Monty Python’s Spamalot At The Ordway Can’t Compete With Classic Film, It Works Best When It Goes Its Own Way

Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Monty Python’s Spamalot is a stage musical adaptation of the British comedy troupe Monty Python’s film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It doesn’t compare to the brilliance of that film, at least for this lifelong fan of everything Monty Python. That isn’t to say it’s bad, but the film has set a very high bar.

For me, the evening started off on the wrong foot, as it seemed that the sound was not balanced well. I had trouble hearing the vocals, even dialogue, if there was music playing as well. Struggling to hear a fun show is no fun. I’m not sure if adjustments were made during the show or if my ears were able to tune in to the actors better over the course of the evening, but I struggled less as the night wore on. Perhaps for that reason, perhaps for others, I found Act “Moo” to be much more enjoyable.

The main contributing factor, aside from the sound issue, for the second act’s success was that it seemed to deviate more from the film. When you know a film as well as I do this show’s source, it’s hard to get too excited about line readings that aren’t as good as the original. That’s no knock on the cast, I don’t think many actors would fare well in comparison to Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. It’s not really fair to compare them, but when you are saying the same lines they did, it’s also hard not to. The best parts of the show were when they incorporated new material. The show’s book and lyrics are by original Python member Eric Idle, so the additional material feels like it belongs.

As for the parts lifted straight from the film, it’s a testament to how well written the film was that some sections still get big laughs. But there is something that works against a show when, while you are watching it, you are thinking about the superior version. I wish Idle had taken more license to create something fresher. I think 50% less original material would have allowed the truly classic bits, the ones you can’t leave out, to feel like welcome nuggets of nostalgia rather than long sections of straight screen-to-stage translation.

So the big criticisms are the sound balance and the unenviable task of actors who have to take on such iconic material, a losing battle for anyone. That said, let me also say that I really liked the cast. It isn’t their fault they are not John Cleese or Graham Chapman. A standout for me was Major Attaway as King Arthur; one of his best moments is the song “I’m All Alone,” both vocally and comedically. Another is Amanda Robles, who plays the Lady of the Lake. She delivers some seriously funny, but also vocally impressive, moments that really brought the house down.There is a song where she does snatches of other songs that’s quite funny. Another successful bit, is a scene that pokes fun at the idea of making this film into a musical by replicating a moment from Phantom of the Opera. A nice Easter egg for fans of musical theater.

The production design by Paul Tate DePoo III relies heavily on some well-used projections. DePoo similarly utilized projections to even greater effect in The Great Gatsby, which played the Orpheum last week. I do think part of me was hoping for a little more stage magic, but when I thought about it, this is more in keeping with the film’s small budget, and I think the design approach is ultimately the right choice for the show.

Monty Python’s Spamalot runs through June 14th at The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/spamalot/

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Midsummer Night’s Dream, Thumbs and Bottoms Up For This Production From The Modern Rep

*David Michaeli, Bryce Baxter, Richard Rigmaiden, Leo Rossmiller, and Jonathan Edwards* *Photo by Molly Jay Photography*

The Modern Rep Theatre Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is performed both as it would have been in Shakespeare’s day and unlike anything you would have seen in Shakespeare’s day. When the plays were first produced, all the roles on stage were played by men, as women were not allowed to act in the theater. In this way, this is a very faithful performance, as all the roles are played by men. One of the great things about Shakespeare is that 400 years on, groups can perform the plays and bend them to their will. This production is certainly bent, as the company’s website describes it, “messy, sexy, and very gay.”

I like a production that takes chances and finds interesting new ways to speak Shakespeare’s text. I also appreciate a traditional staging, and I’m grateful that my first exposure to the play on stage was The Guthrie’s wonderful production in 2024. I saw that production twice, which I think allowed me to enjoy this one more thoroughly. I had a solid understanding of the plot and the characters, so I never felt lost. A familiarity with the play also helped me to spot the departures, which can be subtle and clever, and usually rather blew (or blue, I mean).

The cast is great, and they run their Bottoms off, each playing at least three roles. They really seem to feel at home in the roles of the fairies of the forest, but are just as good as the amateur actors and the four young lovers. They are capable of doing the one thing you must do when performing Shakespeare: whether you are in Elizabethan costumes or dressed as barn animals, you have to speak the language so that the audience can understand it. I’m not talking about enunciation, I’m talking about meaning. The audience needs to understand the meaning behind what they say, even if they don’t know what every word means.

I very much enjoyed this show, but there are a few things you need to know before you go. For some reason, this theater company believes there must be an element of discomfort for the audience. In their first production, Salomé, they opened a large garage door to the outside for extended periods during a particularly cold stretch in late February. In this production, the seating is on metal bleachers with no backrests. If you have a bleacher seat (thank God we did), bring it with you. The show runs nearly two hours without an intermission, depending on your fitness level, that’s a long time to sit without back support.

There are a few other things you should know, which are actually kind of fun. When you arrive at the location, you are going to question whether you are in the right place or not. The entrance to the performance space is halfway down an alley. The cast mingles with the audience before the show, offering free tattoos, popcorn, and shots. And lastly, It is very risque, so if that isn’t your jam, skip it, but if you are OK if things get a little hard “R”, you’ll be good.

If you like your Willy a little on the queer or wild side, I think you’ll have a blast with this production. If you are new to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, read the Wikipedia plot synopsis before you go, it will help keep you from getting lost. There is nothing worse than sitting through two hours of something you can’t follow.

Midsummer Night’s Dream runs through June 20 at 901 N 3rd St in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://www.dreammpls.com/about.

My Antonia Reveals Itself in World Premiere as a Beautiful New Musical at Theater Latté Da

Will Dusek and Sara Masterson Photo by Dan Norman

The World Premiere of the new musical My Ántonia at Theater Latté Da is one of the best new musicals I’ve seen in some time. Intimate, inviting, full of memorable songs, and featuring a knockout cast, this feels like a show that should have long legs. It opens with the audience feeling like part of the show, with cast members standing among us as they set the scene of the Nebraska prairie of the late 1800s. We hear the birds and the crickets, the sounds of nature coming alive as the cast sings the prologue.

The novel, which is told in the first person and is semi-autobiographical, translates surprisingly well to the stage. In order to maintain that first-person perspective, we have the main character, Jim, run into Willa in a bar in New York City. They reminisce about the old days, and in particular Ántonia. We then flash back to Jim, recently orphaned, on a train from the East to live with his grandparents in Nebraska. On the train is the Shimerda family, immigrants from Bohemia who will be his neighbors. Young Jim befriends their daughter Ántonia, who is a couple of years older than him. They spend their days together, and he teaches her to speak English. They have a beautiful song that deals with their introduction and the beginning of Jim teaching her the language, called “Name, What Name.” It is the first inkling that the music in this musical might be something special.

We see the characters at different stages of their lives, with Jim and Ántonia being played at different ages by three different pairs of actors. What worked extremely well was the framing device of the forty-something Jim and Willa, who pop in and out of the narrative throughout the show. It allows us the emotional connection that comes as the characters move forward from memory into the present. Who among us cannot relate to thinking back on the past, to that person who slipped away out of our lives, the one we see now that could have been the one we were destined for? We feel certain of it now, but there was usually a reason things went another way. Still, when it comes to memory, nothing is quite as emotionally potent as unrequited or unexpressed love.

This is one of those shows where the cast is so good that if you try to limit how many performers you’ll mention, you won’t even get to Sally Wingert and Bradley Greenwald, who in supporting roles do what they are so skilled at doing, punching those small moments, those little asides, just perfectly. With two of The Stages of MN favorites, Tom Reed and the limitlessly talented Em Adam Rosenberg, as the older Jim and Willa, in a genuinely funny scene beginning the tale, you realize that you’re going to have to breeze through the performers or you’ll be up all night. For the record, Reed and Rosenberg are outstanding; both bring the emotions home in the final moments of the show that, yep, had ol’ Rob in tears again. Damn you, Rosenberg. Every time, really? Honestly, is that necessary?

Right out of the gate we have Lillian Hochman and Maddox Tabalba, who play the youngest Ántonia and Jimmy. Hochman is probably older than the 14 she appears to be, but I’m fairly certain that Tabalba is in the ballpark of young Jimmy’s age, which I’d guess to be 12 to 14. These two are stunningly good. As the young adult Ántonia and Jim, we have Sara Masterson and Will Dusek, who again are just terrific. Add to that Anna Hashizume, and it’s a who’s who of my “must-see” list.

The music and lyrics are by The Kilbanes, whom I’d never heard of, but who clearly should be writing musicals. I was especially impressed by their willingness to venture outside of the period for inspiration. The prairie songs sound different from the town songs, and one song, “Saturday Night Me,” had a subtle ’50s rock ’n’ roll feel to it. It’s about the young people letting loose at the dance hall, and the style is like a shorthand to the audience to convey teenagers coming into their own. I hope this show goes on, I think it has the potential to go beyond regional theater. I, for one, would love to have a cast recording of it. There were several songs that I instantly wanted to be able to hear again.

My Ántonia runs through July 12th at Theater Latté Da in North Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.latteda.org/my-antonia It’s not often that you get a new musical that works this well, don’t miss your chance to see it!

Gorgons Take off the Kid Gloves at Yellow Tree Theatre

Christina Baldwin and Jamie White Jachimiec Photos by Alex Clark

Gorgons by Don Nigro is clearly a fictional take on the feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and the making of their late-career classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? But in this telling, Bette is named Mildred and Joan is named Ruth, and the film they are making is called Gorgons. Why? I don’t know, maybe for legal reasons, though if someone really wanted to sue over this, I don’t think you’d have too hard a time convincing a jury whom the play is based on. But maybe it’s because, for the ending, it decides to veer into Once Upon a Time in Hollywood territory. I’m not implying there is a flamethrower or anything, it’s much more subtle, but it begins with the Academy Awards, a scene that definitely did not happen in real life.

The play is 90 minutes of two strong-willed actors trading brilliantly comic insults back and forth. I don’t know if it matters or not in terms of enjoyment, but I relished all the little Easter eggs that any student of film history, particularly the workings of the studio system and the gossip surrounding these two legends, is likely to catch. In a certain way, this is sheer entertainment, and if that’s all you get out of it, you’ll go home a happy camper. But there is also a message here about the way society encourages women to compete against each other, and I suspect that was one element that attracted director Austene Van to the material. Austene is someone who does not prescribe to the concept that the way to get ahead or succeed is by putting others down. She is of the “raise others up, because we all do better when we all do better” school of thinking, a school I’m happy to be a fellow graduate of.

Nigro, who just passed away last February, is noted as being among the most widely produced and published playwrights in the world, with nearly 500 plays to his credit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before tonight. is not that strange? Frankly, if they are all as well written as this is, I’m not sure why I’ve not come across one before now. Of course, as well written, sharp, and witty as it is, this one relies heavily on a cast who can do it justice. Both actors, Christina Baldwin in the Bette Davis (like) role and Jamie White Jachimiec in the Joan Crawfordish role, are up to the task. They know just how to sling an insult through a smile, and exactly when to drop the facade and just tear into the other. Watching them is like watching Benedick and Beatrice trade barbs, but without the underlying sexual tension, or is it about lesbians?

White Jachimiec has the slightly less showy role. If you’ve seen Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, you’ll know that Crawford plays the sane sister, while Davis is the full on cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs sibling. She tries to capture Crawford, but it mostly comes down to the eyebrows; otherwise, she might as well just be playing an actress named Ruth, which, actually, she is, so it works. The only thing that makes that less effective than really seeing Crawford in her is the fact that Christina Baldwin absolutely nails Bette Davis. Granted, there is makeup and wigs used in aid of the transformation, but it is also the cadence of her voice and the way she moves around the stage. It’s kind of uncanny, but in a way that isn’t distracting but entrancing. The strange thing is, if you’d asked me to cast this show with local actors, I might have hit upon Baldwin for Crawford, but Davis never would have occurred to me. I’d have probably cast Sally Wingert, who I’m sure would be good, but I doubt anyone could surpass Baldwin in this role. To quote Kim Carnes, “She’s got Bette Davis eyes.”

This is a fast-paced, inside Hollywood comedy, with the perfect amount of genuine emotion sprinkled in to remind us that some of their bluster is meant to mask their inner wounds. Fans of old Hollywood, great acting, sharp tongued strong women, and fantasy revisionism of history will find Gorgons a delight.

Gorgons runs through June 21st at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://yellowtreetheatre.com/gorgons-1

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

Suzie Juul and Pedro R. Bayón Photo by Glen Stubbe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A Chorus Line Dazzles at Park Square Theatre

The Cast of *A Chorus Line* Photo by Dan Norman

Faithful readers will be aware of the group of performers my wife calls her “All Is Calm Boys”, anyone who has appeared in her favorite show, All Is Calm at Theater Latté Da. Well, I’ve decided I have my own version: the “Lizzie Quartet,” the four actors who performed last fall in Lizzie: The Rock Musical, Grace Hillmyer, Lux Mortenson, Abilene Olson, and Marley Ritchie. It’s been an excellent week on that front: I saw Lux Mortenson in Terce on Sunday at Theatre Elision, and now Marley Ritchie in A Chorus Line at Park Square Theatre. Both performances reinforced my feeling that I should make an effort to see everything they’re in.

If you missed Terce, you missed out, Sunday was its final performance, which is why I didn’t write a review. Don’t make the same mistake with A Chorus Line. Get tickets early in the run: they’ve been using multiple understudies at every performance and have already had to cancel one show. I’m not sure of the exact reason, but I suspect dance-related injuries play a role. Once you see the show, you’ll understand why.

Originally conceived, directed, and choreographed by Michael Bennett on Broadway in 1975, A Chorus Line is a physically demanding piece. Park Square has brought in Eddie Gutiérrez, representing the Michael Bennett Estate, to restage the original choreography, and it is intense and absolutely jaw-dropping. At one point, 19 dancers move in perfect synchronization, and it’s truly something to behold.

If you’re hesitant because you’re “not a dance person,” don’t let that stop you. This isn’t about Dance with a capital “D”, it’s about the dancers. And much of the choreography falls squarely into the crowd-pleasing category, the kind that even your farmer uncle would watch and say “Wow! That there is some perty fancy footwork, that was real neat fer sure!”.

The show is set at an audition for the dance chorus of a new Broadway production. The Director and Choreographer, Zach, played by Stages of MN favorite Tyler Michaels King, must cut the field from 24 dancers down to eight. After an initial round, the group is reduced to 17, and Zach asks them to line up and tell him about themselves. Through these monologues and songs, we learn who they are, where they come from, what they’ve endured, and why they dance. Each story is distinct, and each adds another layer to the whole.

With 17 characters, it’s impossible to cover every performance in detail, but suffice it to say that everyone, including the five understudies performing at the show I attended, feels ideally cast. That includes Tyler Michaels King, who not only anchors the show but also joins the ensemble in song and dance at the beginning and end. We all know he is a fantastic singer and dancer. But the role also draws on his experiences as the Artistic Director of Trademark Theater and his work as a Director. I’ve seen him wearing those hats over the years and those experiences of running a room and giving notes, but also encouraging and being compassionate inform this performance.

Two performances stood out in particular. Steven Rada, as Paul, delivers a deeply moving turn. Paul is initially reluctant to open up, but when he finally does, while the others are on break, his story lands with emotional force. His eventual injury has a profound impact on the room, a stark reminder that a single moment can end a dancer’s career. It prompts Zach to ask the group what they would do if they could no longer dance, exposing a vulnerability that feels especially resonant in a time when the arts themselves are under attack. When theater’s like our beloved Jungle Theater, have to cancel productions. I’m sure for this group of performers, having just recently gone through the Covid era when theaters were shuttered, that the thought of what they would do if they couldn’t do this, feels very close to home.

That moment leads directly into the show’s emotional peak: “What I Did for Love,” performed by Marley Ritchie, one of my “Lizzie Quartet,” in the role of Diana. Her rendition is stunning. It isn’t the dancing, as she plays it almost completely still, it is her vocals and acting that are completely captivating. Interestingly, when I looked back at the only other time I’ve seen a production of A Chorus Line, in 2023 at Lyric Arts, it was also Marley Ritchie that I singled out for her performance of this song.

The show runs 2 hours and 8 minutes with no intermission, and evening performances begin at 7:00 p.m. rather than the customary 7:30, so plan accordingly. If you’ve never seen A Chorus Line, this is an excellent opportunity. If you have, I’d wager you haven’t seen it staged quite like this. Either way, don’t let it pass you by.

A Chorus Line runs through June 14 at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets go to https://www.parksquaretheatre.org/

Once Upon a Mattress is a Beautiful Thing When Performed By Unlabeled Theatre Co.

Rachel Moquist and Mason Green (foreground) Natalie McComas and Adam Arnold (shadow Partners) Photo by Jordan Buckellew / JoyByJo.com

Faithful readers will know that I reviewed Once Upon a Mattress just under three weeks ago at Lakeshore Players, and I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about it. So why would I sit through it again so soon?

Because it’s being mounted by one of my favorite theater companies, Unlabeled Theatre Co.

This company exists to create opportunities for adults with disabilities to participate in theater. Every role is performed by an actor with a cognitive and/or physical disability or who is neurodivergent, paired with a neurotypical Shadow Partner. Together, the two performers share the role, performing it in unison. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does, and it’s beautiful.

My chief concern with the Lakeshore Players production was the source material, which I found unfocused and nearly three hours long with an intermission. The first thing this production does right is cut the show down to a sharp, focused 70 minutes with no intermission. Gone is all the extraneous business, none of it missed. Unlabeled’s production hits all the key plot points, makes the story much easier to follow, and still includes all the best songs. About the only thing I missed was some comic business between the Queen and her son that helps clarify her motivations.

The plot adapts the familiar fairy tale of The Princess and the Pea, told in a fractured fairy tale style. In this kingdom, no one can marry until the Prince does. His mother, the Queen, devises such diabolical tests that every princess fails, largely because she has an unhealthily close relationship with her son and doesn’t actually want him to marry. Among those desperate to find the Prince a bride are Sir Harry and the pregnant Lady Larkin. Sir Harry ventures over the mountains and through the woods, not to Grandmother’s house, but to the swampy kingdom of the Marshlands and returns with Princess Winnifred, setting the Queen’s test in motion.

The cast is terrific and received a boisterous, well-deserved standing ovation. We often focus on our own enjoyment of a show, which is important, of course. But in a production like this, what stands out first is how much the cast is enjoying themselves, and that joy is infectious. It made the evening even more rewarding, if that’s possible. I can only imagine the pride the Shadow Partners feel watching their partners rise to the occasion and fully realize their potential as performers and storytellers. There may not be a more fulfilling acting experience in the Twin Cities.

Attending an Unlabeled Theatre Co. production feels like receiving a gift, a rare and meaningful one. It reminds us of the true power of theater: not just to entertain or instruct, but to create, to connect, and to share joy. You can’t watch this cast without recognizing the value of inclusivity and the sense of purpose these actors bring, not just in performing, but in performing well. They are fulfilling that deeply human need to tell stories and to foster empathy.

In a world where it can be hard to understand how people can remain unmoved by cruelty or contradiction, experiences like this matter. If anything can shift perspective, even just a little, it might be something like this: an honest, joyful, inclusive act of storytelling.

The last Unlabeled Theatre production sold out its entire run, and tonight’s performance had only a handful of empty seats. Get your tickets now, this is the kind of show that can restore your faith in humanity.

Once Upon a Mattress runs through May 24th at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets, visit https://unlabeledtheatre.org/