The Crucible From Night Fire Theatre is a Powerful Production That Broadcasts a Warning for Today

Looking around the sanctuary at the Living Spirit Methodist Church where Night Fire Theatre has mounted its production of Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible, I had one thought. This play is criminally under attended. Which puts me into full The Stages of MN action. This is why I started this, to share with people great shows they might not know were running. This is a great production, this is one you need to get to. I know what you are thinking, isn’t that a slow old timey play? No, it isn’t. It is a riveting production that, though written in the 50’s as an allegory for McCarthyism, feels frighteningly relevant today. How does a play written about events that occurred in the late 1600’s to shine a light on events in the 1950’s feel like it was written for today? Because as the play itself proclaims, “we are what we always were”. There will always be those among us that will use fear to stoke hatred in order to obscure their own faults. The Crucible tells the story of a group of young women led by Abigail Williams, whom it’s interesting to note that by the views of her society is guilty of sexual misdeeds, who prey upon the superstitions of a community whose critical thinking skills have been removed through religious indoctrination, at first to distract from the rules they broke and avoid punishment, and later as revenge against anyone that displeases them. Remind you of a certain President, convicted of sexual abuse and linked to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who stokes fear among the religious right and Fox News cult to distract from his 34 felony convictions and other crimes against Immigrants, Transgender people, and anyone who disagrees with him?

Arthur Miller’s script stands on it’s own as a masterpiece of the American theater. It is perhaps the supreme example of the allegory as a technique to comment on society. Director Penelope Parsons-Lord has staged a compelling production against Scenic Designer Keven Lock’s simplified set constructed of wooden pallets. Parsons-Lord isn’t content to let the script speak for itself and present it straightforwardly on stage she takes advantage of the space having actors enter from every possible route, even using the balcony briefly. There are Directorial flourishes that help to create an emotional understanding of what is happening in the play. Such as the use of the Janis Joplin song “Piece of My Heart” in an early scene to convey to the audience that the young girls are simply being teenagers, dancing in the woods with their friends in a small display of private rebellion against their elders. Or the black ash that falls upon Salem in the final act, it has no explanation in reality, but it’s a striking visual to convey the sense that the soul of the city has been destroyed and what remains are the ashes of a once vibrant community.

There is nothing quite as thrilling as seeing great performances in an intimate space and this play gives us that. Derek Dirlam conveys an intensity and power as John Proctor, the everyman who must battle the irrationality of the court’s reasoning and blindness. Lizzie Esposito as Reverend Hale and Aaron Ruder as Deputy Governor Danforth are both fantastic at portraying their characters logic and beliefs whether accurate or misheld, their performances keep the tension mounting, giving glimmers of hope, and pangs of frustrated hope. Patti Gage as Reverend Parris seemed to be stumbling with her lines in the opening scenes, but soon overcame that and by the end her near hysterical performance was extremely effective at conveying her characters encroaching sense of doom and damnation. Isabelle Hopewell successfully gets us to despise her conniving and malignant Abigail Williams. Penelope Parsons-Lord along with directing and designing the costumes plays John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth broadcasting fear, intelligence, and finally a quiet air of nobility and bravery in the face of madness. Stephanie Kahle plays Mary Warren, The Proctors servant girl who is initially with Abigail but repents and tries to do the right thing. Her performance in the scene where she must face the Deputy Governor, Abigail and the other girls is heartbreaking. She vividly captures the emotional rollercoaster of fear battling conscience, her final act is made sympathetic by the emotional reality of her performance.

The Crucible is a must see show! Those who took in the recent production of The Messenger at Six Points Theater will find this to be a great companion piece. Night Fire Theatre’s production of The Crucible runs through April 12th at Living Spirit United Methodist Church in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.nightfiretheatre.com/the-crucible

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.

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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.

But that’s not all! You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Patience From The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company at The Howard Conn Theater

Sam Vinitsky as Reginald Bunthorne, Mallory Rabehl as Patience, and Joe Allen as Archibald Grosvenor

Patience is I believe my fifth Production of The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company (GSVLOC) and while it turns out to be my least favorite so far, it was still a very enjoyable evening. Perhaps it’s that it seems like they took a little less creative license with this one or maybe it’s because it’s one I was completely unfamiliar with. There is no “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” or resetting of the action to the Scottish highlands. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a thoroughly enjoyable production, because it is. Two things remain constant across all of the GSVLOC productions, the exquisiteness of the music from the orchestra under Musical Director Randal A. Buikema and the vocal quality of the actors. In fact this show may have contained my favorite vocal performance so far in that of Mallory Rabehl in the title role of Patience. Director Gary Briggle has done an excellent job of staging the opera and again as is always the case with GSVLOC productions, everything from the sets by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, costumes by Barb Portinga, lighting design by Carl Schoenborn and Choreography by Tinia Moulder, is top notch.

The plot of Patience involves 20 lovesick maidens who are all in love with the local aesthetic poet Reginald Bunthorne. Reginald however loves none of them but rather Patience, a dairy maid. Reginald does however love the attention the 20 lovesick maidens bestow upon him daily. When the Dragoon Guard return to discover that their former sweethearts are all now infatuated with Reginald they are at a loss. Enter Archibald Grovsvenor, whom loved and was loved by Patience when they were just five years old. Unfortunately, Archibald in the intervening 15 years, has become by his own modest estimation the most beautiful man in the world. Realizing that love needs to be unselfish they conclude that there is nothing unselfish about loving a perfect being and therefore, cannot marry. As you might have guessed the 20 lovesick maids on seeing Archibald, transfer their affection to him, all except Lady Jane, the oldest of the maids, who retains her devotion to Reginald. I don’t want to say any more about the plot but if you guessed that Jack and Larry have to pretend to be aesthetic poets to convince Mr. Furley that the women he saw them with down at the Regal Beagle, were just inspirations for their poems, then you get where it’s going.

The major theme of Patience is the satorizing of the late 1800’s aesthetic movement, and it is where much of the humor comes from. The portrayals of both Reginald and Archibald rely heavily on playing up the affectations of the aesthetic poet. Sam Vinitsky as Reginald is very funny playing up the role, not only as an actor but as the character who confides at one point that he hates aesthetic poetry as well. Joe Allen as Archibald, plays it with such elevated narcissism yet with just the perfect dash of charm that you don’t hate the character but affectionately roll your eyes at him. Allen does a complete about face towards the end and the change is striking and very fun. Another favorite in the cast was Lara Trujillo as Lady Jane, something about the way she played the character so devoted and so crushed when spurned was very amusing. As mentioned earlier Mallory Rabehl is extraordinary as Patience, her beautiful voice matches her characters purity and as my wife pointed out she’s cute as a button and uses it to instantly endear the audience to her character.

Patience runs through April 6th at The Howard Conn Theater. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://gsvloc.org/on-stage/

Dear Evan Hansen Will be Found at the Ordway

Michael Fabisch Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Dear Evan Hansen is the show you may know as the suicide musical. That is a fair description but it is also an extremely limiting one that doesn’t embrace the other aspects of the show. The show centers around the suicide of a troubled teenager named Connor Murphy, but what it explores is the need we all have for connection. The show doesn’t put its focus on Connor, the suicide happens off screen, he’s a character we see very little of before the suicide, and we are never told how or why it occurs. The focus is on the living and, through a misunderstanding, something positive can come of tragedy. That misunderstanding directly relates to the title of the musical. The main character Evan Hansen is inscructed to write himself a letter of positive reinforcements by his therapist. That letter his taken by Conner and is found on his body. His parents mistakenly assume that Connor is the author of the letter and that their friendless son was actually friends with the equally friendless Evan. Unable to correct the error and seeing the comfort it gives his parents, Evan creates a series of fake email exchange between himself and Connor that creates a fictitious friendship between the two. What starts as a well intentioned deception, snowballs into Evan who is raised by a single mother that works full time while also attending night school, becoming a surrogate son to the Murphy’s. This also brings Connor into close and frequent contact with Connor’s sister Zoe, whom he has a crush on. Eventually Evan and two fellow classmates, Jared and Alana create The Connor Project to shine a spotlight on Connor. The message Evan conveys in the song “You Will Be Found” with the lyrics:

You are not alone Even when the dark comes crashing through And you need someone to carry you When you’re broken on the ground You will be found
Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

What the show does extremely well is capture the reality of being a teenager and a parent in our time. What parent can’t relate to the sentiments expressed in the first song “Anybody Have a Map?“

Another Stellar Conversation for the scrapbook Another stumble as I’m reaching for the right thing to say I’m kinda coming up empty, can’t find my way to you Does anybody have a map? Anybody maybe happen to know how the hell to do this?
Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul

It does a great job as well of allowing us to empathize with Evan’s actions. We know they are wrong and cannot end well. But the character of Evan is so well crafted that by the time when get to the initial misunderstanding, we know his character well enough to understand what he’s needing in his life, what his problems are, and what his desires are. The show portrays the incidents in a way that we fully understand how and why the character of Evan, young and fragile as he is, makes the choices he makes. When he feels like it needs to be ended another reward appears and lures him deeper into the lie.

In this production, the second that I’ve seen not including the disasteriously cast film version, I was extremely impressed with the younger members of the cast playing the teenagers. Michael Fabisch is excellent as Evan Hansen with a voice that seems perfectly suited for the range in which the characters songs are written. He is very engaging while also conveying the characters awkwardness and anxieties. Hatty Ryan King as Zoe also sounds great really shining on the songs “Requiem” and in the duet with Evan “Only Us”. Makena Jackson as Alana and Gabriel Vernon Nunag as Jared also capture their characters really well. Both bringing personalities that create moments of humor in their accurate portrayals of recognizable young high school types, both their positive and negative qualities. It’s the young cast that really stands out in this production.

The set design by David Korins which consists of a few tableaus that roll on and off the stage as needed, like a dining room table or Evan’s bedroom is simple but effective. The primary design element though is the projections designed by Peter Nigrini which are cast upon large screen panels staggered throughout the stage. On it, we see social media and texting messages which reminds us of the ways in which today’s teenagers have grown up with this technology. Its constant presence on stage reflects its role in their lives and in a show about alienated and disconnected youth it’s presence is a clue as to why that is. Interestingly, it’s also the conduit by which Evans message that you are not alone goes viral. Steven Levenson’s book for the show wisely shows us the dangers of the technology while also understanding that realistically it isn’t going to go away and so we need to use it positively as well.

Dear Evan Hansen is a very good musical with a lot of standout songs and a positive message. This is dark subject matter but the authors have found the appropriate level of humor to create an entertaining and rewarding night of musical theater. Dear Evan Hansen runs through March 16th at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/dear-evan-hansen/

Hundred Days is a Beautiful Rousing Joyous Show at the Elision Playhouse.

The entire wonderful cast of *Hundred Days* Photo by Jolie Morehouse Olson

Theatre Elision’s latest production Hundred Days feels like a cross between a concert and the musical sections of Once if you’ve seen the stage musical version performed. There are two performers playing the characters of the shows songwriting duo Abigail and Shaun Bengson plus six musicians. The story, which is implied to be autobiographical tells the love story of Abigail and Shaun through folk-punk music. The 100 days of the title refers to a dream Abigail has had since the age of 15 where she’s seated in a booth at a diner with her husband and told by a Dr. that he will die in 100 days. When Shaun discovers this, and it’s the reason she’s pulling away, they decide to try and live an entire lifetime in those 100 days. It’s an interesting premise and as good as any to use as a structure for the duo’s songs, whether or not it is true. To be clear, I don’t know nor does it matter. What is true are the emotions the characters are feeling, the rush of feeling that initial spark of connection, of talking all night telling each other your life story, the things you share, and the things you keep hidden. If you think back on those romances that have been significant in your life, doesn’t it feel like those first hundred days are like a lifetime of excitement and discovery?

Christine Wade and Ryan Lee play Abigail and Shaun, with Lee also strumming away on guitar throughout. They are perfect together, with their voices complimenting each other beautifully. They also both have the acting chops to pull us into the darker moments. Those moments are few, but do require someone with the skills to convey them in basically a concert staging rather than the way a traditional play or musical would be staged. Taking this even further out of the realm of traditional theater, the actors interact a bit with the members of the band who also provide vocals. While Lee and Wade are definitely the leads, the band is so integral to the joyous mood of the piece that I have to list them as well. So much talent on view here with Emily Hensley on accordion, Benjamin Emory Larson on keyboards, Joni Griffith on Violin, Rae Wasson on Cello (surely the most poignant of instruments), Miles Whealy on drums, and Harrison Wade on guitar and also the Musical Director of the production. Together they create an atmosphere that I’d almost describe as rowdy but not in a bad way. There is at times almost an Irish Pub band feel to it that I just loved. I wouldn’t mind getting to this again before the run ends, it really does feel like an hour and change spent listening to some great music, but with the added element of a love story.

I found Hundred Days to be an uplifting and beautiful musical jam session. The show runs through March 22nd at the Elision Playhouse in Crystal. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.elisionproductions.com/hundreddays

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.

The Rainmaker Feels Very Modern, Very Funny, and Very Worth a Trip to Lyric Arts in Anoka

Eric Knutson, Jack Bonko, Warren Sampson, Nora Targonski-O’Brien, Samuel Burnham Photo by Molly Weibel

The Rainmaker was written in the early 1950’s, set during the great depression, but feels incredibly modern in its approach to interpersonal relationships. The Curry family are losing cattle due to a drought when a Rainmaker comes by and offers to make it rain within 24 hours for $100. That’s the tagline but it’s not really what the play is about. The play is really about believing in yourself, the importance of hope and of having dreams. It’s about the ways in which those without dreams sometimes only see them as dangers, and the damage they can do to those around them in trying to protect them from dreams. I wasn’t sure what to expect, never having seen the play or the famous 1956 film starring Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn, but what expectations I did have were completely off base. I thought it would be a serious drama about the depression and a con man who takes advantage of people down on their luck. Instead it’s a warm, funny, and inspirational work that connects to the audience as they characters strive to make connections to themselves.

Director Ben Thietje has brought together a fantastic cast, some familiar faces and a couple of new ones that were quite impressive. Eric Knutson, as the titular Rainmaker Bill Starbuck, may be a liar but he wants to believe everything he says. His entrance and first scene sets the tone, he is boundless in his quest to find the right line to reel in his prey. With arms outstretched he makes his pitch in the Curry living room as if he was in a large outdoor church meeting tent speaking to a crowd of hundreds. Knutson has the perfect amount of charm to sell the act and make us see the dreamer inside the con man. Nora Targonski-O’Brien is wonderfully subtle and raw as the daughter and sister Lizzie Curry whom her family is worried will never marry, and thus become an old maid. It reminds me of the line in It’s a Wonderful Life when Clarence tells George that if he were never born Mary becomes an old maid!! Like not getting married is the worst possible fate for a woman. It’s a comment on the times in which the play was set and written, but for all that in many other ways it feels very permissive and forward thinking. The entire cast is solid, but there were two performers that I’m not sure I’d really seen before that were both great in their roles. I want to mention them, so as to hopefully have their names stick in my mind so I can watch for them in upcoming productions. Samuel Burnham plays the eldest son and brother Noah Curry and Christopher D. Knutson who plays the Sheriff’s deputy, File. Where other actors need to go big for their roles, these two ground it in a reality, perfect for their characters.

Adding to the evenings entertainment is a wonderful set design by Justin Hooper, Lighting design by Alyssa Kraft, sound design by Corinne Steffens, and some nice costuming from Samantha Fromm Haddow. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Curry family and it’s script by N. Richard Nash seems as relevant and modern as something written today, seventy years later. The Rainmaker runs through March 23rd at Lyric Arts in Anoka. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/rainmaker

The Fight Has Begun. Support Yellow Tree Theatre

“But when you act, you take us away from the squalor of the real world” – From Evita Lyric by Tim Rice

Last Night I did something I rarely get to do, I went to a show for the second time, just to experience and share the joy of it. That show was A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Guthrie Theater, but it could as easily have been a show at Yellow Tree or any of the dozens of actively producing theatre companies in the Twin Cities area. On the ride home after we had dropped off my son and his fiancée and had finished discussing the play, my wife and I got talking about current events. The thought kept coming into my head, this is why we go to the theater, to raise our spirits and take us away from real world for just a few hours. That is one of the many reasons that the theater is so important. Not only does it help us escape, but it has the advantage over streaming at home in that it gets us out of our houses, out into the community, sharing an experience with more than just those on the couch next to us. We are so fortunate here in the Twin Cities to have such a vast and diverse theater community, but it is under attack. If we want to protect that community we have to step up now.

This morning I received an email from Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo, who has produced some wonderful theater out in the suburbs. Below are some quotes from the email:

Yellow Tree Theatre relies heavily on national and statewide grants to support our mission. Recently, we have been informed that statewide and federal arts funding have dramatically decreased or have been canceled making grant funding even more competitive and affecting our immediate cash flow. This is a drastic decrease like we have never experienced before.

These challenges threaten not only our ability to keep our doors open but also our ongoing core mission:

Providing access to the arts for everyone, including underserved communities in North Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs.

Championing diverse voices—stories by and for artists of color, women, LGBTQ+ communities, and others historically marginalized in theater.

We believe that theater should reflect the richness of the world around us. That’s why we remain committed to producing bold and inclusive work.

But We Can’t Do It Without You.

If you believe in the power to build bridges, spark conversations, and create change, we ask you to stand with us today. Every dollar makes a difference. Every gift fuels our ability to continue. Donate today to help us sustain our mission, keep our doors open, and continue making Yellow Tree Theatre a home for all.

We are going to see this more and more often going forward. Theaters will close, but let’s not let it happen today, let’s not let it be Yellow Tree. I’ve written before about my belief that these theaters like Yellow Tree and Lyric Arts in Anoka create a valuable link in reaching the goal of creating new theater audiences. That goal is more important now than ever before. We can make the theater community stronger by building that audience. I’m going to ask you to click on the button below and make a donation to Yellow Tree Theatre if you can. I’m also going to ask all of you, faithful readers, to take someone new to a show in the next few weeks. Let’s build that audience up!

https://ci.ovationtix.com/35626/store/donations/39012

Need ideas of what to see?

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. 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.

But that’s not all! You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Hadestown Heats up The Orpheum Theatre Again!

Megan Colton (Eurydice), Jaylon C. Crump (Hermes), Bryan Munar (Orpheus), and Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2024. Photo by: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

Hadestown takes a couple of ancient mythological tales from over 2,000 years ago and creates a wholly original piece of musical theatre. It’s easy to see why it took home eight Tony Awards in 2019 including Best New Musical. It’s one of those shows that feels like it’s doing something new and that’s always exciting. The songs are a mixture of blues and folk with hints of industrial opera and musical theatre as channelled through the early 20th century. It sounds completely unique without sounding alien. The music, lyrics, and book are all by Anais Mitchell who has found a sound that perfectly matches the story and design of the production. If you didn’t catch Hadestown when it came through in 2022, I hope you have tickets already, if not get them while there are still a few left. It’s a stunner of a show with a lived in look that dazzles with the change of a lighting cue.

Hadestown is a story that is told by Hermes, a story he has told before and a story he will tell again. It starts with Orpheus, a poor boy, but he has a gift to give. A song that will make you see the world as it could be, rather than as it is. It’s about a girl, Eurydice, who comes to town and has nothing but falls in love with the boy. It’s also about the God Hades and his wife Persephone, who spends half her time in Hadestown and half in the upper world where she came from. Hades rules the underworld represented as an industrial factory where they build “the wall”. After Hades and Persephone have a fight, he heads to the above world and finds Eurydice, who is cold and hungry, and asks her to come to Hadestown where she will be warm and fed. Egged on by the Fates, she falls for it and gets a ticket on the train to hell. When Orpheus learns that Eurydice has gone to Hadestown, he goes there to find her to bring her home. But Hades is not in the habit of letting people go once they have signed a contract with him.

The roles of Orpheus and Eurydice were performed by Bryan Munar and Megan Colton and unfortunately they are not evenly matched. Colton is fantastic as Eurydice soulful and compelling in songs like “All I’ve Ever Known“. The role of Orpheus I noted in my previous review requires someone with the range of Frankie Valli, unfortunately Munar doesn’t quite have the range, when he goes to the upper registers there’s no power behind it. Munar’s vocals are impressive when it gets down into his comfort zone, but his acting is flat and even his body movements seem devoid of any emotion or tension. In the role of our narrator Hermes is Jaylon C. Crump who has style and sass and everything you want in the role, he was a crowd favorite. Nickolaus Colon and Namisa Mdlalose Bizana play Hades and Persephone, Colon’s deep rich voice is thrilling as the King of the Underworld. Bizana seemed a little flat in the first Act but after intermission she turned the tables and the dance she and Colon do to Orpheus’ song is enchanting. Several big moments to shine, both are top notch vocalists. Scenic Design by Rachel Nauck, Costume Design by Michael Krass and Lighting Design by Bradley King all play crucial roles. The production itself is really well done with all the departments clicking to create a unified whole.

I was talking with M’Colleague Jill, from Cherry and Spoon (if you don’t follow her for her reviews you should http://www.cherryandspoon.com/) and we were commenting on how it feels like everything we see lately seems to reflect the world we find ourselves in no matter when it was written. Hadestown began its theatrical life back in 2006 but check out these lyrics from the song “Why We Build the Wall” sung by Hades the greek, equivalent you might say of Satan.

Because we have and they have not
Because they want what we have got
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
“Why We Build the Wall” by Anaïs Mitchell

It’s hard not to view Hades as a certain political figure with his wall meant to distract preying on the unfortunate using fear to get them to act against their own best interests. Hadestown runs through February 16th at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis for more information and to purchase any remaining tickets go to. https://hennepinarts.org/events/hadestown-2025