Misery at Yellow Tree Proves the Old Adage Third Times the Charm

Laura Esping and Dustin Bronson Photo by Alex Clark

I like to begin all of my reviews of Misery—and this is the third—by saying I’m Stephen King’s number one fan. Although after watching Annie Wilkes demonstrate the extremes of fandom toward writer Paul Sheldon, I’m not sure I should be so quick to claim it. I say it because it’s true, but I realize faithful readers may find the line repetitive. That was also my first reaction when I saw Yellow Tree Theatre was producing Misery again, making this the third production in as many years. There’s so much good theater I miss because I simply can’t see it all. Having already seen Misery twice since 2023—including Yellow Tree’s last staging—I thought I might skip this one. Then I saw the cast list: Laura Esping as Annie Wilkes and Dustin Bronson as Paul Sheldon. F*#%!. And so there I was once more, seated in the audience for Misery, William Goldman’s stage adaptation of King’s novel (Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film).

The play opens with writer Paul Sheldon regaining consciousness in the home of Annie Wilkes, his self-declared “number one fan.” Disoriented, he learns he’s been rescued from a car wreck caused by a snowstorm. With both legs broken and a dislocated shoulder, he’s at the mercy of Annie, a former nurse who has splinted his injuries and dosed him with her stockpile of painkillers. But the phone lines are down, the roads impassable—or so she claims. What begins as a story of apparent salvation quickly shifts into one of entrapment. Annie’s quirks spiral into unsettling behaviors, until it becomes clear she loves Paul too much to ever let him go.

I want to tread carefully here, because I enjoyed both previous stage productions I’ve seen—Yellow Tree in 2023 and Lakeshore Players in January 2025. The actors then gave fine performances, and I praised them in my reviews. But Esping and Bronson deliver the strongest portrayals I’ve yet seen of these roles. Esping doesn’t command the physically intimidating presence of earlier performers or Kathy Bates’s iconic film version, so she wisely takes a different approach. Her Annie is less explosively menacing and more quietly dissonant, at times even comic. A scene where she clambers onto the bed to pull Paul back feels borrowed from silent film comedy, yet lands perfectly in character. She channels something closer to Julie Harris with violent mood swings—an unsettling mix that makes Annie’s darkness even more disturbing.

Bronson’s Paul Sheldon brings a sharper intelligence and freshness to a role I thought I knew inside out. I’ve read the book, seen the film in theaters when it premiered, owned it on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray, and now watched three stage productions. Yet Bronson made it feel new again. Previous actors played the part well; Bronson inhabits it. In moments, I forgot I knew the script by heart, hearing familiar lines as though for the first time. That’s an extraordinary achievement—and it’s exactly why we return to plays over and over: great actors breathe fresh life into familiar works.

As with all productions of this script, the weak link is Buster, the sheriff. That’s no fault of Chance Carroll, who plays him here. In the film, Richard Farnsworth made the role memorable, especially alongside Frances Sternhagen. The stage version drastically trims Buster’s part, leaving it underdeveloped and his fate underwhelming. Goldman might have been better off cutting the character entirely. Still, the limitation lies in the script, not the performer.

If you’ve never seen Misery, now is the time. If you have, this production is well worth revisiting for its fresh, incisive performances. Esping and Bronson prove how much a cast can transform a play.

Misery is directed by John Catron, who also helmed Yellow Tree’s 2023 production. The show runs through October 19 at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. For tickets and information, visit yellowtreetheatre.com/misery2025.

Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox—it’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Red Paints a Bold Portrait at Lakeshore Players

Red is a fictional account of the relationship between artist Mark Rothko and his assistant, Ken. To call it a “relationship” might suggest they connected on a personal level—which, at first glance, they do not. Their dynamic appears to remain strictly that of boss and employee, or perhaps teacher and student. The play unfolds as a series of conversations between the two men about art—what it is, what it means, and how each interprets and values it.

On reflection, though, one might reconsider the claim that they never connect personally. After all, what could be more personal to an artist than their beliefs about art? Though they withhold most details of their private lives, they reveal their deepest convictions to one another in the area that matters most to them: art.

The production takes place in the Black Box Theatre of the Hanifl Performing Arts Center. Seating is general admission, and the theater is kept on the cooler side. The intimate setting is well-suited to this two-hander, which is set in Rothko’s studio.

Both roles are played by actors I was unfamiliar with prior to this production, but I won’t soon forget them. Justin Hooper, who identifies primarily as a scenic designer, plays Rothko. He alternates between curmudgeon and lecturer—full of opinions and impatient with fools. He is the kind of mentor the mentee both admires and resents. Hooper excels, perfectly capturing the cantankerous artistic temperament while also exposing the intellectual workings of a man who deeply understands what art is and represents.

Brian McMahon plays Ken. He begins timid and unsure, but by the end, he is standing up to Rothko and calling out his hypocrisies. McMahon skillfully conveys Ken’s initial hesitancy while gradually giving his character a stronger voice and growing conviction. When the two finally clash in heated exchanges, the sparks truly fly.

Red offers an engaging glimpse into the life of a working artist, from preparing a canvas to mixing paints. It feels like a play about painters where you actually leave with a slightly better understanding of what an artist does and how they think about their art form.

Red runs through October 12 at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit lakeshoreplayers.org/red-season-73.

The Book of Will is Both Funny and Moving From Theatre Pro Rata at the Crane Theater

Sean Dillon, Jeremy Motz, Nissa Nordland, Kjer Whiting, Alex Hagen, Andrew Toth, Sandesh Sukhram Photo by Alex Wohlhueter

The Book of Will is a play by Lauren Gunderson, co-author of the much-beloved Christmas at Pemberley Trilogy of which I have gushed on more than one occasion. The play tells the true story, though through a fictional lens, of the men and women, chiefly, Henry Condell and John Heminges, who worked alongside Shakespeare, who ensured that William Shakespeare’s work survived after his death. The play opens With Condell and Heminges in The Globe Tap House with the actor Richard Burbage. The three friends of Shakespeare’s, actors in his theater company, discuss the poor quality of the pirated versions of Shakespeare’s plays that were being performed by younger actors after his death. Burbage dies the next day. Condell and Heminges realize that with Burbage, who had the plays memorized, gone, they no longer have copies of most of his plays. They make it their mission to track down the plays and through their efforts we learn a lot about the theater practices of the period. The play is both funny and emotionally poignant as it explores the importance of story and theater in the lives of its characters and society at large. It is a theme I am completely in sync with.

The cast is incredibly talented, including favorites like Nissa Nordland, who plays Heminges’ daughter, providing brief moments of the sort of romantic spark with Carter Graham’s Isaac Jaggard, that we have come to expect from Gunderson. Though unconsummated, Graham and Nordland generate the kind of instant chemistry that made me wish the play was ten minutes longer to devote to developing that spark. Kjer Whiting, whose Ben Jonson was Shakespeare’s rival, but here clearly a friend as well, plays it so that we can clearly see that duality. The always interesting Jeremy Motz gives a rapid-fire mashup of Shakespearian dialogue in a scene where he confronts one of the younger actors he sees as ruining Shakespeare’s works. It’s a moment that sets the bar high for the night. Sean Dillon as Condell is passionate, refusing to give up on the project. His best moments come in his portrayal of the friendship between Condell and Heminges, with the ability to convey heartfelt compassion, and with decency always being chief among Dillon’s strengths an actor and a person.

This brings us to Andrew Troth, who plays Heminges. Troth is absolutely heartbreaking as a bereaved Heminges trying to make sense of the world after his wife passes away. I’ve always enjoyed Troth’s performances, but here he surpassed mere enjoyment and left me impressed with his emotionally raw performance.

Gunderson’s script plays well to general audiences, but for those of us with a familiarity with much of Shakespeare’s canon, it’s filled with Easter eggs that reflect the author’s love of the plays. It’s easy to be amazed at the lack of foresight the people of Shakespeare’s time had in the importance of preserving the plays. He was one of the most popular playwrights of his time, and yet three years after his death, his acting company had but a handful of his scripts. It’s easy to scoff at the short-sightedness of those in the arts of the time and think we would never be such poor custodians of our cultural and artistic heritage. Then we remember that three hundred years later, the motion picture industry was making the same mistake, leaving us a world where 75% of all silent films are lost. Is the lost Lon Chaney film London After Midnight as important an artistic achievement as Shakespeare’s lost Love’s Labour’s Won? Who is to say? Rubble&Ash provides the wonderful period costumes, which are always one of the joys of a play set in this time. But my favorite visual element of the show was the set design by MJ Leffler. I ran into Leffler before the show, when we discussed the design. Leffler informed me that the design was made up 100% of recycled and repurposed pieces. There is a giant feather standing like a pillar along the back wall that rang a distant bell for me. It turns out the feather was part of the Guthrie’s Cyrano de Bergerac from 2019. It makes the perfect accent to this play about the greatest English language writer of all time.The Book of Will is a treat for any fans of Shakespeare, to be sure. But understanding Shakespeare or even appreciating him isn’t necessary going into the show. It’s a fascinating look at the idea of legacy and the importance of preservation. The play runs through October 11th at the Crane Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreprorata.org/production-history/book-of-will.

Episode 12 of The Stages of MN Show Features the full schedule for the upcoming Twin Cities Horror Festival!

Late again with this post—sorry, faithful readers who rely on these updates to know when a new episode is out! Remember, you can also subscribe to the YouTube channel to be notified as soon as new episodes drop.

This week’s episode is sponsored by Theatre in the Round. They offer excellent flex pass packages and a fantastic season lineup, including Pride & Prejudice, which we review this week along with Theater Mu’s Maybe You Could Love Me. You can learn more about Theater Mu at theatermu.org.

On this week’s episode, we have our first-ever exclusive! I’m joined by Nissa Nordland and Duck Washington, the Artistic and Executive Directors of Twin Cities Horror Festival XIV (TCHF), to reveal the full schedule for this year’s lineup. Learn more at tchorrorfestival.com. You can watch the episode here or listen to the podcast version here.

A quick reminder: sign up for The Stages of MN +1 Club, where you can see shows for free as my plus one. Just email your name and cell number to robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com, and I’ll add you to the list. I’ll confirm with a text so you’ll have my number saved in your contacts. Then, watch for texts when I have a plus one available. If you’re interested and available, reply directly to me (not “reply all”), and I’ll let you know ASAP if you’re the first to respond.

A Doll’s House at the Guthrie is Funnier and More Relevant Than One Expects From This Classic Play

Andrew May, David Andrew Macdonald, and Amelia Pedlow Photo by Dan Norman

A fresh adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House by Amy Herzog which premiered on Broadway in 2023 opened the 2025-2026 season at The Guthrie Theater. Written in 1879 Ibsen’s A Doll’s House was a controversial play that challenged societal and theatrical institutions. The story centers around Nora, a devoted wife and mother, who struggles with a secret she has long held. With it’s reveal and her husbands reaction, she learns that her value to him lies in her subservience, in her being exactly what he wants her to be. The final scene of the play we are witness to a woman coming into herself, or at least ready to take the steps necessary to discover who she is as a human being, not just as a wife and mother. In the later half of the 19th century it was a daring exploration of gender roles and the rights of women. You can see why Ibsen is seen as one of the most influential playwrights of his time and often referred to as the father of realism.

I had never seen the play performed live but in preparation for seeing Noura, a modern play inspired by it, the Guthrie in 2020 had a production of Lucas Hnath’s sequel A Doll’s House, Part 2 at the Jungle Theater that same winter. I watched a television version starring Julie Harris and Christopher Plummer from 1959. It’s a bit fuzzy now, but I didn’t remember that version being as funny as this one is. One thing that does hold true is how astonishingly progressive this play seems for a play written in 1879. I think that one might mistakenly attribute that to Herzog’s adaptation, but that isn’t the case if memory serves me. There’s been a lot of chatter about the updating of the language with some feeling that Ibsen’s language should be left alone and doesn’t need to be changed for modern ears. Well Ibsen’s language was Norwegian, Danish so unless you are seeing it in that language, you are not getting Ibsen’s language anyway. The act of translation is also the act of adaptation. The translator is rewriting the text so that a different audience can understand the work. This latest adaptation is simply doing that again but for an audience who understands 21st century English. I had no problem with the script and found it to be humorous but still grounded in the realism that Ibsen was so famous for. The ending still packs a dramatic punch, though I suspect our audience was less shocked and more sympathetic as a whole to Nora’s choices than those in 1879.

The set design by Luciana Stecconi in combination with the lighting design by Robert Wierzel creates a dramatic feel to the proceedings that Director Tracy Brigden undercuts effectively with a generous stream of comedic moments. The tone of the set helps to underscore the darker under currents that run beneath the characters cheerful facade. Amelia Pedlow as Nora has a light touch when the character is simply being, simple. But when things gets serious, Pedlow expertly shows us the shattering of Nora’s illusions about her husband and her coming to terms with Torvald’s outburst and what they represent to her. David Andrew Macdonald, as her husband Torvald, is masterful at playing sweetly condescending while also bringing gasps and jeerings from the audience with his line readings.

A Doll’s House is a strong opening to the Guthrie’s Theater season delivering an adventurous (get used to hearing people say that word this season) take on this classic play. One may ask, why stage this play now? The answer is that more than ever in today’s political climate when the rights of women are coming under attack. We need to remind some of our neighbors that women are not wives and mothers first, but human beings. It’s shocking that nearly 150 years after it was written, we are having to make these statements. A Doll’s House Runs through October 12th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2025-2026-season/a-dolls-house/

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithms to ensure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube Channel is home of the weekly The Stages of MN Show which you can view by clicking on this link https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the latest episodes and Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Treasure Island at Children’s Theatre Company Sets Sail for High Adventure

Truman Bednar, Reed Sigmund, Theo Janke-Furman, and Jon Schumacher Photographed by Glen Stubbe

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson was the first “classic” novel I read on my own which I found thrilling. I was also a fan of the Walt Disney film starring Robert Newton as Long John Silver. So I was excited to revisit this tale of pirates and buried treasures. Children’s Theatre Company’s (CTC) production of Stuart Paterson’s adaptation remains true to the source material. Just as with reading of young Jim Hawkins’ adventures as a young boy, I once again found myself setting course for danger and adventure upon the high seas. Marking the CTC directorial debut of new Artistic Director Rick Dildine, he proves that CTC has the ship heading in the right direction. The show which is recommended for ages 8 and up may be a little violent and dark for some of those 8 year olds. There are sword fights, gunfights, talk of hangings, and several on stage murders occur. There are also moments such as during a storm at sea where the theater is darker and the storm noises may be too much for some more sensitive children. The key is to know your children, and whether this is one that will thrill them or frighten them.

The role of Jim Hawkins in shared in alternating performances by Truman Bednar and Mason Yang, I saw Bednar perform the role and thought he did a great job. Reed Sigmund, braves his fear of water and loses a leg to play Long John Silver. Sigmund and the entire cast play their roles completely straight, there is no pandering to younger audiences. They’re there to tell the story of Treasure Island with all it’s thrills and dangers intact. Sigmund is electric as the ships cook who befriends young Hawkin’s only to be revealed later as the mastermind behind the pirates who want to take over the ship they serve on to steal the gold for themselves. The show also features some Stages of MN favorites in roles. Max Wojtanowicz plays Doctor Livesey and Em Adam Rosenberg plays Squire Trelawney, the two men who have arranged the trip to find the buried treasure and represent the heroes of the tale. Rosenberg lends their beautiful voice along with other performers including Matt Riehle to a surprising amount of musical performances that act as interludes between scenes. They are very well done and I really enjoyed their inclusion, and it felt as if those moments gave the children an opportunity to reset between moments of conflict.

Technically the production is wonderful as well. The set design by Christopher and Justin Swader is elaborate able to open as a Seaside Inn, transform into a mighty ship, and then become the Island destination of the title. The decorative motif of books throughout the set is a nice reminder that the story comes from a classic of children’s literature. Alexa Behm’s costumes are top notch whether adorning the sophisticated Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey, or a boatload of pirates. Lighting Designer Jeff Behm’s contributions are significant in creating the look and feel of the open sea and the storm which also uses projections by Blake Manns to complete the illusion. Sound designer Melanie Chen Cole completes the illusion and also has a lot of effective cues throughout like well timed splashes when something or someone is tossed overboard..

The production was darker in tone than I was expecting from the CTC, which was a pleasant surprise. If you love the story as I do, but don’t have any kids to take, don’t worry. This is one of those CTC shows that is as entertaining for the parents as it is for the kids, perhaps even more so. Treasure Island runs through October 19th at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://childrenstheatre.org/whats-on/treasure-island/

Maybe You Could Love Me a World Premiere From Theater Mu

Ashembaga Jaafaru and Sushma Saha Photo by Rich Ryan

One of the things I love about seeing so many productions is the different cultural perspectives I get to see the world through. The shows Theater Mu presents during its season are great examples of this. Maybe You Could Love Me by Samah Meghjee gives us an inside look into the lives of two young Muslim girls, Noor and Sajida, who are best friends. The play explores topics familiar to us as coming of age themes but through their specific cultural lens. It highlights what is universal about the human experience while also reflecting the unique ways in which our environment effects the ways in which we process those experiences. Like many white midwesterners, I know far too little about Islam, so while I’m not always sure what the characters are referring to specifically, Meghjee’s script provides enough context for me to understand what is happening without ever feeling like I’m being spoon fed information. We are simply observing the relationship between Noor and Sajida through time, seeing how their relationship develops through glimpses into three different ages 8, 17, and 26. It explores sexuality with a frankness that feels genuine and completely non-exploitative. Maybe You Could Love Me is a fascinating exploration of how friendship, queerness, and culture intermingle in the lives of these two young women.

Katie Bradley, who directs the show, is becoming a very strong Director with a clear understanding of how to communicate the growing and changing relationships between characters. Her last effort Stop Kiss, also for Theater Mu, also focused on two young women navigating their sexuality and relationship over multiple time periods. Bradley’s experience as an Actor is a strength in helping her guide these stories which focus on relationships and the connections between the characters. You can see her sensitivity towards the actor’s process in the way she stages the transitions between scenes. Building in time for Ashembaga Jaafaru and Sushma Saha, who play Noor and Sajida, to reset and center themselves into the next age as they change costume on stage. I do want to also note how much I enjoyed the spacious set by Scenic Designer Mina Kinukawa, which even features a bathroom that pushes out from the back wall complete with shower that is used to great effect.

There are other characters in the play that appear only via voices heard through the door to Noor’s room or on a telephone, but this is essentially a two hander between Jaafaru and Saha. Both performers handle the age shifts effectively, finding little touches to show us how they have changed as well as how they have remained the same over the 18 years which the play spans. It’s interesting to note through the script and the performances how the characters have swapped places in key ways. The younger Noor is the more adventurous of the two the one who is less strict with following the tenants of her religion. While Sajida the more timid and more apt to worry about whether something is allowed or isn’t. By the end it is Noor who has fallen inline with the cultural expectations of her community, while Sajida has chosen to follow more of her own path. This also reflects the status of their home lives, where Noor’s family is intact, Sajida’s parents are divorced and her father is uninvolved in her life. Jaafaru and Saha have an very natural intimacy between them which establishes them quickly in the minds of the audience as girls who have known each other since before they can even remember. The final scene plays all the more powerfully because of the bond we feel between them in the scenes from Act 1. Saha as faithful viewers of the YouTube show know is a Stages of MN favorite and they are well matched with Jaafaru. These are two very strong performances that make Maybe You Could Love Me a powerful play that speaks to everyone, while also allowing us a better understanding into Muslim culture.

Maybe You Could Love Me runs through September 28th at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatermu.org/maybe