Twin Cities Horror Festival Days 3 & 4 Reviews: The Walls, Bay Creek, Familiar, The Neverland: a Horror Fantasia, Murder. Murder. Murder. Murder.

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.

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The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Misery at Yellow Tree Proves the Old Adage Third Times the Charm

Laura Esping and Dustin Bronson Photo by Alex Clark

I like to begin all of my reviews of Misery—and this is the third—by saying I’m Stephen King’s number one fan. Although after watching Annie Wilkes demonstrate the extremes of fandom toward writer Paul Sheldon, I’m not sure I should be so quick to claim it. I say it because it’s true, but I realize faithful readers may find the line repetitive. That was also my first reaction when I saw Yellow Tree Theatre was producing Misery again, making this the third production in as many years. There’s so much good theater I miss because I simply can’t see it all. Having already seen Misery twice since 2023—including Yellow Tree’s last staging—I thought I might skip this one. Then I saw the cast list: Laura Esping as Annie Wilkes and Dustin Bronson as Paul Sheldon. F*#%!. And so there I was once more, seated in the audience for Misery, William Goldman’s stage adaptation of King’s novel (Goldman also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 film).

The play opens with writer Paul Sheldon regaining consciousness in the home of Annie Wilkes, his self-declared “number one fan.” Disoriented, he learns he’s been rescued from a car wreck caused by a snowstorm. With both legs broken and a dislocated shoulder, he’s at the mercy of Annie, a former nurse who has splinted his injuries and dosed him with her stockpile of painkillers. But the phone lines are down, the roads impassable—or so she claims. What begins as a story of apparent salvation quickly shifts into one of entrapment. Annie’s quirks spiral into unsettling behaviors, until it becomes clear she loves Paul too much to ever let him go.

I want to tread carefully here, because I enjoyed both previous stage productions I’ve seen—Yellow Tree in 2023 and Lakeshore Players in January 2025. The actors then gave fine performances, and I praised them in my reviews. But Esping and Bronson deliver the strongest portrayals I’ve yet seen of these roles. Esping doesn’t command the physically intimidating presence of earlier performers or Kathy Bates’s iconic film version, so she wisely takes a different approach. Her Annie is less explosively menacing and more quietly dissonant, at times even comic. A scene where she clambers onto the bed to pull Paul back feels borrowed from silent film comedy, yet lands perfectly in character. She channels something closer to Julie Harris with violent mood swings—an unsettling mix that makes Annie’s darkness even more disturbing.

Bronson’s Paul Sheldon brings a sharper intelligence and freshness to a role I thought I knew inside out. I’ve read the book, seen the film in theaters when it premiered, owned it on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray, and now watched three stage productions. Yet Bronson made it feel new again. Previous actors played the part well; Bronson inhabits it. In moments, I forgot I knew the script by heart, hearing familiar lines as though for the first time. That’s an extraordinary achievement—and it’s exactly why we return to plays over and over: great actors breathe fresh life into familiar works.

As with all productions of this script, the weak link is Buster, the sheriff. That’s no fault of Chance Carroll, who plays him here. In the film, Richard Farnsworth made the role memorable, especially alongside Frances Sternhagen. The stage version drastically trims Buster’s part, leaving it underdeveloped and his fate underwhelming. Goldman might have been better off cutting the character entirely. Still, the limitation lies in the script, not the performer.

If you’ve never seen Misery, now is the time. If you have, this production is well worth revisiting for its fresh, incisive performances. Esping and Bronson prove how much a cast can transform a play.

Misery is directed by John Catron, who also helmed Yellow Tree’s 2023 production. The show runs through October 19 at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. For tickets and information, visit yellowtreetheatre.com/misery2025.

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.

Singing in the Rain Will Tap its Way Into Your Heart at Artistry in Bloomington

The cast of Singing in the Rain Photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography

During the rush, chaos, and exhaustive exhilaration that is The Minnesota Fringe Festival I found time thanks to a weekday matinee to take in Singing in the Rain at Artistry in Bloomington. A longtime favorite film musical of mine, due to its subject matter revolving as it does around the transition from silent to sound movies. I had never seen a production of this early 1980’s stage version, which closely adheres to the plot of the 1952 film. There had been other opportunities but in a world where we have to choose three or four out of ten possible shows to see some weeks, I think I always opted out of this one, afraid it couldn’t live up to my fondness for the film. If you are a fan of the film you can throw those fears aside, this productions is delightful. The story for those unfamiliar with the film follows the career of Silent film star Don Lockwood who rose up through the entertainment ranks with his best friend Cosmo Brown. Now a big star alongside the,”dumb or something” Lina Lamont, Don has to navigate the changing world of cinema as the “Talkies” become all the rage. Meanwhile, Don has fallen in love with Kathy Selden, an up and coming actress, which puts Kathy in the crosshair of Lina who believing her own publicity mistakenly thinks she and Don are madly in love with each other.

The reason to see this show is the magnificent choreography by Danny McHugh who plays Don Lockwood in the show and the shows Director Kelli Foster Warder. This has some great toe tapping and heal tapping, and well…it has great tapping! A strong ensemble of precision dancers create impressive show stopping dance numbers that will wow even the most casual of dance appreciators. McHugh is great as Don Lockwood which is saying something as he’s filling Gene Kelly’s shoes. Also doing a great job is Armando Harlow Ronconi, who plays Cosmo Brown filling the shoes of Donald O’Connor. Brown’s best song in the film is “Make ‘Em Laugh” and they do a good job of translating it to the stage here. It isn’t quite as slapstick and manic, but honestly I don’t know how you could safely do that on stage night after night, they find a nice compromise. Brittany Mendoza-Peña makes a great Kathy, with a sweet voice and the stage presence to stand up to Don in the early sparring scenes of their relationship. Serena Brook is also very strong as Lina Lamont, a character who’s successful portrayal is judged on how much you can barely tolerate her speaking without actually reaching that nails on chalkboard sensation. Brook perfectly finds that line and stays just this side of it, it’s a gloriously comic performance.

There were some technical elements that I was really impressed with as well. Sarah Bahr’s scenic and costume designs were fantastic, with the costumes featuring some great period style suits and gowns. The set design features a movie screen in certain scenes that is used really creatively in multiple ways. In one scene the actors perform behind it with film grain projected on the surface to give the appearance of an old film. While in other scenes actual video footage is projected onto the screen and it’s here that there’s a special cameo for local Theater fans. As is always the case at Artistry, the music is perfectly done under the steady hand of Music Director Sanford Moore. Singing in the Rain has been extended through August 31st at Artistry in Bloomington. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/rain

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.

Love and Baseball is a Home Run at Artistry

Dustin Bronson and Kendra Mueller *Photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography*

Love and Baseball reopens the Artistry Black Box Theatre in Bloomington. How long has it been closed? I have no idea, I didn’t even know they had one. So I’m guessing since the Pandemic. I’ll tell you what though, it is a great space and I’m looking forward to next season at Artistry even more knowing there is programming for this space as well. You can get a gander at Artistry’s terrific looking 2026 season here https://artistrymn.org/2026season. Love and Baseball is a two hander directed by one of The Stages of MN favorites as an Actor, Director, and Theater owner (The Hive Collaborative) Eric Morris. Here Morris creatively tells the story of three meetings between two people who seem to belong together. Each meeting between Will and Michele begins awkwardly and ends with you yearning for them to kiss. It’s a Romcom about two people you want to get together but something keeps getting in their way, their own life choices mostly.

The script Jerry Montoya is full of baseball stories and analogies, some straightforward but some that only occurs to you the longer you think about it, even the structure of the play seems to correlate to baseball, three strikes, three outs, three acts. But you do not need to know anything about baseball to fully connect and enjoy this play. Everything that you need to know is explained to you, and if you are worried that it will all be about baseball, it isn’t. Will loves baseball and so he uses it to illustrate a point and that becomes the template for their subsequent meetings. Morris finds ways to incorporate the baseball theme into every aspect of the show including having the actors change on stage between scenes as if they were in locker rooms on either side of the stage. The set design by Katie Phillips cleverly incorporates the baseball theme. The play is set in the living room of a rented house and along the floor is the outline of a baseball diamond. The walls are the chainlink fence of a park baseball field, which allows us to see through into the kitchen or bathroom when one of the characters leaves the room. There are some nice technical touches as well from Lighting Designer Grant E. Merges whose subtle dimming of the lights at key moments nurtures the emotional connection that is forming between the characters and the audience. Sound Designer Richard Graham adds cute sound cues that tie everything back in to baseball, and there are some great music cues as well.

Montoya’s script is smart, funny, and emotionally nuanced but it takes just the right actors to hit it out of the park. Thankfully, Morris has perfectly cast this production. This show works because we want the characters to get together in the end. We only have 90 minutes with them, so their chemistry has to be almost immediate. It may sound shallow to say but, the short cut to manifesting that acceptance in the audience, of their almost instant attraction is to cast two Actors who are attractive to the audience. We find them attractive and therefore believe they would find each other attractive. In Dustin Bronson and Kendra Mueller we have two very attractive Actors to be sure, but also two very talented Actors. That shortcut allows us to get onboard quickly but it’s the Actors charm, their playful interactions, the way they seem completely caught off guard every Act by the feelings the other stirs in them that makes this a grand slam of a play. Bronson’s awkwardness at unexpectedly finding Michele, who is waiting for his roommate in the house, is beautifully played. We see the struggle in him initially between his desire to turn on the Dodgers play off game or be polite to the stranger. The longer the scene goes on Bronson, motivations gradually shift from a desire to be polite to genuine desire. Mueller, who has apparently been in hiding for a number of years, because I’m completely unfamiliar with her, is confidant, intelligent, and perfect in the role. I think it’s her playful confidence contrasted with Bronson’s timidity at first that really cements her appeal. She draws him out and once they get on equal footing we realize there is a yearning in ourselves to see these two together that harmonizes with the characters own feelings. It’s interesting to me the similarities between the emotions I felt during this play and those I feel during a Jane Austen book, film or play. Especially since Bronson earned a place on my MUST SEE list in Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley at The Jungle Theater in 2022. In fact it feels like a modern Jane Austen story, the secret that keeps them apart, the longing for the two to come together.

Love and Baseball runs through July 28th at Artistry in Bloomington. I loved the space, the play, the cast. If you love baseball you’ll love it. If you hate baseball, I assure you you’ll still love this play, liking baseball has nothing to do with the enjoyment of this play in any way. For more information and to purchase tickets visit https://artistrymn.org/loveandbaseball

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 5: The Stages of MN Hits the Road in Search of the Great River Shakespeare Festival

Faithful readers, if you aren’t already faithful viewers, what are you waiting for? click here for the latest episode https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode5. On which The Stages of MN traveled down to Winona, MN for The Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF). I talked to the people behind the scenes and those on stage to give you a complete picture of the festival. I even got a lesson in Intimacy Coordination from the Artistic Director Doug Scholz-Carlson. But I didn’t do it alone I had a little help from my friend fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Jil Schafer of Cherry and spoon. You can read her reviews at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/

My MN Honest Reviews are of the two shows playing in the festival Romeo & Juliet and The Comedy of Errors. For info on the GRSF, those shows and to purchase tickets go to https://www.grsf.org/. We also have our customary “At a Show With…” montage of who I saw out at the Theater this week.

Special thanks this week to Chanhassen Dinner Theaters (CDT) for Sponsoring this episode. Check out all the happening out at CDT here https://chanhassendt.com/. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode you can email me at robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com

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

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B the World of Sherlock Holmes Modernized & Gender Swapped

Kathryn Cesarz & Mary Margaret Hughes Photo by Dan Norman

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B by Kate Hamill, the most produced playwright in the country for the 2024-2025 theater season, is a gender swapped modern take on Sherlock Holmes. Hamill’s works are usually adaptations of classic stories often created with an eye towards creating great roles for female identifying actors. Many of her plays center on female driven stories with her multiple Jane Austen adaptations as well as others with strong female protagonists like The Scarlet Letter and Little Women. Here she has taken one of the great characters of Western literatureand crafted it into a delightfully comedic retelling that gives women a chance to step into the iconic roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. (not a Dr.) Watson. I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes fan and will more or less see anything that features that character. The wonderful thing about being a Sherlockian is there has been so many books, stage, and screen adaptations that one finds it nearly impossible to be a slave to canon. In fact, the Guinness World Records lists Holmes as the most portrayed human literary character in film and television history. So a gender swapped modern retelling like this, for me, is just another fun way to explore a favorite hero. If the play had been bad, I would criticize it but not for daring to make Holmes and Watson female or for bringing the story into the 21st century. Thankfully the script is smart and fun without making fun of the characters.

The play adapts three of the classic Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle A Study in Scarlet, A Scandal in Bohemia, and The Final Problem. Along with the now female Holmes and Watson we see several other famous characters from Doyle’s stories, Irene Adler, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson, all of whom retain their original gender. Aside from the gender changes and modernization, the play takes place in a post pandemic London, the biggest change comes in the relationship between Holmes and Watson. As in A Study in Scarlet, the play opens with the meeting of the iconic pair as Watson looks for lodgings in London. But here, Holmes is so difficult that Watson spends most of the first half of Act 1 trying not to move into the flat while Mrs. Hudson tries to convince her to stay as she has a hard time getting anyone to room with Holmes. Holmes is played with a controlled but manic energy and air of emotional detachment by Kathryn Cesarz that allows for broad comedy while also capturing the essence of the character. Mary Margaret Hughes plays Watson who gets woozy around blood, the unknown cause of which provides Sherlock with a side mystery to try and unravel throughout the play. The cast is rounded out by Lindsey Fry and Jesse March. Fry plays an array of characters from the frazzled and put upon Mrs. Hudson to the seductive and entrancing Irene Adler, whichever role there’s no denying that see demands our attention whenever she’s on stage. March plays the Narrator, Lestrade and a few other characters, he’s very good in every role, but some of my favorite moments of his come during the Scene changes.

Traci Ledford directs the show upon David Markson’s set which is a marvel of versatility. The locations change several times throughout the show and while the scene changes do take a little while, it’s played for laughs and becomes an entertaining aspect of the play. We see actors and stage hands waiting impatiently for someone to come and left the other end of a couch. The actors smiling at the audience as they wheel the door they just walked through to another area of the stage so they can enter another room through that door. Sometimes they ham up the moving of something with a few dance steps. Ledford finds smart and funny ways to add splashes of comedy to every aspect of the production and Markson’s set contains many surprises. Jesse March does triple duty as Sound Designer and Fight Choreographer, which features some very slapstick swordplay and slaps.

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B runs through July 6th at the Historic Auditorium of St. Croix Falls in St. Croix Falls, WI. Granted this is a little out of my jurisdiction being in WI, but I assure you the review is legal, I filed all of the appropriate paperwork for the excursion. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.festivaltheatre.org/ms-holmes–ms-watson-apt-2b.html

Necessity requires that going forward in order to produce a weekly YouTube show and podcast that reviews will become shorter. There are only so many hours in a day, but I have no intention of abandoning the blog version. Faithful readers, you have year after year grown The Stages of MN audience. While I hope you will become viewers or listeners as well, there will always be things here that cannot be found there. This will be the place for longer reviews, though slightly shorter than before, as well as Reviews of more shows than can be covered on the YouTube and Podcast versions. Essentially there will be some overlap, but each format will have unique content.

Legally Blonde: The Musical Lightens the Stage at the Ordway Center for Permorming Arts in St. Paul

The Cast of Legally Blonde: The Musical Photos by Jason Niedle

Legally Blonde: The Musical is based on the 2001 non-musical comedy film starring Reese Witherspoon. I have never seen the film or its sequels, but after seeing the musical, I’m sort of interested in checking it out. The musical clearly has a strong following based on the number of people I saw standing in the Rush line before the show and the amount of pink in the audience. You can always tell a show that has a strong fan base by what the audience is wearing, and this definitely felt like the musical version of a Star Wars convention. While not a huge fan of the trend of turning popular movies into musicals, I have to say this one, is one of the more enjoyable examples of the phenomenon. I will say that one thing we don’t need from a comedy film turned Broadway musical is an overture. Though brief, it immediately had me thinking, do the creators not know what this is? As escapist fare and a fun way to relive a favorite film, Legally Blonde: The Musical works. But an overture? This isn’t Leonard Bernstein, Puccini, or even Andrew Lloyd Webber. For the most part the songs are serviceable, light but forgettable . There are some that are quite fun like “There! Right There!” where a legal team tries to determine if a witness is gay or just European, analyzing his every move and statement.

For those unfamiliar with the film, like myself, it tells the story of Elle Woods who is dumped by her boyfriend Warner on the night she expected him to propose. He is off to Harvard Law School and doesn’t see her as serious enough to be his wife with the future he has planned for himself. Elle is crushed but after wallowing for a bit she decides that she’ll go to Harvard as well and prove to Warner that she can be serious too. After starting out on the wrong foot and being mocked by her fellow students for her appearance Elle decides that what she needs is to become a brunette like Warner’s new girlfriend, Vivienne. She goes to a nearby hair salon where she meets beautician Paulette, who convinces her not to dye her hair and in doing so becomes her friend and confidant. Elle learns with the help of the teaching assistant, Emmett, how to apply herself to the course work. When the class gets the opportunity to assist their teacher Professor Callahan on a high profile murder case, Elle impresses everyone with her unique ideas and approach to law.

The cast is good, though the songs don’t require anything too challenging for solid musical theater actors. Stand outs are Elle herself Kathryn Brunner who keeps a role that could be a complete eye roller from becoming anything other than someone we are rooting for from the start. Michael Thomas Grant is lovable as Emmett, whom we quickly see will be the person Elle should end up with. Anthea Neri-Best as Paulette is also a lot of fun. She dreams of meeting an Irishman, when she does, the fo-Riverdance routine is a highlight. But hands down my favorite performance was that of Little Ricky who plays Elle’s dog Bruiser. When he first runs on stage the whole audience “awes” and I’m not ashamed to say I was among them. Sadly he only makes three or four brief appearances but he rightly gets a featured spot in the curtain call. He doesn’t even do anything that elaborate, but what he does do he nails and frankly to be honest he so damn cute!

Fans of the movie or the musical will have a great time with Legally Blonde: The Musical, as will theatergoers like me who enjoy a pure fun musical from time to time even if they don’t know the source material. This isn’t Les Miz, Rent, Hamilton, or even The Prom, but it is better than most movie to musical adaptations and while it doesn’t amount to much but a fun night out, sometimes that’s enough. Legally Blonde: The Musical runs through June 15th at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/legally-blonde/

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. In short, theaters are being threatened for sharing stories that reflect our countries cultural and racial diversity.

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to insure 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.

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. New things are in the work! Click here to go to The Stages of MN YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Right now there is just a short introductory video, but there will be much more coming this summer. For now, check out the intro video and subscribe to the channel so that when we fully launch you’ll be the first to know!