowingly exchange letters after responding to a “lonely hearts advertisement” in the newspaper and have no idea they are falling in love—with each other!” What that doesn’t hint at is the richness of the world in which the story takes place. The setting is Maraczek’s Parfumerie and aside from the leads, the story is filled out with the other employees and owner of the establishment. Each one has a story and motivation of their own and like all the best stories whether they be books, plays, movies, or even TV shows, we come to care about them all. No one is merely a plot device and like the classic films like The Shop Around the Corner, this has been cast so that each character has someone who can breathe individuality into the role.

Thomas Friebe and Sarah Shervey play the leads Georg and Amalia and both but particularly Shervey have wonderful voices. Together they carry the main plotline, the classic “will they or wont they/lovers too wise to woo peaceably”, confidently and by the time Georg shows Amalia some tenderness we are like putty in their hands. They are everything you want in romantic leads. For some productions that would be enough but what Director Kyle Weiler realizes is that the leads only look better when you surround them with stellar support. It makes the entire show richer when you find yourself thinking you’d be happy to see a show that followed any of these characters on their own. That comes from the writing to some extent, but when it’s combined with the right actor who understands the characters purpose and how they fit into the tapestry of the show as a whole, that’s when a stage becomes a world. Inhabiting this world are some wonderful supporting actors whom with weaker leads would have stolen the show, but as it is they do exactly what they should, enrich the story and the audiences experience. I only have space to name a couple but to be sure everyone in supporting roles and every single member of the ensemble is terrific. Faith Winship plays Ilona the other female employee who is carrying on a love affair with one of the other clerks at the start of the show. What is it about Winship that is so engaging? She has a fantastic voice, but there is something more. My wife says she’s just so cute, and I think that’s as good a term as any to describe her performance. What I mean, it’s not just her appearance, but it’s the facial expressions, the eyes that just beam with wit and a love of life, and the comedic timing. It’s all just so damn cute, that you just love her to death and root for her character. Josiah Fagerstrom has a similar quality as Sipos, a fellow Clerk and Georg’s best friend, I wouldn’t use the word “cute”, but steady. He perfectly plays that character that you just wish was your best friend, he’s so even keeled and supportive. I also felt that both Winship and Fagerstrom really captured the performance style of those fun screwball comedy 1940’s movie supporting characters.

I have to hand it to Director and Choreographer Kyle Weiler, this is one of the more cohesive productions I’ve seen recently. The approach definitely feels like he was going for a classic film vibe and everything falls in line with that objective perfectly. Every Actor understands the tone and achieves it. The Costumes by Meghan Kent are wonderful and perfectly fit the look and style of the production. Mark C. Koski’s set design is effective and the scene transitions that occur are able to do so rapidly allowing for the flow of the show to always continue smoothly forward.

She Loves Me will be charming audiences through December 20th at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake through December 20th. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/she-loves-me

Aladdin Casts Its Spell at The Orpheum Theatre. You Will Believe a Carpet Can Fly

Marcus M. Martin and Adi Roy and Company Photo by Deen van Meer

Just in time for a Theatrical Spectacular to wow the wee ones at Christmastime Disney’s Aladdin returns to the historic Orpheum Theatre as part of the 2023-2024 Bank of America Broadway on Hennepin season. Much like last years FX Extravaganza Frozen, this one is sure to wow audiences young and old alike. You aren’t expecting Shakespeare when you go to one of these Disney Animated films turned into a life action stage musical right? You’re expecting the magic of Disney, the Disney our kids love, the Disney that fueled our imaginations as children, not the Disney that some say is destroying the art of cinema. Let go of all that for two hours and revel in what Disney has built its legacy on, wonder. You’re coming to this show to have fun and if you let yourself, despite a mortgage, a boiler needing repairs, being down to one car, layoffs at the office, and having too many shows scheduled to allow time for….and well anything else, you too will get carried away on a magic carpet ride to a whole new world.

More less following the plot of the animated film Aladdin and featuring its songs including the Academy Award winning Song “A Whole New World” but also featuring a few new songs. As with the animated classic, the story is about Aladdin and Jasmine, but the real star of the show is the Genie and the magic he creates. Chad Beguelin who wrote the book for the musical was wise enough to jettison any idea of trying to emulate Robin Williams and instead give the Genie of the musical his own unique voice and sense of humor. Marcus M. Martin plays the Genie and he steals the show every time he’s on stage. In fact the only downside of Martin’s performance is that he makes Adi Roy’s Aladdin seem bland in comparison. But that’s Roy’s problem, for the audience eats up everything Martin does. He must have performed the role hundreds of times at this point but he gives of the sense that he’s playing not to the audience, but with them. He reacts to their energy and engages with them in what may be scripted bits but he sells them as spontaneous and ad libs. Adi Roy as Aladdin is a bit bland, but perhaps that’s more to do with the script than the performer, though he did seem a little weak vocally as well. Senzel Ahmady is stronger as Jasmine, she has a unique vocal quality that reminded me of a young Barbara Stanwyck, it’s unexpected but gave her character a different edge that worked very well.

If the Genie is the real star then the technical aspects of the show are the next brightest lights on the stage. First of all, it’s wonderfully choreographed and directed by Casey Nicholaw. The members of the ensemble and all the supporting cast really make the stage come alive with the elaborate dance and fight choreography. The special effects designed by Jeremy Chernick and illusions designed by Jim Steinmeyer and Rob Lake are truly magical, the highpoint being the magic carpet ride. I don’t know exactly how they do it, I can guess, but I love the fact that you’re not really sure. All of the effects work in conjunction with some impressive and not overused projections designed by Daniel Brodie and the lighting and set design by Natasha Katz and Bob Crowley. It’s amazing what all Crowley manages to pull off, there must be zero space for another piece of scenery in the wings. Gregg Barnes’ costumes are also exquisite, and it must be mentioned that there are a couple of quick changes that surely informed the gasp inducing moment from last years Frozen.

This isn’t a cheap show what sometimes you can truly say you get what you pay for. If you’ve got Disney fans at home, and can swing it, I’m certain you will have some happy Mouseketeers if you take them. Aladdin Runs through December 10th at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/disneys-aladdin-orpheum-theatre-minneapolis-mn-2023/