Murder Inn by Howard Voland and Keith McGregor runs through November 2 at the Plymouth Playhouse. This is community theater, and as such, I don’t hold it to quite the same standards as I would a professional production. The performances are a bit uneven, some very fun and none particularly weak, but the show’s real strength lies in its script.
The set,I assume by Dan Sherman (he’s listed as Set Manager), is impressive, and Bronson Talcott’s costumes add a nice touch of character. But the real reason to see Murder Inn is for the story itself.
It’s a classic whodunit in the spirit of Agatha Christie. A group on a tour of haunted sites in New England becomes stranded by bad weather at an inn that has just closed for the month of November. The inn, run by Martha Talbot and her son Jake, isn’t prepared for guests, but with the roads impassable, the travelers have no choice but to stay. You see, Martha closes the inn every November because the ghost of her ancestor Marcus becomes restless that time of yea. He has a habit of throwing knives at people. That hint of the supernatural gives the play a fun extra layer of suspense.
This production is apparently the first in a series of plays by Voland and McGregor featuring two elderly women, Grace and Doris. Grace played by Wendy Freshman who’s quite good as the amateur sleuth, very much in the tradition of Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher. While Doris, played by Shelley Nelson, provides comic relief that’s a bit over the top. I particularly enjoyed the character work from Amy Madson and Tristan Wilkes and Martha and Jake Talbot and Sher U-F as the slightly goofy Muriel, who travels with a Ouija board in order to converse with the spirits.
Murder Inn is light, funny, and surprisingly satisfying, a charming mystery caper perfect for a fall evening. And one that actually keeps you guessing until the final reveal, and as an added bonus, the reveal is satisfying. Murder Inn, presented by 4 Community Theatre, runs through November 2 at the Plymouth Playhouse. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit 4communitytheatre.org.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.
I’m struggeling to keep up so here’s a link to the Horror Fest which runs through 10/30 at The Crane Theater https://www.tchorrorfestival.com/
Now on with the reviews!!
I only caught this one show on day 3 and it was The Walls by Strike Theater and The Improv Movement Project. It features a fantastic cast of local favorites Mike Fotis, Rita Boersma, Sam Landman, Peytie McCandless, Jay Kistler Many of them are masters of longform Improv. Now this isn’t improv, it is written and directed by Fotis, but what makes this group great character actors is their ability to Make the interplay between the characters feel real in genuine, a skill they have honed doing their improv. The set up has a young woman at the urging of her meth dealing father‘s partner trying to get money from the bank to ransom her father from a rival group of dealers. They go into the bank where the newly promoted manager and her husband, the recently retired Sheriff are opening up for the day. To be honest everything in the bank is completely fascinating even before things go south. Just listening to the Boersma and Landman, as the Manager and her husband, bicker is brilliant. Once this go off the rails the play changes into something different which includes some really interesting movement, which I don’t wanna spoil or explain the reason for. The sign of good character building is that even if things hadn’t gone south I think I would’ve really enjoyed the show. Just listening to these actors play these characters and interact with each other was time while spent.
Day 3 was a very interesting day at the TCHF particularly in terms of the balance between script and production design. First up was Bay Creek written and performed by Derek Lee Miller which is essentially a one person monologue. Miller’s character is in an interrogation room being questioned by members of the entire alphabet of law enforcement from the FBI to the DEA. We occasionally get recorded voice overs from those agents asking questions but for the most part it’s Miller on his own. The script is in places inspired by stories Miller was told by his family growing up. The story Miller’s character unfolds about his family is one of demonic protection. Miller is never less than completely hypnotizing the script like Miller himself doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it. It’s super tight, while the production design is extremely simple, a man sitting in a chair next to a table with a microphone and folders on it. The lighting and sound cues are not elaborate but are among the most effective I’ve ever seen. The final moment of the show is truly awesome. To be sure this is one of the best of this years TCHF thanks to Miller’s powerful storytelling through script and performance.
The Artistic Director of TCHF Nissa Nordland’s show Familiar felt similar to her Minnesota Fringe show this year in that we are in the world of a teenage girl and her adolescent obsessions. She is or at least fancies herself a witch and her familiar is her cat Zelda. In my mind I break the show up into three parts. The first is getting to know the young teenage Rosemary. This is filled with humor including the content creators she follows on TikTok played by special guests Sam Landman as Virgil Vermillion and Jonathan Feld as Orion. The second part is more emotional when her familiar, Zelda, who is 17 years of age, one year older than Rosemary passes away. I know from listening to other audience members that those who had recently lost pets found this segment particularly devastating, so trigger warning for dead pets. The third section is completely unexpected given it the lightheartedness of the first portion and the emotional reality of the second. The third goes dark and supernatural in an effective and very creepy way. The show featured several musical performances by Nordland on ukulele and Clarinet, which for me, ever since I first saw her sing on stage, is always a treat I look forward to.
The Neverland: A Horror Fantasia takes elements of the Peter Pan story and flies in the much darker direction with them. It has a ton of production design elements, much of it in the arts and crafts vein, but overall it’s very effective and appropriate for the story it’s telling. It’s impressive how they get this set up and taken down in the time allotted between shows. But there’s a rather large cast and I assume they all help out. Excellent costumes and even some shadow puppetry helps this show scores big points in the production design category. The production design however seems to be compensating for a lack of a solid script. While the performances are all solid what they have to do is wander around the stage repeating the same things over and over again. one fellow audience member commented that it’s a show of vibes which I would agree with completely. As such I think my son Alex, who really gets in the mood and vibes of films and plays, might really enjoy the show more than I did. I’m generally looking for a story that holds my interest this one, while the idea or concept, of Peter Pan guiding lost children from life through limbo to death certainly is filled with possibilities, the execution just felt meandering and repetitive.
murder. murder. murder. murder. is by this years one traveling artist company of the TCHF. murder. murder. murder. murder. has a double meaning in its title. First, there are four stories, which is why there are four murders in the title. Secondly, all of the stories contain crows and as we know a group of crows is called a murder of crows. And if you didn’t know that, you’re welcome. This is another story that had a pretty tight script while set design was fairly minimal, but always enough to set the scene. It does have have some very good costume work as well. The first three stories use a framing device of a radio DJ we hear before and after each story and then the fourth story features the DJ and her producer. Some of the stories are comic, some dark, and some darkly comic. It was nice mix and I think each story was the perfect length, nothing felt rushed but likewise nothing felt like it was padded out.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.
Erik Ohno Dagoberg, Clay Man Soo, Tony Larkin, Stephanie Anne Bertumen, Kendall Kent Photo by Rick Spaulding
Secret Warriors by R.A. Shiomi reminds us that the ugliness we see around us everyday, especially from our government is not new. It tells a story from a shameful moment in our country’s history, when Americans of Japanese descent were rounded up and imprisoned in camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. That is the backdrop upon which this story is told, in the foreground are four soldiers, who despite what was happening to their families volunteered for a secret project that saved thousands of lives during the war. While we follow these four soldiers through their agreement to enroll in the program, the subsequent training, and their ultimate deployment in the Pacific theater, we are constantly aware of internment camps. The set design by Erik Paulson significantly contributes to this by having the back of the set inclosed in tall chain link fences panels with barbed wire along the top. Whenever the scene changes and wherever the action on stage is taking place, that barbed wire fence stands as a reminder of the injustice that is occuring to the characters families back home. Just as this play, masterfully directed by Lily Tung Crystal, should stand as a reminder that we’ve done all of this before and regretted it.
The four soldiers whom we follow throughout the production are played by Erik Ohno Dagoberg, Song Kim, Josh Kwon, and Clay Man Soo. The story really focuses on two of the soldiers, Tamio played by Dagoberg, and Koji played by Clay Man Soo. While they seem to clash when they first meet, Tamio being a cocky and aggressive personality compared to Koji’s more reserved demeanor, they soon become friends. Soo is good, particularly once he enters the war and uses his skills as a translator to get the enemy to surrender or talking officers of the Japanese army into providing information that will save lives on both sides. Dagoberg is electric, from the moment he comes on stage, it’s a role that requires a big personality and he delivers that but without being over the top, he’s subtly charismatic and that draws the audience into him even more. One of the things that bonds the two is they both meet and fall in love with girls at the same USO dance. Stephanie Anne Bertumen reunites with her Sanctuary City costar Soo, as Koji’s girlfriend Natsuko. While Tamio’s eventual fiance Denise Murphy is played by Kendall Kent. Bertumen and Kent’s performances are crucial to the audiences involvement in the show. The idea itself would make an interesting play to be sure. But, the romantic relationships made so heartfelt by Bertumen and Kent are key to raising our emotional involvement in the characters and raising the level of the play from interesting to compelling. Their letters from home help to build the tension and the concern for the characters raising the emotional bar of what is at stake.
Paulson’s set design in effective in Act One, with a backdrop on which Kathy Maxwell’s projections are splashed, giving us virtual locals or context to the scenes. When the audience returns from intermission for Act Two, we are astonished to see the stage transformed. Wooden structures that formed stairways on the sides of the stage have been moved to the center and combined to represent for example, a ship carrying the soldiers to the Pacific theater of the war. But the surprises do not end there, though I think I’ll keep that to myself as I was rather amazed by the transformation that occured next. Meghan Kent has designed period costuming that perfectly captures the era. Behind the scenes rounding out the overall high quality production design are Lighting Designer Wu Chen Khoo, Properties Designer Kenji Shoemaker, and Sound Designer Frederick Kennedy.
Now more than ever in the wake of the most recent election and the hailstorm of stupidity and hate it has unleashed, Theater companies need you and we need them. Buy tickets to shows go out and support work that reflects diversity and inclusiveness. Donate to your favorite theater companies, don’t wait until they are on the brink of shutting down. We all need to stand up and fight for our Theaters whose funding is under attack for promoting inclusion, equality and diversity.
Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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.
But that’s not all! You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.
The Cast of The Book Club Play at Lakeshore Players 2025 Photo by Kara Salava
The Book Club Play contains all the elements you might look for in a good book; drama, comedy, social commentary, romance. It touches on all the qualities of the books it’s characters read. But above all, it’s a comedy, one that draws much of it’s humor from the best possible well, that of character. The play is written by Karen Zacarias, whose ability to create characters that can be summed up as a type, but then refuse to be simply that character’s tagline. This is my second exposure to this play by Zacharias. The first was a couple of years back at Theater in the Round and it was a favorite, in fact my wife loved it so much she went back with a group of friends to see it again. This production was just as enjoyable and I’m thrilled to highly recommend it! This is the sort of play that I like to recommend for couples who don’t get out to the theater often or as a great night out with a group of friends. The type of show where there is no way you’re not going to leave the theatre saying “we should go to the theater more often that was really fun!”
Ana is a Type A personality who lives in a letter-perfect world with an adoring husband, the perfect job, and her greatest passion: Book Club. But when her cherished group becomes the focus of a documentary film, their intimate discussions about life and literature take a turn for the hilarious in front of the inescapable camera lens. Add a provocative new member along with some surprising new book titles, and these six friends are bound for pandemonium.”
plot summary From the Theatre in the Round Website
That’s basically all you need to know of the plot because the humor and heart of the play comes from the characters and their relationships. Lakeshore players has gathered a very talented group of actors who know how to bring Zacarias complex characters to life, always avoiding making them into caricatures. With 7 actors appearing on stage and all of them so good it’s hard to choose who to highlight. What I noticed most about the ensemble was the way they genuinely seemed to be listening to each other. They were exceptionally good at showing us their character’s thoughts and feelings when the attention wasn’t on them. A great example is Mitch Kiecker’s portrayal of Rob, Ana’s husband. Ana played by Laura Knobel is frequently seeking the spotlight or the one holding court. It was fascinating to watch Kiecker at these times and how natural and in the moment he appeared at those times. If I had to choose a favorite it would either be Lewis Youngren who plays William or Katie Rowles-Perich who plays Alex. William co founded the Book Club and was Ana’s first romance and Rob’s roommate back in college. William plays him humorously immaculate, and his line reading when he makes a revelation in the second Act is uproariously funny. Rowles-Perich plays an interloper to the book club that Ana sees as a threat to her perfectly curated group of people. Rowles-Perich blows through the book club like a breath of fresh air and full of intelligent insites. Her reactions to the group in many ways mirror our own.
One of the little touches that I love about this script is these inter scenes between book club meetings where Erika Soukup performs as different characters giving testimonials. Director Jess Yates stages these brief little bits cleverly, even having one of them off to the side on a wall above some of the audience. Sarah Brandner’s set design is perfectly suited to the play with the audience placed where the Documentary’s camera would be. The Book Club Play runs through March 23rd at Lakeshore Players in White Bear Lake. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/bookclubplay-season-72-1
*Portions of this review come from my previous review of the play.
Now more than ever in the wake of the most recent election and the hailstorm of stupidity and hate it has unleashed, Theater companies need you and we need them. Buy tickets to shows go out and support work that reflects diversity and inclusiveness. Donate to your favorite theater companies, don’t wait until they are on the brink of shutting down. We all need to stand up and fight for our Theaters whose funding is under attack for promoting inclusion, equality and diversity.
Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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.
But that’s not all! You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.
The Messenger a new play by Jenny Connell Davis is a powerful and important work that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. Told from the perspective of four women in different time periods The Messenger explores the reality of hate and how it endures. Their gender of the characters is in and of itself an important choice Davis makes. We hear these four testimonials play out and while it is being produced at Six Points and three of the four stories do revolve around the holocaust in some way, it is not a play simply about anti semitism. It is about how hate of any kind is given power, how well intentioned or fearful people become complicit in it’s growth. Davis has the Woman tell us their stories directly because hearing facts is less impactful than hearing someone’s personal story. Facts often leave our minds leaving behind vague impressions of a general topic, but stories create emotional responses and empathy that generates a longer lasting understanding of not just what happened but how it affected the teller. The Messenger powerfully provokes emotional responses to the stories it shares, some of anger, grief, understanding, and inspiration.
inspired in part by Georgia Gabor, a math teacher and a Jewish Holocaust survivor who tells students in Pasadena California about her experiences in WWII. Georgia is played expertly by Laura Esping and her retellings to her students of her experiences are harrowing. Espings performance displays an understanding of the characters mindset. She has survived and she has made it a point to share her story wherever and whenever she can. She does not breakdown or get emotional, she is teaching, she tells her truths in a way that conveys the gravity of what her words mean and to ensure understanding. Her accent is also superbly done. Her story is intertwined with that of Angela, played by Tracey Maloney, who is a helicopter parent in 1993. She starts a petition when she learns that Georgia is telling her students about her experiences during and after the war. Maloney perfectly captures the clueless entitlement and dangerous censorship masquerading as parental protectiveness. Maloney’s performance success can be measured by how much she makes your skin crawl, mine almost made it off my body and out of the theater. She is absolutely chilling in her cheerfulness.
Julia Isabel Diaz plays Gracie an archivist at a museum in 1969 who discovers some documents that are not catalogued that throw an unflattering light on a U.S. WWII General. Her employers do not want the document to be put forward despite its historical importance. The rationale is why tarnish the good name of an American hero? Gracie loves her job and Diaz lays the groundwork in her initial scenes which are about her initial internship and then being hired, the enthusiasm is a stark contrast to the emotional turmoil she displays later when it is made clear that she has a bright future at the museum if she just buries the documents. Ashley Horiuchi plays the final character Annie, a young asian woman who is also linked with the museum, but in 2020 as a student volunteer. Horiuchi is very believable as a fifteen year old teenager in a grade conscious Pasadena school. Her character starts of with the kind of attitude that makes those of us who were or are parents of teenagers role our eyes in recognition. There is also a sort of defensive mean girl aspect to the character that eventually is broken down. She allows us to come to a understanding of the girls feelings and emotions, taking us from eye rolls to sympathy. When she is witness to and involved in an act of prejudice she stays silent. The message of the play and of these characters in particular is that silence allows hate to flourish. What is important with these characters is it makes the situations in which Gracie and Annie remain silent understandable, we can comprehend why they keep silent, making them sympathetic characters, but it also wisely shows us the price of their silence on their mental state and the world around them.
When I was in school we learned that we study history because if we don’t do so and learn from it, that history will repeat itself. As we look around our world today we can see the truth in that lesson. What is the cause? Why did we not learn from the past? Is it the Mothers who didn’t want their children to know about the atrocities of the past? In saving their children the discomfort of facing some ugly facts did the doom all of society to repeat our darkest hours. Did they contribute to the downfall of our educational system with their over protectiveness creating generations that don’t really grasp what happened and why? Or is it that we hid things that we thought would embarrass us as a nation, thinking they didn’t really matter. Not knowing that to confront all of our darkest moments was the only way to stay in the light? Or is it the silence of fear, the advice given to many to keep your head down, ignore the hate and it will go away. But it doesn’t go away, it only grows stronger when you are not watching it.
The Messenger is probably the most important play you will see this year and I wish I could enforce the “will see” of that sentence. For those of you turned off by the dark subject matter, know that it is dark but it is also very illuminating. It’s not a fun show, but it also isn’t a difficult show to sit through, it is very rewarding and helps clarify the reality of hate and how it spreads. With that understanding we can hopefully be better about finding ways to fight back against the encroaching darkness. The Messenger runs through March 23 at Six Points theater for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.sixpointstheater.org/the-messenger
“When Children Learn to devalue others, they can learn to devalue anyone, including their parents” – Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Now more than ever in the wake of the most recent election and the hailstorm of stupidity and hate it has unleashed, Theater companies need you and we need them. Buy tickets to shows go out and support work that reflects diversity and inclusiveness. Donate to your favorite theater companies, don’t wait until they are on the brink of shutting down. We all need to stand up and fight for our Theaters whose funding is under attack for promoting inclusion, equality and diversity.
Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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.
But that’s not all! You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.
The Root Beer Lady returns to the History Theatre in St. Paul after it proved to be a hit with audiences in its initial 2023 run. That production which I also reviewed ended with a standing ovation, that continued for nearly a minute after it’s star and writer Kim Schultz left the stage. I’m not sure they needed to bring it back this soon but one thing’s for certain, Minnesotans love their Root Beer Lady and Kim Schultz once again brought her vividly to life for us on stage. Dorothy Molter, was a fascinating woman who made her own way in a mans world. She was a true trailblazer and the kind of person that becomes something of a folk hero around whom a mythology springs up. If you don’t know much or anything about Ms. Molter, do yourself a favor and don’t google her. Instead, get yourself some tickets and learn about her from Kim Schultz and her wonderful play. This was my second time and I think I may have enjoyed it even more this time. Schultz embodies Dorothy so completely that one comes away feeling you’ve just spent 90 minutes with the real Root Beer lady of the north.
Schultz heard about Molter during a stay in Tofte, MN. Fascinated by what she’d heard, she found a book written about her in the Tofte library. After reading that and doing some more research she began writing this one person show. I really don’t want to say much about her story as I knew little going in, and not knowing all the details was a wonderful gift. Molter moved permanently to Knife Lake in the Boundary Waters area of Northern MN after spending three summers working at the Isle of Pines Resort for her friend Bill. She never left, becoming the last resident of what became the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Her story is about the love she had for the area and her determination to live her life the way she wanted to, where she wanted to, in a time when that wasn’t really done. The story is full of humor and emotion, astonishing facts, and moments that will leave you in awe of what Molter was capable of. It’s an inspirational true life tale of real Minnesota original, and I found my eyes got a little watery by the end. She is an example of the ways in which people touch each others lives. When the going gets rough, the woman the Saturday Evening Post dubbed, the “Loneliest woman in America” always found that she had many, many, many friends.
It’s clear that Kim Schultz connected with Molter as her portrayal is so affectionate. She embraces the wonder of a young Molter experiencing the majesty of the wilderness, and gradually over the course of 80 minutes imperceptibly changes into the mature woman who spent 56 years living in the place she fell in love with. From a wonderstruck young woman to a full blown wilderness character, effortlessly and believably. While it’s definitely Schultz’s show, she gets some wonderful assistance with the production. Chelsea M. Warren’s set is a wonderful combination of Molter’s cabin and the outdoors with large tree trunks towering into the rafters and a canoe beached on the shoreline. Leslie Ritenour’s video design creates a background that changes the season, shows us the beautiful blue skies of a sunny day and the millions of stars in the night sky. Finally, Katharine Horowitz sound design creates an aurel soundscape that engulfs the audience. The constant sound of the lake, the animals sounds and the wind that accompanies a blizzard are just a few of the touches that stand out and help create the illusion of being up north with Dorothy.
Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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/ from time to time.
I’m Stephen King’s number one fan. Although, I don’t really feel comfortable saying that after witnessing the extremes to which Annie Wilkes goes as the number one fan of writer Paul Sheldon in Misery. Misery is an adaptation by William Goldman of his screenplay adaptation of the novel by Stephen King. Misery has never been my favorite King book or film, but they are both solid works. I have to say that I think it translates very well into a play, this is my second production of Misery and I think the superior one. A play like this, when you know the story so well, comes down to not what the story is, but how they tell it. So what’s important is the performances, the direction, and the production design all of which are top notch in this production from the Lakeshore Players Theatre. For those unfamiliar with the plot there will be the added thrill of several surprising moments, for those that do know, the fun is seeing how they will accomplish certain moments and what we be left out all together. Spoiler, you don’t get to see the car crash. What is sort of amazing about this production is how into it the audience is, and how even knowing the story so well, it’s still a thrilling two hours.
The play opens with writer Paul Sheldon waking up in the home of Annie Wilkes, his self declared “number one fan”. He doesn’t know where he is or what happened to him. He learns from Annie that he had a car accident due to a snowstorm and that luckily she found him and was able to pry him out of the wreckage and get him back to her house in the woods. He has a badly dislocated shoulder and both legs were broken. Luckily for him, she’s a former nurse who was able to splint his broken legs and has a stockpile of painkillers to help him manage the pain until he can be moved to the hospital. Unfortunately, the phone lines are down because of the storm and the road to the hospital is undrivable, or so Annie says. Annie, whom at first seems to Paul like a Angel of mercy, slowly reveals herself to be more a harbinger of misery. It starts with little moments of odd behavior which become increasingly more disconcerting. Soon it becomes clear to Paul that his number one fan loves him so much, she has no intention of ever letting him go. The play becomes an exercise in suspense to see if Paul can outwit Annie and survive until help can arrive.
The three Actor cast is filled with two Twin Cities unknowns Megan Blakeley and Tim Wollman; Tom Sonnek whom audiences have seen at Lakeshore and Theatre in the Round locally. Wollman plays Buster the Sheriff who comes looking for the missing writer. It’s a very small role that is made even smaller in the play which may be adapter Goldman’s one misstep. In his screenplay, Buster has a larger role and you come to like and root for him to find Paul. Not developing that relationship between the character and the audience robs one of the big moments of much of its impact. It also leaves the actor without a lot to do other than act as a catalyst for the plot to move forward. Wollman does everything anyone could want, it’s just a thankless and underwritten role. Sonnek as Paul Sheldon does a great job of gradually showing the characters realization that his savior might actually be his damnation. We find ourselves very involved in his plight and that raises the stakes emotionally. Blakeley as Annie Wilkes, like her predecessor in the role Kathy Bates who won an Oscar for the film, steals the show. Blakeley establishes Annie as someone whose mood can turn on a dime. Sickeningly sweet and simple one minute and cruel and vindictive the next. She has some darkly comic line readings that make the audience laugh while also frightening us a little. What makes the character such an effective villain is she’s normalish most of the time but when she turns it’s unexpected and often quite brutal. Blakeley switch between the two extremes with such fluidity, that halfway through it’s hard to take anything she says without and underlying sense of dred.
Misery is also a visually effective production. I was particularly impressed with the set design which consists of three room set on a giant turntable that revolves as characters move throughout the house. It seems like an expensive set to have designed and created but it’s worth every penny from the audience’s perspective. The Scenic Designer Mark C. Koski’s work is creative an effective giving the play a dynamic visual sense akin to the surprise I felt when the train cars began to move in Murder on the Orient Express at the Guthrie a couple of years back. Also impressive was the lighting design by Tracy Joe. Early on there is a lighting cue that captured the transition of time between a character going to sleep at night and waking up in the morning better than I’ve ever seen it done. That was just one example, the entire show is expertly lit and that isn’t something I always notice. Megan K. Pence directs the show and utilizes Koski’s set to an almost cinematic effect at times. Pence builds the tension to be sure but her direction focuses more on the characters relationship and the power dynamic at play between the helpless writer and his fanatic caregiver. It’s a thriller to be sure but it’s also a fascinating character study of an obsessive fan that you wont soon forget about.
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