Maybe You Could Love Me a World Premiere From Theater Mu

Ashembaga Jaafaru and Sushma Saha Photo by Rich Ryan

One of the things I love about seeing so many productions is the different cultural perspectives I get to see the world through. The shows Theater Mu presents during its season are great examples of this. Maybe You Could Love Me by Samah Meghjee gives us an inside look into the lives of two young Muslim girls, Noor and Sajida, who are best friends. The play explores topics familiar to us as coming of age themes but through their specific cultural lens. It highlights what is universal about the human experience while also reflecting the unique ways in which our environment effects the ways in which we process those experiences. Like many white midwesterners, I know far too little about Islam, so while I’m not always sure what the characters are referring to specifically, Meghjee’s script provides enough context for me to understand what is happening without ever feeling like I’m being spoon fed information. We are simply observing the relationship between Noor and Sajida through time, seeing how their relationship develops through glimpses into three different ages 8, 17, and 26. It explores sexuality with a frankness that feels genuine and completely non-exploitative. Maybe You Could Love Me is a fascinating exploration of how friendship, queerness, and culture intermingle in the lives of these two young women.

Katie Bradley, who directs the show, is becoming a very strong Director with a clear understanding of how to communicate the growing and changing relationships between characters. Her last effort Stop Kiss, also for Theater Mu, also focused on two young women navigating their sexuality and relationship over multiple time periods. Bradley’s experience as an Actor is a strength in helping her guide these stories which focus on relationships and the connections between the characters. You can see her sensitivity towards the actor’s process in the way she stages the transitions between scenes. Building in time for Ashembaga Jaafaru and Sushma Saha, who play Noor and Sajida, to reset and center themselves into the next age as they change costume on stage. I do want to also note how much I enjoyed the spacious set by Scenic Designer Mina Kinukawa, which even features a bathroom that pushes out from the back wall complete with shower that is used to great effect.

There are other characters in the play that appear only via voices heard through the door to Noor’s room or on a telephone, but this is essentially a two hander between Jaafaru and Saha. Both performers handle the age shifts effectively, finding little touches to show us how they have changed as well as how they have remained the same over the 18 years which the play spans. It’s interesting to note through the script and the performances how the characters have swapped places in key ways. The younger Noor is the more adventurous of the two the one who is less strict with following the tenants of her religion. While Sajida the more timid and more apt to worry about whether something is allowed or isn’t. By the end it is Noor who has fallen inline with the cultural expectations of her community, while Sajida has chosen to follow more of her own path. This also reflects the status of their home lives, where Noor’s family is intact, Sajida’s parents are divorced and her father is uninvolved in her life. Jaafaru and Saha have an very natural intimacy between them which establishes them quickly in the minds of the audience as girls who have known each other since before they can even remember. The final scene plays all the more powerfully because of the bond we feel between them in the scenes from Act 1. Saha as faithful viewers of the YouTube show know is a Stages of MN favorite and they are well matched with Jaafaru. These are two very strong performances that make Maybe You Could Love Me a powerful play that speaks to everyone, while also allowing us a better understanding into Muslim culture.

Maybe You Could Love Me runs through September 28th at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatermu.org/maybe

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithms to ensure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

The Stages of MN YouTube Channel is home of the weekly The Stages of MN Show which you can view by clicking on this link https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the latest episodes and Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Pride & Prejudice Rocks Out At Theatre in the Round

Erika Sasseville, Eva Gemlo, Maya Vagle, Stephanie Kahle, Davin Grandstaff Photo by Tom Taintor

Wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I make the commitment to see less shows, I see one that I want to go back and see again. When I talk about pointing people towards shows that will make them want to see more theater, this is what I’m talking about. Playwright Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice condenses and changes some details but, in the most faithful was possible. What remains untouched is the spirit of Jane Austen’s novel which was written over 200 years ago but feels as if it was written only yesterday. Those unfamiliar with Austen’s works might feel as though it has been completely modernized and Miss Elizabeth Bennett may feel like a character out of time but that is simply because Austen’s writing, especially in terms of female characters, was ahead of it’s time. Director and co-Sound Designer Penelope Parsons-Lord injects the play with a healthy dose of bold and unabashed energy, utilizing pop songs with confidence. It’s the sort of staging that feels like a risk that paid off, resulting in a show that made you want to get up and join the dancing. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a musical version of the story. The music takes place between scenes and during various Balls for the most part.

All the pop songs in the world won’t elevate a show without strong performances. Pride & Prejudice has a great cast including several new to me Actors. First and foremost without a strong Lizzy Bennett you’re lost. This production, my first stage show of Pride & Prejudice, though I’ve seen several screen adaptation, features what might possibly be my favorite Lizzy. Eva Gemlo’s performance as Lizzy is sublime, the perfection of which cannot be overstated. It’s a performance perfectly attuned to Theater in the Round’s intimate space. Relying as much on subtle facial expressions and body language as it does on line readings. Gemlo projects Lizzy’s intelligence, wit, and independent spirit while also inviting the audience into her inner feelings, key to building that moment of vicarious joy one feels when Austen’s characters finally realize and find their love. The entire cast is strong including Luke Langfeldt who gets the duality of Mr Darcy. It’s key that we find him as arrogant as Lizzy does in the beginning, and equally as key that we buy the characters growth and are excited by the change in their feelings towards each other. With a knowing nod to the famous Colin Firth performance, he gets his own dripping wet shirt scene. There are some great comic performances, that bring out the playwright and Directors comedic flourishes. Mary Lofreddo plays Miss de Bourgh whose face we never see but whose expressive black rubber gloved hands look like something out of a horror film. Michael Hundevad plays Mr. Bingley as if he were a puppy dog, an aspect played up with a ball as his favorite prop. But the standout of the supporting Actors is Stephanie Kahle as Mary Bennett. Kahle’s expressive eyes are fixed in a hard stare, creating a sense of uneasiness in the her fellow characters whom she is constantly startling. Much humor is derived from Kahle’s unpredictable and often clueless behavior as Mary.

Theatre in the Round’s production of Pride & Prejudice is a high-spirited and fast paced comedy with heart. Fans of Austen’s work will be thrilled by the production which ramps up the humor without losing a bit of the heart that is so crucial to Austen’s work. It’s also a great gateway show to people who don’t normally attend theater or think they wouldn’t enjoy a Jane Austen adaptation. This will shatter an audiences own prejudices about what a romantic play set in the early 1800’s will look like. I strongly encourage the bringing of teenagers and young adults who maybe haven’t been exposed to theater. This is the kind of show that often leads to regular theater attendance. Pride & Prejudice runs through October 5th at Theatre in the Round Players in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/prideandprejudice/

Come Back, Little Sheba Is a Riveting and Dark & Stormy Production At Gremlin Theatre

Peter Christian Hansen and Sara Marsh Photo by Alyssa Kristine

Come Back, Little Sheba the latest from Dark & Stormy Productions is a strong play featuring some truly great performances from it’s leads Peter Christian Hansen and Sara Marsh. Marsh is miscast as a frumpy overweight housewife, but she’s so good that I prefer to say the fault is with the script that tries to insist the character has those qualities. Marsh finds here own way to accomplish what playwright William Inġe wanted from the character. While I’ve never seen the play before or the 1952 film adaptation, I suspect that Marsh’s interpretation is deeper and more nuanced because she doesn’t rely on that outdated archetype. Hansen and Marsh play Doc and Lola who have been married for twenty years. Doc is almost one year sober, but the presence of their renter, a young college student named Marie, begins to weigh upon Doc’s sobriety. It isn’t the cliche of the older man tempted by the young vibrant woman, it’s the memories her lifestyle brings to the surface. The career as a Doctor that he had to give up when Lola got Pregnant and they had to marry.

Hansen plays Doc as a man working the program, who is making amends to his wife by maintaining a pleasant attitude and being helpful. He is the one making sure that the breakfast is ready for Lola and Marie, trying to make everything run smoothly. He projects a virtue on Marie that isn’t there and feels unrealistic by todays standards. When he realizes she is a normal girl, it brings forth old doubts and repressed guilt about his and Lola’s start in life. He gets every aspect from the sobriety to the slip just right. Marsh slowly reveals the cracks in Lola’s confidence, her uncertainty about how to reconnect with Doc. We see hints of someone recovering from the trauma of living with a substance abuser. When she realizes the Whiskey bottle has vanished and Doc is late coming home, the fears and anxieties come in glimpses and waves. But like all partners of addicts she has to keep his secrets and hide what she is afraid has happened from Marie and others. Marsh shows us in that moment how every choice she has made performance wise up to that point has all stemmed from these moments. It’s a portrayal that seems deceptively simple at the start only to be revealed by the end to be an intricately crafted and complex performance. She give us a character that longs for connections but has been forced into a world of isolation, who clings to hope through the belief that her dog Sheba, who has been missing for months will come home one of these days.

Come Back, Little Sheba runs through September 7th at The Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.darkstormy.org/current-production-1

Henry V Gets Some Radical Changes From Jackdonkey Productions

Henry V is one of the Shakespeare history plays that I am fairly familiar with have seen it produced on stage twice now and seen three screen adaptations. I have certainly never seen it done like this. The story of King Henry V of England and his war to conquer France has been used as propaganda for war and against it. Here it is seen through the lens of how the decisions of flawed men have profound effects on the people over which they rule. This is a valid viewpoint and is a way to make the play speak to our times. Shakespeare’s works are so rich and out of copyright that they become easy to adapt in a way that highlights the message a Director wishes to convey without departing the text simply by how you cut it and play it. Here Director Zach Christensen makes some bold choices which are mostly successful, but occasionally perplexing.

First off, the show adds close to a half a dozen songs but not sung throughout, only at the opening of the first Act and after intermission. The songs are well performed by the cast and I get the vibe what they are going for. While not being detrimental to the production, the songs don’t really integrate into the play, but more like live pre-show of music meant to set the tone. There may also be too many of them but they are enjoyable. The biggest and most bizarre change is the inclusion of Falstaff who does not appear in the original play though he does die offstage. Now adding some flashbacks or prologue with Falstaff is not unheard of, in his film version Kenneth Branagh includes several flashback scenes with Falstaff. But here Falstaff is seen in scenes from the Henry IV plays, much as his characters is in those plays, which is a comical character for the most part. But then he actually replaces the role of the Duke of Exeter jettisoning for the most part the traits we associate with Falstaff and playing it as you would Exeter. There is one scene in which the reason for the change became clear and made a certain amount of sense if you wanted to play the scene that way. But it still results in Falstaff for the most part acting completely out of character for most of the play. It’s a questionable choice that kept taking me out of the performance.

The play is well cast even Dominic Schiro as Falstaff is very good, despite the puzzling choice of who he was playing. David Michaeli is very good as King Henry, tackling some very famous speeches and successfully making them his own. It’s a very strong cast with some wonderful and surprisingly humorous performances. Standouts were Amanda Espinoza as among other roles Fluellen, who is the Welsh captain of a contingent of Henry’s army. Noah Hynick, who must be on loan from Lyric Arts, as the Dauphin of France is hilarious as he tries to outbrag his fellow French noblemen on the eve of the battle of Agincourt. Bradley Johnson and Eden Fahy, are particularly good in the the song sections of the show. Overall it’s an exciting and unusual production and while every gamble doesn’t pay off there’s no denying it’s a very interesting and engaging production. The fun thing about Shakespeare is that you can be bold and try new things and I applaud Director Christensen for making some bold choices. Fans of Shakespeare will have seen faithful productions in the past and will enjoy seeing Jackdonkey play around with things. I think it will also appeal to those who aren’t that into a Shakespeare History play as it does what it can to be kinda radical and accessible to all.

Henry V runs through 8/18/25 at Theatre in the Round. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/jackdonkeyproductions/henry-v-jackdonkey-productions

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to ensure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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.

I’ve officially launched The Stages of MN YouTube Channel which you can view by clicking on this link. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the weekly episodes. Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Minnesota Fringe Day 11 (Final Day): Rat Mass, The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch! The Wickie(The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner).

We Did it!!! At least those of us who attended the Minnesota Fringe Festival this year did. I Saw 48 shows over 10 days, only missing one day entirely for a Wednesday evening Minnesota United game. On the final day of Fringe I also attended a Minnesota United game, but was able to fit in two shows before the game and then get back for a show in the final slot on Sunday and to attend the closing night party and awards ceremony. August 20th will be our official 2025 Minnesota Fringe Wrap Up episode rather than as originally announced “What the Hell’s a Theater Blogger”, which we’ll save for a future episode. Speaking of Theater Bloggers and awards, I want to give a shout out to my friend and fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger in good standing Kendra Plant who writes Artfully Engaging which you can read and subscribe to here https://www.kendraplant.com/blog-artfully-engaging. Kendra was a first time producer at this years Minnesota Fringe festival with her show The Kendra Plant Variety Hour: Good Things Edition! -with special guests-, which won a Golden Lanyard Award!!! We’ll have a rundown of all of the award winners on that next episode of The Stages of MN YouTube Show and Podcast. Here are my reviews for the three shows I saw on the final day!

Rat Mass, would probably have gotten my vote for The Spirit of the Fringe Award had I seen it before the last day. This show is full of the type of audience participation I can really get behind. There is never any pressure or coaxing, if you wanted to participate you could, if not you were never threatened with shunning or excommunication. Rat Mass takes the form of a service of the Church of Ratology. Which worships the rat as the ideal form of life. During the sermon communion will be given, three offerings will be taken, with the winner of the best offering being crowned. At the service I attended the winner put in an epipen. There are also hymes led by the rat chorus and you could choose to be baptized into the church at the end by having your face dipped into a bowl of Apple Cider Vinegar. I was not baptized, but I did drink the Apple Cider vinegar that was offered as communion, the taste of which took about 2 hours to fully leave my mouth. The Ministers of the Church of Ratology Joseph Bryant and Perry Letourneau are very charismatic and game for just about anything. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/rat-mass

The Jaws That Bite, the Claws That Catch! is a play by Edwin Strout which begins with a character played by Strout expressing his adoration of the poem “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. It then quickly devolves into fragmented conversations with his best friend played by David Denninger and an ex girlfriend played by Anna Olson. We take these conversations, at first, as ones that are taking place in chronological order. But soon, we begin to realize they are memories or perhaps even just delusions occurring within Strout’s mind. The poem, perhaps the most famous nonsense poem in the english language, though originally written and published over a decade earlier appeared in Carroll’s sequel to Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass. The nonsensical nature of the poem fits in well with the mirror world into which Alice ventures in the book. But when Strout tries to apply real world meaning and understanding to the work, we feel that it has perhaps shattered his mind. Strouts performance is convincing and one of the strongest of the festival. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/the-jaws-that-bite-the-claws-that-catch-

The Wickie is a solo clowning show by Richie Whitehead. What’s a Wickie you ask? A Wickie is a person who looks after a lighthouse and keeps the light (it’s wick) lit. It opens with the Wickie confronting the Ocean (pronounced Oh Shawn) for stealing his left shoe. We do get some audience participation, but again it’s very consensual. This was a fantastic way to end the festival and I’m glad I decided to rush back after my game and catch one more show. The Wickie is a great show for the whole family, full of laughs, with clever and deceptively simple gags. It’s the type of show where you think “that’s such a simple thing, but it’s so funny”. Its good natured silliness, and Whitehead’s precise physical humor made this the final The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/the-wickie

That’s it for day Eleven and in fact the Minnesota Fringe Festival itself. You can click on the Fringe website here to get details on all of the shows https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025. Don’t forget to tune into The Stages of MN YouTube channel or podcast on or around 8/20 for The MN Fringe Festival wrap up episode https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN

Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Zephyr Theatre’s Robin Hood Steals From the Rich and Gives to the Audience

Robin Hood by Greg Banks marks the directorial debut of Twin Cities Actor and Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) Member Reed Sigmund. His greatest gift as a Director is in the casting of the play and then empowering that cast to bring their own voices to their characters and the production. The character work in this show is strong and so funny that one doesn’t know if it’s the script or the performers that make it so hysterical. This version of the Robin Hood tale is framed by a homeless camp sequence in which the four actors playing unhoused people share with the audience the legendary story, which they then enact. The Set Design and all of the costumes come from items that one might expect to be found discarded in such an encampment. There’s no note in the program of who is responsible for those aspects but they are well found and add to the surreal feel of this adventurous retelling. These aspects add a touch of appropriate timeliness to what is mostly a hilarious entertainment. I loved Sherwood when I saw it a couple of years ago at Theatre in the Round, which also featured the comedic genius of Jeffrey Nolan. I think this version of Robin Hood is my new favorite comedic take on the folklore hero. The Temperature was 109 in the shade and everyone in the audience was so entertained but what we were seeing that we forgot to even sweat.

The usual question my wife and I always ask each other is who was your favorite. But as you might expect, the question this time is who was your favorite character played by Jeffrey Nolan? I’m going to go with Prince John, but the five other characters tie as a close second. Nolan is enough to get me to any production as faithful readers will no doubt have realized by now. A more original and unique comedic voice you will not find, it feels like only a matter of time before we see him on SNL. What pushes this show into the stratosphere is the rest of the cast. Finding four other performers who aren’t going to be overshadowed by Nolan, particularly in a comedy where he plays about six different parts including a horse, seven if you include a remarkable, though brief, portrayal of a deer, is an amazing feat. But that’s what we have here. Grace Hillmyer, who readers will also be familiar with as someone who has impressed us in every role we’ve seen her in since first coming to our attention in Kinky Boots at Lyric Arts, plays among other roles Maid Marian. Hillmyer again shows us a new side of herself and her talent with this comedic side that previous roles had only hinted at.

Two of the performers I wasn’t familiar with is Antonisia Collins who plays Robin Hood, and Brandon Brooks as the Sheriff of Nottingham. From what I gather Collins has been racking up small supporting roles at CTC, well. I hope the people at CTC see this production because Collins is clearly ready for leads, which I hope to see her in again very very soon. Brooks, had apparently stepped away from acting a bit, clearly on stage is where he belongs. He is the villain of the piece, but the kind of villain you kinda love to watch. It feels like we are watching the convergence of the next group of actors that will be the ones who move on to bigger cities (please don’t) or are the ones we see constantly working at all the big theaters around town. The cast is rounded out by Jay Scoggin, who has a few small roles but mostly plays live music and provides sound effects throughout the show, which is such a fun treat, I love a live musical score in a play, especially when they are on stage and you can watch them creating the soundscape. When Scoggin does join in the show, he’s as funny as the others and very protective of his Skittles.

The Zephyr Theatre’s production of Robin Hood Runs through August 3rd at Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater, MN. It’s performed in the great outdoors which reminded me of my childhood theater going experiences at Trollwood Park in Fargo, ND. This is another great show to take the whole family too, but don’t think on it too long as there is just one more weekend to catch it. For more information and to purchase tickets either the chair seats or bring your own chair go to https://www.stillwaterzephyrtheatre.org/home/#events

I’ve officially launched The Stages of MN YouTube Channel which you can view by clicking on this link. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the intro videos and the weekly episodes. Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Episode 6: The Stages of MN “Good Things Edition” With Special Guest Kendra Plant

Faithful readers, if you aren’t already faithful viewers, what are you waiting for? click here for the latest episode https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode6YT. Or listen to the podcast version here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode6Podcast. On which The Stages of MN chats with fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Kendra Plant of Artfully Engaging https://www.kendraplant.com/blog-artfully-engaging about her upcoming https://minnesotafringe.org/ Show. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/the-kendra-plant-variety-hour-good-things-edition-with-special-guests

My MN Honest Reviews are Love and Baseball running through 7/28 at Artistry in Bloomington click here for tickets https://artistrymn.org/loveandbaseball and the 10th Anniversary production of Glensheen running through 7/27 at History Theatre, click here for those tickets https://www.historytheatre.com/2024-2025/glensheen

Follow me on Facebook / thestagesofmn and Instagram / thestagesofmn The show will also be available tomorrow in podcast form at https://robdunkelberger.podbean.com/ or wherever you enjoy podcasts