Black Nativity Creates a Joyful Noise for the Holidays at Penumbra Theatre

Penumbra Theatre has been staging Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity since 1987, it’s another annual holiday tradition that brings audiences back year after year while also drawing new audiences. This was my second time seeing the show and as I like to do when seeing a repeat I brought someone who had never seen it with me. Her reaction was that it was just like church. As one can surmise from the title it’s the story of the birth of Jesus told from a cultural perspective that reflects the Author’s experiences on the world and of this story. While heavily steeped in Christianity, take it from a lapsed atheist, around the holidays I tend to forget not to believe, that there is much joy, hope, and understanding to be found in Black Nativity. The show is Directed by Lou Bellamy who has been involved with the show in every iteration at Penumbra since they began presenting it in 1987. Bellamy states in his Directors notes that Hughes left room for a wide variety of interpretations and that Penumbra’s productions have evolved over time, much like the Guthrie’s annual A Christmas Carol offerings. This years format is the same as last years, more or less in the style of a concert with a few brief scenes of interpretive dance Choreographed by Marciano Silva dos Santos. I love the idea that if I go again in two or three years time I may see it mounted in a different way, but also knowing that the joyful noise of it will remain intact.

The cast features Jennifer Whitlock as the Narrator whose text is based in the scripture verses I have grown up with, but there are moments where it departs or where the emphasis that Whitlock brings to them casts a new light on the words, one that we can recognize as a question to the audience. Asking does this sound familiar? Does this still hold true today? Do you see the parallels? Of course the answers are sadly yes, but the show doesn’t lead us to these reflections in order to leave us mired in our reality but to then lift us up with hope and the message of love and salvation and peace. It’s a message we all need to be reminded of this time of year and above all, this year, whatever our denomination, race, or financial situation. It’s a reminder that hope can come from the lowest of places and greatness can come from one born in a manger.

The main soloists are Greta Oglesby and Dennis spears, and watch out when they come on stage, because it’s from them that much of that joyful noise comes and it will have your hands clapping and your feet stomping along with them. Oglesby is amazing in a room filled with wonderful singers she shines bright like a star above a manger in a long ago time. Spears is rich of voice but can also become playful with breathy vocals that take on a jazzy scat quality to match is occasional fits of fancy footwork. He’s clearly having a great time and feeling the joyfulness of the music. Angela Stewart as the Choir Director and a Soloist pulls the rug out from under the audience with her rendition of “O Holy Night” she starts out breathy and while it’s well done you suspect that maybe her voice isn’t as strong as the other soloists, than the other shoe drops and she kicks it into another, lower gear and you realize, that’s where the power is and she stuns you with it. The dancers I mentioned are Hassan Ingraham and MerSadies McCoy and they stand in during a couple of songs as Joseph and Mary. This was one of my favorite parts of the show, coming at just the right place to add something new visually and unlike some dance this felt like it was driven by the story of the songs and gave an illustration of the emotions within. Ingraham and McCoy move wonderfully and gracefully together and watching them was a delight. The Musical Director was Sanford Moore and his musicians really raise the roof. The main performers are accompanied by the Kingdom Life Church Choir who lend an angelic and soulful quality to the proceedings.

If you’ve never been to Black Nativity, I encourage all to add it to your calendars, it is such a joyful and celebratory show. You don’t have to believe the same things to appreciate the beauty and joy of it’s message. There something beautiful about going and watching others celebrate their beliefs. This Holiday season why not start a new tradition of taking in a live theater production with family and friends? It’s a great way to create lasting memories and will give you something to look forward to every year as you experience the magic of live theater. Whether your budget is large or small, there is a show for you. Looking for gift ideas? Don’t we all have enough “stuff”? Give the gift of live theater, go to your favorite theaters website, see what shows they have coming up in the new year and give the gift of an experience over material.

Black Nativity runs through December 22nd at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://penumbratheatre.org/event/black-nativity-6

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A Cruise-mas Carol From The Mystery Cafe Would Be a Crime to Miss

The Mystery Cafe’s new show A Cruise-mas Carol is like all of their shows I’ve seen, just good plain fun. You get a nice meal, in this case it’s like the meals on all cruise ships and served buffet style. An entertaining show filled with corny jokes and in this case a magic show. But wait! That’s not all, you also get to pit your wits against the writers of the show and try and guess the solution to the mystery. This time it’s not a murder but a theft and the thief could be anyone a member of the crew or a passenger. And there are prizes awarded to the most creative solutions as well as the Super Sleuth who solves the crime. Last year I gave The Mystery Cafe as Christmas gifts and I plan to do that again this year. It really is the perfect outing to spend with family and friends, everyone has a good laugh, and trying to solve the mystery together can be a great team building exercise for those business owners looking for something unique to try with their employees.

A Cruise-mas Carol was co-written by one of my favorite local Writer/Actor/Artistic Directors Nissa along with The Mystery Cafe Founder Brian Kelly. Nissa also brings her boundless energy and enthusiasm to the role of Sandy, the Ships Activity Director and Niece of the Captain. Pulling double duty as both DJ and Roger, the ships engineer, is another favorite of The Stages of MN Sam Landman. He plays the ships engineer as a Scotsman as all ship engineers should be, with a very passable and fun accent. His work on the soundboard is as important as his character role as there is a lot of laughs that come from sound cues. Always great to see Wini Froelich in a show, she plays a retired author and amatuer slueth Julia Flender, who is introduced with one of those above mention audio jokes, see if you can guess what it might be? Everyone in the cast of these shows is having a blast and that makes it fun for the audience as well. I did also want to acknowledge Ryan Robert Nelson who plays the ship’s Captain so openly and playfully silly. A special shout out to Markus Clegg who plays Randy the Remarkable, the magician who is the ships entertainment, his portion was really fun, particularly a shadow puppet sequence.

A Cruise-mas Carol runs through January 4th 2025 at the Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.themysterycafe.com/shows/now-playing. You’ll find info about all of their current shows there as well. The Mystery Cafe is also performing another holiday themed show this season which I saw last year called I’ll Be Homicidal For Christmas. This year it is being performed at a new location, The Sheraton Bloomington along with a few cast changes. Read my review from last years production, it’s a lot of fun as well. https://bit.ly/TSOMNHomicidalXMAS

Hot pink, red and orange textured geometric squeeze wallpaper

Scrooge in Rouge Still Brings the Laughs at Open Eye Theatre

Tom Reed, Abilene Olson, and Maren Ward Photo by Bruce Silcox

*Note much of this review was adapted from my 2023 review of the show as I got it right the first time.

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

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

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

Highly recommended Scrooge in Rouge is a hilarious take on A Christmas Carol done in the tradition of the English Music Hall. The show runs through December 29th at Open Eye Theatre in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.openeyetheatre.org/scrooge-in-rouge

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Features Strong Performances Amidst Chaotic Design at Theater Latté Da

Carnetha Anthony, Nambi Mwassa, Theo Janke-Furman, James Delage, Gabriella Trentacoste Photo by Dan Norman

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella is a show I’ve obviously heard of but never actually seen. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had a legendary partnership that resulted in multiple famous musicals including Oklahoma!, The King and I, South Pacific, and my personal favorite The Sound of Music. For me there’s no contest the first three have some good songs, but only The Sound of Music is solid song after song and Cinderella didn’t change that. Though lacking a breakout song, in general, they were all pleasing. Not having seen the original book for the show which was written by Hammerstein I can’t say for sure, but I suspect the new book by Douglas Carter Beane has a lot to do with how enjoyable and amusing this production was. With several strong performances and a lot of fun ones including from some favorites I found that I had a very enjoyable evening at the Theater. It falls short of great through no fault of the cast, there just are no great songs in the show. There is also a chaos to the design and direction of the show that didn’t do it any favors either.

The book takes liberties with the fairytale story we all know from childhood and Walt Disney. Here there isn’t just the one Ball, but also a second gathering in the form of a Banquet. There is a love interest for one of Cinderella’s sisters and some political intrigue in the form of the Lord Chancellor Sebastian. Both of these elements I believe are new to the Beane book and are welcome additions. One of the aspects I enjoyed most were the departures from the story I know so well. I also enjoyed an added depth between Cinderella and her stepsisters and stepmother. There is a song the four perform in the second Act, “When You’re Driving Through the Moonlight” where the characters seem to forget their antagonistic relationship and even ends with the stepmother kissing Cinderella on the head before she realizes what she’s done. There are other touches like that throughout particularly between the stepsister Gabrielle and Cinderella. This step away from making the three step family members just rotten added a subtle but potent aspect of emotional reality to the work, I actually teared up a little in those moments, and this is not a show that is trying to make you tear up at all.

This was directed by the new Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da Justin Lucero and I’m going to give him credit for mining those scenes for elements of humanity. I’m gonna dock him though for the overall design of this show which utilizes these curvy forms (which you can see in the photo above) which at first I thought were going to be used creatively such as in the first scene when one becomes the princes horse, but after that they just seem to be utilized as a distraction during costume changes perhaps? They are moved around occasionally to form something specific like Cinderella’s carriage, but then they get moved around twice as often to create… nothing specific that my eye could discern. I expected more from Scenic Designer Eli Sherlock and Lucero, I was hoping for a little stage magic like we got with Scotland, PA. The costumes by Mathew J. Lefebvre were individually splendid, but when taken as a whole they lacked a cohesiveness. We have standard fairytale attire, which looked great by the way, mixed with 90’s grunge, which also looked great, but they didn’t work together. I did enjoy the choreography by Kyle Weiler unreservedly.

Speaking of unreservedly appreciated elements, I found no fault at all with the cast. The leads Nambi Mwassa as Ella (Cinderella) and Theo Janke-Furman as Prince Topher were both great in their roles. What was also a tremendous advantage to this production were all the great performers in the supporting roles. Tod Petersen plays Sebastian, the self serving politician who has the wool pulled over the Prince’s’ eyes, it’s the kind of sarcastic and devious character that a gifted actor like Petersen can have a lot of fun with. Sally Wingert as the Stepmother is right in her sweet spot, so gifted at delivering withering ridicule, she’s a blast. Evan Tyler Wilson as Lord Pinkleton had a hilarious ad lib at the show I attended, and probably had the best singing voice in the cast. Carnetha Anthony plays Marie, the crazy woman who lives in the forest and turns out to be the Fairy Godmother, is also excellent and really shines in her duet with Mwassa on the song “Impossible/It’s Possible“. Finally a quick mention of Isa Condo-Olvera and Hope Nordquist as the Stepsisters Gabrielle and Charlotte who made these stock characters funny and warmer than I’ve ever seen them played.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella runs through January 5th at Theater Latté Da. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.latteda.org/cinderella

The Unexpected Guest Keeps the Audience Guessing Right till the End at Theatre in the Round

Corinne Nobili and Sam Sweere Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

The Unexpected Guest is this years annual Agatha Christie play at Theatre in the Round Players in Minneapolis. Faithful readers will know that I’m a bit of an Agatha Christie devotee and as such, I always catch these productions. Usually because I am such a fan, I know the solution to the mystery either before it begins or after a few minutes it comes back to me. What I loved about this production is that because it is a play and not an adaptation of one of her novels, and a play I haven’t seen, I didn’t have the fore knowledge that I usually do. The play starts off after the murder has occured. An unexpected stranger named Michael Starkwedder who has run his car into the ditch due to the extreme fog of the night enters a house in the country in search of a telephone and discovers the body of Richard Warwick. He also discovers the victims beautiful wife Laura standing in the dark holding a gun and ready to confess to the murder. Taken in by her beauty he decides to try and help her cover up the crime and throw suspicion on another man who has a motive. But if it were that simple it would be a episode of Columbo where we know who the killer is and the suspense will be if he gets away with it or not. To be honest that’s more or less what I thought we were getting. The first Act does feel like it’s moving a little slowly. But then, not only does the other shoe drop, a whole shoe rack falls and at least half of the cast at one point or another you’re certain is the killer. When the final curtain falls you can’t even be certain you really knew whodunnit, but in a very satisfying way.

Director Dr. Mary Cutler does a nice job of staging the show, she never allows the cast to telegraph too far in advance the next twist and turn in the plot. I especially appreciated a scene between Laura played by Corinne Nobili and family friend Julian Farrar played by Mark A. McCarthy that Cutler orchestrates so that the penny drops just a few beats for the audience before the characters catch on. It’s a moment well played by Nobili and McCarthy and it changes everything for the audience and the characters, who up until that moment, think they know what has happened. There is also a great scene between Kathleen Winters as Miss Bennett who has been with the family for years and seems to care for her scene partner Pharaoh Jones’ character, Jan the younger brother of the victim, and who is not playing with a full deck. Winters conveys Miss Bennett’s bravery and fear in equal measure as she tries to calm but also draw out the excitable Jan, it’s a very tense and effective scene with Jones playing unstable very convincingly. Sam Sweere is very charming as Michael Starkwedder, that classic Christie character type, the outsider who stumbles into something that is none of his affair but feels compelled to try and help (see Murder is Easy and Ordeal by Innocence).

The Unexpected Guest isn’t as iconic as The Mouse Trap or Murder on the Orient Express, but what it has over those is that many of us don’t know the story or the solution and that is great fun and a rare thing for an Agatha Christie fan. I had a great time with it and debating the end with my fellow theatergoers afterwards. If you like a good twisty mystery this will not disappoint. The Unexpected Guest runs through December 22nd at Theatre in the Round Players. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/the-unexpected-guest/

Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley at Lyric Arts is Like They Caught Joy in a Bottle and Sprayed the Audience With it.

Morgan Kempton and the cast of Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley Photo by Molly Weibel

Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon is the third and final entry in the Christmas at Pemberley cycle of plays that revisits the Bennet family from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The other two plays Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley were performed in 2022 and 2023 at Lyric Arts. Now if you didn’t see the previous plays I can assure you that you will not be lost. They are designed to be seen as individual plays, seeing the others allows you to see how they all fit together, but is entirely unnecessary. That said if you can see the others anywhere now or in the future do so! I love all three of these plays and will see them again and again. When you see as many plays as I do in a year the ones you saw last Christmas become fairly hazy. I saw Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley at the Jungle Theater in 2022 and loved it loved the cast, this production just obliterated any memory I had of it. The cast of this production is astonishingly great. There isn’t a look or a line reading, whether it be comedic or heartfelt, that isn’t done to perfection! Whatever magic Jane Austen had, she has passed on to Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon because I get the same tears of boundless joy whether I’m experiencing Austen’s works or theirs. They capture the exact same emotional response, which is a swell of overwhelming happiness.

This story focuses on Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, and Kitty Bennet, Lizzy Darcy’s youngest sister. It’s their turn to find and possibly lose love. The two girls have become the best of friends and spend much of their time together. For Georgiana, love comes in the person of Henry Grey whom she has only met once after a piano recital but has been corresponding with via letters for almost a year and has invited him to visit on Christmas. They both have fallen in love with each other through their letters and a shared passion for music. When they finally meet again at Pemberley, they are both so shy it will require their friends and family to get them to come out and tell each other how they feel. Accompanying Henry is his friend Thomas O’Brien who is instantly smitten with Kitty. So now we have the two pairs of lovers and in true Austen form, there will be letters that reveal secrets, arranged engagements, and meddlesome siblings. The hazards are many, not the least of which is Mr. Darcy who by the end of Act I will have seemingly torpedoed the match between Henry and Georgiana. Act II takes place about six years later on another Christmas and I’ll be damned if I didn’t want to stand up and shout “It’s a Christmas Miracle!” at the end. There was always a message in the script about gender equality and the reality of the lives of women at that time in history, but it feels even more timely and urgent than it did just two years ago.

I know what a third of you are saying, “it’s a chick play”. First of all, I don’t think you should say that, I know what you mean, but it sounds kinda derogatory. Secondly, no it isn’t. Steel Magnolias is a chick play, a very good one by the way. But Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley is a universal play, it is concerned with love, that is an emotion that all genders have experience of. So mothers, girlfriends, and wives don’t be afraid to take the men in your lives to this, and men don’t be put off by Jane Austen or showing an emotion now and then. I promise you will laugh, you may cry, and in the end you will not regret the two hours you spent in the theater. In fact this is the kind of show that will have you asking next year “So is anyone doing one of those Christmas at Pemberley again this year? I’d go with you if you wanted to go.” While we are on the topic of next year, though maybe this is a two year away thing. Some theater company, the Jungle Theater or Park Square perhaps needs to make the bold decision to produce the entire trilogy in Rep. That would be amazing, let’s get to work on that shall we? While we are planning that I’d like to suggest that you sign up Marci Lucht to direct it as she did and absolutely phenomenal job with this production at Lyric Arts. There is an interlude at the opening of Act II that acts as a dialogue free exploration into the minds of the characters, showing through movement a combination of what is in the characters hearts and the passage of those six years. It’s inspired bit that I don’t think is scripted, but that was beautiful in execution, like the set had come alive and we are watching a ballet of pillars.

I’ve already praised the entire cast so I’ll try not to go on too long and mention everyone, but I have to make a few remarks. Morgan Kempton and Waverly Ann McCollum play Georgiana and Kitty respectively and you couldn’t ask for better leads. Kempton, uses her characters quiet demeanor in the first act to express her uncertainty and then modifies the same quality in Act II to show an inner strength determination. McCollum shows Kitty to be insightful and energetic, her leaps over the bench in Act I showcase her energy and youthfulness and get a nice laugh. Grace Klapak who is returning to the role of Lydia perfectly plays the least endearing character Austen ever created. Klapak is spot on in her portrayal, she carries herself perfectly, slouching when bored pumping herself up when she wants to be noticed. She knows exactly how far to take it so we understand everyone’s annoyance with her, without actually becoming annoying to us, but rather coaxing laughs from us with her characters unpleasant characteristics. Noah Hynick, frankly I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hynick be anything but perfect in a role. I’m not sure how Lyric Arts seems to have him under exclusive contract, after a performance like this I ask myself again, why isn’t this guy cast in everything at the Guthrie. He is as gifted in his gestures and reactions as he is in his line reading choices. The first time I can remember coming across Mr. Hynick was in 2022 when he appeared in Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley at Lyric Arts and since it feels like he’s been in most of Lyric Arts productions, his timing is unerring, and it’s time to officially add him to the must see list, though he was already there to be honest. William Edson plays Mr. Grey which was the one role I can clearly remember from the Jungle Theater production. It was the first time I really took note of Dustin Bronson because he was amazing, I can’t say that Edson was better, but I can say he was as good! Lastly, I loved seeing Faith Winship as Elizabeth Darcy, she made a strong impression last year in a couple of shows, The Marvelous Wonderettes and She Loves Me, I hope to see more of her soon.

Georgiana & Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley runs through December 22nd at Lyric Arts in Anoka. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/georgiana-and-kitty

Les Misérables Returns With it’s Stunningly Beautiful Production to the Orpheum Theatre

Mya Rena Hunter as Eponine Photo by Matthew Murphy

This is my third time experiencing Les Misérables, in fact it’s my third time seeing this touring production at the Orpheum Theatre. The first was pre The Stages of MN in 2018 and the second was almost two years ago in 2022. When it comes through town next, you can bet I’ll be there to review it again. As with the 2022 performance I was completely swept up and amazed by the overwhelming beauty of Les Misérables. A jaw droppingly gifted cast and production and lighting design that makes every scene look like a Rembrandt painting come to life. Inarguably one of the greatest musicals of the late 20th century, every note of music, every lyric is perfection. A powerful story, the message of which seems especially pertinent given the ever-increasing inequity in the distribution of wealth and the dispensation of Justice. For a show nearly three hours in length there is not a single moment that doesn’t drive the story forward or feel completely necessary. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times I see it I’m still stunned by this production. Even though I knew what I was getting into, somehow It still managed to surprise me with the power and artistry that unfolded before me.

Les Misérables for the unfamiliar is a musical based on the novel by Victor Hugo with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Set in France in the first half of the 19th century, Les Misérables tells the story Jean Valjean who after spending 19 years on the Chain Gang for stealing a loaf of bread is finally paroled. Finding himself free only to discover that no one will give him a chance at a fresh start. Beaten down and starving, he’s taken in by a Bishop, given food and a place to rest, but out of desperation he steals some silver. When he is caught and brought before the Bishop by the police, the Bishop lies to the police saying that the silver cups were gifts. Given this reprieve from being sent back to the Chain Gang, Jean Valjean breaks his parole and changes his name in order to start a new life. The story then moves eight years into the future where Jean Valjean has become a factory owner and the Mayor. In his factory we meet Fantine, who is soon dismissed unfairly, beginning the downward spiral which results in her having to sell everything she can including her hair and her body to stay alive and to send money for her daughter Cosette’s care. When she fights back against a wealthy man who is abusing her, she is on the verge being taken to prison by Javert when Jean Valjean comes to a rescue and has her taken to the hospital instead. A chance accident with a cart causes Jean Valjean to rescue a man. His act of strength reminds the policeman Javert of his former prisoner Jean Valjean he tells the Mayor of the similarity and comments that Jean Valjean has just been arrested. Jean Valjean realizing if he doesn’t say something then an innocent man will pay for his crimes goes to the court and confesses. Before he is taken back into custody Jean Valjean promises Fantine on her deathbed that he will look after Cosette. Overpowering Javert, he escapes again. He goes and finds Cosette, who is living with the unscrupulous Thenardiers, an innkeeper, his wife, and their young daughter Eponine. After paying them off he and Cosette head out to make a new start. The story picks up nine years later in Paris where all of these characters along with a few new ones converge. Cosette falls in love with young student Marius whose in turn loved without his knowledge by Eponine. It’s a time of unrest in the city and a group of students seeing themselves as revolutionaries build a barricade to have a standoff with the authorities. All the key players come together and their fates are all intertwined. It all seems terribly complicated but somehow the story is quite easy to follow. It also all sounds terribly depressing but it isn’t, it’s uplifting, it’s powerful, it is wonderous.

Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean Photo by Matthew Murphy

The cast is nothing short of amazing Nick Cartell, who has played the role over 1,200 times including in 2022 plays Jean Valjean with a vocal range equally astonishing in the deeper registers as he is in the upper. Powerful and passionate in the song “Who Am I?” where he contemplates whether to let the innocent man be tried in his place for his supposed crimes. Then, angelic in the higher pitched “Bring Him Home” where he sings to God to spare the life of Marius. I expected him to be pushing his voice to the limits but surprisingly it seemed perfectly within his range resulting in a tremendous round of applause from the audience. Everyone is of that quality in the cast. Lindsay Heather Pearce as Fantine delivers one of the shows signature songs “I Dreamed a Dream” with all the tragedy and heartbreak of her character seeping into every line. Another stand out was Mya Rena Hunter as Eponine for whom the applause after her solo song “On My Own” threatened to turn into a midshow standing ovation. It’s not hard to see why, if the character of Jean Valjean is the conscience of the show, Eponine is the heart. When she sings “On My Own” it veers towards a misstep as we genuinely find ourselves hoping that she will get together with Marius as opposed to Cosette. Nick Rehberger plays Javert and gets one of the biggest moments of audience amazement in his final scene, which I will not spoil. Rehberger is the strongest Javert I’ve yet seen his singing is powerful and clear and we sense his inner turmoil at the end more palpably than I have during other productions. Matt Crowle another performer who was in the 2022 performance and Victoria Huston-Elem play the scheming M. and Mme Thenardier adding some well timed and much appreciated comic relief.

The production design including everything from the sets, the lighting, projections, and costumes creates one of the most beautiful looking shows I’ve ever seen. On one side of the stage there’s a doorway, on the other side there’s an a Stone Archway, those elements remain constant. Throughout the play those sides Push out to varying degrees and somehow, these two openings, come to look like completely new structures. It is a fascinatingly versatile set. It’s large and impressive solid-looking and yet, it seems to flow and change and reconfigure fluidly. Set and image design is by Matt Kinley they’re inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. Paule Constable is the lighting designer and he doesn’t just direct and point lights he seems to paint with light. There’s such a melding of physical set design and lighting in this show and it is through the marriage of these two art forms that this painterly aesthetic is achieved. And yes, when the set and the lighting design look this good it is absolutely an art form. The projection in this show is realized by Finn Ross and Fifty-Nine Productions. I’m not a fan of the overuse of projection in shows and this was a reminder how well it can be used. This is a judicious use a projection that effectively enhances the environment and created some breathtaking illusions.

Les Misérables runs through December 1st at Hennepin Arts Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. Fro more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepinarts.org/events/les-miserables-2024