The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, I Spell Hysterical A R T I S T R Y in Bloomington

Furthermore I can use it in a sentence. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Artistry in Bloomington is hysterical! I haven’t laughed this hard in the theater since I almost wet my pants at The Play That Goes Wrong tour at the Orpheum Theatre. Wipe that smirk off your face, I said almost. Luckily, I emptied my bladder before tonight’s show but no amount of pre-show preparation can guard against stomach pains from laughing so hard. And those are what I am experiencing now as I sit down to write this. If I ever see this show on the schedule again, I’ll be sure to begin core strengthening exercises well in advance. Having never seen this show which has been around for almost 20 years I can’t honestly say if it’s the script itself or this dead brilliant cast. I’ve always said that the best comedy comes not from simple one-liners but from characters. The best comedic actors are also the best actors, because in spite of the silliness they imbue their characters with a reality. This cast doesn’t play the jokes, they play the characters which make the jokes land harder. That also allows us to feel for them in the few moments where a little pathos is permitted to seep through.

So their are a lot of credits for this show. It was conceived by Rebecca Feldman, I assume on the couch watching a Spelling Bee unfold on TV, but perhaps in a bed like you and I presumably were. The music and lyrics are by William Finn with book by Rachel Sheinkin and just for good measure some additional material was thrown in by Jay Reiss. Sometimes too many cooks spoil the soup, but in this case each added just the right measurements of each ingredient, as it may take place in a school gymnasium but it’s way better than any cafeteria lunch. It’s the story of six adolescents who are competing in the county spelling bee in hopes of winning and going to nationals in Washington D.C.. They each have their own little stories and quirks and are joined by four members of the audience who each have their own little quirks. For Instance, one of our audience members got their word correct, when I think they were supposed to get it wrong, and so they immediately called them back for another turn so they could eliminate them. Which is one of the great things about live theater, that stuff happens and it adds even more laughs to the night. Aside from the kids there are three adults two are the Spelling Bee hosts, former Spelling Bee winner Rona Lisa Peretti and Vice Principal Doug Panch. The third is the Official Comfort Counselor Mitch Mahoney, who is an ex-con doing his community service at the Bee.

I can give you specific examples of moments of brilliance from each of the actors but I don’t want to spoil the jokes for you so I’ll be as vague as possible. Brendan Nelson Finn plays William Barfee who uses his magic foot to spell out the words before he says them aloud. Finn is all in on this performance, his characters mannerisms alone when simply sitting in the bleachers while others were spelling had me rolling on the floor. Tom Reed is Leaf Coneybear, the homeschooled kid, who is there because the first and second place winners from his school couldn’t make it. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll be saying it again many times, Reed unfailingly finds the funniest way to say any line he is given. Wesley Mouri as Chip Tolentino, last year’s champion, brings the house down with what is the most memorable song in the show “My Unfortunate Erection“. In what is the second best song “I Speak Six Languages” Emma Schuld plays Marcy Park an over-achiever who made it to nationals last year placing ninth. With this song she finally gets to show her emotions and truly let loose, it’s a show stopping number that Schuld makes the most of and makes her final decision feel like she’s won it all! Jillian Sjoquist is Olive Ostrovsky who is the one with a little bit of a melancholy backstory and she’s a great example of what all of the performers do, whatever is happening on stage, she is always playing her character, when she isn’t in the spotlight, you can see her watching the door for her father to arrive. Gabrielle Dominique plays Logainnne Schwartzandgrubenierre who has two Dads that pressure her to be the best and even try and resort to cheating. Dominique plays the entire show affecting a speech impediment flawlessly and breaks our heart a little bit when she wonders aloud if she loses will her Dad’s still love her?

The actors playing the adults are not overshadowed by those playing the children, it’s a show where everyone nails it. Stephanie Cousins and Tod Petersen play the hosts. Cousins leans into the caring empathetic former contestant and there is real warmth flowing from her to these collection of misfit kids. Petersen is perfect, reading out the words, giving the giggle inducing definitions, and using the words in sentences that contribute to those aching stomach muscles. He also plays the character throughout, little moments of frustration sneak through and we realize this is a man who dreamed of being a Principal, but will never get a chance to rise above the number two job. Wariboko Semenitari plays Mitch Mahoney who has a moment that so perfectly puts the emotions and the importance of the event in perspective. He’s the outsider who hasn’t participated in anything like this before and convey’s exactly how this is really in the grand scheme of things, not that important.

The show is directed by Tyler Michaels King and knowing his skills as an improv performer I can imagine what rehearsals might have been like and the discussions around finding the characters. Michaels King stages the show in a way that eskews the sedentary, monotone, and deliberate pace of a real Spelling Bee. Instead, he injects it with near constant motion, that never feels unjustified and uncontrolled but adds an infectious energy to the production. There is never a moment wasted including the time before the show begins. The set design by Sarah Bahr is a full of surprises, which I will not spoil but I will mention the Bleachers that split apart so they can be whisked off and on stage at the drop of a silent letter add to the the shows ability to be light on its feet and constantly shaking things up. Costume/Hair/Makeup Designer Samantha Fromm Haddow certainly puts her stamp on the show, favorites are William Barfee’s ensemble and Leaf Coneybear’s pants. The Musical Director is Raymond Berg who plays piano in the five piece band that backs the show and as is always the case at Artistry, the music is note perfect.

There are great shows I see every season that I recommend but are not for everyone, this is not one of those. This is a great show for everyone and should be seen by everyone. I talk a lot with my fellow bloggers and with theater personnel throughout the city about creating new audiences. The way to get new people into the theater is get them to see one show, that they love, then they will want to go again. This is that kind of show, the kind that can turn a person into a theatergoer. And if people who don’t go to the theater will love it, imagine how much those of you who do are going to love it! So everyone who loves theater make sure you get to this show, it’s one of the reasons you love theater. To have an experience that cannot be replicated with a community that is all enjoying it together. But go a step further, bring someone who hasn’t been to theater in a long time or ever with you. This is the kind of show that can build theater up, it’s the positive experience that audiences will want to have again and again. We have to grab shows like this and build the audiences through them. Once we have them, then we can get them interested in those great shows that are not for everyone. And that is the way forward, that is the way to help ensure that we maintain the thriving and diverse artistic community we have in the Twin Cities.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs through October 29th at Artistry in Bloomington. For more information and to purchase dozens of tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/spellingbee. And when you are done with that go tell two friends, invite them along, the show runs about an hour and forty minutes, there is no intermission, so plenty of time to go out for a drink afterwards and share your favorite moments and make plans to see another show together.

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Girl From the North Country Launches North American Tour at the Orpheum

L-R Ben Biggers, Sharaé Moultrie, Jennifer Blood and John Schiappa in the GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY North American Tour (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade).

*Girl From the North Country* the Broadway musical that uses as it’s songs the works of Minnesota native Bob Dylan launches it’s North American Tour as part of the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Bank of America Broadway on Hennepin season. I’m a Dylan fan and have been since high school, when I heard about the show I assumed it would come here and so I’ve avoided listening to the cast recording and really reading too much about it. Several things struck me over the course of the evening. First, there are some really interesting arrangements of Dylan’s songs, sometimes combining elements of more than one song. Second, while I may not be a “super fan” I’m fairly familiar with his works and I found I could identify by name less than half of the songs used. This isn’t a greatest hits collection. In fact, unless I missed something, the title song only makes a brief instrumental appearance. I without fail, loved what they did with the songs I knew, as for the songs I didn’t, what you come away from those with is an appreciation for Dylan’s lyrics, these arrangements put those front and center. Musically, *Girl From the North Country* is a rich and surprising production, performed by a cast that kept surprising me with their talent.

The show is written and directed by Conor McPherson and if there is a falling off in the show it’s the plot. It centers on a failing boarding house in Duluth Minnesota run by a couple, Nick and Elizabeth, who are no longer in love. Prior to the story’s beginning Elizabeth has suffered some sort of breakdown and has to be cared for and watched over. They have a son, Gene, who wants to be a writer and an adopted daughter, Marianne, who is unmarried and pregnant. They have various tenants all with hard luck depression stories, all of them have their moments but none of them seem to coalesce into a whole that is particularly satisfying. McPherson’s direction seems to understand that with his staging some scenes as if they are meant to be really happening but then some musical numbers become almost mini concerts with the performers singing into microphones and back up singers gathering in a half circle in the background. I’m not sure what McPherson is trying to say, but what it said to me is, sit back and enjoy the music, that’s why we’re really here.

The cast kept surprising me, there are about a dozen major characters and in a show that runs a little over two hours without the intermission, that’s a lot. What happens is, a singer wow’s you, another sounds fine and so you think you know what they have to offer but later, they wow you. Time after time I kept thinking, this performers great, build the show around them, but it’s a true ensemble piece, no one seems to be headlining the show. A few of my favorite moments: Jennifer Blood as Elizabeth singing “Like a Rolling Stone” and in fact, her performance is the fantastic in the non singing portions as well. She gets most of the comic relief and knows just what to do with it. Matt Manuel as a boxer coming through town who sings “Hurricane” it’s one of those really effective arrangements that Simon Hale has put together for the show and it’s in this moment that Manuel shines. Ben Biggers as Gene and Chiara Trentalange, as a girl he seems to have been interested in singing a really unique and effective version of “I Want You”. In mostly dialogues roles, John Schiappa as Nick and Jeremy Webb as Reverend Marlowe whose look seems modeled on Tom Waits are really captivating.

The Scenic and Costume Designer Rae Smith seems to have followed McPherson’s lead and given up on having every choice make sense. At times there are backgrounds projected that seem to be designed to create a mood rather than a specific representation of a location. It’s striking but not elaborate, and it again seems to be saying, listen to the music, that’s why we’re here. I did enjoy the period costumes and props and one moment when the entire back wall becomes a beautiful backdrop during a segment meant to represent someone who has left this mortal plain. The Lighting Design is very effective by Mark Henderson, especially when creating a sense of a darker older world, it’s a design that focuses more on the absence of light.

Girl From the North Country runs through October 14th at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/girl-from-the-north-country-orpheum-theatre-minneapolis-mn-2023/

The Boy Wonder Renews My Faith in Humanity, or at Least That Some Politicians Once Had Some at History Theatre

Emily Dussault, Evan Tyler Wilson Photo by Rick Spaulding

History Theatre in St. Paul launches their 2023-2024 theater season with the world premiere of the new musical The Boy Wonder by Keith Hovis. To say that I found the production exceptional would be to under sell it. In fact, to try and sum up the show in one word would undermine the fact that it is a multifaceted and layered work. For it is inspirational, moving, funny, educational, relevant, and very entertaining. As someone who has lost almost all interest and certainly all faith in politics, this show made me care again, while not boring me by being a musical about politics. Hovis who wrote the book as well as the music and lyrics has a gift for songwriting and storytelling, both which is a rare gift, a boy wonder himself to be sure. The cast is led by the phenomenal Evan Tyler Wilson whom with this performance may finally shed the label my wife uses for him and his former co-stars of “one of my All is Calm Boys“. Which isn’t a derogatory label, as the inclusion in a shows cast of one of her “All is Calm Boys“, guarantees she will be my plus one for that show.

The Boy Wonder tells the true story of Harold Stassen who was the youngest person ever elected to the Governorship of Minnesota. It’s the story of a man who dedicated his life to public service and the rare politician who put principles before party. What people remember of Harold Stassen is his never ending runs for the Republican Presidential Nomination which he did routinely from 1940 through 1992. It’s the story behind a punchline that reveals a man who was so much more than we remember. A man who possibly lost his chance at the Presidency because he followed his sense of duty to his country, resigning during his third term as Governor with a 91% approval rating to join the Navy during World War II. Losing momentum careerwise by following his gut, he still contributed greatly to our country and the world playing a key part in the formation of the United Nations. Obviously, we learn just the barest elements about the real man but if this representation of the man is anywhere near the truth, then I can say of him something I cannot imagine saying about a candidate in the modern era, this is a Republican I would vote for. He also seems to be the antithesis of every Republican of today. He put service, the people, and Country before his party.

Two wonderful local actors portray Harold Stassen via a structural device that Hovis uses allowing us to focus on the his early successes, while we acknowledge the second half of his life that doesn’t have a storybook ending. Bradley Greenwald is Stassen as the story begins in 1991, about announcing his final run for President. He is being urged by his son Glen, played by Thomas Bevan, to stop running. The rest of the show is Glen having the younger version of his father, played by the aforementioned Evan Tyler Wilson, recount his life as he repeatedly tells his father this is a perfectly respectable ending to his public life. Greenwald, plays Stassen briefly throughout but also plays many other roles including that of Harold’s father. Wilson is simply fantastic in the role, with a singing voice that is unmatched by a cast of exceptional singers, he also easily endears us to his character whose idealism finds a way against the odds to win. The heart of the play comes from the relationship between Harold and his wife Esther played by Emily Dussault. Together they create a palpable sense of affection and devotion, it’s a relationship that feels authentic and as ideal as Strassen’s approach to politics. The rest of the cast plays multiple roles wonderfully finding ways to distinguish their different characters in a way that makes it seem like the cast is much larger than nine. I also want to give a special mention of Jen Maren’s performances, comedically as Harold’s mother, and vocally every time she opens her mouth, another flawless vocalist that it’s always a joy to listen too.

The Boy Wonder is directed by Laura Leffler who will always hold a special place in my heart as the Assistant Director of Steel Magnolias at the Guthrie who went on as a member of the cast when there was an illness and received the loudest ovation from the audience. Here as Director, she uses the set designed by the fabulous Sadie Ward to great advantage. The center of the stage is a turntable, Leffler wisely resists the urge to overuse the device, instead making it an impactful element by using it only when it adds the scene. The scenes with songs are all handled well, but it’s the quieter moments where Leffler really shows her skill at creating intimate connections between the characters. These lay the groundwork so that the bigger story beats still create genuine emotions and responses from the audience. Amanda Weis as the Musical Director is on the keys and overseeing a solid group of musicians bringing Hovi’s catching and memorable songs to life.

The Boy Wonder is a mirror for the world today and also its remedy. As you watch it you will ache for a world in which candidates had the integrity and ideology of Harold Stassen. As someone who has lost faith in our political parties, it was amazing to find a hero on the other side of the aisle. Though to be fair his Republican views sound like modern day Democratic stances. The Boy Wonder runs through October 29th at History Theatre in Downtown St. Paul for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.historytheatre.com/2023-2024/boy-wonder

Bernhardt/Hamlet from Theatre Pro Rata at the Crane Theater is a Play for Theatre People

Nicole Goeden and Em Rosenberg Photo By Alex Wohlhueter

For a Hamlet junkie like myself Bernhardt/Hamlet is a delight, but it encompasses so much more than just the melancholy Dane, and most of it lands squarely in my basket of intense interests. There are explorations of gender, power, art, interpretation, adaptation, and even a fleeting nod to the invention of cinema. And that’s just the play itself, the production also casts the show without gender bias, including Women cast as men and a gender nonconforming actor cast as a man. The production reflects one of the central themes of the work as life imitate art and shows us that Bernhardt was right. There is no reason that women cannot be cast in male roles, men in female roles, and nonbinary actors as either. The goal should always be to find the best person for any given role. Theatre Pro Rata is a company that has, since I attended my first show of theirs, always been open to this concept. Always sent out press releases identifying the actors pronouns and making sure that those of us who write about the shows are respectful of those pronouns.

In Bernhardt/Hamlet written by Theresa Rebeck we get a fictional take on what the rehearsals and discussions were like when the great actress Sarah Bernhardt was preparing for her controversial appearance in Hamlet as Hamlet. There is so much happening in the play and for theater lovers there is plenty of talk about what is meant by certain lines in the plays, what the characters are thinking, and how the actors should perform them. There is also a love affair that as far as I can tell from perusing Wikipedia, is not based on real life, between Bernhardt and the married playwright Edmond Rostand. Along with many of the famous speeches from Hamlet we also get some extracts from Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. The relationship between Rostand and Bernhardt is a wonderful invention and it’s amazing how well the scenes form Hamlet and Cyrano, when they are performed, comment on and progress the ideologies of the play and it’s characters.

Nicole Goeden plays Bernhardt as someone who is aware of her power and position as well as her celebrity. She gives the impression of someone who simply gets what she wants by doing as she pleases, confident in her ability to inspire submission from those around her, not out of fear but out of affection for her. Her costar and perhaps director Constant Coquelin played by Sean Dillon seems to good naturedly go along with her abrupt desires to work on a different scene in the middle of another one. Dillon plays this with good humor, giving a sense that his character has been through all of this before, and is at peace with Bernhardt’s process. The same is true of Duck Washington’s Alphonse Mucha who creates the posters for Bernhardt’s productions. They are natural and understanding of Sarah’s whims and her gifts, they are friends and collaborators, and both actors convey that nicely to the audience. Em Rosenberg who recently made their debut appearance on the Guthrie stage in Hamlet, how’s that for serendipity, plays Edmond Rostand. Rosenberg is an actor I’ve had my eye on for a while now. I first came across them in the first Theatre Pro Rata show I saw Top Girls. My comments in that review about them began “The stand out for me was Emily (Em) Rosenberg” and that could just as easily be the start of my comments regarding Rosenberg in every show I’ve seen them in including this one. Rosenberg is cast not based on gender but because they are the best actor for the role of Rostand. Every interaction with another character whether it is a passionate embrace with Sarah, an argument with a critic about Bernhardt playing Hamlet, or standing up for his play Cyrano de Bergerac we completely believe this version of Rostand even as we know he is in most ways a fiction of the playwright.

Directed by Carin Bratlie Wethern who seems to have created a sense of ease with these actors so that we feel like their rehearsal is just that, running lines and exploring their characters. There are fun reveals throughout the show of Alphonse Mucha poster art which was recreated for the show by the Set Designer Sadie Ward. There is a link on the Theatre Pro Rata website where you can bid in a silent auction to own these wonderful posters. Ward has done a nice job with the sets, using a lot of curtains and sheets of fabric draping over things, it gives the idea that we are in a theater that is in the early stages of creating it’s sets. Other strong technical elements were the lighting design by Emmet Kowler and the costumes by Raphael Ferreira. I’d also like to mention the work of Annie Enneking as the Intimacy/Fight Choreographer along with Claire Chenoweth for Intimacy/Fight Observer, last summer I got a better understanding of what an Intimacy Coordinator does from conversations at the Great River Shakespeare Festival with one of the founders in the field, and I love that a smaller company like Pro Rata is utilizing people with those skills. It shows a respect for their actors and their audiences.

Bernhardt/Hamlet maybe a little too inside baseball for anyone who is unfamiliar with Hamlet and Cyrano de Bergerac, but if you know the basics of those plays you’ll be on solid ground for this well scripted play that continues the conversation about gender in theater that Sarah Bernhardt began over 100 years ago. It’s a thoughtful and entertaining evening at the theater with a love story that really comes alive thanks to the strong performances of Nicole Goeden and Em Rosenberg. Bernhardt/Hamlet runs through October 14th at the Crane Theater in NE Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreprorata.org/category/shows/current-production/

Cookin’ at Children’s Theatre Company

Hyejin Song, Changhwan Ko, and Min Goo Jung Photo by Glen Stubbe

Cookin’ playing at the Children’s Theatre Company is not a home grown production but rather a touring company that’s being hosted by the CTC. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a perfect fit for families though, it certainly is. This is the longest running show in South Korea and listed as one of the top ten tourist attractions in that country. It began life at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1999 and since then has been performed in 60 countries all over the world. It’s a unique opportunity to experience a touring company from another country. This one will appeal to all ages, it’s physical precision will amaze the adults in the audience, while the comedy and audience interaction will keep the wee ones engaged. Cookin’ takes theater off the stage and into the audience in ways that are suprising little moments of joy for the young ones in the crowd.

Featuring a very loose plot about the chefs in a Korean kitchen with one hour to prepare a wedding feast, and forced to allow the owners son to help. It’s all just an excuse to wow the audience with all manner of physical and musical feats. This show has a little bit of everything including, mad hibachi skills, magic, juggling, martial arts, percussion, and even a little romance. For me, the thing that always amazes with shows like this is the precision. I cannot imagine the stress I’d feel trying to rely on my body to successfully execute everything they do over the course of 90 minutes. In fact, I get a little anxious for them just watching from the audience. But, while I know they must make mistakes sometimes, they didn’t drop a plate or get out of sync for even a second at the performance I was at. It’s astonishing and the discipline and hours of practice that must go into being one of these performers is simply mind boggling. All of the physical stunts and comedic moments would be enough to recommend the show, but the folks behind Cookin’ go all out in terms of set design and lighting as well. By the time the finale comes, you feel like you’ve seen it all and then they do some lighting and staging that creates a whole new vibe for the last five to ten minutes of the show.

Cookin’ runs through October 22nd at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. For more information about the show and to purchase tickets go to https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/cookin/ . There are a couple of things you should know before going. Firstly, sit as close to the stage as you can. Secondly, if you don’t want to be pulled on stage, avoid sitting too close to the aisles. And lastly, it’s a 90 minute show with no intermission, personally I love that, but with small children this is your warning to limit liquids and insist on a restroom stop before the performance begins.

A Double Dose of Agatha Christie at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo “The Rats” & “The Wasp’s Nest”

The Cast: Tara Borman, Christopher Kenhoe, Charles Fraser, Maggie Cramer, and Paul LaNave. Photos by Tom Wallace

Opening their sixteenth season, Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo MN has put together a wonderful treat of a show featuring two one act plays by the Queen of Crime Dame Agatha Christie. They are delightful little mysteries that are sure to please fans of Christie’s work. Director Austene Van doesn’t content herself with simply staging the plays though, she plays up the double feature aspect with some very fun additions. Opening with a B&W projection of the “Let’s All Go to the Lobby” animation that used to play in movie theaters followed by previews of coming attractions (title cards for the rest of the theatre’s season) and then a studio logo for Yellow Tree Theatre thats a parody of the classic MGM logo. It’s a winning touch that sets the stage for a trip to the past in which the Actors aren’t afraid to ham it up a little bit and have fun with these whodunnits. A fun cast that seems like they stepped out of a 1940’s Hollywood thriller and one of the best Poirot Performances I’ve seen on stage.

First up, The Rats in which a man and woman are lured to the flat of some friends for drinks, only to discover that the friends are out of the country. Nothing is what it seems and suspicions about who is there and why, keep getting proven and disproven. It’s a cunning little puzzle that even when you think you know what’s happening, you still are not sure why. The second one act features Christie’s most famous character Hercule Poirot. Poirot shows up at the country estate of an old friend not to solve a crime but to prevent one. It’s a new approach for the man with the little grey cells, but as he points out, what better way to investigate a crime than to do so before it occurs, and thus, possibly prevent it. Christie displays in both pieces her trademark talent for concocting ingenious plots, here in stripped down and concise simplicity they are like perfect little crime confections. She also displays a clever wit that we see more often in her stage plays than in her novels and short stories, showing her understanding of the differences in the mediums.

I love the approach the actors took, following through on the promise of the opening projections and giving it the golden age of Hollywood approach. Particularly adept and featuring the classical features of say a young Vincent Price is Christopher Kehoe, who has prominent roles in both plays. Kehoe shows he is in on the game with some arched eyebrows and seems always prepared for a glossy photograph to be taken for an issue of Hollywood Stars magazine. Maggie Cramer and Tara Borman are wonderfully catty bringing out some excellent laughs in The Rats playing “friends”. Paul LaNave plays two wildly different roles in The Rats he plays it just this side of Snidely Whiplash, as a man so obviously up to no good, that the audience almost feels compelled to make a citizen’s arrest. In The Wasp’s Nest he is a much more subdued character making his motivations much less clear, which suits the piece perfectly. And last but certainly not least is Charles Fraser as Hercule Poirot. Fraser has a great accent that adds moments of humor based on just the cadence of his speech. It’s a quick turn in the role, but he looks, sounds, and plays the part to a tea.

Technically the show is everything you’ve come to expect from Yellow Tree which is a little theatre that never puts on a little show. The set design by Justin Hooper is a perfect example. For the first act, it’s a modern (1940’s) London flat, that looks quite elegant and posh. For the second act, it’s transformed into the garden of a country estate. Yes the stage crew works for the entire intermission to make the change but it’s a very effective transformation. Helping to complete the transformations are some wonderful touches from the Lighting Designer Kathy Maxwell and Sound Designer and Composer Jeff Bailey. I also wanted to highlight the the costumes by Jacourtney Mountain-Bluhm, I particularly like Poirot’s suit, it reminded me of the illustration of Poirot on a book my Dad had when I was young, a hardcover that collected several Poirot Novels.

If you saw the production of Christie’s Rule of Thumb in the summer of 2019 at Park Square than you’ve seen these two one acts before. I had, but four years and hundreds of plays later, I luckily had forgotten the solutions to the mysteries. If you are a Christie fan or just a fan of old movies or mysteries in general, you will find much to recommend this double feature of The Rats & The Wasp’s Nest. The show runs through October 29th at Yellow Tree Theatre, for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://yellowtreetheatre.com/agathachristie

Falsettos at Theater Latté Da

The Cast of Falsettos Photo by Dan Norman

Checking off shows from my “embarrassed I’ve never seen” list seems to be a theme of 2023, and Falsettos is the another title I can now cross out. Though perhaps not as ubiquitous as Our town or Godspell, Falsettos is still a Tony Award winning show that has even had a Broadway Revival in 2016. It’s a show that has come up at different times in conversation over the years but I never really even knew what it was about. So going into the show knowing little more than it was considered a musical comedy and it had an amazing cast of local favorites, I wasn’t really prepared for the mixture of comedy and tragedy that played out over the course of the evening. Is it funny? Yes! Did I cry a little? Yes. Was the cast amazing? Yes! If you are like me and have never seen Falsettos do yourself a favor and check out this wonderful production at Theater Latté Da. It’s full of witty songs like the opener “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” and “The Baseball Game”. But there are also some songs that hold some real truths and emotional moments like “I Never Wanted to Love You” and “You gotta Die Sometime”.

Falsettos features music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine. Finn also wrote the music and lyrics for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee which I’ll be seeing (for the first time) next month at Artistry in Bloomington. Lapine was a frequent collaborator with Stephen Sondheim and has won the Tony for Best Book of a musical three times. The show doesn’t contain any dialogue that I can recall but is completely sung through. Beginning in the late 1970’s in New York, it tells the story of Marvin, a gay man who has recently divorced his wife Trina, and moved in with his lover Whizzer. Hoping to help Trina through the divorce, Marvin has her see his psychiatrist Mendel, who immediately is taken with her. Eventually Marvin and Trina’s son Jason will also begin seeing Mendel. The first Act revolves around their various attempts to form new familial groups. Marvin in particular struggles in his attempt to have it all, trying to form “A Tight-Knit Family” with Whizzer along with his ex-wife and son. But when Mendel and Trina become a couple at the same time Whizzer and Marvin break up, we see that Marvin’s fantasies are selfish. He doesn’t want Trina and Mendel to be happy he wants her available for him on his terms. Act II takes place a few years later in 1981 and centers around Jason’s Bar Mitzvah and the dynamic between the parents about the event. At Jason’s baseball game attended by all of the parents and Marvin’s lesbian neighbors, a Doctor and the other a Caterer, Marvin and Whizzer reconnect. There is definitely a sense in the second Act that Marvin has done some growing up and is less self centered and in a better place to be in a relationship. Unfortunately, it’s the early 80’s and there was a new disease that was just beginning to appear that has a profound effect on everyone involved.

The cast as I say is filled with local favorites and looking over the program reveals that should someone have to go out sick, you’ll be in good hands with the understudies as well. Sasha Andreev stars as Marvin and is as always vocal perfection and really captures the frustration bubbling under the surface of Marvin. We can see the anger flash when things don’t go as he wants, but he also adjusts nicely in the second act to a slightly more settled Marvin, modulating the level of anger nicely. Serena Brook plays Trina and does a fantastic job, particularly with the song “I’m Breaking Down” which is comedic but with an undercurrent that speaks to what the character has been through which Brook brilliantly captures both aspects of the song. Sam Mandell who is just a sophomore in High School does a great job holding his own against this cast of seasoned professionals. The two that really wowed me though were Max Wojtanowicz (am I pronouncing that right?) as Whizzer and Eric Morris as Mendel. Wojtanowicz is the heart of the show and it’s his performance that is responsible for the those pesky tears that leave spots on my glasses. I’ve been a fan since seeing him as the lead in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Old Log but it feels like ages since I’ve gotten to see Wojtanowicz in a really meaty and large role. Morris executes a complete 180 with his character. At the beginning, I was getting a creeper vibe of this psychiatrist who’s is asking Marvin inappropriate things about Trina. But by halfway through the first Act you see he is just comically and genuinely falling in love. Morris also does a great job of conveying that more than either of his parents, Mendel is there for Jason and aware of his needs.

Directed by Meredith McDonough who uses Mina Kinukawa’s minimalistic Scenic Design to quickly move the action from scene to scene. McDonough knows how to block a scene for maximum comedic and dramatic effect. Jason Hansen conducts and plays keys as part of a very small band (quartet) that creates the full sounding score. And Emily Michaels King provides the Choreography which at times involves rolling chairs, but the moment that really caught my attention was such a simple but effective thing when she has the character moving along the diagonal shape that is painted on the floor. No idea why but it caught my eye and was really pleasing to my inner calm.

Falsettos runs through November 5th at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.latteda.org/falsettos