Perfect Arrangement is Perfectly Fabulous and Pride Complimentary From Walking Shadow Theatre Company

Elora Riley and Rachel Postle Photo courtesy of Walking Shadow Theatre Company

I saw a previous production of Perfect Arrangement at Theatre in the Round in 2022, so I already knew the plot. The setup: two married couples, one gay and one lesbian, who marry each other as cover in 1950 Washington, D.C. They live next door in an apartment building and have even created a secret passage through a shared closet. When someone “comes out of the closet,” it’s literally just a stage entrance. The kicker? The husband of one couple and the wife of the other work for the State Department, rooting out Communists, and anyone else deemed vulnerable to blackmail, including alcoholics and those with so-called “deviant” secrets, like homosexuals.

What I had forgotten over the years was the play’s style. It opens with the two couples hosting the State Department boss and his wife Kitty for dinner, staged like a perfect 1950s sitcom complete with dialogue that feels like product placement. The moment the guests leave, the sitcom drops away and the characters become real people. I absolutely love that juxtaposition between their polished public lives and their private reality. Director John Heimbuch and his cast know just the right tone to hit, and exactly the right time to turn the phony ’50s façade on and off. (That last line works better read aloud.) A lot of the humor comes from our collective pop culture memories of that era. Even the set is intentionally a recreation of the I Love Lucy set.

The core four: Theo Janke-Furman, Rachel Postle, Elora Riley, and Joe Swanson, are all terrific, and they look it thanks to Mandi Johnson’s fabulous costumes. But I especially want to shout out a couple of supporting players. Julie Ann Nevill, as Kitty, never seems to drop her dim-witted boss’s wife routine, playing it for laughs while still letting a hint of humanity peek through. And Lily Rains, making her Minnesota stage debut, is terrific as Barbara Grant, a sharp, complicated woman with many bedfellows and a target on her back. She’s got a presence and intelligence that fit this shrewd character perfectly. After this, I’ll be keeping an eye out for her future roles, I think we just got another star to add to the Twin Cities skyline.

This review is a little shorter than usual because the run is almost over, and I want you to read this and get your tickets before it closes on June 21st. Even if you saw the TRP production, you’ll want to catch this one. As good as that was, this goes to another level. Sharp, witty, and immaculately dressed, this production is basically must-see TV, just happening live on stage.

Perfect Arrangement runs through June 21st at The Crane Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and tickets, visit https://walkingshadow.org/perfect-arrangement/

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Joe Turner’s Come and Gone a Powerful Work made Mesmerizing By a Great Cast at Penumbra

James Craven, Lester Purry, Vinecia Coleman, and Tonia Jackson Photo by Caroline Yang Photography

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by celebrated playwright August Wilson. Strangely, this is the first stage production of August Wilson’s work I’ve seen. I have seen two film adaptations of his plays, Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. I sure hope I get the opportunity to see more of his works produced. The Production runs nearly three hours, including the intermission, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. The audience sits mesmerized by the brilliant cast, unencumbered by any sense of the passage of time. And what a cast, one forgets that Nubia Monks is mentioned in the program until she appears for the final scene, of which I can only say it was worth the wait. It also says something about what a powerful and talented cast this show contains when you can afford to have Nubia Monks held back for what is almost a cameo appearance.

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone is set in the boarding house run by Seth Holly and his wife Bertha. As the play opens, we are introduced to the Hollys and one of their current residents, Bynum, a man whose activities include some strange spiritual practices. We also meet Selig, a white man, a peddler, who sells the pots and pans that Seth makes out of sheet metal. Selig, who travels all over, is known as a people finder, and Bynum has what he calls the power to bind people with his song. The only other tenant in the house as the play opens is Jeremy, a young man who works on the building of a new road outside of town. He is the character through whom we experience the systemic racism that pervades society at the time of the play, 1911.

Appearing mysteriously is a man in black, Herald Loomis, who is traveling with his young daughter Zonia in search of his wife, whom he hires Selig to find. Selig’s powers are easy to explain: he travels and keeps track of the people he meets and where they are. Bynum’s are another story. Act 1 ends with a very dramatic scene in which we must face the fact that there is definitely a spiritual element at work. The play, up until that scene, is for the most part a gentle show about people just getting by, filled with rich veins of humor and nuggets of wisdom. For the most part, the men provide the humor, and the women in the play, especially Bertha, provide the wisdom.

It is a post-slavery world that still deals with the repercussions of that appalling practice, including the barely disguised version practiced by the Joe Turner of the title, who used to capture Black men and enslave them. Herald Loomis, we learn, was one of Turner’s victims. The repercussions of which reverberate through the performance of La’Tevin Alexander, who plays Loomis, from the costume design, which makes him appear almost as a shadow, to his insistence that Zonia not leave the yard. There is a moment where he confesses he has forgotten how to touch a woman, that seems to drive home what has been taken from him.

There is a lot happening in this multilayered script. Each character is unique, yet shines a light on a past shared by many. It is ultimately about each person figuring out who they are and their path forward, about finding their song. Tonia Jackson, as Bertha, is wise and practical and tells it like it is. James Craven brings just the right amount of humor to the role of Seth without ever making him seem like comic relief; he just finds the humor in the pauses and the way he observes the people around him. Lester Purry, as Bynum, is calm and confident; he has found his song and now tries to guide others to theirs.

Lou Bellamy, the founder of Penumbra, directs the show with a clear understanding of the material and its characters. Everything runs so smoothly it feels not like watching characters in a play, but witnessing lives unfold.

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone runs through June 21st at Penumbra Center for Racial Healing in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://penumbratheatre.org/

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.

A Chorus Line Dazzles at Park Square Theatre

The Cast of *A Chorus Line* Photo by Dan Norman

Faithful readers will be aware of the group of performers my wife calls her “All Is Calm Boys”, anyone who has appeared in her favorite show, All Is Calm at Theater Latté Da. Well, I’ve decided I have my own version: the “Lizzie Quartet,” the four actors who performed last fall in Lizzie: The Rock Musical, Grace Hillmyer, Lux Mortenson, Abilene Olson, and Marley Ritchie. It’s been an excellent week on that front: I saw Lux Mortenson in Terce on Sunday at Theatre Elision, and now Marley Ritchie in A Chorus Line at Park Square Theatre. Both performances reinforced my feeling that I should make an effort to see everything they’re in.

If you missed Terce, you missed out, Sunday was its final performance, which is why I didn’t write a review. Don’t make the same mistake with A Chorus Line. Get tickets early in the run: they’ve been using multiple understudies at every performance and have already had to cancel one show. I’m not sure of the exact reason, but I suspect dance-related injuries play a role. Once you see the show, you’ll understand why.

Originally conceived, directed, and choreographed by Michael Bennett on Broadway in 1975, A Chorus Line is a physically demanding piece. Park Square has brought in Eddie Gutiérrez, representing the Michael Bennett Estate, to restage the original choreography, and it is intense and absolutely jaw-dropping. At one point, 19 dancers move in perfect synchronization, and it’s truly something to behold.

If you’re hesitant because you’re “not a dance person,” don’t let that stop you. This isn’t about Dance with a capital “D”, it’s about the dancers. And much of the choreography falls squarely into the crowd-pleasing category, the kind that even your farmer uncle would watch and say “Wow! That there is some perty fancy footwork, that was real neat fer sure!”.

The show is set at an audition for the dance chorus of a new Broadway production. The Director and Choreographer, Zach, played by Stages of MN favorite Tyler Michaels King, must cut the field from 24 dancers down to eight. After an initial round, the group is reduced to 17, and Zach asks them to line up and tell him about themselves. Through these monologues and songs, we learn who they are, where they come from, what they’ve endured, and why they dance. Each story is distinct, and each adds another layer to the whole.

With 17 characters, it’s impossible to cover every performance in detail, but suffice it to say that everyone, including the five understudies performing at the show I attended, feels ideally cast. That includes Tyler Michaels King, who not only anchors the show but also joins the ensemble in song and dance at the beginning and end. We all know he is a fantastic singer and dancer. But the role also draws on his experiences as the Artistic Director of Trademark Theater and his work as a Director. I’ve seen him wearing those hats over the years and those experiences of running a room and giving notes, but also encouraging and being compassionate inform this performance.

Two performances stood out in particular. Steven Rada, as Paul, delivers a deeply moving turn. Paul is initially reluctant to open up, but when he finally does, while the others are on break, his story lands with emotional force. His eventual injury has a profound impact on the room, a stark reminder that a single moment can end a dancer’s career. It prompts Zach to ask the group what they would do if they could no longer dance, exposing a vulnerability that feels especially resonant in a time when the arts themselves are under attack. When theater’s like our beloved Jungle Theater, have to cancel productions. I’m sure for this group of performers, having just recently gone through the Covid era when theaters were shuttered, that the thought of what they would do if they couldn’t do this, feels very close to home.

That moment leads directly into the show’s emotional peak: “What I Did for Love,” performed by Marley Ritchie, one of my “Lizzie Quartet,” in the role of Diana. Her rendition is stunning. It isn’t the dancing, as she plays it almost completely still, it is her vocals and acting that are completely captivating. Interestingly, when I looked back at the only other time I’ve seen a production of A Chorus Line, in 2023 at Lyric Arts, it was also Marley Ritchie that I singled out for her performance of this song.

The show runs 2 hours and 8 minutes with no intermission, and evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m. rather than the customary 7:30, so plan accordingly. If you’ve never seen A Chorus Line, this is an excellent opportunity. If you have, I’d wager you haven’t seen it staged quite like this. Either way, don’t let it pass you by.

A Chorus Line runs through June 14 at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets go to https://www.parksquaretheatre.org/

Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science is the Most Interesting Math Lesson You’ll Ever Get

Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science

Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science is the first full-length play written by Stages of MN favorite Nissa Nordland. I’ve enjoyed Nordland’s writing in her short-form plays featured at the Twin Cities Horror Festival and Minnesota Fringe Festival. I’ve loved those shows, but anyone familiar with those festivals knows that kind of work is unique. I was excited, but also a bit anxious, to see what she would do with a full-length play. After all, I promise Minnesota honest reviews, and being a favorite doesn’t grant immunity from criticism. I’m relieved to report that I came away impressed by the discipline of the piece, which is without a doubt a polished, effective, and creative telling of the story of real-life mathematician Ada Lovelace.

Lovelace, the daughter of the poet Lord Byron, was a woman ahead of her time. Considered the first computer programmer, she died in 1852 at the age of 36. Knowing Nordland’s affinity for the dark side, I suspect the title is a play on The Bride of Frankenstein, especially given that Ada’s father, Lord Byron, figures into the origin of Mary Shelley’s famous tale. Ada does seem to share with Victor Frankenstein a single-minded obsession in her pursuit of, at a stretch, an artificial form of life.

We follow Ada’s story from her parents’ separation when she was one month old through her death. Along the way, we witness her relationship with her overbearing mother, her marriage to William King-Noel, 1st Earl of Lovelace, and her own challenging relationship with her children. But the two most important relationships are with her dead father, who emerges from a painting to converse with and encourage her, and with Charles Babbage, fellow mathematician and inventor of the Analytical Engine, which would have been the world’s first computer if it had been completed. Ada could see the potential of the Analytical Engine beyond what even Babbage could, and far beyond what the rest of the world, unable to imagine its use, could grasp.

Gabi Jones, who is relatively new to me, does a great job handling the highly technical dialogue while also conveying Ada’s “poetical science” approach to her work. Derek Lee Miller, as both Lord Byron and William King-Noel, is excellent as always. I especially loved his take on the dead Lord Byron, including a song he sings to Ada that is particularly well done. Tara Lucchino, as Ada’s mother, does not shy away from the character’s cruelty, but also allows her softer side to come through. David Tufford capably handles some truly challenging technobabble, but his best moments come in conflict with Ada toward the end, as well as in scenes with her fellow mathematician and friend Mary Somerville, played by Victoria Pyan. Pyan excels in scenes addressing what she sees as Babbage taking advantage of Ada’s intellect without giving her proper credit.

Lastly, praise must be given to scenic designer Ursula K. Bowden for a surprisingly large scale set full of inventive touches, including a computer punch card flat that scrolls to display the year as the play progresses. Director Josh Cragun also deserves recognition; his use of movement creates an almost dreamlike quality in scenes that primarily serve to deliver exposition or endnotes, transforming what could be dry information dumps into elegantly engaging interludes.

Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science runs through April 19 at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. For more information and tickets, visit https://nimbustheatre.com/productions/ada-lovelace

Great Falls is Dark and Powerful, With Two Very Strong Performances at The Hive

Great Falls, by Minneapolis native Lee Blessing, is a heavy show about a road trip between a teenage girl and her stepfather. It opens in a way that immediately makes the audience uneasy, as it quickly becomes clear that the stepfather, whom she calls Monkey Man, is divorced from her mother. That, in itself, is fine; I firmly believe people divorce spouses, not children. But it’s also clear she does not want to be with him. We’re not entirely sure what’s happening at first, but it all feels very sketchy. The play tackles a number of difficult themes, including abuse and sexual assault.

Luckily, there are two very strong performances, by actors I don’t believe I’ve seen before, to guide us through the darkness. Andy Chambers plays Monkey Man, somehow making dialogue that could feel untethered from reality, particularly early on, seem plausible, if still a bit opaque. I think Blessing wants us to feel off-balance, unsure of what’s happening and why. Honestly, I’m not sure we ever fully understand that part. I mean, we do, but what is wrong with this man that he thinks this is an appropriate way to stay connected to Bitch (which is what she insists on being called)? He keeps insisting he’s not committing any crimes, but he absolutely, technically, is.

Reanna Madson plays Bitch, and as the stepfather of a girl who is shockingly similar (thankfully without the trauma), I can say her performance feels very genuine. Whether she’s being difficult and combative or delivering difficult information, she is never anything but truthful. The two play well off each other, with Chambers perfectly capturing the challenge of trying to start a real conversation, and Madson’s character stubbornly refusing to give him any foothold.

Directed by local actor, lighting designer, and jack-of-all-trades Ariel Pinkerton, the show benefits from her understanding of the material and its triggers. She handles the subject matter with care and clarity.

The set design by Keven Lock is both a strength and a weakness. The production gets a lot of mileage out of two platforms that cleverly transform into everything from the dashboard of a car to motel beds, a clinic, and several other locations. Clever projections by Alita Robertson, especially during the driving sequences, enhance the sense of distance and movement. The downside is a series of slightly overlong scene transitions, where we sit in darkness watching the performers reconfigure the set.

Great Falls runs through April 5th at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.thehivecollaborativemn.com/events/7b0cg7xhh7bw5zknaa144n9ti7kdkk

How to Catch Creation Captured My Heart, See it Before it Ends on 2/8 at Theatre in the Round

Tia Tanzer and Duck Washington Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

Third time’s the charm, as the saying goes. This was my third attempt to see How to Catch Creation. I was originally scheduled to attend on January 17, 2026, but changed my plans in anticipation of a far-right wing protest slated to end in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood that Theatre in the Round calls home. I rescheduled for Friday, January 23, but that performance was canceled in observance of the statewide general strike. I almost cut my losses and accepted that I simply wasn’t going to see it.

But I kind of love Theatre in the Round, and earlier this season, for the first time in probably a decade, I had missed their annual Agatha Christie play when my stepmom passed away. I didn’t want to miss another show. And my God, am I glad I didn’t. The production is only running one more week, closing on February 8th. If you can make it to one of the remaining performances, I highly recommend you do so.

Mary Cannon Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting going in. I had read the synopsis on the theatre’s website, but it didn’t really sink in, because this play wasn’t what I expected at all, and it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen at Theatre in the Round. I think it’s representative of the changes we’ve seen at TRP over the last several years, particularly since the arrival of their current Executive Director, Larisa Netterlund. We’ve seen more risks being taken. I’m not sure the audience has fully caught up with what’s happening at TRP yet, but I hope word spreads and programming like this continues.

How to Catch Creation, by Christina Anderson, weaves together the lives of six characters in San Francisco, four in 2014 and two in 1966–67. Griffin, a man recently released from prison after spending 25 years incarcerated following a wrongful conviction, reconnects with his best friend Tami, a painter who runs an art school. Both are in their mid-forties. They each come into contact with one half of a younger couple in their mid-twenties: Stokes, a painter, and his girlfriend Riley, a computer programmer.

Tia Tanzer and Izzy Maxwell Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

Tami and Riley meet when Riley confronts her about why Stokes’ application to her school was rejected. Griffin and Stokes bond in a park over their shared love of the work of Black feminist author G.K. Marche. We also see Marche and her partner Natalie in the 1960s, and events in that timeline echo powerfully in the present-day story.

I think I expected this play to be about the creative process, but that turns out to be only a small part of it. It’s about the desire to create: Stokes wants to paint, then write a novel; Tami wants to paint; G.K. writes; even Griffin longs to create a new life. But what the play is really about is connection, the heartaches, sacrifices, joys, the need to be seen and heard, and the desire to reach out to another human being, whether for friendship or for love.

Duck Washington and Noah Branch Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

The cast features Duck Washington, a Stages of MN favorite, as Griffin. Washington brings an almost Zen quality to the role, creating a portrait of a man who long ago made peace with the inequities of life. His calm and openness make Stokes’ desire to seek out his advice mirror our own. Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green, the only other performer I was familiar with going in, plays Natalie in a role punctuated by moments of fairly intense, at least for Theatre in the Round, sexuality.

The rest of the cast was new to me, but I sincerely hope they appear in many future productions, because they are all terrific. This play contains conflict and even betrayal, but there isn’t a single character you don’t like. That’s certainly a testament to Anderson’s writing, but it’s also a credit to the performers. Every one of them creates a character you care about, whose longings and struggles you internalize. I found myself unexpectedly tearing up in the final moments. Faithful readers know that’s not entirely unusual for me, but the way it crept up on me surprised me and revealed just how deeply these six characters had seeped into my heart.

Mary Cannon and Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

I was going to name my favorites among the performers who were new to me, and then realized I’d be listing all of them. So here they are: Tia Tanzer as Tami, Izzy Maxwell as Riley, Noah Branch as Stokes, Mary Cannon as G.K. Marche, and Abdoulie Ceesay, who appears briefly in a non-speaking role just before intermission and then vanishes until curtain call. (What play does that?) It’s wild, but his role is deeply consequential, and while you don’t see him for long, you do see more of him than the other performers.

I also want to give major props to Director Vanessa Brooke Agnes and Set Designer Kejia Yu for making this tapestry of stories flow so seamlessly. There are a lot of scenes in this play, which often leads to clunky transitions and broken momentum. Here, the storytelling never pauses. Locations shift fluidly with the introduction of a prop or a performer. Sometimes scenes from different timelines unfold simultaneously. It feels organic and effortless, when in reality it’s the result of precise writing and incredibly thoughtful execution by everyone onstage and backstage.

Lastly, a note on Jacourtney Mountain-Bluhm’s costumes, sometimes in a show like this even though it takes place over the course of months, the actors find themselves wearing the same costumes in about every scene. Not here, it feels like there is a new costume for every scene and as I mentioned, there are a lot of scenes! I don’t usually notice costumes that much, but I noticed and appreciated the effort.

How to Catch Creation runs through February 8 at Theatre in the Round. I urge you to see it before it closes. This is a deeply satisfying play, brought to life by a cast of mostly unfamiliar but thoroughly compelling performers.

For more information and tickets, visit:
https://www.theatreintheround.org/howtocatchcreation/

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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.

YARRRH! It’s a Double Dose of Piracy, Hilarity, Song, & Bawdy Adventures at Fortune’s Fool Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Festival of Free Musicals at the Hive Collaborative

Wini Froelich, Ariel Pinkerton, and Caitlin Sparks Photo by Kari Elizabeth Godfrey

What started as a Minnesota Fringe Festival show in 2011, followed by a remount at Open Eye Theatre that same fall YARRRH! The Lusty, Busty, Pirate Musical has become Fortune’s Fool Theatre’s biggest hit. For the company’s 20th Anniversary, co–artistic directors (and father and daughter) Daniel and Ariel Pinkerton have revived the smash and paired it in repertory with a brand new world premiere holiday sequel, Have YARRRHself a Lusty Busty Xmas. This double bill of pirate booty and busts is the perfect way to celebrate: sharing their most beloved hit while also giving audiences something new. And thanks to a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, both shows are completely free. Yes, free pirate musicals. Worth every doubloon and then some.

Both shows feature the same core characters, and while Have YARRRHself a Lusty Busty Xmas is a sequel, the cast recaps the events of the original musical in the opening number. So if you catch the Xmas version first, you’ll be just fine. The cast includes three women, Ariel Pinkerton, Caitlin Sparks, and Wini Froelich playing a dozen or more characters each (if you count every pirate in the massive sword fights). Also in the cast is Oliver Hands as Toby Bustle, the young boy whose mission to rescue his kidnapped mother drives the first show.

YARRRH! The Lusty, Busty, Pirate Musical introduces the whole crew in a treasure hunting adventure. Toby’s mum, Rosie Bustle, owner of the Inn and Out Tavern (who makes extra money on the side on her back), has been kidnapped by pirate Billy Silverhook. He believes she knows the location of a treasure map and brings her to the Pirate Queen, Captain Desirée La Femme. Toby teams up with pirate Captain Jack O’Reilly to pursue La Femme’s ship, rescue Rosie, and outrun the Governor and his soldiers in Jamaica, where one of their party even finds love with the Governor’s niece, Cecily.

Have YARRRHself a Lusty Busty Xmas features the same crew, at least the ones who survived the first outing. This time, the heroes must save Christmas itself. Father Christmas is kidnapped by Don Fernando del Llania, who wants to Christmas more efficient by firing all the elves and eliminating free gifts. The Krampus, La Femme, and O’Reilly set sail to rescue Father Christmas while Toby, Rosie, and Cecily attempt to deliver the toys themselves.

The first musical is a full throttle parody of pirate movies, packed with big laughs and decidedly adult humor. Consider this one ARRRH-rated, and leave the wee ones at home. It proudly carries its Fringe roots, and if you’ve never attended a Minnesota Fringe show, this will give you a taste of the joyful chaos.

The sequel leans more into political satire and prioritizes swashbuckling over swash-unbuckling, but it still lands solidly in hard PG-13 territory. The songs are fun in both shows, but the sequel contains the two that stuck with me:
• “Whatever Happened to Rough Trade?” hilariously performed by Caitlin Sparks, the strongest vocalist in the cast (though Oliver Hands gives her some competition).
• “On Our Tropical Island” a sweet love duet between Father Christmas and Krampus, played by Wini Froelich and Ariel Pinkerton.
All music is delightfully accompanied by Dee Langley on accordion.

Both shows are written by Daniel Pinkerton and Chris Gennaula, directed by Erika Sasseville, and music-directed by Brenda Varda. Like many Fringe-born productions, the set isn’t elaborate, but what’s there is used extremely creatively. The costumes by Ryan McCanna and props by Jenny Moeller are much more detailed with hooks, hats, swords, treasure maps, corsets, puppets… everything your pirate loving heart desires.

The cast is terrific. They know exactly what kind of show this is and lean into it perfectly. Froelich and Pinkerton aren’t primarily known as singers, but they rise to the musical demands and shine in their comedic timing. Their tossed off asides and improvised moments had the audience roaring. Sparks is not only a fantastic singer but matches the others in tone and energy, with some especially inspired physical comedy in “Whatever Happened to Rough Trade?” Oliver Hands, whom I had not seen before, is someone whose career I’ll be sure to follow going forward. This young performer was in good hands with this cast and I’m sure they played a huge role in helping him deliver such a moving and heartfelt performance.

Their naughty, but also nice pirates, and you are sure to have a blast with both shows! YARRRH! The Lusty, Busty, Pirate Musical and Have YARRRHself a Lusty Busty Xmas run in repertory through December 21 at the Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. For more information and to reserve your FREE tickets, go to:
https://fortunesfooltheatre.org/what-were-doing

Most Saturday and Sunday matinees allow you to see both shows with a 30-minute break between them. Reservations aren’t required, but I highly recommend making one to guarantee a seat. And while the shows are free, please consider giving Fortune’s Fool Theatre’s a gift for their 20th Anniversary with a donation:
https://fortunesfooltheatre.org/support-us