The Final Episode # 24 of The Stages of MN… Before The Holiday Hiatus. Five Reviews of Seasonal Shows

So I had my annual gathering of my friends from the North Pole this week, we had a great time, but they can be a bit much. Getting them all to sit still long enough to get the photo above was A Christmas Miracle! They wanted to know what I thought of all the holiday themed shows still playing around town. So I gave them the quick run down on five of them and thought I should share them with you faithful readers and viewers. So that is what this weeks episode is, 5 quick reviews! Enjoy and I’ll see you on the other side of New Years, when we’ll return with all new episodes of The Stages of MN. You can watch the episode here bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode24YouTube or listen to it here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode24Podcast

Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical at History Theatre thru 12/21 https://www.historytheatre.com/2025-2026/rollicking-winter-carnival-musical A Christmas in ochopee from New Native Theatre runs from 12/3 thru 12/21 https://www.newnativetheatre.org/a-ch… A Christmas Carol…More or Less runs from 11/28 thru 12/28 at Yellow Tree Theatre https://yellowtreetheatre.com/christm… A Nice Family Christmas at Lyric Arts Through 12/21 https://www.lyricarts.org/nice-family-christmas A Double Feature of Free Pirate Musicals celebrating Fortune’s Fool Theatre at the Hive Collaborative through 12/21 https://fortunesfooltheatre.org/what-were-doing

Also we have one Final “At a Show With….” Segment before we close out the year. We’ll be back in early 2026 with more Stages of MN.

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

A Christmas Carol…More or Less, is Definitely More at Yellow Tree Theatre

A Christmas Carol… More or Less at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo turns out to be decidedly on the “more” side. When a small theater company’s entire cast and crew get snowed in after a ski outing, the theater’s owners, estranged husband and wife Charlie and Sarah, decide to perform the show themselves rather than refund the audience. Much like Dante Hicks, Charlie “isn’t even supposed to be there today.” The same closed mountain pass that traps the cast and crew is also preventing him from catching his flight to L.A., where he’s planning to move to write for Wheel of Fortune. After some arm-twisting, he agrees to Sarah’s plea to uphold the sacred tradition that “the show must go on.”

This isn’t my first two-person Christmas Carol—there’s another fantastic one called A Very Good Christmas Carol, written and performed by up-and-coming Twin Cities performers Jeffrey Nolan and Hawken Paul, which leans fully into the manic chaos of two people desperately trying to stage the entire story themselves. If you can’t get into this Yellow Tree production, absolutely check that one out: https://linktr.ee/AVeryGoodChristmas. It’s a laugh riot.

This version at Yellow Tree is certainly funny, but it also leans into the warmth and genuine emotion that a really strong Christmas Carol can evoke. The script gently chips away at the jadedness of two performers who’ve done the show countless times, revealing something unexpectedly heartfelt beneath the comedy.

Paul LaNave and Kate Beahen are wonderfully paired. Beahen is delightful as the determined theater-maker who simply refuses to quit. She’s game for anything, and while LaNave starts by only playing Scrooge (and a few other characters as he warms up), Beahen takes on nearly everyone else, unafraid to throw out a wild accent, a ridiculous walk, or a silly song. She’s disarmingly charming, broad when it needs to be, and surprisingly nuanced, layering disappointed wife, practical producer, and joyful performer into one compelling presence.

LaNave is equally strong, beautifully portraying a man worn down by the life of a starving artist, someone who has let the lure of financial security pull him away from what truly matters. As the performance unfolds, you can see the spark returning to his eyes; the show becomes, in a way, his own tale of redemption.

Will the night end with disappointing realism or a happy ending? You’ll have to come to Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo to find out. If you can, that is, at the time of this writing, the show is 96% sold out. Wait too long and you may find there are no tickets left… a nice problem for the theater, if not for audiences.

A Christmas Carol… More or Less runs through December 28 at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo.
For more information and tickets, visit https://yellowtreetheatre.com/christmascarol.

The Stages of MN Holiday Preview On Episode 21!

Episode 21 of the YouTube show is up. It’s our Holiday Preview episode featuring four shows from sponsoring theater companies. You can view the episode here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEp21YouTube or listen to the podcast version here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEp21Podcast

But if you don’t have time right now here’s a quick glance at the four holiday shows.

A young city executive is compelled to spend the holidays in Snowberry Falls, a town with an unreasonable obsession with winter cheer and one diva goat. She soon discovers that she might find more than just holiday happiness. Mistletoe & Mayhem from Just Us Theater runs from November 28th to December 14th at the Phoenix Theater in Uptown. Click her to purchase tickets https://mistletoe-mayhem.com/

A gust of icy wind changes everything! Follow St. Paul’s own Clarence “Cap” Wigington and his wife Viola as their Winter Carnival ice palace design plunges them into the magical realm of King Boreas. They’ll encounter iconic Minnesota figures, from bygone poets to racing legends, all woven into the vibrant tapestry of the Carnival’s myth and history. Discover the strange, wonderful heart of a tradition built on resilience, imagination, and the enduring spirit of our snowy state. Rollicking! a Winter carnival Musical runs through December 21st at History Theatre in St Paul. Click here for tickets https://www.historytheatre.com/2025-2026/rollicking-winter-carnival-musical

When a Christmas Eve snowstorm strands the entire cast of A Christmas Carol, married couple and stage managers Sarah and Charlie are left with no choice but to perform the whole show themselves! What starts as a disaster quickly turns into a hilarious holiday adventure as the two scramble through costume changes, forgotten lines, and dozens of roles—from Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. A Christmas Carol…More or Less runs from November 28th to December 28th at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. For Tickets click here https://yellowtreetheatre.com/christmascarol

It’s Christmas in the Everglades again as NNT begins a new winter tradition by remounting its wildly successful comedy, A Christmas in Ochopee by Montana Cypress. With fry bread, family feuds, and a memorable gator that may or may not hold the spirit of a beloved rez dog, the Weetley family navigates love, and loud uncles under one roof. Full of sharp Native humor, culture, and heart, Cypress brings us a holiday play that speaks to the beauty and chaos of rez life. It’s a Florida Christmas—expect miracles, mess, and maybe a chainsaw or two. A Christmas in Ochopee runs December 3rd to the 21st at 825 Arts in St Paul. Click here for tickets https://www.newnativetheatre.org/a-christmas-in-ochopee

We put together some fun segments for these shows to give you a taste of what they are so I hope you’ll watch the episode. When you do I think you’ll be compelled to seek out each of these shows this holiday season. I hope you will support these theater companies who have generously supported The Stages of MN by sponsoring this episode.

We do also have a review of the Guthrie Theater’s annual production of A Christmas Carol in this episode. that runs through December 28th and you can get tickets here https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/a-christmas-carol/

My Fair Lady runs through December 28, 2025 at Theater Latté Da in Northeast Minneapolis.
Tickets and info: https://www.latteda.org/my-fair-lady

The Twin Cities Horror Festival Opening Day! Songversations: We Have Been Told the Veil is Thin, Camp Bludde the Musical, and Scrimshaw.

We’re halfway through Monster Month, which means it’s time for the Twin Cities Horror Festival (TCHF). Now in its 14th year, TCHF is the longest-running horror theatre festival in the country. To see the full lineup, schedule, and to purchase tickets, visit tchorrorfestival.com. Check back here between October 16–30 for my reviews of every show at this year’s festival.

Opening night began with Songversations: We Have Been Told the Veil is Thin, written and performed by Rihannon Fiskradatz and Shanan Custer. Unlike the other shows in the festival, this ran only once as an opening ritual. Fiskradatz and Custer will return to close the festival with another ritual, a bonfire outside the Crane Theater at 10:00 p.m. on October 30.

Camp Bludde: The Musical has a little of everything I’ve come to expect at TCHF over the years, and also things you don’t expect, which is also something you expect. It’s a story of a camp for wealthy children founded by a man who has to sacrifice a child regularly in order to appease some dark creature. Don’t worry, the rich kids aren’t the pool from which the sacrifices come. Each year, the camp offers a scholarship to one underprivileged child, and that’s who ends up on the altar. So everything is right with the world and this basically reflects our reality.

But here’s the thing that makes this show otherworldly, it’s a musical!!! I know I’ve seen TCHF shows that have had songs in them or used music effectively, but my memory isn’t coming up with any full on break into song musicals. Director Denzel Belin makes effective use of some TCHF technical staples, the flashlights under the face, and the blackouts with lights shining out toward the audience. The cast is a blast, with Will Schroeder standing out as Counselor Alex, making appropriately comical use of his trademark over the top smile. It’s a perfect TCHF kickoff, songs, blood, scares, and laughs. A little bit of everything.

Duck Washington Photo by Dan Norman Photography

Serving as a great counterbalance to Camp Bludde’s campy chaos, Duck Washington’s Scrimshaw leans literary and psychological. Set in a remote Pacific whaling village, it follows Lemrich, a whaler driven mad by what he encountered at sea. Someone arrives searching for a stolen book—one that guided Lemrich’s ship captain to awaken an ancient darkness.

Washington, who also wrote the piece, gives a compelling performance as the tormented sailor struggling to clear his mind of the madness forced upon it. His script is tightly written, and the set design transforms the small studio into a claustrophobic nightmare. The walls are covered in chalk drawings that mirror Lemrich’s unraveling mind. The strong supporting cast and detailed design make this one of the more polished TCHF productions I’ve seen. Performing in the smaller studio allows the set to remain intact for the full run, enabling a more immersive design, which Scrimshaw fully takes advantage of.

Scrimshaw runs through October 20, then hands the space over to Dolly Who’s Cursed Objects, which runs October 25–30.

The Cherry Orchard a Co-Production By The Moving Company and Jungle Theater

Nathan Keepers, Tracey Maloney Photo by Lauren B. Photography

This was my first experience with Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. I’ve seen three Chekhov adaptations over the last few years, but before that, I only knew him by reputation and the titles of his plays. With this production, I’ve now seen an adaptation of what Wikipedia calls “the four outstanding plays by Chekhov.” Out of curiosity, I read the synopsis there to see how faithful this version might be, but I resisted reading any analysis or criticism as I didn’t want to be told what I was supposed to think or feel about this revered work. I wanted my reactions to reflect how I responded in the moment, not through the lens of 1902 Russia when it was written.

These are my initial gut impressions, which I think are valid if you’re deciding whether The Cherry Orchard is something you want to experience. We all want to know up front: am I going to enjoy this? I did. I found it surprisingly funny, which sent me back to the synopsis to confirm whether that was typical. I’d never heard Chekhov described as funny; I always imagined his work as dark or depressing. This isn’t a straight-up comedy, but I didn’t expect the amount of humor in this production. The internet tells me Chekhov considered it a comedy; “dramedy” might be the best descriptor. Like Shakespeare, the play seems flexible allowing directors and actors to lean into either the drama or the humor depending on their interpretation.

The Moving Company consistently delivers strong performances, and this production is no exception. Nathan Keepers, exquisitely dressed by costumer Sonya Berlovitz, is excellent as Lopakhin, a wealthy businessman who once worked for the family that owns the cherry orchard of the title. The story follows a once-wealthy family who, through denial and poor decisions, have squandered their fortune. Their land and its famous orchard are about to be auctioned to pay their debts. Lopakhin offers a plan to save their estate, but the family is too paralyzed to act.

The concept of a privileged but foolish family losing everything feels like a reflection of Russia’s shifting social order—The Cherry Orchard premiered just thirteen years before the Revolution. Director Dominique Serrand, who also plays Leonid, the aging uncle, brings both humor and pathos to the production. Alongside Tracey Maloney as Liubóv, his sister and head of the family, the two create characters we should want to shake some sense into, but can’t help pitying even as they bring about their own downfall.

I don’t know if this is a typical interpretation of the play, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am glad to have finally experienced such an important work.

The Cherry Orchard runs through November 2 at Jungle Theater in Uptown. For tickets and information, visit jungletheater.org/the-cherry-orchard.

Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox—it’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

Two Gents Another Delightful Shakespear Interpretation From Ten Thousand Things

Kimberly Richardson and Michelle de Joya Photo by Tom Wallace

Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona is believed to be his first play, and many consider it one of if not the, weakest of his works. You can see the early seeds of plots and themes he would later refine, but as a whole, it’s undeniably problematic. Because of that, it’s performed far less often than his more popular comedies like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, or Twelfth Night. I’ve only seen one other production, at the Jungle Theater more than a decade ago, and the plot had completely left my memory. That’s fine, though, since this new version makes some changes, which feels like a valid way to approach it. One of the most remarkable things about Shakespeare’s work is its universality, which allows artists to continually reinterpret it in new ways.

Nobody does Shakespeare quite like Ten Thousand Things (TTT), and Two Gents, their take on Two Gentlemen of Verona, is no exception. Part of the company’s mission is to make art accessible to everyone. They create stripped-down productions that can travel easily, bringing theater directly into the community. But they also make Shakespeare accessible by casting performers who can make the language clear and engaging for a modern audience. Which is something not every actor can do as skillfully as this cast.

I won’t try to summarize the plot, it can be a bit convoluted, but I always understood what was happening in a general sense, even if the finer details occasionally blurred. With this particular play, perhaps more than any other, the pleasure comes from the performances rather than the story itself.

This five-actor ensemble plays roughly sixteen or seventeen roles, and that’s where much of the production’s joy lies. One character, Sir Thurio, is actually portrayed by four different actors throughout the show. That might sound confusing, but Caitlin Lowans, the new artistic director of TTT who is making her directorial debut for the company, ensures it’s always crystal clear who’s who at any given moment.

As usual with TTT, the entire cast is strong. The standout is Kimberly Richardson, who plays Launce, the play’s most beloved comedic character. Richardson, a gifted comic actor, brings her considerable talents to all eight of her roles, stealing nearly every scene she’s in. Don’t mistake me though, the rest of the cast, which includes Michelle de Joya, Kamani Graham, Kurt Kwan, and Sara Richardson, definitely hold there own. It’s a true ensemble piece and every player adds to the whole!

Faithful viewers of The Stages of MN Show may remember my interview with Ryan Lee and Tod Petersen back in Episode 4. This production was one of the projects Ryan hinted at but couldn’t announce yet. Here, he creates an unobtrusive soundscape that perfectly complements the action onstage.

This may not be the best Shakespeare adaptation I’ve seen from Ten Thousand Things—which makes sense given the play’s reputation—but even weak Shakespeare, in TTT’s hands, is always entertaining.

Two Gents runs through November 2 at various locations. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit tenthousandthings.org/two-gents

Once on This Island, Is Not Enough. You’ll Want to Go Again and Again to Artistry Theater

“Beautiful.” That was the word that floated up from someone in the audience behind me as the cast prepared to take their bows after the final preview performance of Once on This Island at Artistry in Bloomington tonight. I was sorely tempted to leave it at that. I won’t be able to capture the evening any more perfectly than that, even if I used 5,000 words.

The best word to describe the music? Beautiful.
The best word to describe the story? Beautiful.
The best word to describe the cast? Beautiful.
And the best word to describe the star, Antonisia Collins, who plays the grown Ti Moune? Here I can add some qualifiers: possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen on stage. It’s perhaps the best casting of the year. Collins, who seemed to come out of nowhere and first caught my attention as Robin Hood last summer, has just made the jump to light speed and now sits atop The Stages of MN favorites list.

Once on This Island tells the story of Ti Moune, a young girl saved from a storm by four gods and placed in a tree to be found and adopted by a peasant couple. Mathias Brinda is also excellent as Little Ti Moune, showing remarkable stage presence for an eighth grader. Ti Moune wonders her whole life why the gods saved her as a child. When Daniel, a rich boy from the other side of the island, is in a car crash, Ti Moune discovers him. She knows in her heart the reason for her being saved was so she could save him. She nurses him back to health, falls in love, and when Papa Ge aka Death, comes for Daniel, she offers her own life in his place. Once Daniel is taken home, Ti Moune follows, and he seems to return her love. But where she sees with her heart, he is led by the expectations of others. In the end, he casts her aside and marries someone from his own class. It is Ti Moune’s innocence, her faith, and her belief in love that Collins captures so effortlessly.

There are many excellent members of the cast. A few of note: Darius Gilllard as Tonton Julian, Ti Moune’s adoptive father, whose voice is deep and powerful. Ninchai Nok-Chiclana, who plays the god Papa Ge, is also very good, getting a standout vocal moment in “Promises/Forever Yours (Reprise),” when he offers to spare Ti Moune—if she kills Daniel.

I’d seen the show once before when the tour came to the Ordway in the winter of 2020. Because I’d bought the tickets, I was probably seeing it at the end of its run, and I didn’t write a review. My only real recollection was that we were seated onstage, which was pretty cool, but that’s about all I remember. This time, I was in my favorite seats—front row center. Less novel, but arguably better than being behind the performers.

The production is simply staged, but with a beautiful simplicity that fits the story within a story style. Director Kelli Foster Warder adds some wonderfully creative flourishes, including a scene played entirely in shadows behind a white screen recounting Daniel’s family history. From my vantage point, I may not have been able to fully appreciate Nikki Long’s choreography, but what I could see up close looked fantastic—and I can only assume it looks even better from further back.

Music Director Sanford Moore, as always, draws a big sound from his orchestra, this time infused with a wonderful Caribbean flair. Once on This Island runs through October 26 at Artistry in Bloomington. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit artistrymn.org.