Ball: A Musical Tribute to My Lost Testicle celebrates its 10th anniversary with a short run at Artistry in Bloomington. Max Wojtanowicz, who wrote and performs the show, began performing it in 2016. The show is about Max’s battle with testicular cancer. Wojtanowicz is a favorite of, well, probably everyone who has ever seen him perform or worked with him. He’s a walking encyclopedia of musical theater, a gifted actor and vocalist, and if anyone could make a show about testicular cancer shine, it’s him. But it does more than shine. It encourages the audience to internalize it and, in a way, allows it to become a cathartic outlet for their own story.
The show deals with the specifics, which allow it to become universal. One detail here and another detail there will ring true to different audience members. By the end of the show, we have all found something to relate to.
Originally a show at the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Wojtanowicz gives us a few winks and a couple of saucy signals, but keeps it at a PG-13 level. Which is good, because it means you don’t need to feel any hesitation about bringing your teenage sons to the show. Because the point is to help others either discover they need treatment or show them how you can get through it, you just have to make a start.
And Wojtanowicz knows exactly how to make that message land. He’ll make you laugh, think, feel, then laugh again. It’s ultimately a genuinely uplifting experience, but not in the sweet and sugary way. It gets there through humor and honesty. And song, one of it’s biggest selling points is surely not just the chance to listen to Max sing, but to sing about his testicles.
This is a very special show with a very short run. Only five performances remain, so don’t miss this remount of Ball: A Musical Tribute to My Lost Testicle. It’s a show about cancer, loss, survival, and finding your way forward, and somehow, it’s also a hell of a good time.
Ball: A Musical Tribute to My Lost Testicle runs through September 20th at Artistry in Bloomington. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://artistrymn.org/ball
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.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
Day five of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and I have four more reviews to share with you, faithful readers. As you plan your Fringe, I hope you are finding them useful, especially The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winners. Go to the Minnesota Fringe website here: https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026 to get the scoop on all of this year’s shows. As I do every year, I’ll be posting short reviews of every show I see as fast as I can, including my daily naming of The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner.
You know, try as I might, I can’t see everything, but it’s not for lack of trying. So I encourage you to also follow my colleagues at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/ and https://letteredintheatre.wordpress.com/. You can also access all of the shows on the fabulous new theater website of the Twin Cities, 79 Seconds on Stage, at https://79seconds.org/. This site is a marvel; if you haven’t checked it out yet, you need to.
Glengarry Glen Elvis is a parody of the David Mamet play Glengarry Glen Ross. I saw the film adaptation in theaters, but that must be over 30 years ago, and I’ve never seen the play performed on stage. But it felt very Mamet, aside from one character, Sebastian, either being Elvis or being obsessed with Elvis. I’m not prepared to say which I think it is. Sebastian is played by the writer of the show, Michael Shaeffer, whom I’m sure started with the idea of a show he could do to showcase his Elvis singing skills. Mamet is not an obvious choice, and honestly, I think you could do this with a lot of different plays. The marriage between the two isn’t quite as organic as these types of mash-ups sometimes are. But it doesn’t matter; the Mamet part is well executed. Particularly spot-on is the performance of Andrew D. Artley as Ricky Roma. And the Elvis song interludes that Sebastian launches into at the slightest provocation rock. Shaeffer does a great job working the crowd and performing the songs. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I think you will too.
Maxxeapolis Goes to Hell is a sketch comedy show in which the members of the show arrive in Hell. Their only chance of escape is for Satan to approve of their show, so this better be the best one they’ve ever done! I’m a fan of the format, but I don’t remember ever having seen one live on stage outside of The Brave New Workshop. I really enjoyed this group of performers, and I thought the writing was very smart. There might be one or two sketches that don’t fully work out of the dozen or more they present. But if you think about it, that blows SNL’s batting average out of the water. I didn’t know anyone in the cast aside from Alex Stokes, who I’ve long thought was underused in the Twin Cities. This is the perfect format for his talents, in fact all of them seem to be perfect for this style of comedy. I’m not sure if this troupe, Maxxeapolis, is a group that performs sketch comedy together in other places or not. If anyone knows, please let me know. I’d love to check them out again in the future. If you find yourself regularly tuning in to SNL for the couple of sketches a week that work, you will love this!
A Magician is a magic show that has magician Jordan Rooks, who has worked with all of the great magicians, telling his own story as he amazes the audience with the things he has up his sleeves. The storytelling part is fairly interesting. The magic act has a couple of WTFHTHDHDT? moments. For those unfamiliar, that’s “what the fudge, how the heck did he do that?” Others are a little underwhelming, and a couple seem to have gone slightly askew. Overall, if you are a magic enthusiast, you’ll want to check it out; if you’re not into magic, it’s probably a skip. But for many, when you trek to these outlying theaters, it’s about staying in the same place for a few shows. If this makes sense because you are at Open Eye already, you’ll have a good time. I actually found talking with Rooks after the show to be as interesting as the show, so if you have time afterwards visit with him.
The Importance of Living is the Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner! This play stars two of The Stages of MN favorites, Ariel Pinkerton and Tim Uren. Uren, who also wrote the script, plays Samuel, who comes across Louise, played by Pinkerton, the producer of the show. He finds her enjoying a meal and reading a book, and he engages her in conversation. He begins by telling her a story, and they ease into an easy give-and-take, trading stories of their lives. Both of them have done a little murdering, it seems. Where they are and if they are both really there is one of many details revealed over the hour. Like Uren’s previous scripts, this is very literary; the language is specific and filled with detail and nuance. Both Uren and Pinkerton do delicious accents, and it’s a joy just listening to them play with the dialogue. The text is filled with dark humor, and as I learned reading the program, both of their characters and their exploits are real. So true-crime fans, take note: this is one for you, or anyone who loves a great story, well acted. It is directed by Duck Washington, who, as the Executive Director of the Twin Cities Horror Festival, knows his way around a dark tale. This is a devilishly dark two-hander that I highly recommend.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
The Minnesota Fringe Festival has me once again in its grasp. After an evening off, I took no prisoners on day three, hitting seven shows in six different venues. To check out all the shows, go to the Minnesota Fringe website here: https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026. As I do every year, I’ll be posting short reviews of every show I see as fast as I can, including my daily naming of The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner.
I was reminded today, as I looked over the seven shows I saw trying to determine which would be The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner, of some self-imposed rules for the awards. First, no ties, this is to force me to make decisions; otherwise, the nine The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Awards would turn into 18 or more, thus diluting the already sketchy specialness of the award. The second rule: improv shows are not eligible, theoretically because each show will be different, but really as a way to help me narrow down the choices.
I had three on my short list for today’s award. If you are at all a skilled headline reader, you’ve certainly sussed out who won. The “no improv” rule eliminated Bury the Leads for me, which left me with two, and I undoubtedly would have made it a tie if I hadn’t the “no ties” rule. For those curious, the runner-up was Casa Bde-Maka-Ska.
You know, try as I might, I can’t see everything, and that has nothing to do with my driving. It simply isn’t possible without the use of time travel, for which I’ve been unable to obtain the necessary plutonium needed to generate the 1.21 Gigawatts needed to power my flux capacitor. So I encourage you to also follow M’Colleagues at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/ and https://letteredintheatre.wordpress.com/. You can also access all of the shows on the fabulous new theater website of the Twin Cities, 79 Seconds on Stage, at https://79seconds.org/.
The Lousiest Werewolves is a show about werewolves, well, actually it’s about bipolar disorder. Three men, Mike Mayket, Charles Osugo, and Rob Ward, educate the audience with humor and truth about the condition, which they have all been diagnosed with. Like the disorder itself, the show has ups and downs, particularly in energy. They use that as a way to hold our attention, just as a teacher might talk at a lower volume to get everyone to listen more closely and quiet down. It’s an eye-opening show from which I learned a lot about bipolar disorder, and I had some laughs as well. The delivery across the performers varies in quality in terms of polish, but they all bring something to the show.
So You Want to Date a Bisexual? is one of almost two dozen improv shows in this year’s Fringe Festival. This one has a fun concept. Historically single performer Erika Sasseville selects one volunteer from the audience to interview at the opening of the play to get details about them, as if they were chatting on an online dating app or something, getting to know each other. Backstage, a group of very talented improvisers are taking down all of the information. The remaining 40 minutes of the show has Erika and the rest of the cast improvising, using those details, what their relationship would be like. It’s a fun concept, and like all improv, it fails or succeeds on the talent of the cast. This group is solid, and thus the show is a winner. Though I’m not sure I believe Sasseville’s claim that she’s never gotten a fourth date as she is an attractive, funny, and smart young woman that I really cannot imagine needs a Fringe show to help her get dates of either gender. Fans of improv will want to have this on their schedules, and I guess maybe single people who are interested in dating an attractive, funny, and smart young bisexual.
Ember is a cabaret built around the theme of “what does radiance mean to you?” To me, it’s a boutique physical media company from whom I import movies. But for these artists, some of whom will change from show to show, it means something very personal. Each of the performers, including the director, Christy Johnson, gifts the audience with their vulnerability and their talent, whether that be a song or a story, or in most cases, both. I now have a new performer to be on the watch for in Michael Chapman, who I hope I’ll see on stage soon in a musical. The show has a lot of heart, and I’m glad I took a chance on this cabaret, a format I’m always a little bit iffy on.
If you’ve been around the Twin Cities theater scene long, you are familiar with Sam Landman and Nissa Nordland. The Twin Cities theater power couple have been performing this improv show, Bury the Leads, about two character actors, Clyde and Faye, for about a year now. It’s a great concept for a show, the possibilities are limitless, and Landman and Nordland know these characters, being themselves two of the best character actors in town. The beauty of an improv show like this is that each performance will be new. It’s the one show I’m tempted to try and see more than once. And were it not an Imporov show I’d be making a very tough decision right now.
To be honest, this one is a little misleading. There is music, but I would not call it punk. The story is about a punk band that is gaining popularity in the Twin Cities that breaks up when one of the three members, Charlie, decides to move to L.A. to try and get a record deal. Eight years later, they reunite at the wedding of drummer Alex. Charlie and Etta, the third member, who were a couple, consider the possibility of getting the band back together. The story is a little cliché, but the performers help to distract from that. The music that is there I did enjoy. Though I was in the front row, I had trouble hearing Jack Swagger, who plays Charlie. Microphoning the performers would have been a good choice, if that was an option.
Today’s The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner is Be Not Afraid. From the team that brought you last year’s Breach, it is another extremely tight and polished production blending family and the supernatural. It’s hard to explain the plot in one sentence, so I’m going to use that sentence to say I won’t be explaining the plot instead. I’ll tell you that it’s a show that would feel right at home at the Twin Cities Horror Festival. Also that the performances are intense, the direction by Stages of MN favorites Alex Church and Stephanie Kahle is inspired, and the lighting is extremely effective. The script by Church and Mariabella Sorini is thought-provoking and very intricate.
The final show of the day was Casa Bde Maka Ska, which is a parody of Casablanca, set not during WWII in Morocco, but in a present-day Twin Cities overrun by ICE agents. Instead of “As Time Goes By,” Sam plays “When Doves Cry,” and instead of Major Strasser for a villain, we have Kristi Noem. The script by Tim Wick and Duck Washington is smart and funny, the writers having a solid understanding of the source film and current politics. But don’t worry, the politics are not preachy; hey, they would be preaching to the choir anyways, but used to draw humorous comparisons. Instead of trying to get letters of transit in order to leave Casablanca, they are trying to get letters of residence in order to stay in the Cities. Filled with Minnesota references and humor, this is sure to be a favorite of the festival, and it came within a coin toss of being the Award winner today.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is the most wonderful time of the year. This is the time of year where theater lovers get to live, eat, sleep, and pray theater. 104 shows, each performed 5 times over the 11 days. It is possible to see 55 shows if you see something in every slot. This year I’ll max out at 47 due to two Minnesota United home games, come on you Loons, make it worth missing 8 shows and win! To check out all the shows, go to the Minnesota Fringe website here: https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026. As I do every year, I’ll be posting short reviews of every show I see as fast as I can, including my daily naming of The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner. But I can’t see everything, and that isn’t a knock on my manhood, no one can, it’s impossible. So I encourage you to also follow my colleagues at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/ and https://letteredintheatre.wordpress.com/. You can also access all of the shows on the fabulous new theater website of the Twin Cities, 79 Seconds on Stage, at https://79seconds.org/.
This was a bit of a surprise. The title is very Fringy, as is the concept, which is a musical following a man who is castrated, shaming his father, but ultimately becoming a celebrated singer. One goes in expecting something very silly and probably lowbrow, and to some extent those things are true, but the surprise is how elevated the songwriting by Cali Garzon, Julia Maskin, and Eli Maskin is, how gifted the large cast is vocally and performance-wise, and how tight the seven-piece band sounds. It’s a Melancholics Anonymous show crossed with Skylark Opera Company. The cast is terrific, the tone is odd, but in a good way. It will be fun to see if anyone can top this one musically. It’s funny but sometimes in a way you’re not quite sure why you are laughing, is it the work=d they sang or the way they sung it? This is sure to be among the best of the festival. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026/castrati-a-tale-of-two
If you’ve seen one of Wells Farnham’s previous two Fringe shows, you know the tone and delivery you are in for. I’m not sure he’ll still have a voice left come the end of the run. That said, like his previous shows, I found this one very funny. While it definitely feels a little more pieced together than the earlier shows, each story arc is satisfying. The end features a moment meant to scare Wells himself, and watching him go at it full speed, and without a doubt succeeding, is as satisfying for us as it must be for him. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026/stage-presents
We’ve come to expect a certain dark, camp tone from Melancholics Anonymous. They seem to be the poster theater company for what Fringe can be. So what do they do? Reinvent themselves with this faithful adaptation of the classic novel Watership Down by Richard Adams. True to the source, at least as far as I can remember from a traumatizing screening in the theater of the animated film adaptation on its original release in 1978, when I was six years old. It’s also a musical, with exceptional original songs by company member Bee Davis that have a folk inspiration, feel very polished, and integrate beautifully into the narrative. This is so unlike anything else M.A. has done, and yet it is filled with the kind of creative inventiveness, that have earned them their reputation as one of the most creative theater companies in the Twin Cities. It’s a brilliant move on their part and a reminder to us that they are not a vibe, a tone, or a genre, they are theater makers and artists. And they have won the dubious honor of being awarded this year’s first The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award! Congratulations, that and $1.50 will get you a McChicken sandwich (for a limited time only). https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026/watership-down
The final show of the night, stuck in the dreaded 10:00 PM Thursday night slot, was Socks & Shoes & Coats. It’s a musical telling the story of a couple from the moment they find out they are pregnant through the diagnosis and episodes of their son’s “condition.” It is told unchronologically, and I’m not entirely certain if the son dies or is just in the hospital at one point. The cast is fine, the songs are fine, the story is a downer, but not in as moving a way as you might hope. The show isn’t actively bad, it’s just OK, and with so many shows to choose from, just OK probably should equate to a skip on your list. I’m not sad I saw it, but I wish I’d fit in something else on my “must” list that I couldn’t fit into my schedule. https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026/socks-shoes-coats
That’s it for day one. I’ll be at the Loons game Friday, so check back Sunday morning for my reviews of the shows I see Saturday. And hey, if you see me at the Fringe, stop and say hi—tell me what your favorite show is so far.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
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
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is simply a better venue for seeing Broadway touring shows than the Orpheum in Minneapolis. The acoustics are better, the seats are more comfortable, and there’s more legroom. But because of its larger seating capacity, most big Broadway tours land at the Orpheum, at least the first time through town.
SIX flipped that script.
Typically, a show opens on Broadway, launches a tour, and five times out of SIX, that tour plays the Orpheum. Not this time. For the first time in the Ordway’s history, SIX went from the Ordway to Broadway. So yes, it’s a show about history that also made a little history of its own.
Now the North American touring company is back for a third time at the Ordway for a two-week run, and honestly, it feels like this show has found its Twin Cities home. I couldn’t be happier. I love this show, and I’m grateful to see it in the more comfortable venue. I caught SIX during its initial Ordway run and was blown away. I’ve been back for all three of it’s touring runs as well. From the moment the curtain rises, the audience is cheering, clapping, and fully locked in. This isn’t your typical musical, it’s more like a full on pop concert featuring six historically kick-ass divas.
The title refers, of course, to the six wives of Henry VIII. Each queen tells her story in the form of a song in a singing competition, with the audience deciding who had the worst marriage. It’s history, reframed as a pop concert, funny, smart, and packed with energy. The show runs about 80 minutes with no intermission, but you won’t miss it, you’ll be too busy rocking out.
Each queen’s song is inspired by different pop icons like Beyoncé, Avril Lavigne, Adele, Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, to name SIX. The costumes follow suit. But while the influences are clear, the songs themselves are original, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, and honestly, most could live comfortably on today’s pop charts. The lyrics are packed with clever wordplay, from the layered counting in the finale “Six” to lines like “Too Many Years Lost in HIStory.” This is a cast album that rewards repeat listens, there’s a lot packed in there.
The set is simple: steps, band platforms, and a light-up framework, but it’s used brilliantly. At one point, Henry’s choosing his next wife like he’s on a life-sized Tinder app, swipe left, and the queen literally exits left as her frame glows red. In another moment, the frames transform into stained glass windows, complete with a glowing cross. Simple ideas, executed smartly.
I’ve been listening to this score on and off for six years now, and every song has stuck with me. The cast is uniformly excellent, so much so that singling anyone out feels like missing the point of the show. Each performer creates a distinct, fully realized character, reminding us that these women were individuals, not just “the six wives of Henry VIII.” This touring cast features Emma Elizabeth Smith, Nella Cole, Kelly Denice Taylor, Hailey Alexis Lewis, Alizé Cruz, and Tasia Jungbauer, and they’re all fantastic.
Onstage with them are the Ladies in Waiting, the four-piece band that keeps everything driving forward: Valerie Maze (conductor/keys), Yonít Spiegelman (bass), Rose Laguana (guitar), and Camila Mennitte Pereyra (drums). And man, are they ever tight.
Beyond the fun, the show lands a clear point. It reframes these women through a modern lens, pushing back against the way history reduces them to a numbered list. They were real people, not just wives one through SIX. And when we treat them that way, we’re echoing the same patriarchal mindset that defined their lives in the first place. Unfortunately, that mindset doesn’t feel entirely like ancient history, even more so here in 2026, than it did when it opened.
Like Hamilton, SIX uses our modern perspective and contemporary music to illuminate the past, making it fresh and relevant again. See it now, before someone decides a show suggesting that women are people is too woke. And beyond musical theater fans, this is a fantastic show to bring your daughters to. I did. It’s empowering, entertaining, and might just spark some curiosity about the history behind it.
It’s Bring Your Daughter to the Theater Week
SIX runs through June 28th at the Ordway. For more information and to grab tickets, visit https://ordway.org/events/six/
If this sounds familiar, one, you have a great memory. And two, this review has been adapted from my previous takes onSIX.
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
This was my fourth time seeing Come From Away (fifth if you count the Apple TV version), and somehow it keeps hitting harder. There is something very, very special about this show. My first two experiences were the original tour at the Orpheum, where the cast was dropping like flies from COVID and reinforcements were being flown in from all over the country, touring casts, Broadway understudies, maybe even a few folks who had just recently left the show and still knew the tracks. Which, honestly, feels completely in the spirit of Come From Away. Then came the Ordway’s chance to host the tour. Now the Guthrie gives us the first local production, and it’s my favorite of the bunch. If you’ve never seen it, now is the time.
If you somehow don’t know it, the show tells the true story of nearly 7,000 airline passengers diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11, and the small town that took them in. Yes, it deals with that day, but this isn’t a downer. It acknowledges the trauma, but also shows us the resilience and compassion that saw us through that dark time. You’ll feel the weight of it, but I assure you this is a musical that uplifts the audience. The painful moments come, but the emotions we feel are cathartic.
The Cast From Come From Away Photo by Dan Norman
Why does this production outshine the Broadway touring productions? I think there are a couple of things at play here. First is that, as powerful as the show has been since its first performance, the kindness and selflessness at its heart feel all the more profound given the current trajectory of the world. I grew up hearing my parents and people of their generation talk about where they were when JFK was assassinated. For my generation, that cultural touchstone is 9/11. At a time when the world often feels divided, seeing this moment, when people came together to support one another, lands with even greater impact. There are also scenes that touch on our darker tendencies, including the seeds of xenophobia that 9/11 planted. But it never loses sight of what people can be at their best.
This is a show about community, a community that comes together to take in these stranded souls. The community of Islanders and those “from away” that forms over the five days in which they are thrown together. You see it in the way actors flew in from all over the country during that first tour visit at the Orpheum. And maybe community is another reason this production is so great. I look around the stage and see all of these people I’ve been watching, writing about, and sometimes even interviewing over the last seven years. I see the community I’ve become a part of. It’s our community telling this story now, and that adds something extra. I see actors I’ve followed and sung the praises of, bringing this show to life. I’m moved, as always, by their talent. There is the added thrill of seeing some of them at the Guthrie for the first time.
Local favorites making their Guthrie debuts include Matthew Hall, who must be on leave from Guys and Dolls out at Chanhassen, where he brought the house down with his performance of “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.” He’s terrific here as well. We also have Kate Beahen and Jennifer Grimm, both stellar in their Guthrie debuts.
Then there are familiar local favorites like Eric Morris, who is terrific as the Mayor; Katie Bradley, Jon Hegge, Jim Lichtscheidl, Ann Michels, and a seriously unrecognizable Angela Timberman. The cast is just amazing, including some out-of-towners, especially Soara-Joye Ross as Beverley, one of the airplane pilots.
The Cast From Come From Away Photo by Dan Norman
I have to hand it to the Guthrie’s Resident Casting Director, Jennifer Liestman, not just for finding the perfect cast, but for giving so many of our local favorites their Guthrie debuts. We only have three non-locals in the cast, and they are perfect in their roles: Soara-Joye Ross, Evan Balasubramaniam, and Justin Keyes.
Director Kent Gash keeps the whole thing moving at breakneck speed. It runs without intermission, and from the moment it starts, it doesn’t stop to breathe, except for a brief technical hiccup right after “In the Bar/Heave Away,” but they reset and jumped right back in. Honestly? Since “Heave Away” is one of my favorite moments, it felt like a bonus round. No complaints here
Before I sign off, I have to acknowledge the musicians and Musical Director J. Oconer Navarro. If you are one of those low-down weasels who slinks out during the curtain call, I’ll warn you not to this time. Seeing the band join the cast onstage and get some appreciation as they jam is the cherry on top of this delicious musical. And while I’m on the subject, I’ll just say this: I think it’s a classless thing to leave without applauding the performers who just spent an evening doing their best to entertain you. Stay, clap, be a decent human. I have to go home and usually stay up writing until the review is done and posted, and I would never consider behaving like that. Just had to say it, its been building up for a while, and Come From Away inspires that kind of cathartic release.
Come From Away uses music to weave a tapestry that taps into our collective trauma and allows us to face it through the humanity of people forced together, who rose up and found the best in themselves. There is a running bit where the Newfoundlanders say you’d do the same. Would I? would you? I’m guessing yes. Would our country? absolutely not. I think we would have in 2001, but Trump would likely refuse to let any plans land in the US if this happened elsewhere. Come From Away runs through August 9th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/whats-on/come-from-away/
Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.
The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.