Originally produced by the History Theatre in 2015, Glensheen returns once more to the stages of the History Theatre this summer. This was my second time seeing Glensheen, and there is something about this show that grows on you. I really enjoyed it last summer, I enjoyed it even more this year. The production hasn’t really changed aside from one cast member. It’s easy to see why the History Theatre brings the show back, it’s an incredibly fun production, that apparently gets better the more times you see it. I’m not a true crime fan, but it turns out you don’t need to be to enjoy the show. It’s less about the details of a true crime as it is watching in disbelief the train wreck of humanity that is the main character, Marjorie Caldwell. The amount of suspicious things that have happened around her and the lack of punishment she recieved is mindblowing. It makes for a fascinating story but it also raises serious questions about the criminal justice system…oh wait, we already have those doubts didn’t we? What’s amazing, how enjoyable the whole thing is. I recently spoke with playwright Jeffrey Hatcher on the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat (you can listen to that episode by clicking here https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/2150807/13157328 ) and he made a comment about it being a real story that seems populated by the characters from Fargo. I thought that perfectly embodied what Glensheen the Musical is. A great cast brings us into the past with songs that oddly do not feel out of place in a story as weird as this.

The book for the musical is by Hatcher with the songs written by Chan Poling who was a member of the alternative rock band The Suburbs. The two have collaborated several times on musicals including the last production at History Theatre, The Defeat of Jesse James, which was another wonderfully original piece of musical theatre. Hatcher’s script leans into the craziness of the events without drawing us into that frame of mind. This allows us to view them through our reality thus we see them for the absurdities they are. He tells us the story of Marjorie Caldwell and her husband Roger who conspired together resulting in the murder of her mother Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse. Very quickly, Roger is arrested and found guilty but Marjorie proves to be a much harder catch for the justice system. She’s a master of staying one step ahead of everyone, but also seems to lose a half step with every one that she takes. Always avoiding the punishment but somehow also losing the prize. Poling’s songs are fun, often witty, sometimes quite touching. Favorites are the hilarious “Conspiracy” performed by Marjorie’s defense team. The defense they mount is so crazy, it works. On a sweeter note is “Just You & Me” which is a duet between Marjorie and Roger. It’s a beautiful moment on the surface, but underneath it’s incredibly dark as it’s simply Marjorie manipulating Roger to save herself.

The cast is filled with actors familiar to theatergoers of the Twin Cities, most of the performers play multiple rolls. My favorite was Wendy Lehr who plays Elisabeth Congdon and Marjorie’s defense attorney among others. Her over the top defense attorney was a big reason that the song “Conspiracy” was a crowd favorite. Dancing like a man half her age, she was as believable as the elderly matriarch as she was unbelievably outrageous as the attorney for the defense. Gary Briggle, whose rich vocalizations are a highlight and bolster every song especially the ensemble pieces. Dane Stauffer is perfect as the out of his depth, easily manipulated, Roger. He has the dumb and dumber act down perfectly and you are surprisingly sympathetic to him as the man in over his head. Jen Maren holds the whole show together as Marjorie, she perfectly straddles the line between being a smart manipulator and not quite smart enough to get what she wants.

Ron Peluso directs the show with a playfulness that lets the tone shift dramatically from scene to scene while still feeling like a cohesive whole. Rick Polenek’s set design is very impressive, recreating a section of the Glensheen mansion including the staircase on which the nurse was murdered. Bill Healey’s lighting design helps to emphasize the tonal changes and is cleverly used for dramatic effect, lighting flashes to create the dark and stormy night in an old mansion which basically screams for a murder. Bold flashes of red to strike a cord that syncs with Marjorie’s evil actions. It all works wonderfully with Sound Designer C. Andrew Mayer’s soundscape. David Lohman as musical director along with his orchestra are just off to the side stage right, with Lohman’s piano doubling as a bar. The choreography by Tinia Moulder is small and contained, it has to be due to the size of the stage. But Moulder makes every move count and the dancing and moves in “Conspiracy” are but of what makes that the showstopper it is.

Glensheen runs through July 23rd at the History Theatre in downtown St. Paul for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.historytheatre.com/2022-2023/glensheen

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

This entry is going to be something a little bit different, I will share some thoughts on each of the plays but I want to focus on the experience itself. This is the 20th season for the Great River Shakespeare Festival. You can learn about how it started as well as what it’s like to perform in repertory theater on the recent episode of the Twin Cities Theater Chat Podcast, which Jill Schafer and Carol Jackson spoke with GRSF Artistic Director Doug Sholz-Carlson and Melissa Maxwell. To listen to that episode click here https://bit.ly/GreatRiverShakespeareFestivalTCTC. There are a few things to know so you get the most out of the festival. 35 minutes before each performance under a little white tent outside the theater, they hold the Green Show followed by Know Before You Go. The first, features actors from the professional understudy company who enact a variety of scenes from Shakespeare’s other plays providing entertaining information about the plays and his techniques. I always compare watching Shakespeare to watching a subtitled Foreign film, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes to adjust or tune into and then once you do, you have no trouble following along. The Green Show helps you tune into the heightened language so that when you go in for the play, you’re primed and ready. In the Know Before You Go portion, they will run down the characters and setting of the play and provide you with a handout cheat sheet to keep all the characters straight. I highly recommend planning to attend these little pre-show sessions, they’re really enjoyable and prepare you to get the most enjoyment out of the performances. Friday and Saturday evenings after the performances there are free ice cream socials during which you have an opportunity to mingle with the cast and crew and compare notes with the other members of the audience. Theater is meant to be a communal experience and this is a nice way to add to that aspect and foster a sense of community, plus ice cream’s awesome! Thursday evenings after the show there are talk backs, and Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM they have Company discussions at Blooming Grounds Coffee House in super cute Downtown Winona. There are other activities and educational opportunities throughout the festival, it really is so much more than just a series of plays. For a full rundown, visit their website at https://www.grsf.org/. Also be sure to leave time to shop at the gift corner in the lobby of the theater, I got a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion, a book and even a William Shakespeare Action Figure.

Before I dive into each play, let me say a couple of things generally about all of them. First, there wasn’t a bad performance in any of the shows the entire weekend, so I’ll likely touch on just one or two that really struck me in each. The seating is risers built on the stage in a thrust configuration, it’s wonderfully intimate and as such I don’t think there is a bad seat to be had. Now with the seats on the stage the choice was made for two of the shows to have minimal sets, only Imbroglio has what we think of as a traditional set. The two Shakespeare plays make do with a few set pieces like trunks that can be moved around, but don’t worry, it works. They make up for lack of sets with wonderful costumes, which my fellow bloggers and my wife were kind enough to point out to me. As my wife can attest, I have something of a blind spot for clothes … and jewelry, and hair, and make up. It is in this way, rather than a knowledge of cars or sports, that I present as the male of the species. Lastly, I’m not going to go into plot, there is one play in which it might be difficult to discuss at all without giving away things the audience would find more enjoyable to discover on their own. As for the other two, well you’ve had 400 years, so if you got this far without discovering their plots then go in blind, these plays are so well done, you will not be lost in them.

The first play we saw was The Winter’s Tale, I enjoyed both Shakespeare plays almost equally, which is to say, they were both really well done. But, if forced I’d give the edge to The Winter’s Tale. Probably because I was less familiar with it, as it’s been eight years since I saw it, compared to two days for As You Like It. The Winter’s Tale is considered by some to be one of Shakespeare’s “Problem Plays” due to its tonal shift from a rather dark drama in the opening acts to a light hearted comedy with a happy ending. It’s also contains one of the most famous stage directions in all of theater [Exit, pursued by a bear]. Which brings up one of the shining elements of this production, the Sound Design by Jeff Polunas, the bear attack being one example of a really effective soundscape. Performance wise De’Onna Prince in the dual roles of Paulina and Old Shepherd was a revelation. Trying to be the voice of reason and passionately pleading in the first acts as Paulina, she was utterly captivating, and then very entertaining in the second half as the Old Shepherd. Emily Fury Daly as Queen Hermione in the opening scene I wasn’t connecting with, but when she comes to be judged, she quite assuredly had everyone’s attention and that slight disconnect in the opening scene made this moment doubly powerful. Likewise, in the second half of the play as The Clown, she is thoroughly entertaining and her performance draws a lot of laughs from the audience and well deservedly.

Next up for our band of bloggers was As you Like it. In this one I did notice some of the very striking costume designs by John Merritt all on my own. Though to speak truly, not touchstone’s shoes, which I was instructed to note, and having noted them, I can proclaim them simply fabulous. I was taken with contrast between the costumes of those at court, which were primarily black and white with an almost fetishistic bent, all straps and leather belts and those of the characters in the forest, where more colors were employed. The characters that were native to the forest as opposed to those who had fled there, seem to have foliage growing out of the their costumes. The stand out scene in this play was the wrastling match between Charles and Orlando (pictured above). Director Tarah Flanagan’s idea to stage it as a slow motion action movie fist fight is brilliantly comic and the fight choreography by Benjamin Boucvalt milks the idea for every conceivable laugh and it’s expertly executed by Christopher Gerson and Chauncy Thomas. Boucvalt also gives a small but wonderfully broad comic performance as Audrey, a goatherd that Touchstone plans to marry.

The final play was about 400 years newer than the previous ones. Imbroglio as I stated early is having it’s world premiere at GRSF and was written and directed by Melissa Maxwell. The first rule of Imbroglio is, you do not talk about Imbroglio. At least you don’t until after everyone in earshot has seen it. Then all you can do is talk about it, it must have gotten my wife and I half way back to the cities discussing it. The cast was uniformly great, there’s no one to single out they all find the humor where they can and play the drama full on. This was the one play with what we traditionally think of as a set, in this case the living room of a house. It’s well designed by Ivy Treccani, I was caught off guard by a wall that is raised and lowered from the fly tower to show us the bedroom of the home. If you could only make it to Winona due to your busy summer schedule for one play, make it Imbroglio. I can’t tell you why specifically but I can tell you it’s original, engaging, and will have you discussing it long after you’ve left the theater. If you’re lucky you may run into Melissa Maxwell after the show and get some additional background on the plays genesis and structure. Our group was able to speak with her a couple of times during our weekend and the added glimpse into the creative process was fascinating.

GRSF runs through 7/30/2023 so there are still three weekends left to make it to Winona. We drove down Saturday morning and caught the Saturday matinee and evening performance and the Sunday matinee. Next year I plan to spend two nights in Winona, we got to see all three plays but we didn’t get to see much of Winona. From what we did see, I knew I wanted to see more next time. There’s a lovely downtown, unfortunately other than a few eateries and two shops, it’s basically closed on Sundays. So do your shopping on Saturday and your hiking and sightseeing on Sunday. Also when you look to planning your trip check out what other activities they have going on with GRSF and the town in general, maybe it makes sense to take Friday off and head down thursday evening after work or stay over until Monday, lots to do, make the most of it. For more information and to book your tickets to any and all of the plays go to https://www.grsf.org/. If you can’t make it this year, mark your calendars for next year, and if you are like me and glad to have some guides to show you the ropes the first year, as soon as I’m booked for next year I’ll post when I’ll be attending and will be happy to connect with any of you and show you what I learned on my summer vacation to the Great River Shakespeare Festival.

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Employee Appreciation Day is something a little different. More akin to the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society shows that I frequently cover than Live Theater. But unlike those performances where the MORLS create live audio drama in front on an audience, this is audio drama that has been pre- recorded and available via this YouTube link to listen for free https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPPR_qsSNk&ab_channel=WorkLightFilms. So why review this “sound play” as the creators call it? Well for one thing, I’m all about trying to share my love of theater, and this is a way for folks to listen to a play while they’re perhaps in the car on their way to their summer vacation destination. I met the Writer and Director Phil Holt at last years Minnesota Fringe Festival where I positively reviewed his show Rewrites. In that show, I liked Holt’s Surreal plot and use of humor. Employee Appreciation Day is not a perfect play but I think anyone who has worked in the corporate sector will find a lot to enjoy in this comedic look at the work life.

The story is a look at all the ridiculous decisions and managerial B.S. that is corporate America in the 21st century. We have characters we identify with, like Eugene, who hasn’t seen a single one of his kids baseball games all year because his boss Kelly always needs him to work late. There’s also his co-worker Buddy who is just trying to keep his head down. Many of the characters are ones those of us who have spent time in large corporations will recognize. The Manager Kelly who uses corporate lingo and faux motivational and inclusive language to serve her own purposes. Mr. Malcolmson the President of Corporate Corp Incorporated who is completely out of touch with what it’s like not to make millions a year for being an idiot. His great plan is to spend a ton of money on an employee appreciation day to distract the employees from the fact they are going to do a mass layoff in order to cut costs. And there’s Chad the new employee who comes in and gets put in charge of projects over Eugene who has been there working extra hours for six years. He’s the weasel who does everything he can to usurp any authority or sense of ownership Eugene has, like take away the collecting for the office lottery pool and then leaving Eugene out of it. It’s basically a send up in the vein of Office Space.

Tim Perfect, whose performance is top notch as the put upon Eugene leads the cast. He gets the frustration, the anger, and the glee in the final scene just right. Magdalen Powers really captures in the character of Kelly, that tone that she’s above her subordinates and the whole corporate double talk. Rachel Ratkowski is Melody, the HR employee who has to deal with one crisis after another and gets the harried quality in her voice as well as handling a moment of a hysterical breakdown perfectly. I also want to mention Steven Todd Smith as Mr. Malcolmson whose completely clueless as the boss. The one issue with the performances in general is the pacing. I understand that the performances were captured via a zoom call and I’m sure that’s the reason, but the issue is that most lines feel like they are coming a second or two too late. The script also uses the technique of having characters repeat each others lines back in a questioning form much too frequently, a little of that goes a long way. The script builds to a moment of wonderful wish fulfillment but the details of that moment don’t really make sense and pull you out of the story questioning some of the logic.

Ultimately I had a lot of fun with this audio play. I think it would adapt well into a play or film and hopefully someone will take on the project in future. In the meantime, check out Employee Appreciation Day today, it’s free and funny, once again click here to access it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaPPR_qsSNk&ab_channel=WorkLightFilms

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Classical Actors Ensemble (CAE) is Performing one of William Shakespeare’s most accessible comedies this summer in parks all over the Twin Cities and surrounding area. Much Ado About Nothing is the perfect play for this kind of endeavor, it’s light, funny, and the language is surprisingly modern for a play well over 400 years old. I attended a performance at Water Works Park in Downtown Minneapolis by the Mississippi River. We packed a picnic dinner (which is encouraged) and sat on our blanket eating fruit, cheese, hummus, and crackers, sipping on some Raspberry Lemonade. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor play, and the performers were so close you could reach out and touch them, but don’t do that. It felt like we were in Italy and a part of the proceedings. This is an ideal environment in which to introduce younger people or folks who have never been able to tune into Shakespeare. You’ve got snacks, you’re out in nature and the cast does a wonderful job of making the play not just understandable but genuinely funny.

The play is the model on which all modern day “will they or won’t they” romances are based. If you thought it was Sam and Diane from Cheers, I think you’ll realize once you see it that they, and all that followed, owe much to Benedick and Beatrice as well as other Shakespeare lovers who are too wise to woo peaceably. The story is the tale of two sets of lovers one young and experiencing love for the first time and the second older, more seasoned. The action kicks off when Don Pedro and his men fresh from battle come to stay at the estate of Leonato. One of Don Pedro’s men, Claudio, falls in love with Leonato’s daughter Hero. An engagement is set but Don Pedro’s brother, Don John who in his own words is a ‘plain-dealing villain’, hatches a plan to breakup the happy couple. Claudio and Hero’s story is the earnest straightforward romance, and quite effective as such. The second romance is between Benedick and Beatrice, old verbal sparring partners who never come into one another’s company without trading insults. Don Pedro, Claudio, Leonato, and Hero have decided to see if they can trick Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love with each other while they await the wedding day. Much merriment and some moments of heartbreak ensue.

The key to successfully performing Shakespeare is to make the dialogue feel as natural as possible. Conveying through performance, the meaning of the words even if at times, the words have lost their meaning over the last four centuries. The words themselves are wonderful, but they need an actor who understands the message that each line is imparting to the audience and has the craft to make that meaning clear. This cast does a fantastic job not only in communicating to the audience so that we have no problem following along, but also in using the performance space. This troupe of players had never performed in this space before, but the actors seemed perfectly at home, going up into the audience and using the walkways all around the set. Charlotte McDaniel and Tom Conry play Beatrice and Benedick and make for spirited sparring partners. They are a living illustration of the different ways in which to play Shakespeare that can work for a modern audience. McDaniel plays the more restrained performance which serves as an example of how Shakespeare can feel very subtle and “today”. Conry plays it rather large, but in doing so he engages and even interacts with the audience, showing how the humor can still work. Jin Suh makes for a well tempered Don Pedro, he has the gravitas of the commander of an army, but also feels real, showing some vulnerability in a moment when a proposal is denied. Two smaller roles I wanted to mention as well, firstly M. Smith Fraser as Constable Dogberry. This is a role that is sheer comic relief and one in which different performers can bring their own wild takes. In this production Dogberry and his partner Verges are combined into the character of Dogberry, who uses a sock puppet on his hand for the Verges lines, suggesting that he was probably kicked in the head by an Ass at some point in his life. It’s a character that always gets big laughs and Fraser’s approach is unique and quite entertaining. Lastly, in a couple of very small roles is Tim Perfect, who especially in the role of Friar Francis, stood out as perhaps the best in terms of ability to speak the lines in a way that captured their eloquence, their meaning, and felt completely naturalistic.

This is my favorite of Shakespeare’s comedies, and this was a delightful production. I encourage everyone to check it out when it comes to your local park. It’s running through July 16th for more information and to find where and when it plays go to https://classicalactorsensemble.org/. The performances are free of charge, but donations are welcome to help pay for the cost of putting on these performances.

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

This was my first experience with TigerLion Arts the company behind this singular theatrical experience. The Buddha Prince tells the biography of the 14th Dalai Lama from his discovery as a toddler to his exile in India. I was familiar with the basics of his life having seen Martin Scorsese’s film Kundun several years ago. But prior knowledge is not needed as the company does an excellent job of walking you through his life. Filled with all manner of theatrical expression from music, masks, puppets, and dance we are guided by the Dalai Lama himself around Washburn Fair Oaks Park located directly across from The Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA). It’s a unique way to stage a play, but then this is a unique play. It’s enriched by the surroundings and by the physical experience of symbolically traveling with the 14th Dalai Lama through his life’s journey. It’s educational, inspirational, and entertaining, everything you could ask for from a show.

The story is told by the 14th Dalai Lama played by Jay Ramos, to a reporter played by Winifred Froelich. As he tells her the story of his life, we move to various stations throughout the park and see those portions of his life acted out. The Dalai Lama is portrayed at different ages by Clay Man Soo and Tenzin Namgyal. Each time the Dalai Lama moves, we as an audience move with the performers. Traveling from the present day home of the Dalai Lama, to the village he was born in, on to the palace at Lhasa, to his visit to China, back to Lhasa, then on his journey to flee Tibet, then ending back where we began. As the cast and audience move through the park, musicians led by Tenzin Ngawang play Tibetan instruments while singers and dancers perform and guide the group. The music is beautiful and exotic, something different than we are used to hearing in Western culture. I found the sounds and the visuals of the dancers, costumes, and props completely engrossing.

Some tips about attending and making the experience the best it can be. Online when you order your tickets, you can opt for a $12.00 food item, Tibetan Momos (Tibetan Dumplings from Amazing Momo). They’re delicious and I highly recommend sampling them. Helpful hint, order them prior to the shows beginning, they will be served after the shows conclusion and expect to wait around for your order to be filled as they prepare them so they are hot and fresh. Bring a chair or blanket, they do have little folding camping chairs you can use, and they work fine, but you might want something a little more robust, if so bring it. Wear comfortable shoes, you will be walking, it’s not a lot, but there are mild inclines and you’ll want to be comfortable. As you arrive at each station sit as close as you can, but I also recommend noticing where instruments are set up and sitting a little ways away from them so that the dialogue and singing isn’t overwhelmed by the music. I highly recommend this experience to learn more about the 14th Dalai Lama and the Tibetan culture. Go in open to all the sites and sounds, not just the story. Allow yourself to broaden your focus beyond the story to be aware of your environment, the natural world all around you is a part of this event and contributes to the whole.

For more information about The Buddha Prince which runs through July 9th and to purchase tickets go to http://www.buddhaprince.org/ To learn more about the current state of Tibet and what you can do to support Tibetans go to https://tibetaction.net/

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Loch Mess! is purported to be the world’s largest freshwater musical. Now I don’t know if that’s just hyperbole or if they’ve actually measured it. What I can tell you, according to the Stages of MN Spectroclapometer and other scientific sounding gadgets, I measured it to be the silliest and most delightful original musical. It also ranked in the top 10% in heartwarmingliness. It’s the kind of show that inspires you to make up words. Performed on the green roof of the Bakken Museum near Uptown Minneapolis, Loch Mess! is a fantastic way to spend a summer evening in Minnesota. It’s the live theater equivalent of a big popcorn summer movie. Nothing but fun and I spent the entire 80 minute run time with a grin on my face. If you saw Open Eye Theatre’s summer production Hair Ball last year, you’ll have an idea of what’s in store. I had a blast with Hair Ball but I think Lock Mess! is even better. With a spectacular cast, catchy and hilarious original songs, Lock Mess! also contains a positive message about gender equality and a reminder that love is love. If you enjoy positive upbeat musicals, regional humor, Pina Coladas, and having fun, Lock Mess! is going to be right up your alley. If you do not like Pina Coladas, that’s OK, they do not figure into this show at all, I just think that people who do, are definitely the kind of people who will enjoy Loch Mess!

“Beatrix Barnes from Beaver Bay, MN, an intrepid young girl who journeys to the bright lights of Duluth (“the San Francisco of the North!”) seeking to become the first female steamship captain. But fate has a different plan, as Beatrix ends up serving as stagehand to Vaudeville diva Lillian Legrand, the headliner of the soon-to-be doomed showboat The Gooseberry Flower. With the audience along for the ride as steamship passengers, Beatrix and her companions are soon assailed by Superior Lake monsters and embroiled in wistful romance, requiring a detour to Wisconsin to pick up Scottish monster hunter, Dangus MacMacaroney.“

Open Eye Theatre Website

This cast is just perfect, favorite Tom Reed, who could make opening mail hilarious, plays Dangus MacMacaroney with a wonderfully rich Scottish accent that he somehow keeps up while singing. This reminded me, because I’m used to seeing him in comedic roles, what a rich singing voice he has. His character alone could be the basis for a show. But the lead is Abilene Olson as Beatrix and she rocks the girl power message while belting her way into our hearts. Antonio Rios Luna who plays Captain Handy has great musical comedy skills along with Lux Mortenson as Lillian LeGrande, and France Roberts as her agent Barrymore J. Davenport. This could easily turn into three paragraphs gushing about every performance down to the uncredited background players, who looked like they had just won the lottery, I’ve never seen such happy looking performers which was completely the right tone for this show. But I do want to mention the stellar job Jared Mogen does as the Narrator/guitarist. He’s in character for about 10 minutes before the show begins acting as a lifeguard and throwing out little jokes here and there. He plays the guitar to accompany the performers and has a real gift for acting as the overseer. A show like this has to have a cast that’s all on the same page tone wise, and this one absolutely does. They swing for the fence everyone of them, and it’s an absolute hoot.

The show was written by playwright and composer Josef Evans, as was last years Hair Ball. Evans clearly has an ear for both regional humor and catchy melodies. I really enjoyed the songs in Loch Mess! while they’re primarily humorous, Evans isn’t afraid to inject a moment of tenderness or a beautiful lyric. There have been some improvements to the presentation from last year. The first is the use of microphones, which makes a big difference and allows one to sit back and enjoy the show more rather than straining to hear some of the dialogue. The odd choice though is to use several mics on stands placed around the grassy performance space and to block everything so that the actors are holding the mics. They choreograph it well, and it adds a sense of danger to the proceedings as you wonder who will be the first to faceplant after tripping on a cord (no one did). Joel Sass directs the show, making great use of the openness and the thrust aspect of the performance space. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own camping chairs or blankets to lay out on the lawn on three sides of the “stage”.

You know there really are not a lot of shows that I can enthusiastically recommend for the whole family but this is definitely one of those. When those come along I encourage you to take advantage of them, sharing live theater experiences can create great memories and new family traditions. If Open Eye Theatre continues to produce summer shows as good as this, I can think of no better family tradition than the summer show above the Bakken. Loch Mess! runs through July 16th on the green roof of the Bakken Museum. Show times are 7:00 PM. Your ticket includes free admission to the Bakken Museum before the show from 6-7. Don’t wait too long, the performance I was at was sold out, for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.openeyetheatre.org/loch-mess

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Brave New Workshop, the company known for its sketch and improv comedy shows, is doing something a little bit different with this summer’s production, It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity. This show, unlike previous shows since their return from covid, is entirely made up of Improv, there are no pre-written sketches. Not only that but the performers are changing throughout the Run. What this means, every show is different. When you go, you’ll be seeing something nobody else has seen other than those in the audience with you for that performance. You know what else that means? It’s really hard for me to review the show in a way that’s useful to you. Nothing I saw is something you’re going to see. In fact, the performers I saw you may see some of them but not all of them. I saw three performers that I’ve seen in Brave New Workshop shows before, Caleb McEwen, Doug neithercott, and Isabella Dunsieth. Not present at the performance I attended were regulars, Denzel Berlin, and the great Lauren Anderson, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be at your performance. The show I attended had Dorian Beal and Richie McLarn, neither of which I had seen before but we’re both hilarious. The special treat for me and the reason I chose this performance was that Nissa Nordland would be performing. Faithful readers will know, Ms Nordland it’s one of those performers that I try to see everything she’s in.

Since I can’t tell you anything specific about what you’ll see when you buy tickets for It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity, the best I can do is to assure you that I’ve never attended a Brave New Workshop show that I didn’t wet my pants just a little bit from laughing so hard. It isn’t going to matter who you get because Brave New Workshop the company brings in the very best. If you want more assurance, I can tell you that the June 30th and July 1st performances will feature Duck Washington and that alone will be worth the price of the ticket. I can say with little fear of being contradicted that Duck will not be performing a solo show either of those days. So, when you think about it, those ones you’ll probably make money going to. Don’t think too hard about that, just roll with it. One thing holds true, whatever performance you attend you’ll be in the very capable hands of Musical Director, Jon Pumper, and Technical Director, Matthew Vichlach.

It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity is recommended for audiences 14 and older. The show runs through August 5th at The Dudley Riggs Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Show dates and times vary, for more information and to purchase tickets click here https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/its-not-the-heat-its-the-stupidity/

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. 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. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. Follow that group, It’s a great way to see reviews for shows I don’t get to or to get another blogger’s take on one I did. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also weekly shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.