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.

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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 Prom is the Feel Good Musical Blast of the Summer! Lyric Arts, I Just Wanna Dance With You!

One thing Bloggings taught me, is how much people enjoy a show! And so it’s got me debating how this review should go. Audiences will be reading, how Lyric Arts’ Production is. What I must say is, They built a show for everyone! And It’s just so damn fun. The music soars, the dancers score and my unruly eyes wept.

The Prom will always have a special place in my heart for a lot of reasons. It’s one of the cast albums that I throw on fairly regularly, because every song is good. A lot of them stir up some powerful, joyful emotions; others make you want to get up and dance. They all make me want to sing along. The National Tour was a blast and had me and the entire audience on our feet dancing. In my review at the time, I wrote, “I haven’t left the theater this high on a show since Come From Away.” I could absolutely say the same thing in this review, thanks to the Guthrie’s brilliant production of that show this summer. The Chanhassen Dinner Theatres production I saw twice, the second time, I led a talkback afterwards where I had the honor to share the stage with the late, great Michael Brindisi and several members of that incredible cast. This is by far the smallest production I’ve seen, but that in no way diminishes it. This production of The Prom reminded me of how much I love this show.

I’ve heard people whose opinions I respect, people who know more about musical theater than I ever will, dismiss The Prom. But I choose to open my unruly heart to the sheer joy that this show embodies. This show is a blast and it’s really hard for me to imagine anyone not having just about the time of their life with it.

The Prom tells the story of a small town in Indiana that has cancelled the prom rather than let a high school student, Emma, take her girlfriend as her date. It opens with Dee Dee and Barry, actors who are past their prime, headlining a show, Eleanor! The Eleanor Roosevelt Musical, whose opening night is also going to be its closing night. They grasp onto the story in Indiana as a way to raise their profiles and rehab their unlikeable image. Along with fellow actors Trent and Angie, these thespians descend upon a meeting where Emma, along with her principal, Mr. Hawkins, is trying to convince the PTA to reverse their decision. What begins as a co-opting of Emma’s dilemma for their own narcissistic reasons will ultimately help all of them deal with their own issues. Emma will have her ups and downs, as will her closeted girlfriend Alyssa Green, whose mother is the head of the PTA. It’s a story that pokes gentle, loving fun at theatrical types while also dealing with the very real issue of intolerance toward, and the need for inclusion of, LGBTQ-identifying individuals. It shows us the ugly side of human nature, but it is about the courage to be who you are, and is ultimately very uplifting.

I’m going to single out a few members of the cast that I just want to spotlight for different reasons, but again, this is a show that, if you, faithful readers, had the patience, and I didn’t need to sleep at some point, I could talk about everyone in the cast. They are all amazing. First off, I have to mention Andrew Newman as Barry Glickman. Newman is outstanding in the role and will be getting a TCTB Award nomination from me come the end of the year for this performance. Every facial expression, every line reading, every dance step, and every lyric sung is perfection. Imani Harris as Emma is a revelation. I guess I saw her in Big Fish at Lyric Arts last fall, but other than that she is new to me, and one to watch. Her vocals are impressive, and she had me tearing up at about three different points in the show. Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Colin Perucco, who plays Principal Hawkins. Perucco is familiar, but his bio didn’t give me any clues as to where I’ve seen him before. But man, this guy has something. I can’t put my finger on it, but I was really impressed by him. He just seemed perfect in the role, believable, caring, and brilliant at being the grounded counterpoint to the more eccentric thespian characters. I never saw him acting, he just seemed to exist in the story.

Director Amanda White has an eye for finding humor in the reactions of the characters who are not the focus of the scene. It’s what separates a great production from a good one. There is more happening in the world of the story than just the information we are being fed. The nuances that come out about characters, when everyone is bringing something to every scene, whether they are speaking, singing, or just in the background, is what makes a show come to life. The other aspect that brings this production to another level is the choreography by Lauri Kraft and Michael Terrell Brown. I feel like there is more dancing in this production than I remember in previous ones. It’s fast, precise, and on more than one occasion comedically inspired. Like Brown’s work in Mamma Mia! earlier this year at Lyric Arts, the choreography almost feels like another character in the show; it has so much personality.

If this show doesn’t sell out most of its run like Mamma Mia! did, I would be very surprised. Of course, there is the whole LGBTQ aspect, and this is the suburbs. I remember writing in my review of the CDT production, “Is it weird to say you are proud of a theatre? Maybe, but it’s how I feel about CDT’s decision to produce The Prom.” And you know what, Lyric Arts? I’m proud of you too!

The Prom runs through August 9th at Lyric Arts in Anoka. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get to from Minneapolis, but believe me, this production is worth the drive. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://www.lyricarts.org/prom

The Great Gatsby Dazzles at the Orpheum Theatre

The Great Gatsby NA Tour Company Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

The Great Gatsby, the classic American novel written by Minnesota native F. Scott Fitzgerald, gets a splashy Broadway musical adaptation. The style of the era and the excesses of the lives of its characters work in this medium, even if the subject matter seems a little dark. Those familiar with the book, which I’m surprised to discover is not as many people as I thought, will understand it doesn’t have a happily-ever-after ending. When I was a young whipper-snapper, we read books in school; apparently that isn’t the thing anymore. Or perhaps they are being assigned other books instead of what many consider to be one of the greatest novels ever written. You know, maybe they are being assigned Twilight instead. If you missed out on the novel, know that this is a fairly faithful adaptation, even incorporating some of the major imagery from the book.

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, who throws loud, lavish parties which he himself doesn’t attend. After receiving an invite 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 is an asshole who 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. Trying not to spoil the plot for the vast number of you who apparently are unfamiliar with it, I’ll just say that, like the novel, the play 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.

There was a lot to like about this production, and probably the top selling point is the production design. Everything from costumes by Linda Cho to the set and projection design by Paul Tate DePoo III, and lighting by Brian Ronan, works seamlessly together. The projections had a three-dimensional quality to them and were coordinated with practical set pieces, sometimes to the point where you weren’t sure which layers were real and which were projections. A favorite lighting cue that really stood out was where the eyes of a billboard at the gas station, as everything fades to black in the scene, even the billboard, except for the eyes, which continue to shine for a couple of additional seconds.

The songs varied nicely in style. Some, like “Roaring On,” had a very Jazz Age feel to them; others, like “For Her” and “My Green Light,” are beautifully touching and romantic. One song, “The Met,” really showcased Joshua Grosso, who plays Nick, and his almost physics defying movement. Grosso, along with playing the best character, was my favorite in the cast. Jake David Smith, who plays Jay Gatsby, achieves things vocally that one might expect would require surgery at a young age to achieve, the upper registers he reaches are impressive. The role requires someone with a very high upper range, which must limit the casting possibilities. Senzel Ahmady and Leanne Robinson, as Daisy and Jordan, are both strong vocally as well as great dancers. The choreography by Dominique Kelley really kicks in during the second act, which includes a very fun and energetic tap number.

The Great Gatsby won the Tony Award in 2024 for Best Costume Design, with most of its other various award nominations also recognizing its design elements. That really is the main selling point on this one. Though everything else is of solid quality, it is the design work that sticks with you.

The Great Gatsby runs through June 7th at Hennepin Arts’ Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://hennepinarts.org/events/the-great-gatsby

The Most Happy Fella a Joyful and Moving Musical Bursting With Life From Ten Thousand Things

Suzie Juul and Pedro R. Bayón Photo by Glen Stubbe

“If there is one theater company in the Twin Cities that I trust enough to go into a show blind with zero reservations, it’s Ten Thousand Things (TTT). I knew nothing but the title and the cast when I stepped into the makeshift theater-in-the-round space at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, one of almost two dozen venues in which they are performing The Most Happy Fella. Adapted into a musical by Frank Loesser in 1956 from a 1924 play named They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard, it doesn’t feel 70 years old. I would not have been shocked to learn it was a new work. But then, that’s kinda what TTT does, they make whatever they are doing feel new. The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene indivisible, or poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. For the law of writ and the liberty, these are the only men and women. Yeah, they give good Shakespeare too!

The Most Happy Fella opens in a restaurant at closing time in San Francisco. The two waitresses, Cleo and her friend, are commiserating over their aching feet, the lack of tips, and the lecherous boss they have to fend off. Cleo’s friend receives a jeweled tie pin as a tip, along with a note from a man named Tony, who, not knowing her name, calls her Rosabella and asks her to send him a postcard. The scene then jumps to four months later in the Napa Valley, on Tony’s grape farm, where he receives his latest letter from his Rosabella. She has sent him a photograph, and he prepares to send her one as well. The problem is she is a young and beautiful woman; he is a much older man who does not consider himself handsome. At the last minute, he switches his photo for one of his handsome young foreman, Joe. A little while later, she has agreed to marry him and is arriving on the train. Tony is frightened that she will be angry with him for his deceit. On the way to pick her up at the station, he has an accident and breaks his leg. Rosabella, at first, upon learning of the switch, is determined to leave before realizing that she has no money and no place to go back to, and so she agrees to marry the injured Tony. Tony senses she is unhappy and sends for her friend Cleo, offering her a job where she never has to stand again, so that Rosabella will have a friend.

Tony is played by Pedro R. Bayón as a man full of life and happiness who loses his way for a bit after the accident. With the guilt of his misrepresentation, he thinks he can finally see himself through Rosabella’s eyes and believes his dreams were absurd. What shines through is his innate kindness and genuine love for Rosabella, and as he convinces himself that she couldn’t love him, she begins to love him. Bayón is the heart and soul of the production, to be sure. Before the dawn, he experiences his darkest moments, but his heart and love win out over meaner emotions. It is a moment that brought this reviewer to tears, and I felt a genuine connection with Bayon’s Tony.

This is one of those casts where you cannot pick a favorite, as everyone is so good, and there are slightly too many in the cast to talk about them all individually. Several of the cast members also play instruments during the musical numbers under the music direction of Isabella Dawis. The music in this show seems to live in a space between opera and musical theater, though leaning heavily toward the musical theater end of that spectrum. At times, even though you are sitting in a large, brightly lit room in a church in Minneapolis, you swear you can almost smell the aroma of Italian dishes being prepared for the wedding banquet and feel the sun on your face, surrounded by Tony’s vineyard. Though the cast is only seven actors, it feels like you are part of this vibrant community, especially during songs like “Standing on the Corner” and “Abbondanza,” where the energy is joyful and bursting with life.

As TTT’s new Artistic Director and the Director of this show, Caitlin Lowans finishes her first season with this triumphant production. It’s the start of a new era for TTT, and I’m now entirely confident that all of these precious ten thousand things are in good hands. Joyful and moving doesn’t just describe this show, but this theater company itself.”—

A Most Happy Fella runs through June 7th at various locations around the Twin Cities. For more information such as locations and to purchase tickets go to https://tenthousandthings.org/

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The Boy Who Cried a Solo Show With Just Three More Performances Is Not to be Missed

The Boy Who Cried is Em Adam Rosenberg’s first solo show. Faithful readers will know what a huge fan I am of Rosenberg, dating back to the first time I saw them onstage in the early days of The Stages of MN, in Theatre Pro Rata’s production of Top Girls at the Crane Theatre. So of course I was there for their first solo show, one that Rosenberg not only performs, but wrote as well.

As the title suggests, the piece uses the familiar lesson turned bedtime story of the boy who cried wolf as a launching point to explore Rosenberg’s own ideas. The show is divided into two acts. The first is about 85 percent comedic, with Rosenberg addressing the audience as though we are the sheep to their shepherd boy. This shepherd has a vivid imagination and fills long, lonely hours with elaborate fantasies—like a courtroom trial in which my wife and I (as sheep) are prosecuted for public sex. Rosenberg plays prosecutor, defense attorney, witness, judge, everyone! Delivering a comedic tour de force. But at the end of the first act, what has been light and silly takes a dark turn when a wolf attacks. But is it a wolf or a wolf in men’s clothing? What has been slain sheep, or innocence?

The second act jumps 20 years into the future, exploring how the past reverberates into the present, before taking a final leap into something strange and wonderful.

The website says the production weaves a personal narrative together with the familiar fable. Part of me doesn’t want that to be true. We like to imagine that our favorite artists’ creativity comes from childhoods full of encouragement and freedom, where imagination is allowed to run wild. But more often than we’d like to admit, it comes from darker places. Just as turbulent political times, like the ones we’re living through now, can inspire great artistic work, the same is true on a personal level. For many, creation is a way to confront or purge demons; for others, it’s a sign they’ve moved beyond them, able to transform pain into art rather than let it cause harm.

I don’t know whether Rosenberg experienced the trauma the piece implies, or if this is a fable meant to help us better understand the trauma of others. Either way, it offers a more meaningful lesson than a simple story about a boy so desperate for attention that he risks the safety of his village just to be seen.

I can’t speak to Em Adam Rosenberg the person, only to the artist. And the artist has once again revealed a new dimension, this time as a writer. In one fell swoop, they demonstrate not only that they can write a great show, but that they can move fluidly between comedy, drama, and fable at a high level. Every time I see Rosenberg’s work, I discover something new to admire, another talent coming into focus.

Em, I hope you never stop surprising me. But should we ever reach the end of “new” talents to discover, it won’t matter. You will always be seen. I will always see you.

The Boy Who Cried is running randomly at The Hive Collaborative through April 26th but there are only 3 more performances and this should not be missed. For specific dates, times, and tickets go to https://www.thehivecollaborativemn.com/events/ekfp2ln88d86u7qwotd6ortatym11h

Hmong Futures: The Future of Us A World Premiere From Theater Mu.

The full cast of “HMong Futures: The Future of Us” Photo by Rich Ryan

Hmong Futures: The Future of Us is the new play by Katie Ka Vang, having its world premiere from Theater Mu. It’s the story of three generations of a Hmong American family a mother, daughter, and granddaughter. It is, to be sure, a story about family, but also about community, or our found families.

Fhoua comes to the home of her mother, Zong, whom she hasn’t spoken to in five years. We learn from a phone call with her own daughter, Maly, who is away at camp, that she has something difficult to ask her mother. We suspect she wants to ask if they can stay with her. There is a lot of information we are not privy to at first, which is gradually revealed. That withholding mirrors a key theme of the play: these characters don’t speak openly about important things, and the script reinforces that by keeping certain details from us.

The secrets matter, of course, but the real thrill of the production, and where Katie Ka Vang truly excels, is in the voice of the characters. Their exchanges, their frustrations, all ring true. The way they talk around issues, saying one thing while meaning much more than they verbalize, feels authentic and deeply observed.

The cast is fantastic at making the dialogue feel natural while conveying the unspoken meaning beneath it. Sharon Omi, as Zong, is excellent as a mother shaped by a different country and a more survival driven life. Nancy Ma is stunning as Fhoua, a woman so accustomed to avoiding conflict that she struggles to reconnect with her mother and seems ready to slip away again. Melody Her, as the 16-year-old Maly, is one to watch. This is my second time seeing Her perform, the first was in Again, also by Vang, with songs by Melissa Li, which I loved, particularly Her’s performance. A college graduate, she can still convincingly play a teenager without it ever feeling forced or artificial.

Rounding out the cast is Greg Watanabe as Unclefriend, a very funny role and part of the found family Zong has built. Mason Yang appears as Aben, a young man helping out in the cooperative Zong is part of and also staying with her. He is also 16, and he and Her share a nice scene in which they open up to each other about their family situations.

A final note on the set design by Sarah Bahr. The set places the interior of Zong’s house upstage, with her garden downstage. The characters actually garden at various points, and it beautifully blends their inner lives with their connection to nature and farming. It’s a wonderful achievement and an impressively executed design.

Hmong Futures: The Future of Us runs through May 3rd at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.theatermu.org/hmong-futures#gsc.tab=0