The Great Gatsby Launched TRP’s 75th Anniversary MN Themed Season

Cast of the Great Gatsby Photo by Tom Taintor

The Great Gatsby kicks off the 75th season of Theatre in the Round, a season they have devoted to telling stories with Minnesota connections. Gatsby, of course, is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a native of St. Paul. One of the greatest American novels ever written, it’s a solid choice for TRP to open this landmark season. I encourage everyone to be a part of this historic season of what is the longest-running community theater in Minnesota.

It was interesting to see this smaller-scale play version after seeing the lavish touring Broadway musical earlier in the year. They both have their advantages. This version is a much less glamorous affair, but the intimacy of the venue also allows for the story to take center stage.

Set in 1922 on Long Island, the story is told by Nick Carraway, a young war veteran who rents a small cottage next to the estate of Jay Gatsby. After receiving an invitation to a party, Nick meets Gatsby, who asks for his help in reuniting with the girl he fell in love with before going off to the war, Daisy. Daisy is Nick’s cousin, who is now married with a child, though not happily. Her husband, Tom, carries on affairs, which everyone, especially Daisy, is aware of. Daisy’s childhood friend Jordan Baker is also on hand as a possible love interest for Nick. The other major characters are George and Myrtle Wilson. George runs a gas station while his wife is having an affair with Tom.

The novel deals with the themes of the American Dream, class, and how the two collide. Much as it is becoming more and more the case today, the dreams of the lower class are decimated by the excesses and disregard of the wealthy. This stripped-down version is less concerned with those larger issues and focuses on the love story and interpersonal relationships between the characters.

The acting overall is done in a slightly mannered fashion. It’s off-putting at first because it’s not what we expect, but I came to enjoy the put-on, old-timey cadences. Gatsby, played by Jake Leif, is scripted to say the phrase “Old Sport” 87 times in his dialogue. There is no way to make that feel organic. The choice is to stylize the entire performance, which works. Likewise, Tom Buchanan, played by John Blocher, affects a unique delivery for all of his dialogue, which works equally as well. It is heightened and a little removed from humanity, which is a perfect representation of the character. Nick, the narrator, played by Gavin Webb, is much more naturalistic in his delivery, which reflects his character’s more genuine nature.

The set design by Michael Haas is limited by the venue, but he utilizes the upper portions of the theater, with each point of a triangle used for a vital piece of the design. In one corner, we have the Saxman, Maje Adams, who plays some tone-setting music. For the most part, it’s an interesting choice, but I was worried at the opening when the sax was threatening to overpower Nick’s opening narration. They should work on lowering the strength of the sax if they can. In the other two corners, we have the iconic billboard with the spectacles and eyes that light up, and the third is the green light that Gatsby can see from his property that marks where Daisy’s house is. I thought all of these design elements were very well done.

The Great Gatsby runs through October 4 at Theatre in the Round. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/greatgatsby/

I want to alert you faithful readers to a new Website that has just started up in the Twin Cities. It’s called 79 Seconds on Stage and it is a free and full guide to local theatre in the Twin Cities.

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I’m So Glad I Came From Away to See Come From Away at The Phipps in Hudson WI.

There is something about Come From Away. No matter the cast or the venue, there is a feeling that comes over you in the audience where you think, “And here we are. Where the world has come together.” Because more than any other show, there is a feeling of being in the moment with these characters, probably because, for many of us, we were. We were not in Gander or New York, but it was a moment, possibly the only one in my lifetime so far, where it felt like the whole world had come together.

The power of art is to make us feel that we are not alone, and in a world where we are becoming the joke of the world, there is something so necessary about this show that allows us, for 110 minutes, to recall a time when the world had our back and was on our side. It also reminds us of all the qualities lacking in our country’s leaders: empathy, decency, putting others first, the ability and the desire to comfort and care for each other.

This show is truly a moving and uplifting experience. This is my sixth time seeing it, and I’m already excited to see it again next spring when Lakeshore Players puts it on. Some shows, when they come around for the third or fourth time, I’ll give them a miss to see something new. I think this is like RENT, where I’m always going to say yes. I cannot ever imagine regretting attending a performance of this show. This production at The Phipps Center for the Arts has all the power and joy that every other production I’ve seen has.

Come From Away is the musical written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, based on the true events of September 11, 2001, and the days following. After two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City and another crashed into the Pentagon, all air travel was grounded and the airspace above the U.S. was closed. All airplanes inbound were diverted to the nearest airfield outside the U.S. Thus, 38 airplanes carrying about 7,000 passengers found themselves stranded in the small town of Gander on the island of Newfoundland. This small town and its neighboring towns took in these 7,000 passengers from all over the world, fed them, gave them shelter, clothed them, and made them honorary Newfoundlanders.

The show does what must always be done with stories about something as large as 9/11: It focuses on a specific aspect and a smaller group of people. This approach allows us to comprehend the incomprehensible by taking a huge event and bringing it down to a personal level. We get to know key members of the community, passengers, and the pilot of one of the planes, and through them we see this moment in history from a new perspective. The overall focus of the play is on the community coming together and caring for these stranded people, these strangers. Relying heavily on humor that seems very Newfoundlandish but also very Minnesotan.

Come From Away is an important work of art, but it doesn’t feel like it should be. A lighter, more energetic musical would be hard to find. The show moves with the pace and humor of a broad comedy. While the play doesn’t dwell on the tragedy of 9/11 and the negative reactions that came from it, it also doesn’t ignore them. There will be tears, but the kind that come from well-earned moments of genuine empathy, and any moments of sadness are met with feelings of joy at the capacity of the characters to support each other.

Still, while the show barrels ahead from one witty lyric to the next, with all the joy we are feeling, we are also constantly aware of 9/11. In some ways, it reopens a wound that I felt had long ago healed over. But in doing so, it also begins to heal that wound again at the same time. This is a tightrope walk I can’t really wrap my head around. It’s at once life-affirming, joyous, funny, and moving, while also reminding us of a tragedy that changed our world, that shocked and saddened us to our very cores. Yet these disparate elements are not at war with each other; they live organically intertwined, as if the one wouldn’t work without the other.

I imagine if I ever see a production of Come From Away that I don’t like, it will have to do with the cast, because the music and book are perfection. This cast is a great match for the material. There are certain characters that are favorites, like Nick and Diane, fellow travelers from different countries who fall for each other. Here they are played by real-life husband and wife Ben Thietje and Amanda White, who are just darling in the roles. Or the Kevins, the gay couple played here by a Stages of MN favorite, Ryan Lee, and Jeremy Johnson. Again, just ideal in these roles. Then there are characters that stand out in certain productions. Here, the character of Bob, played by Erebi Nyenkan, always gets some laughs, but there was something extra that drew me to the character this time and made her performance one of my favorites.

But the one that pulled the most out of me emotionally was DeZhané Antoinette as Hannah, the mother of a NYC firefighter who cannot get word of her son. It’s a role that is written to pull at your heartstrings, but no one has quite made all of the fear, worry, and uncertainty so palpable as Antoinette. Every line spoken, every note sung, is underlined with a sense that her heart may break at any moment. I cry a lot at this show. She earned by far the most tears of anyone in the cast.

In terms of differences besides the cast, the set design by Taylor English adds a substantial raised walkway that is well used, particularly in Nick and Diane’s sweet song, “Stop the World.” The one minor disappointment is the lack of live musicians. It doesn’t really affect our enjoyment of the show, but it’s always fun at the end or in the bar scene when you get to experience the band playing in front of you and getting to take a bow.

If you’ve never seen Come From Away, I urge you not to miss this opportunity. This is a wonderful production of one of my all-time favorites. This is definitely Top 10, probably Top 5 for me. Subject matter turning you off? Just trust me. It will be a powerful, inspiring, and ultimately uplifting experience.

Come From Away runs through September 27 at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://thephipps.org/26-27/come-from-away

Wait Until Dark Is So Good Even a Blind Person Can See It’s the Perfect Twisty, Turny, Edge of Your Seat Thriller to Close out the Season With.

Paul de Cordova, Paul LaNave, and Sara Marsh Photo by Alyssa Kristine

Dark and Stormy Productions finds the perfect show to fill the vacuum that is the theater scene between the end of Fringe and the post-Labor Day launches of the new theater seasons with their new production of Wait Until Dark. I had, of course, seen the classic film adaptation years ago, and I’ve actually seen a stage production of the play pre-blog at Lyric Arts. That was a while ago, but even with all the shows that have come between, I have no doubt this is the superior production. Everything works: the pacing, the performances, the lighting, and the set design. This is a show that works like clockwork, if you don’t count the start time.

That’s a little joke. There was a performer who had some travel issues, and our performance started a half-hour late. The company’s Artistic Director and star of the play, Sara Marsh, came out, explained the situation, and smoothed things over with free wine and bottled water. The biggest compliment I can pay the show is to tell you that, even on a Thursday night, it was worth the wait.

For those unfamiliar with the story, three criminals prey upon a blind woman, Susy, in an attempt to retrieve a doll full of drugs. They send her husband off on wild goose chases and then move in. One poses as an old friend of her husband’s, another as a policeman, and the third as someone looking for a woman. Not content to try and find the doll by stealth, they conceive of an elaborate con to try and convince her that her husband has been unfaithful and murdered his mistress. Their big mistake is underestimating Susy, mistaking her blindness for helplessness.

Marsh plays Susy’s intelligence rather than her blindness as her defining characteristic. Marsh knows just how to show us this intelligence, it’s in the way she listens and reacts to events as small as the opening and closing of window blinds. I’m thinking of a particular moment when a phone ringing signifies a 180-degree turn in Susy’s understanding of the events that have been unfolding. It’s a moment that could give a less capable actor and director difficulty in how to convey it to an audience. Marsh and Director Benjamin McGovern make the moment crystal clear.

The entire cast is terrific, but I have to give a shout-out to Paul de Cordova, who stepped in rather late into the show’s rehearsal process for Luverne Seifert, who ran into some health issues. Playing the leader of the criminals, de Cordova is wonderful as the ruthless Mr. Roat, able to seem harmless or menacing on the turn of a dime. Also deserving of a special shout out is Madelyn Tax as the young neighbor girl Gloria. A twenty something woman playing a young girl around 14 years of age can be tricky and very easily veer into annoying territory. Tax completely avoids the usual landminds of such a performance and completely realisticly pulls off a convincing performance.

McGovern directs with precision. This production speeds along; not a moment feels wasted or drawn out. The blocking, particularly in the blackout climax of the show, has a natural stumbling element that only successfully comes from a cast that has their blocking down pat. Lighting Designer Shannon Elliott’s contributions are key to the climax of the show and are executed perfectly.

I’m surprised, given the multiple productions we’ve seen of Dial M for Murder and Misery over the last few years, that we don’t see this classic staged more often. This is tense, edge-of-your-seat stuff, and it plays with the audience in a way few thrillers can pull off. Wait Until Dark runs through September 13 at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://www.darkstormy.org/

The Butler Did It Satisfies the Mystery Lover With a Brand New Sleuth I’m Dying to See More of at Park Square Theatre

Allison Vincent and Steve Hendrickson Photo by Dan Norman

The Butler Did It, the new play by arguably the finest mystery playwright working today, Jeffrey Hatcher, is sure to please any fan of the genre. Done in the subgenre of the inverted mystery, where we witness the killer commit the crime and then watch the cat-and-mouse game unfold between criminal and law enforcement. The format is most famously associated with the TV detective Columbo, for which Hatcher wrote one of the final installments. While this play certainly has shades of Columbo, Hatcher also brings his unique talent for surprising the audience with unexpected twists.

The thing about mystery plays is that there isn’t much you can say without accidentally spoiling the fun. In fact, during the talkback I attended after the show, I realized that even discussing one of the lead characters, and the actor who portrays them, could be considered a spoiler. Even that might be enough for the especially deductive among you to piece things together. Therefore, a play I feel I could write a double-length review about is instead going to get one of my shortest.

The play is set at a school for gentlemen’s gentlemen in 1975 San Francisco. A murder takes place that appears to be a suicide, but we, the audience, know otherwise. Assigned to the case, her first in fact, is the newly appointed Inspector Denise. And that’s about all I dare say of the plot. What I can add is that, for a mystery where you already know the killer, the fun comes from how cleverly Hatcher subverts expectations, how sharp the dialogue is, and how well the cast executes it. The Butler Did It does all three in spades.

Speaking of the cast, there’s exactly one person I feel safe discussing without being hauled away by the spoiler police: Allison Vincent as Inspector Denise. Luckily, I could write about Vincent all day. Hatcher may have modeled aspects of the play after Columbo, but he has created a completely original hero in Inspector Denise. It’s a role that feels tailor made for Vincent, who is one of the most distinctive theater artists in the Twin Cities. Not just a performer, but also a writer and director, Vincent has never once failed to impress. Here, she goes nowhere near Columbo as a character, instead bringing a style and energy entirely her own. Her humor feels like a perfect match for Hatcher’s writing.

After seeing her as Inspector Denise, I’m ready for a full series of plays, a Netflix show, starring Vincent in the role, written by Hatcher of course. Hatcher did mention that of the four future mysteries he’s been commissioned by Park Square Theatre to write, Inspector Denise is a character he’d like to revisit in one of them. Personally, I hope he doesn’t limit it to just one, I’m ready to tag along with Inspector Denise on many more investigations.

I hesitate to discuss the rest of the cast, but they are absolutely perfect. The production is filled with names faithful readers and Twin Cities theatergoers will recognize: Anna Beth Baker, Neal Beckman, Pearce Bunting, Peter Christian Hansen, Steve Hendrickson, and Nora Long. With that lineup and Hatcher’s script, audiences can be confident they’re in for something exciting.

What else can I say without hampering your enjoyment? Director David Ira Goldstein expertly guides the audience through the plot’s twists and turns. Scenic designer Benjamin Olsen has created a wonderful set, which we’re told will be reconfigured and adapted for each of Hatcher’s future mystery/thrillers. Karin Olson’s lighting design features some highly effective cues, from a small gunshot to a large explosion, both convincingly realized. Frederick Kennedy’s sound design includes a delightfully ’70s TV-style motif that brought a smile to my face every time it popped up.

The Butler Did It is exactly what mystery lovers crave, a new play that feels like a classic of the genre. The production runs at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul through August 16. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.parksquaretheatre.org/the-butler-did-it.

Twelfth Night Is Hot Shakespeare. Seriously, There is No Air Conditioning at Bumbling Fools Meadery

Twelfth Night you may remember, is the Shakespeare play with a shipwreck. Need more? Okay, it’s the one with twins. Still not sure? This one has a woman disguised as a man! 😀 Yep, it’s one of those, which, I realize, doesn’t exactly narrow it down for anyone not well-versed in Shakespeare.

I’m decently versed myself, I see eight to ten productions of his plays a year, alongside roughly 150 non-Shakespeare shows. Thankfully, Twelfth Night is one I’ve seen a couple of times, most recently about three years ago by Ten Thousand Things. So I had a fighting chance of following this production.

Let me explain why that matters.

I generally love a show staged in a unique space, so I was excited to head to Bumbling Fools Meadery for the first time. I was picturing something like Sociable Ciderwerks, where you can currently catch a production of Hamlet. This is…not that.

First off, I felt lucky just to find the place. My GPS initially led me to what appeared to be a deserted industrial building. Seeing no cars or people, I retreated to the main road and tried another driveway. There, at last, were cars, and a sign for Bumbling Fools Meadery. Well, “sign” might be generous. It looked more like a bedsheet with the name painted on it.

I parked and descended some sketchy stairs, fully prepared to encounter either a box office attendant or my untimely demise. Thankfully, I was greeted by the friendly, familiar face of Jackson Hoemann ready to check me in, not a hulking brute in a burlap mask ready to check me out. From there, I explored the basement in search of mead, or in my case, a non-alcoholic option. I had a delightful beverage called a switchel (I went with cinnamon), which I enjoyed immensely.

Now, this all sounds kind of fun, and it is. It’s very mom-and-pop…if Mom and Pop were more “wake and bake” than “spit and polish.” That’s not a bad thing, it just helps to set expectations so no one walks in unprepared.

This labyrinthian basement has no air conditioning whatsoever. I attended on a Friday night when it was approximately 125 degrees in the freezer, thermometers were unable to measure the temperature in the shade.

The show begins at 7:00, but you’ll want to arrive by 6:30 for about 30 minutes of Appalachian mountain music performed by the cast. The music, both before and during the show, is one of the highlights of the experience.

After the preshow, we are invited into your Uncle Scruffy and Aunt Ruth’s laundry room, where the play is performed. Box fans line the walls, bravely attempting to battle the heat. In what may be one of the kindest gestures ever extended to an audience, each person is given a frozen bottle of water. You can rub it over yourself to cool down, and by the halfway point of the 90-minute show, it has melted into something you can drink, assuming you never tire of lukewarm water.

So, back to that “fighting chance” I mentioned earlier.

We are hot. We are uncomfortable. We are audibly crinkling frozen water bottles against our bodies. Box fans hum softly but constantly, in the background. And then the show begins, at a chaotic pace. Productions of Twelfth Night typically run 2.5 to 3 hours; this one clocks in at 90 minutes. In one sense, thank God. In another, you lose much of what helps acclimate an audience to Shakespeare.

It took me a solid 15 to 20 minutes to sort out who was and what there relationships were, and I pieced that together mostly from memory of past productions. Shakespeare can be wonderful, but it can also be challenging. Because of that, you need to do everything possible to help the audience connect.

There are many good elements in this production, but also some head-scratchers, or maybe that’s just part of the flea-market aesthetic of the setting. You know how you sometimes feel like you’ve picked up actual fleas after walking through a flea market? Maybe it’s just me, but I itch for a day after being dragged through antique stores and garage sales.

If you have an uncomfortable audience who are battling heat and noise distractions, it needs to be made very clear who is who and what’s going on, particularly if you have twins who are in disguise. I’m honestly not sure what the unifying concept here was. Hill people? Is that a concept? There are Dukes and Countesses, yet much of the costuming leans toward a sort of hobo motif. And in a particularly baffling makeup choice, several cast members appear to be suffering from some kind of skin condition, which is perhaps, the result of too much flea marketing.

The bottom line: the show is sold out. So I’m having a bit of fun with this review while also trying to steer those of you with tickets in the right direction. Read a synopsis beforehand. Bring a personal fan. Wear a Speedo or bikini, no judgment. And maybe pack some antifungal cream, just in case the skin condition is catching.

I’m glad I went. I’m equally glad my wife bailed. I could appreciate the strengths and rely on my familiarity with Shakespeare. She doesn’t share that interest and likely would have been lost, as would anyone unfamiliar with the play.

One of the most important aspects of performing Shakespeare is conveying meaning, even when the language itself isn’t fully understood. This cast is capable of doing that. They’re just battling extensive cuts, background noise, and an audience too distracted by discomfort to fully meet them halfway.

Brick by Brick Players seems to be sort of a poor man’s Ten Thousand Things. They are doing Shakespeare, they are touring it around to make in accessible to people who might not get to see it otherwise. I don’t think this is a bad production I think it’s an interesting one that is battleing some extreme circumstances and a nasty rash.

Twelfth Night runs through July 25th at Bumbling Fools Meadery. For more information and to join the waitlist for tickets go to https://www.brickbybrickplayers.org/whoweare-1

The Cottage is a Wonderfully Light Comedy in the Style of a Noel Coward Play at the Gremlin Theatre

Corey DiNardo, Sarah Malfara, Sasha Andreev Photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography

The Cottage by Sandy Rustin is the sort of comedy Noël Coward might have written, if he were writing today, and a woman. It isn’t vulgar, but it carries a distinctly modern sensibility, freer than the comedies of manners Coward penned in the 1920s and ’30s.

The play opens in 1923 at a country cottage, where two lovers, Sylvia and Beau, have just spent a night together. We quickly learn they are both married, and, in fact are brother- and sister-in-law. In a fit of impulsive honesty, Sylvia has sent telegrams to their respective spouses confessing the affair, assuming she and Beau will simply move on and marry each other. Naturally, this decision brings those spouses, and a few surprise guests, crashing onto the scene. To reveal more would spoil the fun, but suffice it to say this is an old-fashioned farce with a decidedly modern, feminist edge.

Sarah Malfara opens and closes the play alone on stage as Sylvia. At first, her performance feels overly mannered, but it soon becomes clear this is intentional, Sylvia is “playing house,” posing within a role of her own creation. As revelations unfold, Malfara gradually strips away that façade. By the end, she has transformed from a fluttering romantic into a clear-eyed woman firmly in control of her own narrative. It’s a terrific turn from an actor I was previously unfamiliar with, and Malfara keeps the audience constantly reassessing both her performance and Sylvia herself.

All Is Calm alum Sasha Andreev puts his dashing good looks to excellent use as Beau, a man who clearly has no trouble attracting women. Andreev is as adept at turning on the charm as he is at landing sharp comedic beats, particularly in his well played exits after a confrontation with a potentially deadly visitor. Mira Davis, as the delightfully unpredictable Dierdre, makes the most of every entrance (often from unexpected places) and mines plenty of laughs from her character’s… incapacitated state. Corey DiNardo (Clarke) and Shana Eisenberg (Marjorie), the wronged spouses, most strongly evoke the classic 1920s British comedy-of-manners style, while still sneaking in some wonderfully surprising flourishes. And Chance Carroll, as Richard, delivers one of the evening’s biggest surprises with a transformation that once again upends expectations.

The Cottage is a light but thoroughly delightful comedy, packed with unexpected twists, entrances, and revelations. Just when it has exhausted its surprises, it lands on a message that feels fully earned. Director Brian Balcom captures the spirit of a Noël Coward comedy with precision while allowing Rustin’s modern voice to shine through.

The Cottage runs through August 2 at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets, visit https://gremlintheatre.org/the-cottage/

The Great River Shakespeare Festival Takes Us Into the Past on the Road to the Future: This Years Shows A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Pericles, Prince of Tyre.

The Stages of MN, MN Theater Love, Cherry and Spoon, and Mrs. The Stages of MN at The Great River Shakespeare Festival

This is my fourth year attending the Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF), and more than ever, it felt like returning to a much-loved community, like reuniting with friends. That’s what makes this festival so special: it’s small enough, and the company engages with the public on such an intimate level, that you feel like more than just an audience member, you feel like part of the community. There are so many ways to engage with the company that the experience becomes more than just attending a performance.

Forty-five minutes before each show, the student understudies perform the Green Show. These scenes are designed to tune your ear to Shakespeare’s verse and wrap up with an entertaining introduction to the characters, plot, and world of the play you’re about to see. After every Friday and Saturday evening performance, there’s a free ice cream social where you can enjoy a treat and mingle with the cast, crew, and festival staff. On Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m., there’s a Company Conversation, an time where anyone can engage with a panel of artists about a variety of topics. All of these events are free and have been part of the festival long before I began making the trek to Winona.

What’s new this year, and especially exciting, is the festival’s move to a permanent home at The ARC, which is Home of the Historic Masonic Theatre. Previously held on the campus of Winona State University, this move allows them, among other things, to sell concessions, snacks, drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, including an N/A beer option, for which I’m very grateful. The Guthrie could take a cue from GRSF in that regard. There’s also a gift shop with everything from T-shirts and books to William Shakespeare action figures and jigsaw puzzles.

Less visible, but equally exciting, is the space itself. Its labyrinthine layout turns simply moving from the lobby to the theater into a bit of a treasure hunt, and that’s exactly what it is. Around every corner, there’s a piece of theater history: lighting fixtures, commemorative plaques, and costumes that may well be over 100 years old. My favorite find is in the upstairs bar, where you can see an old wind noise machine that, paired with a thunder sheet, once created the soundscape of a storm.

GRSF Artistic Director Doug Scholz-Carlson & Wind Machine

My fellow Twin Cities theater bloggers and I were lucky enough to tour the space, and it’s full of character, because it’s really, really old. With that character come challenges. This is year one, and the GRSF team has done an incredible job preparing the space for the season. But there’s more they’d love to do in the coming years, and completing that vision will require raising three to five million dollars. So if you’ve got some extra cash, $25, $50, $1.2 million, this would be a great place to donate: https://www.grsf.org/donate-now.

The shows! I won’t go into full synopses or in-depth reviews, I know this is already a long article. But what I’ve found over four years and nine productions is this: like Ten Thousand Things in Minneapolis, this company seems incapable of producing a Shakespeare play that isn’t among the best you’ll ever see. Whether you know the plays or not, you will be entertained and enriched.

*Pericles, Prince of Tyre* Photo by Dan Norman

First up is Pericles, Prince of Tyre, a play I had neither read nor seen before attending opening weekend. Not one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed works, partly because he only wrote the second half, which sent me down a fascinating rabbit hole about Shakespearean collaborations. Pericles is also a perfect example of why we’re still performing Shakespeare over 400 years after his death: as the world changes and artists revisit the work, we find new ways of interpreting and presenting these plays. Director Shaun Patrick Tubbs makes smart adaptations that bring clarity and emotional depth, both of which resonated strongly with the audience.

Someone described Pericles over the weekend as “Shakespeare’s greatest hits.” It’s got ships, storms, people separated by ships and storms. Really, the only thing missing is a set of twins. There’s love, pirates, attempted murder, a character unknowingly buried alive, human trafficking, incest, and even divine intervention. And near the end, Will Sturdivant as Pericles, had me in tears during a reunion scene. The ensemble of eight company members, who perform all roles in both this and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, are among the finest Shakespearean performers you’ll see. Sturdivant stands out here, as does Melissa Maxwell as Helicanus, Pericles’ advisor, who also takes on the narrator function (traditionally Gower). It’s a brilliant consolidation that improves clarity and pacing. Maxwell transitions seamlessly between character and narrator, commanding both spaces with authority and wit.

Benjamin Boucvalt and Tarah Flanagan (who played Hamlet in one of the best productions I’ve ever seen! which was at the GRSF in 2024) bring welcome humor to roles that could easily be played dark and serious. That balance is key to why this production works so well.

Karl Gfall’s scenic and props design makes full use of the stage, extending into the wings with representational elements, a ship’s bow and stern, sails upstage, that evoke setting without overwhelming it. When the action moves to land, branches root us in place. And in a particularly striking moment, lighting designer Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz transforms those branches into flashes of lightning during a storm at sea.

*A Midsummer Night’s Dream* Photo by Dan Norman

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is delightful, on par with the Guthrie wonderful production from last year. I may need to return to Winona just to see it again, thanks to a clever casting choice: Will Sturdivant and Tarah Flanagan alternate the roles of Bottom and Peter Quince. I saw Sturdivant as Bottom, and he was fantastic, but Flanagan’s take on Quince was so distinct and funny that I’m very curious to see what her Bottom looks like… oh behave!

Once again, the entire cast shines. Michael Fitzpatrick is an excellent Puck, with great instincts for pacing and a knack for stretching moments when needed. Among the young lovers, all strong, Annie Barbour stands out as a gifted physical comic. That physicality aligns beautifully with director Doug Scholz-Carlson’s concept of setting the play as if performed by a theatrical troupe in 1908, the year the ARC building was constructed. The comedy leans into the style of silent film-era performers, a connection reinforced by the sound and lighting design from Matthew Tibbs and Avery Reagan.

The most exquisite design element, however, is the set of painted drops, remnants from Masonic rituals. These lush backdrops shift and deepen under changing light, creating a sense of dimension that’s truly magical. Even more remarkable: the fly system is still functional, allowing these pieces to shine.

The Great River Shakespeare Festival isn’t just an opportunity to see exceptional Shakespeare, it’s a chance to step into the past. In this new space, it feels like experiencing theater as it might have been a century ago. It’s a treat.

The festival runs through July 26 in Winona, MN. For more information and tickets, visit https://www.grsf.org/2026-season. For more coverage watch for more coverage from M’Colleagues at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/ and https://www.mntheaterlove.com/