Transatlantic Love Affair’s Red and the Mother Wild Worthy of Illusion Theater’s 50th Anniversary

front: Amber Bjork, Adelin Phelps rear: Allison Vincent, Derek Lee Miller, Mark Benzel, Peyton McCandless, Jack Bechard photo by Lauren B Photography

Red and the Mother Wild is the latest from the physical Theater company Transatlantic Love Affair. Their shows are created in collaboration, they are developed and performed without the use of set and props. The wonderful thing about them, is that those elements are not missed. Like listening to and old time radio show your mind fills in that which your eyes cannot see. There is no sound design, but the production is filled with sounds. Those of the birds, of the wind, the sounds of the woods, and the animals that inhabit it. All of the sounds are created by the actors live on stage using their voices and bodies. The cast perform the roles of human characters as well as anything else that might aid in creating a picture in the minds eye of the audience. This includes everything from animals, to the walls of Mother Wilds home, and the trees of the forest. The story is grown from the seed of the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale. It tells of a village of people, one of whom is a little girl named Red who has no parents and so the villagers all take turns raising her. Red is inexplicably drawn to the woods, the one place she is told she must never go. When she is older she will venture in and discover the darker side of the world.

Directed with creativity and exacting detail by Isabel Nelson the first and former Artistic Director of Transatlantic Love Affair. There is one element of production design that they do rely upon and that is lighting which was designed by Dante Benjegerdes and really is well done and integral to the story. The entire ensemble is fantastic and the magic of the piece being the way they have managed to create an entire world using only their voices and bodies. They find the perfect way to suggest a fish in a stream, or a way to embody a tree that is being chopped down, in a way that we know exactly what is happening and also earns a laugh. The cast is a seven Actor ensemble comprised of Jack Bechard, Mark Benzel, Amber Bjork, Peyton McCandless, Derek Lee Miller, Adelin Phelps, and Allison Vincent. While a few have bigger roles, it really is an ensemble in the way they all contribute to creating the world of the play. It’s fascinating the details they add like a dripping faucet in a village home or the layering of sounds to capture the aural experience of the forest at night.

I do want to highlight a few performance moments that really connected for me. Phelps as Red is the perfect performer to take us on this journey, she captures Red’s curiosity about the woods beautifully and is equally effective when shutting down after a traumatic event. Allison Vincent in the role of one of the village mothers has again displayed her gift for line readings that are flat out the best possible way to say anything. She and Phelps together create a very special bond, their connection is felt and is one of the strongest in the production. Vincent also knows how to play a tree falling down in such a way that it elicits a big laugh from the audience. Derek Lee Miller is plays Daniel Vincent’s characters husband, a woodsman, he allows Red to come into the woods. When things take a turn, Miller does a nice job of portraying the two sides of this character. Finally, Amber Bjork plays the Mother Wild, a woman who lives in the woods and takes Red in, this character made me think of Dorothy Molter, the Root Beer Lady, if you saw History Theatre’s show this winter you’ll know what I mean. Bjork plays her very no nonsense and practical, with little jabs of humor now and then.

Red and the Mother Wild runs through April 12th at the Center for Performing Arts in South Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.illusiontheater.org/red-and-the-mother-wild

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.

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

The Mousetrap Will Keep You Guessing Until the Very End at the Guthrie Theater

The cast of The Mousetrap Photo by Dan Norman

The Guthrie Theater’s production of The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie is a luxuriant, thrilling, and witty production of one of the greatest mystery plays of all time. I’m a huge Christie fan, so I try and see any adaptation or play of hers that comes along. That usually ends up meaning that I just see the annual Christie adaptation at Theatre In the Round. But, lately there seems to have been an upswing in Christie productions including a wonderful adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express two years ago at the Guthrie, but also productions at Park Square Theatre and Yellow Tree Theatre. The Mousetrap has been playing in London’s West End for over 70 years since it opened in 1952, making it the longest running play in history. I have seen the play twice before, first when my college mounted it about 30 years ago, and then more recently when Lyric Arts staged a production in 2022. In 2022 I couldn’t remember the solution of who the killer is, but my memory isn’t so poor that it has faded from my mind in just three years. The plus for audiences to this production is, that unless you’ve seen the play performed before, read the play or had some rotter spoil it for you, you’ll be going in blind. You see part of the original contract for the play states that no film adaptation can be produced until at least six months after the West End production has closed. One begins to suspect there will never be a film of The Mousetrap. Given that, I’m going to give very little detail of the plot as I do not want to inadvertently tip anyone to the solution. The Mousetrap is a well plotted mystery full of red herrings and plot twists. It’s a great whodunnit with a nice amount of character driven humor along for the ride.

The setting is an English Manor which a newlywed couple is converting into a guesthouse, this would be what we would consider a boarding house I suppose, as bedrooms and common rooms are provided along with all of the meals. They have four guests arriving for their first week in business. Those four will be joined by a mysterious guest who is seeking shelter after his car is stranded in the blizzard that will soon cut off the residents of Monkswell Manor from the outside world. They will be joined by a police Sergeant who makes an heroic attempt to reach them via skis as the police believe that one of the people now at Monkswell Manor is a murderer!!!! Each of the guests seems to have something to hide making it near impossible to guess who’s in danger and who is a danger.

The Guthrie’s cast is superb and Director Tracy Brigden stages the action very effectively. Monette Magrath making her Guthrie Debut joins local favorite Peter Christian Hansen as Mollie and Giles Ralston, the proprietors who have their hands full running a new and unfamiliar business as well as dealing with difficult and eccentric customers. For instance, Mo Perry who plays Mrs. Boyle, possibly the most contrary and judgemental old biddy in England, plays it so perfectly that you get a little thrill everytime someone upsets her. My favorite is the over the top in just the right way, Greg Cuellar as Christopher Wren the architect, but not that architect, Christopher Wren. He’s a bundle of affectations that endears him to the audience and Mollie, but rubs the manly Giles the wrong way. Cuellar is the most out there character of the group and he doesn’t hold back in his performance, and as such brings the most humor to the show. Matthew Saldivar plays Mr. Paravicini, a mysterious foreigner seeking shelter from the storm. Another very stylized performance but one that belies an intelligence rather than eccentricity, he is also a source of much comic relief, but of a more sophisticated and witty type. Matthew Amendt plays Detective Sergeant Trotter who arrives to save the day only to find a house full of people who refuse to be up front with him, putting their lives at risk by keeping secrets. Amendt, plays the Detective with mounting exasperation, he is trying his best to root out the killer before he or she can strike again, but continually discovers that secrets are being kept from him.

The scenic design by Walt Spangler is stunning in every detail. If it’s one thing the Guthrie Theater has over most others in the Twin Cities area, the space and resources to really wow us from a production standpoint. It has to be seen to be believed, the photo above looks great, but doesn’t do it justice. I sat in the front row, a location I highly recommend, and the vastness of the set, the ceiling that seems to be four stories above the stage was an awesome visual. But it’s success was also in the details, such as the snow falling outside the Great Hall windows, the light and smoke from the fireplace. Every technical element was superbly realized including John Gromada’s sound designs and musical compositions. The lighting design by Rui Rita and the wonderful period costumes by Susan Tsu. I especially loved Tsu’s various costumes for the flamboyant Christopher Wren.

If you’ve never seen The Mousetrap it would be hard to imagine a better introduction to it than this. The stunning set populated by this wonderful cast brings the classic whodunit to life in a very rewarding way. Fans of Mysteries and thrillers will find this ingenious script keeps them guessing right up until the end. Just remember, once you learn the truth, you must keep it to yourself just as audiences have been doing for 70 years! The Mousetrap runs through May 18th at the Guthrie Theater in Downtown Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2024-2025-season/the-mousetrap/

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/

The Messenger is Scarily Relevant, Attendance Should be Required at Six Points Theater

The Messenger a new play by Jenny Connell Davis is a powerful and important work that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. Told from the perspective of four women in different time periods The Messenger explores the reality of hate and how it endures. Their gender of the characters is in and of itself an important choice Davis makes. We hear these four testimonials play out and while it is being produced at Six Points and three of the four stories do revolve around the holocaust in some way, it is not a play simply about anti semitism. It is about how hate of any kind is given power, how well intentioned or fearful people become complicit in it’s growth. Davis has the Woman tell us their stories directly because hearing facts is less impactful than hearing someone’s personal story. Facts often leave our minds leaving behind vague impressions of a general topic, but stories create emotional responses and empathy that generates a longer lasting understanding of not just what happened but how it affected the teller. The Messenger powerfully provokes emotional responses to the stories it shares, some of anger, grief, understanding, and inspiration.

inspired in part by Georgia Gabor, a math teacher and a Jewish Holocaust survivor who tells students in Pasadena California about her experiences in WWII. Georgia is played expertly by Laura Esping and her retellings to her students of her experiences are harrowing. Espings performance displays an understanding of the characters mindset. She has survived and she has made it a point to share her story wherever and whenever she can. She does not breakdown or get emotional, she is teaching, she tells her truths in a way that conveys the gravity of what her words mean and to ensure understanding. Her accent is also superbly done. Her story is intertwined with that of Angela, played by Tracey Maloney, who is a helicopter parent in 1993. She starts a petition when she learns that Georgia is telling her students about her experiences during and after the war. Maloney perfectly captures the clueless entitlement and dangerous censorship masquerading as parental protectiveness. Maloney’s performance success can be measured by how much she makes your skin crawl, mine almost made it off my body and out of the theater. She is absolutely chilling in her cheerfulness.

Julia Isabel Diaz plays Gracie an archivist at a museum in 1969 who discovers some documents that are not catalogued that throw an unflattering light on a U.S. WWII General. Her employers do not want the document to be put forward despite its historical importance. The rationale is why tarnish the good name of an American hero? Gracie loves her job and Diaz lays the groundwork in her initial scenes which are about her initial internship and then being hired, the enthusiasm is a stark contrast to the emotional turmoil she displays later when it is made clear that she has a bright future at the museum if she just buries the documents. Ashley Horiuchi plays the final character Annie, a young asian woman who is also linked with the museum, but in 2020 as a student volunteer. Horiuchi is very believable as a fifteen year old teenager in a grade conscious Pasadena school. Her character starts of with the kind of attitude that makes those of us who were or are parents of teenagers role our eyes in recognition. There is also a sort of defensive mean girl aspect to the character that eventually is broken down. She allows us to come to a understanding of the girls feelings and emotions, taking us from eye rolls to sympathy. When she is witness to and involved in an act of prejudice she stays silent. The message of the play and of these characters in particular is that silence allows hate to flourish. What is important with these characters is it makes the situations in which Gracie and Annie remain silent understandable, we can comprehend why they keep silent, making them sympathetic characters, but it also wisely shows us the price of their silence on their mental state and the world around them.

When I was in school we learned that we study history because if we don’t do so and learn from it, that history will repeat itself. As we look around our world today we can see the truth in that lesson. What is the cause? Why did we not learn from the past? Is it the Mothers who didn’t want their children to know about the atrocities of the past? In saving their children the discomfort of facing some ugly facts did the doom all of society to repeat our darkest hours. Did they contribute to the downfall of our educational system with their over protectiveness creating generations that don’t really grasp what happened and why? Or is it that we hid things that we thought would embarrass us as a nation, thinking they didn’t really matter. Not knowing that to confront all of our darkest moments was the only way to stay in the light? Or is it the silence of fear, the advice given to many to keep your head down, ignore the hate and it will go away. But it doesn’t go away, it only grows stronger when you are not watching it.

The Messenger is probably the most important play you will see this year and I wish I could enforce the “will see” of that sentence. For those of you turned off by the dark subject matter, know that it is dark but it is also very illuminating. It’s not a fun show, but it also isn’t a difficult show to sit through, it is very rewarding and helps clarify the reality of hate and how it spreads. With that understanding we can hopefully be better about finding ways to fight back against the encroaching darkness. The Messenger runs through March 23 at Six Points theater for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.sixpointstheater.org/the-messenger

“When Children Learn to devalue others, they can learn to devalue anyone, including their parents” – Captain Jean-Luc Picard

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.

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.