The (Almost) Complete and (Mostly) Accurate History of Alcohol Be Prepared to LOL for 90 Straight Minutes … Or Queer Minutes, You do You!

The thing with sketch comedy is that it’s usually hit or miss, the good thing being unless it’s all misses, you just have to wait a few minutes for the next sketch if you’re not liking one. The other thing that usually happens is there are a few cast members that outshine the others. What The (Almost) Complete and (Mostly) Accurate History of Alcohol does differently is that they decided to have every cast member be great and for every sketch to work. It’s a brilliant idea and I don’t know why other sketch comedy shows don’t use that model, but people can be funny that way (If there’s a pun there it was intentional, if not… there wasn’t supposed to be, so shut up!). Using the Alcohol or “devil water” as its theme, the show jumps through history giving us sketches that take place in ancient Greece, the Salem witch trials, and prohibition to name three. Along the way there will be some songs, how could there not with the vocal jewel of Leslie Vincent in the cast. Look, I could describe the sketches and tell you all the best bits but that wouldn’t be as enjoyable for you, besides I can’t do any of the amazing moves that Thalia Bea Kostman does and to try and describe them would be to do them a disservice. So let me just steal one of their jokes and say just three words, DON’T MISS THIS SHOW!

The show Director is Josh Carson who also performs in the cast with the aforementioned Leslie Vincent and Thalia Bea Kostman along with Allison Vincent, Kelsey Cramer, Neal Skoy, and Thomas Matthes, and there isn’t a stinker in the bunch! The show is performed at Bryant Lake Bowl and Theater, doors open at 6:00 PM with the shows beginning at 7:00 PM. I like to get there early before the doors open so I know I’ll get a good spot and I enjoy ordering dinner to enjoy during the show. It’s a great venue for this hilarious show and the perfect way to spend an evening with friends or for a date night. Or if you are single and have no friends it would probably make a great prelude to evening of masterbation, not because of anything in the show, it’s not that kind of show! But you know, if that’s you, I think it’s a good idea for you to get out of the house a little bit. And not that you need cheering up but if you do, this is the perfect mood elevator. The show runs for three more performances September 28th thru 30th, so make your arrangements soon, call for a babysitter, book your uber, get a haircut for God sake. For more information about the show (the only thing I haven’t told you is the price) and to purchase tickets for $18 (now I even told you the price) got to https://bit.ly/BLBHISTORYOFALCOHOL

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Passage a Thought Provoking Co-Production of Pillsbury House Theatre & Exposed Brick Theatre

Valencia Proctor, Alex Barreto Hathaway, Clay Man Soo, Antonio Rios-Luna, and Oogie_Push Photo by Bruce Silcox

After all these years it still amazes me when I attend a show at a theatre I’ve never been in before. Pillsbury House + Theatre was a new venue for me, I’d heard of them but I’m not on their mailing list so by time I’m aware of a show, I’ve already filled my schedule. The space itself is wonderfully intimate, seating about 100 people and from what I saw it has everything technically a theater needs to mount an effective production. Passage, which is a co-production between Pillsbury House + Theatre and Exposed Brick Theatre, takes full advantage of the theatre’s space and equipment. For a play that’s mostly about ideas expressed through dialogue, it’s surprisingly sophisticated in its use of sound and lighting. It grapples with political and philosophical questions yet very emotionally engaging and entertaining. In nearly every aspect of the production it excels but it’s the cast that makes everything else fall to the side and seem inconsequential by comparison. It’s the sort of cast that will ruin any future productions of this play that I may see, as any cast will be compared to this and surely be found wanting.

The play written by Christopher Chen has as the seed of it’s plot E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. Chen’s play becomes more universal by askewing specifics, setting his play in a world of two fictitious countries, he’s still able to explore the themes of colonialism and the suppression while inviting other social issues into the discussion. Rather than struggle through a plot synopsis, I’ll let the Theatre company speak to that:

Set in the fictional Country X, a neocolonial client of Country Y, PASSAGE examines colonialism, power, and how societal imbalances affect interpersonal dynamics through the story of B, a local doctor, and F, an expat teacher, after their friendship is challenged during a fateful trip to a local attraction.
Pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org

Many of the scenes are discussions between characters at times debating issues and exploring those ideas of interpersonal dynamics within a society that has an imbalance of power. The reality we as the audience know is that all societies have imbalances in power and thus the ideas being discussed have wider implications than those specific to the play. The play is designed to give the audience some sliver of understanding of what colonialism does to both the occupied and the occupiers but it also illustrates generational trauma and institutional racism. It helps us to draw the larger parallels to our own society through incidents that we can view more broadly such as the imbalance of justice based on social standing or race. It sounds dry, but it is done with such wonderful words that we don’t feel preached at, we feel like we are at the table during a lively discussion. Chen wisely doesn’t pretend to have the answer to these issues. There are no easy answers, it is the conversation, the empathy, and the acknowledgement that these things are true that begins the road to enlightenment. But there is no solution, the solution is for these things to not exist, to have never existed, and that isn’t possible.

I could literally gush about every performer in the show so please take it as a given that this is a phenomenal cast. Let me highlight a few favorites though, first and brightest is Valencia Proctor, I simply could not take my eyes off of her. All of the characters have moments when they are trying to do the right thing and moments when they are not at their best. Proctor as F not only works at all times to do the right thing, to listen and to adapt, but she makes us believe all of that is happening in front of our eyes. I felt like I was watching her navigating and adjusting to what was happening moment to moment. Oogie_Push as B, the Doctor from Country X, who though a great physician still has to be subservient to those from Country Y. Push excellently plays B with restraint and a long suffering composure, that when she finally does allow some of the bent up rage out, it’s palpable. Marisa B. Tejeda is Q her scenes with Antonio Rios-Luna as her fiance R are filled with the tension we’ve all experienced when we’ve come to a discord with our partner, the moments ring true, as does her breakdown after the event that brings things to a head politically. Another favorite scene performed with greta humor has James A. Williams (Dub) as G, and Clay Man Soo as J, interpreting an interaction they are observing between B and F.

Some show the transitions between scenes when the stage is reset and set pieces moved on and off seem a bit clunky. This set is amazingly versatile and while there is a lot of reconfiguring and repositioning, it’s all done with this element of grace that it almost feels like a moment of meditation as we prepare for the next scene. Credit for that goes to the Scenic Designer Mina Kinukawa, Stage Manager Lyndsey R. Harter, and Technical Director Austin Stiers. Peter Morrow’s sound design work is fantastic as is the lighting work of Mitchell Frazier, never has absolute darkness felt so immediate and urgent. Co-directors Signe V. Harriday & Suzy Messerole make the excellent decision to cast with all BIPOC actors. This allows us to take another step away from the specific and into the universal. We don’t need to have the white villain, we all know historically, that is the reality. By not doing that we can look at the underlying issues of human nature more clearly. We can widen the conversation beyond the specific and in that way invite everyone into the process.

Passage runs at Pillsbury House + Theatre through October 15th for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org/passage/. I’d also encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the Twin Cities Theater Chat podcast where M’Colleagues Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon and Carol Jackson and Julie Jackson of Minnesota Theater Love are joined by Suzy Messerole, the Co-Artistic Director of Exposed Brick Theatre and Signe V. Harriday, the Artistic Producing Director of Pillsbury House + Theatre to discuss Passage. you can find that episode here https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/2150807/13610335

Beetlejuice at The Orpheum Theater

Isabella Esler (Lydia) and Justin Collette (Beetlejuice) Photo by Matthew Murphy, 2022

Beetlejuice is based on the 1988 Tim Burton film of the same name, it’s a film I’d seen a couple of times but not in a long time. On a rewatch in prep for this touring production, I was surprised at how little the character of Betelgeuse is actually in the movie. That is something this Musical adaptation or perhaps more accurately stated, riff on the original, changes for the positive. It’s safe to say if you come to Beetlejuice expecting a faithful adaptation of the film you are going to be disappointed…briefly. Once the show gets going, which is pretty much from the moment the curtain rises, you’ll be so entertained you won’t be able to hold those expectations in your mind, you’ll be too distracted by the spectacle on stage. And by spectacle I’m referring to Betelgeuse. I’ve talked before of the over reliance on adapting movies into Broadway musicals, sometimes they are fine, just as often they are ever so less than fine, but more rarely they are improvements on the source material. Beetlejuice belongs squarely in the latter camp. Is it Les Miz? No, but if you are going to a musical named Beetlejuice, I hope you had your expectations set squarely in the entertainment camp not the emotionally resonant camp. As an entertainment and a visual feast of theatrical showmanship, Beetlejuice is like Affleck in Phantoms, the bomb.

Bravo to the the creative team behind the show, Scott Brown and Anthony King who wrote the book and Eddie Perfect who wrote the music and lyrics for not being afraid to throw away the movies script and marking out their own path. There are some basic elements that are the same but more differences than there is the same. But fear not, the two musical moments everyone knows and loves from the film are intact. How could they not be? Surely it was those moments that inspired someone to think of turning the property into a musical in the first place. The primary changes are to have Betelgeuse enter the story from the very beginning and a subplot about Lydia’s dead mother. Betelgeuse is the star of the show, it’s the anarchic spirit of the bio exorcist that gives the show it’s anything can happen energy. Having him there throughout the entire show rather than just turning up for a few bursts of comedic chaos gives the show it’s momentum. His storyline which is to become human gives the show the engine that progresses the plot. Lydia, whose family has moved into the house of the recently deceased Adam and Barbara, gives the show it’s heart. Her loss of her mother informs every decision she makes and it allows for her characters journey to be wildly different from the film and makes the character of Lydia much richer than simply a disaffected teenager. As for the songs, they are usually of the funny over the top audience pleaser variety but among the best of that style, they’re post-modern, a little bit raunchy, and a whole lot of fun. It starts from the second song, “The Whole ‘Being Dead’ Thing” which is basically Betelgeuse singing directly to us. There are a couple of more serious songs that Lydia sings that are really quite beautiful like “Prologue: Invisible”, “Dead Mom”, and especially “Home”.

Now the main character is in the title and Matthew Michael Janisse is fantastic as Betelgeuse, he sings and talks with short of a gravelly voice but gets a couple of moments here and there to show us he also has some more traditional vocal skills. Janisse embraces the chaos of the character and is like a live action Looney Tunes character, one with a highly developed sense of dark humor. As great as Janisse is and believe me, he is, the one that knocked my socks off was Isabella Esler as Lydia. I told my wife that in the car on the drive home, as I sat down to write and perused the Playbill a little more I discovered this is Esler’s, a recent high school graduate, first professional acting role. I was playing some of the original Broadway cast recording to refresh myself on some of the songs and hands down Esler blows the Broadway Lydia away in the vocal department. For a brief period she teams up with Betelgeuse and she matches his playfulness perfectly, this young woman has a bright future ahead of her. The rest of the cast are all good, I want to get this resolved up front so you don’t spend the entire show distracted by it. Will Burton who plays Adam, the recently deceased homeowner, will remind you of Mikey Day from SNL. It’s not him, but that’s who he’s reminding you of so now you can move on. You’re welcome.

Beetlejuice is not just a funny show with good songs and wonderful cast, it’s also a visual treat from the costumes and set design to the various projections used and puppets including a giant sand worm. It all has the look of one of Tim Burtons’ stylish films in just the right way. Beetlejuice runs through September 24th at the Orpheum theater as part of the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Bank of America Broadway on Hennepin season. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/beetlejuice-broadway-tickets-minneapolis-mn-2023/

Rich Dogs is a Unique Production Performed in a Unique Way and Unfortunately for You, it’s Sold Out

Jay Eisenberg and Chelsie Newhard Photo by Lauren B. Photography

WeAreMarried (WAM) is a trans led multimedia production company that develops new works designed to create a repertoire of performances that ignite creativity and provide a sustainable income for artists. They have partnered with the Jungle Theater for what has resulted in a sold out run of Rich Dogs before the first performance. First off, to clarify while the show is being performed at The Jungle Theater it isn’t being performed in the theater, it’s actually performed in the lobby. This drastically reduces the number of audience members for each performance to about 20. I love an experience like this, setting something in a unique venue or site specific location. My preferred seat is always front row because I like to reduce the barrier between myself and the work as much as possible. I enjoy the intimacy of a small performance space and the connection one feels with the actors and the material. Rich Dogs is 90 minutes of a world turned upside down where dogs are the masters and the humans have to wait in the lobby until called for. It’s also a love story that takes place while the audience is trying to understand the rules of this new world order. Just when you feel like you are getting a grasp on the plays reality, something new, surprising and wonderful happens.

It’s hard to wrap your head around what you are experiencing in the moment. Our minds tend to try and impose structure not only narratively but in terms of how the world we are experiencing works. Dogs can talk, and so can humans. Dogs are in charge, humans know they once were, but more or less seem OK with the way things are at least on the surface. And this is where the traditional mind takes over and starts trying to figure out if there will be a revolt or something along those lines. But it isn’t that kind of play. It’s essentially a romantic comedy, a meet cute between two dog servants. The oddities of the world they inhabit are not the plot, just the backdrop in front of which their growing connection plays out. It adds a lot of humor and keeps the audience on their toes or perhaps off balance. The humans are played by Jay Eisenberg and Chelsie Newland and they are simply the dog’s pajamas. They are fully committed to the quirkiness of the roles, they are playing humans, but humans who have lost a step, and seem unsure of the rules themselves. The play is co written by the two stars and the Director Shelby Richardson. They have conjured a world that is a funhouse mirror of our own that also has space in it for a nightmare featuring a giant dog paw, an homage to Mulholland Drive, and a magical musical duet that reminded me why I love theater. I cannot imagine anyone else in these roles, they are written for Eisenberg and Newland and they fit them some perfectly.

Richardsons direction uses the every aspect of the space, the actors go in and out of the theater on either side, Eisenberg makes his first appearance on the street outside the windows to the lobby. Richardson has them inhabiting the space not simply performing in front of our chairs in a corner of the lobby. Alex Pears creates a wholly unexpected and very impressive giant dog leg for a dream sequence and also designed these bizarre sleep inflatables the humans wear, one assumes so they can grab a few winks whenever they get a chance, because their masters usually just sleep for a couple of hours at a time. They are also used for a rather risque sequence where the humans take turns blowing each others inflatables up. There’s also clever use of video, created by Victoria Carpenter that’s used throughout on a TV that is rolled out, including what must be dog erotica in which Eisenberg via green screen tempts dogs via the video as a bag of trash and a mud puddle. Dan Dukich does the sound design and there is a lot going on from snippets of the play the dogs are attending inside the theater to various sounds and music that originate from a radio. Finally, the costumes by Bee Begley consist of these stylized uniforms that seem very much like something that would come from the minds of dogs who have taken over the world, they are a nice touch that helps build the reality of this unreal world.

There is so much to praise here that it feels like rubbing salt in a wound, knowing that unless you already have tickets you are not going to get to see it….this time. In the program there is mention of a program they have called WAM-For-Hire, I’m including the link here to their website https://www.wearemarried.org/hirewam. So you can hire WAM to do a private performance of the plays in the portfolio, this is a fascinating idea of a new theater model and I’m interested to see how it plays out. For more information and to be added to the waitlist for the remaining performances which run through October 8th go to https://www.jungletheater.org/rich-dogs

Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake

Jake Stone, Mary Karcz, and Christopher Kent. Photo by M&D Media

After experiencing two of Ken Ludwig’s plays last season Murder on the Orient Express and Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood I was excited to see Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers at Lakeshore Players Theatre, maybe too excited. There are a lot positive aspects of the production, but also several things to temper ones enjoyment. The biggest plus is some of the best stage combat I’ve seen, unfortunately it seems to have come at a cost to the other aspects of performance. There is overall sense that the production wasn’t quite ready for an audience, everything things loose and slightly unfocused. Everything that is except for the stage combat, which is very tight, excellently devised and executed. My biggest advice to anyone planning to attend the production is to sit as close to the stage as possible. Distance from the performers only detaches one from the performances and amplifies the technical issues, which include a lack of sufficient amplification.

Ludwig’s script Generally follows many of the plot points of the original novel by Alexandre Dumas, simplified of course and with the notable addition of the character of Sabine, D’Artagnan’s sister. D’Artagnan and Sabine head to Paris from the country, D’Artagnan hoping to become a Musketeer, and Sabine to attend school at a convent. Both are skilled with the blade and after first running afoul of the Three Musketeers Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, they earn their respect and become allies. The villain of the piece is Cardinal Richelieu who opposes the King of France and whose henchman Rochefort D’Artagnan has sworn to avenge himself against. Richelieu also uses a spy called Milady in his attempts to thwart the King and seize power for himself. There are love interests and nefarious plots and schemes all played with a knowing wink at the audience and a modern sense of humor. It’s clear that Sherwood was modeled on this template and while I don’t think the script is as good. I think it’s slightly disjointed and unfocused feel is due more to Eric Morris’ direction.

There is a sense that the production could have benefitted from another week of rehearsal or that in an effort to make sure the swordplay as brilliant as it is, that other areas didn’t get the attention they needed. Even with professional theaters there is a finite amount of time and resources that can be devoted to a play. I think Morris had to choose where to devote the time they had and with stage combat precision equals safety. Once you commit to the fight choreography you have to make sure everyone has it down so no one gets hurt. With how good Mason Tyer’s fight designs are, I can imagine they consumed more time from rehearsals than expected. It felt that several aspects on the technical side of things were also not as sharp as they needed to be. Nathaniel Glewwe’s sound design, particularly the inspired musical choices, everything from Abba to Danny Elfman’s Batman Score was undermined by a lack of volume. I’ve been to several shows where the music overpowered the dialogue but that wasn’t the case here, the balance was just fine, it was the volume level that was the issue. No music was coming from the speakers in the back half of the theater as far as I could tell, all came from the front. Sitting in the second half of the theater it felt like there was a dampening buffer between myself and the play. The lighting by Alex Clark was inconsistent, and there were staging elements that screamed for some creative lighting that just wasn’t supplied. A scene between D’Artagnan and Athos when they have met in order to duel features a minute or so, of the two actors standing in the least lit portion of the stage, not for any effect that I could discern but because someone forgot to light them or execute the lighting cue. Maybe I’m being too hard on a Community Theater production, I don’t cover a lot of them and tend to evaluate the ones I do by the same standards I use with a professional theater company. But I usually find that the ones I cover are at a very high level and this one in my opinion surpassed many professional theater productions in terms of it’s stage combat.

Another downside of the upside of great stage combat is that the performances in some cases suffered. Some roles seemed to have been filled by people who are fantastic and stage combat, but perhaps the acting skills are not as well developed. In other cases, actors I recognize felt a little less solid, and I suspect that is due to devoted much of the preparation to learning the fight choreography. Most of the performances are fine, it’s just a sense that most could have used more time to really hone in on their characters and make their choices more concrete. The best performances are those that have very little fight choreography. Luke Aaron Davidson as Cardinal Richelieu has the perfect over the top villain performance the material calls for. Garrett Hildebrandt who plays King Louis, though it’s a smaller role, gives the solid well defined performance we expect from actors at this level, I don’t think he had a single fight scene.

Look, it’s not a bad production and there are some great elements, and who knows maybe as the show progresses the production will tighten up. This is some of the best stage combat you are likely to see. Just take my advice when booking your seats get as close to the stage as you can. I don’t know if it’s the technical design work of the show or the limitations of the theaters equipment, but the closer the better. Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers runs through October 1st at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/the-three-musketeers

Deal Alert for Theater Lovers!!!!! Day of the Transgender Child Silent Auction to be Filled With Theater Tickets

Faithful readers and theater lovers I have to let you know about an upcoming event with the opportunity to score some great deals on theater tickets from over a dozen local theater companies. Next Saturday September 23rd from Noon until 5:00 PM at Hidden Falls Regional Park, Transforming Families MN is hosting the annual fundraiser and celebrating Day of the Transgender Child. Transforming Families of MN is a Peer led support group for Transgender youth and their families. When my family began our journey with my son George about 10 years ago, we had a lot of questions. We found answers, resources, and support when we discovered Transforming Families of MN. When we joined, it consisted of maybe a dozen families but over these last ten years it has grown to over 1,000 members. The organization provides five monthly peer support meetings, advocates for the rights of trans and non-binary youth, and engages with the community to create a safer and more understanding environment for our kids.

This event is close to my heart and provides you an opportunity to support Transgender kids and their families as well as picking up some really good deals on theater tickets.

At the event you can expect:
*A robust resource fair
*New Day of the Transgender Child T-shirt design
*Drag Tale Time with Transforming Generations
*Amazing guest speakers
*Silent Auction to help raise funds for TFF
*Rainbow Bingo
*Face-painting
*All the family fun

I want to draw your attention to the silent auction. There are going to be a lot of theater tickets to bid on in the auction. And we all know how Silent auctions are, sometimes you get a real steal, but even if you end up bidding full price for a show you planned to see anyway you are also helping to keep Transforming Families doing the great work they do. Now more than ever, our families need support. Transforming Families is part of a coalition of Minnesota nonprofits working to welcome individuals and families fleeing from states where legislation has limited access to basic human rights. We fundraise because we believe that all transgender youth deserve to be safe, healthy and happy.

A big thank you to all of the theater’s who overwhelmed me with their enthusiasm and generosity. You’ll have to come to Day of the Transgender Child to see everything and to bid but here are some of the Theaters that have donated and there are still more coming in.

Yellow Tree Theatre: $150 Gift Certificate (that’s enough to buy a season ticket to the theatre!)

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres: 3 pairs of dinner and show tickets

History Theatre: 2 tickets

Hennepin Theatre Trust: 2 tickets to Girl From the North Country, featuring the songs of Minnesota’s own Bob Dylan on opening night 10/10/23 which also officially launches the North American Tour!

Lyric Arts: I love this one 2 tickets + 2 drink coupons + a Popcorn!

Jungle Theater: 2 pairs of tickets

Theater Mu: 2 tickets

Theatre in the Round Players: 2 tickets

Stages Theatre Company: 4 tickets

Theater Latté Da: 2 tickets

Theatre Pro Rata: 2 tickets to their fall production Bernhardt/Hamlet

Artistry: 2 tickets for their production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

For more information about the event you can click on this link to the Transforming Families MN Facebook event https://bit.ly/DOTC2023

I hope to see lots of theater lovers out there bidding on these wonderful theater tickets and supporting Transforming Families MN. I’ll be out there all day as a proud parent of a Transgender son handing out free popcorn donated by The stages of MN. Make sure to stop by and say hi and hit me up for theater recommendations!

The Importance of Being Earnest Launches the Guthrie’s 2023-2024 Season with Wit and Style!

Corey Brill and Michael Doherty Photo by Dan Norman

Oscar Wilde was perhaps the greatest wit of the 19th Century and The Importance of Being Earnest is one of his best known works is the perfect showcase of his genius. Unlike the comedies of Shakespeare, Wilde’s play makes no claim to a greater understanding of human nature. It pokes fun at pomposity and the upper classes detachment from reality to be sure, but in truth its greatest achievement is that it is hilariously entertaining. The Guthrie has gathered together a cast that knows just how to play Wilde’s witty dialogue and they bring a physicality to their roles that heightens the already deliciously ludicrous tone. As an avowed anglophile and connoisseur of British humor, Wilde’s work has always hit the sweet spot for me. I’ve enjoyed many productions over the years at the Guthrie but I’m not sure I’ve laughed as consistently at anything as much as I did at The Importance of Being Earnest. This is the rare play from the 1800’s that needs no modernization to make it accessible. No prep or footnotes directed to the audience, it just plays brilliantly.

The play which premiered in 1895 centers on two members of the idle upper class Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff both of whom they discover make use of an alias in order to get out of obligations and do whatever they feel like. Jack has created a younger brother named Earnest which he uses to leave his home in the country where he lives with his ward, the 18 year old Cecily, and goes to London to live the carefree and pleasure centered life as said imaginary brother Earnest. Algernon has invented an invalid friend named Bunbury, who he uses to get out of dinners with his aunt Lady Bracknell under the excuse of being called to Bunbury’s sick bed. Jack has fallen in love with Lady Bracknell’s daughter Gwendolen and she with him, but Lady Bracknell will not allow the engagement due to Jack’s not knowing where he came from having been discovered in a handbag as an infant in Victoria station. Algernon, thinking Jack will be in London through the weekend and having discovered his country address and the existence of the young ward Cecily, arrives at Jack’s country home pretending to be his younger brother Earnest. Cecily and Algernon immediately fall in love, when Jack returns early to inform his household of the death of his brother Earnest he’s surprised to find that Earnest has been moved into the bedroom next to his. The final ingredient is when both men who have wooed under the name of Earnest learn that the women they love both declare they could only ever love a man named Earnest, which neither of them actually are. Hilarity ensues and one can only speculate that the play itself served as the template for every book P.G. Wodehouse ever wrote.

Corey Brill plays Jack, the straight man, at least comparatively to Michael Doherty’s Algernon, whose general look seems to be based in part on Oscar Wilde himself. Both play their roles superbly with Doherty really adding a physical playfulness to his characterization that finds added humor with every movement, particularly in the opening scenes. Helen Cespedes is Gwendolen and Adelin Phelps is Cecily who verbally spare over their erroneous assumption that they are both engaged to Earnest. They play the catiness of female rivals well, Cespedes scores a huge laugh involving lumps of sugar. Twin Cities treasure Sally Wingert is the formidable Lady Bracknell and commands the stage like a force of nature whenever she appears. She deliciously sells the leaps of logic and nonsensical rationale for all of her firmly held beliefs which change depending on her perceived goal. Lastly, I want to mention recent transplant to the Twin Cities and Actor to watch Daniel Petzold who plays Jack’s servant Merriman. Unfortunately Petzold isn’t given much to do by the script in The Importance of Being Earnest and in a way it feels like a waste of his talents. Still it’s good to see that local theater’s are keeping him employed, he’s a rising talent and we don’t want to lose him. Hopefully his next role will give him more to chew on.

The play is directed by David Ivers who has mounted a great looking play and guided his performers to fully realized characterizations. I love the physical touches that help to just add that little extra zing to the wonderfully comedic and rich dialogue. The one area that could have been improved on is there are a few instances where a character is facing the back of the stage and delivering dialogue for far to long. I had seats fairly close to the stage and in those moments the dialogue was lost to me. Speaking in that direction now and then is acceptable but to have a character face no one in the audience and deliver lines for one or two minutes at a stretch needed to be rethought. Luckily, it only happens a couple of times. Susan Tsu’s costumes are just gorgeous, Algernon’s wardrobe is foppish and comical, Jack’s is elegant and stylish, but the women, particularly the gowns worn by Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen are stunning. Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams set design is very classy, the play is in three acts with an intermission between each of the acts so that the set can be changed to a new location for each scene. It looks amazing, the final intermission though seemed to run longer than expected as they seemed to be having a little trouble with the scene change, hopefully that will work smoother as the run continues.

The is a great opportunity to see one of the great comedic plays brought to stage by a cast who knows how to make the laughs work to their fullest. I always tell folks when a classic like this comes around make sure you see it. Plays are meant to be seen performed and some of these don’t come around as often as they should. This is a great production to launch the new season and it runs through October 15th. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2023-2024-season/the-importance-of-being-earnest/ .