Artistry in Bloomington is Alive With the Sound of Music

* Disclaimer: On March 28th I suffered a rupture in my right bicep muscle, which has left me without the use of my right arm. I will endeavor to continue seeing and reviewing shows however the reality is that the reviews will need to be significantly shorter. For now I will attempt to provide you, faithful readers, with a few sentences that will make clear whether a show is worth your time and money. My apologies to all of the artists in front of the curtain as well as behind whose work I may not be able to comment on. Hopefully this will be a short-term accommodation, I will do everything in my power to get back to writing full reviews as soon as is humanly possible.

When I was growing up in the pre-cable days of television there were four channels and no home video. There were three movies that I was aware of being broadcast yearly on one of the three major networks ABC, NBC, and CBS. They were The Wizard of Oz which we always watched, Gone with the Wind which I never watched, and of course The Sound of Music which we never missed. It’s fair to say those early screenings planted the seed from which my love of theater and musicals grew. Sometimes revisiting childhood favorites can be a disappointment, thankfully that isn’t the case with Artistrys production of The Sound of Music. Director Max Wojtanowicz has tapped into a deep vein of emotional memory that had my eyes overflowing throughout the evening. It’s a musical filled with such joy and Wojtanowicz’s directorial flourishes only add to it. I’m not sure anyone in the Twin Cities knows as much about musical theater as Wojtanowicz, his mastery of the form shows in every scene. One little touch that I absolutely loved was the use of a bed sheet and shadow hand puppets during the performance of “The Lonely Goatherd“. The set design by Katie Phillips is minimal but Music Director Raymond Berg could have the top notch musicians that beautifully underline the actors vocals. Oh! before I continue, I should just say if you’re looking for plot synopsis, I’m not going to provide you with one, but I would like to welcome you out from under the rock you’ve apparently been living under.

As a rule I do not critique the performances of adolescent actors so all I will say is that they were wonderful and every one of them should continue on this path. The big name in the cast is Susan Hofflander who plays the Mother Abbess, She has a powerful voice and there’s a true connection between her and Maria that is solidified when they sing “My Favorite Things” together and carries throughout the show. Rodolfo Nieto, one of my wife’s All is Calm Boys, plays Captain von Trapp, his deep rich voice and severe look brings a different characterization to the Captain but one that’s very effective. Now for the show’s secret weapon, in the role of Maria, Sheena Janson Kelley was a revelation. Kelley’s voice was not only beautiful but crystal clear. Seeing as many shows as I do, I’m used to hearing great singers, powerful singers, beautiful voices, Kelley’s is exactly the voice I always want to hear in this type of role. Her voice is the embodiment of this character who’s all love and joy and music. Sometimes a character this good can also come off as boring, there’s nothing boring about the perfection of Kelley’s Maria. Every choice she makes in the role whether it’s singing or acting endears her to the audience, we are with her from her first line to her final bow. To the best of my knowledge I’ve not seen Kelley perform before, but I sure hope I do again, and soon. To this reviewer’s mind if you’re casting a musical I can’t understand why you wouldn’t give the lead to Sheena Janson Kelley. Whatever the role is, it’s hard to imagine there’s a better choice.

If you were planning to give The Sound of Music a pass thinking you’ve seen the movie a million times so you don’t need to go see it again, you’re going to want to correct that thinking. This production will remind you why you’ve seen the movie so many times, because it’s so damn good. This production may lack the scenic views but it has everything that makes the musical great intact, heart, lots and lots of heart. The Sound of Music runs through May 12th at Artistry in Bloomington. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/thesoundofmusic

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Join us for a twin cities theater blogger event at the Guthrie Theater for their Shakespeare history event. We are also planning a Twin Cities Theater Bloggers post show Gathering on April 27th following the Richard II matinee for 20% discount on tickets to that performance use the code TCBLOG or click on the link http://securesite.guthrietheater.org/single/PSDetail.aspx?psn=33583&promo=TCBLOG

The Cradle Will Rock An Opera Theatre Presentation at Heart of the Beast/Avalon Theater

The Cradle Will Rock is a show I know of but had never seen, it’s sort of that kind of show. There’s an incredible true story about its staging in 1937 that Actor and Director Tim Robbins made into a film in 1999 called Cradle Will Rock, it’s a good movie and a fascinating story. You can get the general gist of what happened in An Opera Theater’s program for this show, which is packed full of captivating information and thoughtful commentary from the people behind this staging of Marc Blitzstein’s condemnation of greed and corruption. The show runs about 65 minutes and as such, it eskews subtlety being very direct and clear about its message. A message whose time has come again, not that it ever really left. The show consists of 10 scenes that play out showing us the ways in which it’s villain Mr Mister exploits, manipulates, and controls not only the people but institutions for his own personal gain. The production directed by Christina Baldwin along with Lizz Windnagel as Puppet Director/Creator is visually inventive with creative use of lighting by Claudia Errickson, and wonderfully stylized costumes by Sonya Berlovitz.

Baldwin speaks in her program notes about the importance of being silly, and it’s a lesson she has successfully instilled in her cast. Written in a very Brechtian Style, the infusion of whimsy that Baldwin brings to the piece makes it more digestible to modern audience. The cast has some familiar faces in it but also new ones. Benjamin Dutcher sounds brilliant as always but, it’s his playful, and yes, silly characterizations were the real joy of his performance. His stylistic movements as his first character Dick were a perfect match for the overcoat designed by Berlovitz for the character. Maurice Fields III is someone I had not seen before but they certainly made an impression. Fields has a wonderful tenor voice but again, it was their characterizations that really stuck out as Reverend Salvation, for example they illustrates how we got to this state we’re in with regards to the religious right. They perfectly play the gradual seduction of the man of God by the power of the dollar. It’s a wonderful cast all around and the production team as well particularly those involved with the puppeteering really make this a production stand out. What’s also intriguing about this company, An Opera Theater is their commitment to community engagement with performances being followed by round table discussions with community leaders as well as resources available in the lobby and in the program. For them, it’s not just about putting on a show it’s about engaging an audience and a community, which is a beautiful thing.

The Cradle Will Rock runs through April 21st at Heart of the Beast /Avalon Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and purchase tickets go to https://anoperatheatre.org/cradle

The Name Jar at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins a Collaboration With Theater Mu

The Name Jar a 45 minute play is an adaptation of the book by Yangsook Choi by Susan H. Pak and Directed by Jake Sung-Guk Sullivan running at Stages Theatre Company through April 14th. The production is done in Collaboration with Theater Mu which is one of my favorite Theatre companies. One of the things I love about Theater Mu is that aside from always putting on quality productions I almost always learn something new about various Asian cultures. Sometimes it is as intricate as learning about a war I knew nothing about, other times as simple as how to pronounce a word. I love what the two companies have done with this production geared towards people age five and up; however, the up doesn’t mean 14 or 17 it means 101+. The message here is simple enough for school age children to understand but universal enough for anyone to learn from. It’s short, energetic, and yes geared towards children, but did I mention it’s short? Two hours of a showed geared towards five years old, without having a five year old with me would be rough. But I attended this on my own at 45 minutes I found if engaging and full of heart and I felt I gained knowledge and understanding.

The plot follows Unhei, a young girl who has just moved to the United states from Korea, as she attends her first day at school. None of the other children can pronounce her name and she starts to wonder if she should pick out an American name to go by at school. This is a difficult decision, in her family and indeed her culture, names are very important. It’s important to note that her classmates are not intentionally mean or tease her about her name. But, the enthusiastically grasp onto the idea of her picking a new name and create the name jar of the title into which they place suggestions of what she can call herself. We see how not Unhei feels different from the others and understand her natural instinct to try and change to fit in with her classmates. We also gain an understanding through her interactions with her Umma (Mom), Mr. Kim the Korean Grocery store owner, and her Halmoni (Grandma) about the ways in which a name differs in Korean culture from those of the average midwestern family. Director Sullivan does a great job keeping the play moving and of engaging the audience through some mild interaction. Encouraging the audience say Korean words and names along with the characters involves us in the story but also in the learning, we don’t simply let things wash over us we actively engage. Technically the show has subtle but effective use of projections, the scenic design by Sarah Brandner is versatile and well suited and more elaborate than I expected for the studio space. There’s also nice work done by Lighting Designer Alice Endo and Sound Designer Gretchen Katt in helping to create the locales and make for effective transitions.

The Name Jar is running through April 14th at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.stagestheatre.org/name-jar/

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington Announces a Spectacular Return to Form For Mixed Blood

I don’t even know where to begin. The last show I saw produced by Mixed Blood was Interstate: The Musical, which closed early due to the pandemic but, not before I saw it three times. It’s one of my favorite musicals of all time so I have been anxious to see what they did next. The answer for the last two years has been very little in the way of theater. This isn’t their first full production they did Mariology in the fall but that was really an outside theatre company they brought in. The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington is the first homegrown production and it’s a shining example of what Minnesota’s artistic community is capable of. This is a show I expect to see making my TCTB Awards Nomination list next January, it’s that good. What’s so good? That’s what I was talking about when I said I don’t know where to start. First off, the production design and every technical department that created the visual and aural landscape of this show are endlessly creative. I felt like I was at Open Eye Theatre who are known for their impeccable production designs. Matt Lefebvre scenic design work is impressive on first view as you walk into the theater, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The surprises that lay in store feel like magic when they happen, and far be it of me to give away the magicians secrets. And it isn’t just the set design it’s also Karin Olson’s Lighting, Theo Langason’s Sound design along with the props designed by Kris Schmidt. Don’t even get me started on the costumes, makeup, and wig work of Zamora Simmons. It’s a seven person cast and I’m guessing there are around 30 costumes. That might be an exaggeration, but it also wouldn’t shock me to learn that it’s pretty close to the actual number.

The show opens on Martha Washington the first First Lady of America. George is dead and she’s very sick in bed. She is being cared for by the slaves whom according to George’s will are to be set free upon her death. We see them, their names are Sucky Boy, Priscilla, Doll, Davy, and Ann they pray to God for Martha. From that moment on, hold onto your hat, the program describes what follows as a fever dream which tracks, except Martha dreams about the future, the past, finds herself on a gameshow and ultimately on trial, as promised in the title. The script by James Ijames is a satirical look at the past through the lense of the present day. It demolishes the defense of that’s just how it was in those days, particularly effective is the reveal of what happened between Ann and Martha’s son. If you can still maintain that argument after that scene, then I guess the argument is, that’s just how things were back then and white people had no moral compass. It’s tackling some very real and heavy issues but it never stops entertaining the audience, it’s only after it’s whirlwind 90 minute run time that you have time to stop and process. This is a wildly entertaining play and should be enjoyed and appreciated on those levels, but it’s also important to look at what we are laughing about and why this story is being told in this way.

Pirronne Yousefzadeh directs the play steering the fever dream from scene to scene changing styles and tone on a dime. I haven’t seen this as effectively done since the last time I watched Preston Sturges’ Sullivan’s Travels. The cast is a testament to the talent we have in the Twin Cities acting community, we have some of the best actors in the country and if you don’t believe me, go see The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington at Mixed Blood and you will. Aside from Karen Wiese-Thompson who only plays Martha, which she does brilliantly, the other actors play multiple roles throughout the show. Valencia Proctor who was fantastic in last years Passage at Pillsbury House shows a gift for comedy, I loved her take on the out of touch real housewife of 1802. Tolu Ekisola take on the court bailiff got a laugh every time she swore someone in, her line reading choice is just right. Now these are just moments in a show where they each portray multiple characters, some funny, others a little more on the realistic side, but all pitch perfect in a show where the tone is constantly shifting. The same is true of Darius Dotch and Mikell Sapp who short of act as a comic team in certain scenes. Dotch’s standout is as Lawyer Man, a Defense Attorney for Martha from and in the future. Sapp, is comic gold as George Washington who deflects all blame for slave owning off on Martha, whom he calls a pimp. Monica E. Scott plays Ann, who is Martha’s main caregiver, half-sister, and of course property. She has what is probably the role with the most serious tone throughout, she gets to play along in the fun occasionally but her most memorable moments are when in the fever dream of Martha’s she is still playing Ann but deviant. The cast is rounded out by Domino D’Lorion whose first appearance as William makes an impression. He plays multiple roles but as William, that’s where he really impresses pulling off that nearly impossible task of being a grown person playing a young kid. He really has the body language and uncertainty down, when embodying the character in a version of reality but then a completely impish quality when in full fever dream mode, it feels like Bat-mite has magically appeared in Martha’s bedroom. Neither version comes anywhere close to annoying, which is saying a lot because Bat-mite is always annoying. He plays both versions of William brilliantly.

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington runs through March 31st at Mixed Blood in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://mixedblood.com/the-most-spectacularly-lamentable-trial-of-miz-martha-washington/ . I’ve talked a lot about the importance of creating new theater audiences. The first trick is to get people into theater seats that don’t ordinarily go to the theater. Mixed Blood has a solution for that they over a program called Radical Hospitality, Tickets are available by donation, if you cannot afford theater tickets you can get them at no cost. If you can afford to spend $30 or $60 on a ticket do so, donations are what make it possible for those without resources to attend theater. The second step in creating a new theater audience is staging something that gives them a feeling that they want to experience again, Mixed Blood has that covered with this show as well. The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington is the kind of show overflowing with creativity that will open a new theatergoer to the possibilities of what theater can be.

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I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.

Wish You Were Here Improv Comedy About Loss and Friendship at Strike Theater in NE Minneapolis

Strike Theater sits in the middle of a long long building that is not filled with other theaters. It’s a massive building on a long dark seemingly deserted street in NE Minneapolis. It doesn’t look like the building a theater should be in, it looks like a place you go to have something welded, like for a trailer or something? Anyway, follow your GPS and don’t second guess it, there’s a sign to assure you that you are in the right place. Once inside you’ll feel like you are in a more familiar space, unless of course you are a welder by trade in which case, this might feel really disorienting to you. But I think that’s a relatively small number of you, most have been to other black box theaters and the site of the the concession area and small theater with chairs lined up in front of a designated performance space or “stage” in theater speak. Chances are if you are at Strike you have come to laugh, and In my experience it’s a good bet you will.

The show I took in tonight is one they have performed before and it’s titled Wish You Were Here. It’s a long form Improv comedy in which on any given night the member of the cast who is dead changes. The structure is that a group of friends have gathered in memory of their departed friend. We get flashbacks of the dead friend sometimes monologuing sometimes interacting with characters. Those alternate with the present gathering, where everyone tries to establish characters of their own while also trying to get a read on the characters their fellow performers are creating. It generally leads to a few moments that don’t go anywhere but more often than not things build upon what has come before and there tend to be some running jokes that work and that everyone can utilize at some point. The problem with improv is that what I saw tonight will be different than what you see Friday or Saturday night. For one, a different member of the cast will be dead, may they rest in peace. So describing specific bits, or characters is fruitless. But the premise and the cast are what make a show like this work. The premise is as good as any others it’s riff with possibilities and has the potential to get into so really black comedy.

The cast is filled with folks you’ve seen in other shows around town at Strike, Phoenix and Huge and many other places and changes somewhat between shows. Ours included the multitalented and family favorite Shanan Custer. Our Dead friend was Madde Gibba, with a hilarious recurring bit of making her friends look right in her eyes as she did things, like eat soup, or pee in the ocean. Also in the cast list are Molly chase, Javier Morillo, Duck Washington, Katy Kessler, Eric Heiberg, Rita Boersma, and Sam Landman. The last is a reminder to always ask who the cast is for each night and always pick the one Sam Landman is in. I didn’t get Landman and it was still a good time with lots of laughs. Odds are in your favor now that you will get Landman and or Duck Washington another favorite. Wish You Were Here runs Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 at Strike Theater for not a lot more information, but to purchase tickets go to https://www.strike.theater/shows.html

Radiant Vermin a Darkly Comic Play at Lyric Arts

Callie Baack and Noah Hynick Photo by Molly Weibel

Radiant Vermin by Philip Ridley is a dark and twisted tale about the evils of consumerism taken to the extreme. A struggling couple who are expecting their first child are given the chance to to move into a home of their own at no charge to themselves. It’s their house lock stock and barrel, the only thing they will have to do themselves are the renovations. It’s a fixer upper you see, but Ollie played by Noah Hynick is handy and his wife Jill, played by Callie Baack, has taste which makes them in the eyes of Miss Dee, played by Danielle Krivinchuk, the perfect couple for the house. Miss Dee is said to represent a new government program whose aim appears to be the gentrification of undesirable neighborhoods. The plan is that Ollie and Jill will fix up their house and that will attract others to the area, and it’s a plan that comes along like a house on fire. The story is told directly to the audience by Ollie and Jill after a disastrous garden party for their sons first birthday. They want to explain to us how they came to live in their dream house. All of which is a faithful set up for the play but at the same time doesn’t prepare you for what you are about to witness. This is the blackest of comedies and it takes the idea of the lack of morality in consumer culture to a whole new level. The script is extremely well written and tackles issues of class, religion, and privilege while being enormously entertaining.

Hynick and Baack give fantastic performances and hats off to the dialect coach Gillian Constable, because they sound authentically British with Hynick having a distinctly early Hugh Grant quality minus the poshness. Their performances really shine in the reenactment of the garden party in which they each play along with Ollie and Jill at least four other characters, it’s a scene that reminded me of the terrific Stones in His Pockets which closed last week at Theater Latte Da. If you caught that show you’ll know what I’m talking about and if you loved it this is another show you should check. I’m not sure if Lyric Arts has Hynick under exclusive contract or what, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him on stage anywhere else, but everything he’s been in at Lyric he has impressed the hell out of me. Krivinchuk along with playing the devilishly well informed Miss Dee also has a scene as Kay, a homeless girl whom Ollie brings home to help renovate the house. The roll is a complete 180 from Miss Dee who is all knowing winks and wicked manipulation, while her performance as Kay is surprisingly moving and subtle in comparison.

The set design by Cory Skold is impressive, it looks like a multistoried construction site, with painters plastic hanging all over and walls exposed down to their studs. The whole thing is pulled together by the lighting and sound design by Shannon Elliott, there are some cues that really help to sell the story as it unfolds. The production is directed by Callie Aho who also services as the Intimacy Director. Aho’s handling of that garden party scene shows a talent for making the fast paced and chaotic still surprisingly clear in terms of who’s who when there are literally 11 characters speaking at once being played by two actors. Radiant Vermin runs through March 24th at Lyric Arts in Anoka, don’t let the drive stop you it’s really not that far and this show is so very worth your time. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/radiant-vermin

In the Green at Elision Playhouse

In the Green by Grace McLean began a three week run last night at Elision Playhouse in Crystal MN. The Elision website summarizes the plot as:

“As a young girl, medieval saint, healer, visionary, exorcist, and composer Hildegard von Bingen was locked in a cloister’s cell after demonstrating a preternatural sensitivity to the world around her. Sequestered with Hildegard is Jutta, a woman who has spent her life secluded in an effort to recover a whole self after the deepest of trauma. Under Jutta’s guidance, Hildegard attempts to reassemble her own fragmented self while her mentor proselytizes a rejection of brokenness.”
Elision Theatre Website

So that tells you the outline but what it doesn’t prepare you for is how it tells that story. Hildegard is played by three different actors simultaneously each playing one of the pieces of Hildegard’s splintered self. Abilene Olson is Hand, Annie Schiferl is Eye, and Deidre Cochran is Mouth, it’s an astonishing collaborative performance, even when one part take center stage you feel as if the others are still a part of what is happening. The performances are highlighted by the exactness of their vocal synchronization, their voices sound hauntingly beautiful together and it is the music that makes this production worth checking out. Like Hildegard the character of Jutta is also played by two performers, Christine Wade plays the present Jutta while Emily Hensley plays the younger Jutta, listed in the program as Shadow, she is the darkness that Jutta has buried in her cell. Both also have incredible vocals, Wade has the added challenge of performing while operating a Looper board. This is a wonderful device that allows for the recording of a sound, vocal or otherwise, that can then be played in a loop while the same performers sing another part, allowing for the layering of sounds in unique ways. It’s also for me, as an audience member, a stressful tool as I worry about the tightrope act that operating the machine during a live performance. Hitting the wrong button could throw everyone off and ruin the flow and mood of the music.

When it comes to music “it had a nice beat and I could dance to it” is about the extent of my expertise so I’ll direct those interested in a more nuanced discussion of the musical elements to my fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Keith at Life in Revue https://lifeinrevue.blogspot.com/?m=1. What I can say is that It didn’t have a nice beat and you can’t dance to it, but it was amazingly complex and I found myself in awe of every aspect of the music. Harrison Wade’s musical direction and Christine Wade’s vocal direction are the high calibre one has come to expect from Theatre Elision. The Looper board adds a layer that could be used to make things easier on the music department but they use it to add complexity. The staging and design by Director/Designer Lindsay Fitzgerald is at once minimal but like the soundscape surprisingly complex. Using screens and projection in concert with Laina Grendle’s lighting design to accomplish visual what the Looper was doing aurally. Madeline Wall is the Movement Coordinator whose work seems to tie everything we see and hear together, making the complicated premise of three Actors simultaneously playing the same person work. This is a production you go to to see how talented people all collaborate to create a piece that feels cohesive in every possible way, nothing detracts from the atmosphere of the piece. Is it fun? No, there are a couple of line readings that get a chuckle, they are well placed, and lighten the mood when needed. At 90 minutes it’s the perfect length for something that is more to be appreciated than entertaining. It’s thoughtful and very impressive, and I enjoy something that’s a little more moody and serious sometimes.

In the Green runs through March 9th at the Elision Playhouse for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.elisionproductions.com/in-the-green