Mae West and the Trial of Sex Provides a History Lesson for the Future at the Crane Theater

Mae West and the Trial of Sex chronicles the legal battle between Mae West and the powers of censorship in the early part of the 20th century. Nearly 100 years ago the theater community of New York City and by extension the country was dealt a legal blow that amounted to censorship. Today the theater community is under attack again. Like that trial so many years ago, what is said to be the cause for these actions and what the true result of the them being taken are completely different. It all amounts to the same thing, silencing the voices of the minority. The Sex trial

prosecuted West, her producers and cast for performing a work that could contribute to the correuption of minors and others it was really about preventing another show being produced by West called The Drag. The Drag featured a cast of twenty female impersonators which William Randolph Hearst, the basis for Citizen Kane, wanted to crush due to it’s portrayal of homosexuality and cross dressing. I wish I could say it never ceases to amaze me how little we have progressed, or perhaps have regressed compared to 100 years ago. The result led to what amounted to a legal ban on the portrayal of queer characters in theater until the late 1960’s.

John Heimbuch’s new play drawn from the historical records shows the absurdity and injustice that abounds when powerful rich white people decide they want something. Laws no longer matter, rules are rewritten, the “haves” get what they want and the “have-nots” lose the last thing they have, their voice. The story is told by an exceptional group of seven performers, most of whom must play more than a half a dozen roles each. They are led by Emily A. Grodzik who plays Mae West very effectively, we get a glimpse of the real West at the close of the show so those who are not familiar with the stars work can see how well Grodzik captures her. I can’t honestly say that any member of the ensemble is better than any of the others, they all find a unique voice for each of their characters, some are brief one or two lines bits that create laughs, others are more rounded out, but all are exactly what they need to be in any given moment. So rather than single any out let me just list the entire brilliant ensemble. Jack Bechard, Neal Beckman, Kelsey Laurel Cramer, Kayla Dvorak Feld, Samuel Osborne-Huerta, and Joe Swanson.

The show is directed by The Stages of MN favorite Allison Vincent. The story flashes between scenes and settings so quickly, it would create deadly long scene changes were Vincent to have gone the realistic route. Instead, the play is staged with a wink to the audience acknowledging that this is a play and so characters wheel set pieces in to center stage from the side where they sit until needed, costume changes are made in split seconds in view of the audience. This contributes to the humor at times but most importantly keeps the show clipping along. The production team including Sarah Bahr as Set Designer, Mandi Johnson as Costume Designer, Tony Stoeri as Lighting Designer, Thomas Speltz as Composer and Sound Designer, and Bobbie Smith as Props Designer all contribute to creating this theatrical world.

Mae West and the Trial of Sex is another show that retells the past through the lens of the present. Something I expect the current Administration to outlaw shortly. It’s a cautionary tale, but one told with a lot of humor. Mae West and the Trial of Sex from Walking Shadow Theatre Company runs through 6/22/25 at the Crane Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://walkingshadow.org/mae-west-and-the-trial-of-sex/

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. In short, theaters are being threatened for sharing stories that reflect our countries cultural and racial diversity.

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Significant Other Speaks Truth through humor at Lyric Arts in Anoka

Emily Hensley, Eva Gemlo, Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green, and Noah Hynick Photo by Molly Weibel

Significant Other by Joshua Harmon is a play I saw performed in my first year as a Theater Blogger. That is to say I remember seeing it, remember thinking it was funny, but that’s about it. As I watched it play out at Lyric Arts the structure of the show came back to me but not the details. So the jokes felt fresh and no ones performance was competing against a previous interpretation. Lyric Arts leading man and 2024 Twin Cities Theater Blogger Award Winner for Favorite Emerging Artist, Noah Hynick, absolutely owns the role of Jordan. A late 20’s gay man living in New York City who is feeling more and more alone as his circle of friends begin to get married and have families. This is not an unusual situation in any circle of friends, and while the play really only explores it from Jordan’s perspective, there is frequently a reverse feeling for those who have paired off, they can also miss hanging out with friends who are unattached. When you have kids it can be even more of an adjustment, the difference being that instead of living in that state 24/7, it really only draws your attention occasionally, when you hear about some exciting night out. My point is that Harmon’s script will ring true whether your the last one standing single or were the first to pair off, we can all relate to some degree. It would be interesting to see Harmon write a follow up in say 20 years as the characters become empty nesters, which is accompanied by some similar feelings I can assure you.

Hynick gives a hilariously neurotic performance as Jordan, but he grounds it in an emotional rawness that connects with the audience. We laugh at him, with him, and out of our own recognition of that awkward uncertainty that most humans struggle with at some points. Whether he’s sweetly bending the ear of his Grandmother Helene or his best friend Laura, every moment feels grounded in character. Helene is played wonderfully by Miriam Monasch. The role is so well written to begin with, where we witness Jordan having a variation on the same conversation each week with his Grandma. The humor of which is matched with a feelings of genuine love that comes from those moments with our childhood heroes, which is what Grandparents are in many ways. The loom large in our childhood memories, making us the center of their worlds for these brief moments. Their weekly walk down memory lane of the picture of Jordan that is still her favorite and the stories that go along with it. There is so much truth in those scenes, the humor of repeating the same thing over and over but at the center, the sense that it’s really about the love between them. The entire cast is great but I do want to quickly acknowledge the other stand out in the cast which is Eva Gemlo as Laura. Jordan and Laura have an arguement towards the end of the show and Gemlo brings it all to that scene. Yes this is Jordan’s story, but she makes him and the audience acknowledge that everything isn’t about him. It’s one of the scenes that really raises this script to the next level, we understand what Jordan is feeling, but just because it’s his story doesn’t mean the world in which it takes place revolves around him. Gemlo’s Laura, doesn’t choose to just humor the protagonist, she stands up for her right to have her wedding be about her. I think it will be telling how each audience member responds to that scene, I think the narcissists in the audience will side with Jordan. But I’d also be curious to see if there are divides along generational lines as well. Everything Jordan is feeling is valid, but there is a time and place for sharing those feelings, and sometimes we just need to keep them to ourselves in the moment, recognize that a painful day for us, is one of the most important and special days of another persons life, and allow them to enjoy that time.

This production is directed by Max Wojtanowicz with care. He allows his actors to find their characters and trusts that the humor will work all the better for it. Michaela Lochen’s set design is very interesting, we have window frames along the back wall giving us a feel of NYC neighborhood streets. When the characters look at a painting or a picture on the wall they look out at the audience but along the back wall of the stage we get a visualization of what they are looking at. Lucas Granholm has some very effective lighting cues. I especially liked when Jordan keeps opening his computer to see the photo of a man he has a crush on, as he lifts the screen of his laptop open Granholm has a light come up on another area of the stage and we see the character there posed like the photo he’s looking at.

Significant Other is an insightful and very funny play that will delight mature audiences. This is not a play for anyone under say 16 years of age, and frankly I don’t think many under the age of 20 will have much of a chance of understanding it’s subtler truths. It’s also a really brave choice for Lyric Arts to produce and I hope audiences will reward the risk by embracing it and telling their friends to go see it. Significant Other runs through June 22nd at Lyric Arts in Anoka. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/significant-other

Between Riverside and Crazy is an Engrossing Play Filled With Fascinating Characters at Park Square Theatre

Isabella Dunsieth, Darius Dotch, Terry Hempleman, Laura Esping, Emil Herrera Photo Courtesy Dan Norman

Between Riverside and Crazy is a Pulitzer Prize winning play by Stephen Adly Guirgis playing on the main stage at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. It’s a story about specific people in a specific place and time. It deals with race but only in the way in which being black or white affects the characters lives. What I mean to say is that race is not the primary focus of the play. The story focuses on Pops, played by Emil Herrera who has been battling the city for eight years trying to get them to pay him 5 million dollars in compensation for being shot six times by a police officer whom he alleges called him a racial slur. He was an off duty police officer at the time he was shot, and he is black. I know that it sounds like a play all about race, but that is just one of several plot lines that propel the story. Pop now retired on 3/4 pension is living in his rent controlled apartment with his son Junior and his girlfriend Lulu, played by Darius Dotch and Isabella Dunsieth, along with Juniors friend Oswaldo, played by José Sabillón. They each have their own things happening that contribute to the overall story of Pops’ world. There’s also his former partner from his days on the force, Audrey and her Fiancé Lt. Caro played by Laura Esping and Terry Hempleman. Caro is trying to get Pops to settle with the city. Then there’s the Church Lady played by Kiko Laureano, who brings unexpected tangent into what may or may not have been real or imagined. Whatever it is, it’s pretty graphically performed and not for children.

The cast does a fantastic job of engrossing us in the lives of the characters. Guirgis’ play takes it’s time revealing the various conflicts and relationships which works to it’s benefit. We become interested in the characters to the point where we don’t really care if there is conflict, part of you just wants to sit back and watch these folks live their lives. The dialogue is colorful and entertaining and it’s not only fascinating what the characters say, but how they say it. Herrera is in every scene and he’s very natural and funny as Pops, it’s a great performance that feels lived in but not weary. I really enjoyed Sabillón’s performance as Oswaldo, a not very bright former convict who has 90 days of sobriety. The opening scenes between Herrera and Sabillón are among the most humorous and touching. Dunsieth is also very strong playing Lulu, who also isn’t too bright but has captured the good opinion of Pops. Dunsieth is so outrageous in the role, it’s hard not to see what charms Pops.

The other star of the show is the set by Benjamin Olsen, it’s a very realistic recreation of Pop’s apartment with a living room, kitchen, and even fire escape. The set is rich with details like the unwashed windows and ceiling light fixtures hanging from a nonexistent ceiling. Director Stephen DiMenna seems to understand the importance of making the space in which we spend our time with these characters, a way to ground them in reality. One aspect that I felt could have been tightened up were the slightly overlong scene changes; however, this did give Sound Designer Fred Kennedy a chance to play some great music during the changes. Lighting Designer Marcus Dilliard has some very effective lighting cues especially at the end of the first scene between Pops and the Church Lady. I tend to think that what happens is a reflection of Pops physical state, not a statement of something supernatural, but the way it’s handled by Dilliard makes it an intriguing moment that is open to interpretation. Matthew J. LeFebvre’s costume designs are great especially every little thing Dunsieth wears, just look at those boots in the photo above, they really help establish some unspoken things about Lulu.

Between Riverside and Crazy runs through June 8th at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://parksquaretheatre.org/

Sanctuary City Was Worth a Return Visit at Theatre in the Round

Diego Symouksavanh and Ana Paulina Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

If Sanctuary City written by the Pulitzer Prize winning Martyna Majok sounds familiar it’s probably because it was staged by Frank Theater just a few months ago. It’s a thought provoking and challenging play that explores the timely topic of immigration. Uniquely structured, the first act contains dozens of brief moments, memories over a course of a couple of years that establish the close friendship between two teenagers G and B, who live in the US illegally. During these scenes which last anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes each, we learn that G becomes a citizen, and they hatch a plan to marry each other so that B can legally stay in the country as well. Act II is one scene which explores what happens to that plan when a third person, Henry, enters the picture as a romantic partner. Every reveal in the second act clarifies the situation while complicating the issue itself. It forces the audience to constantly reconsider what they thought moments earlier.

Majok’s script is well crafted, seeing it for a second time within about three months is a unique opportunity to consider the different approaches the two companies took. The set design by Christopher Goddard mirrors the differences between the two halves of the show and make tangible the idea of the first being a series of memories. Where Act One is Impressionistic with time fractures and a very simplistic approach to set Design. Act Two is more formalized and structured. If you feel lost or confused at the beginning, hang in there, you’ll come to understand what is happening, and know that the second half will be much more traditional. Majok’s script further distinguishes this fact by the simplistic, almost black and white aspect of the dialogue and emotions in Act One compared to the intricate and often amorphous reality of the final Act. Andrew Vance’s lighting helps to tell the story particularly in Act One in which the lights are visual cues to indicate the jump to a new memory. There are also some nice sound effects added by Sound Designer Eevee Pavey that again, especially in Act One, help to set the stage in our imagination. Like the sound of windows being opened and closed. Director Vanessa Brooke Agnes does a nice job of differentiating the abstract nature of the first act with a much more grounded reality of the second.

The entire cast was new to me, but they were all as strong and in some cases stronger than the Frank production. Ana Paulina who plays G allows the unexpressed emotions of Act I show through the cracks. With her body language and looks we begin to answer our own questions about things that are not said. Diego Symouksavanh approaches the character of B with more energy than his Frank predecessor, where the character was portrayed as more passive and lost. Symouksavanh’s more engaged and active interpretation is an equally interesting and valid take on B. B spends his life in Limbo; as an illegal, his life options if he wants to stay in the US are limited, he can’t get aid for school and he needs to work jobs that don’t enforce certain regulations. Because of the introduction of Henry to the plot, he doesn’t know if he’s still going to be able to escape Limbo with G. If he can’t, should he continue to live this life or return to his birth country? Henry is played by LJ Soudaly and is his stage debut. Soudaly is a natural and hopefully he’ll pursue future roles. Henry is a difficult role, after spending the first Act witnessing the close friendship of B and G, it’s hard to blame Henry for coming between the two friends. He enters the play at a point where a third is unwanted by the audience and first impressions are that he’s just going to make everything fall apart. But he softens and as more is revealed, we find something to appreciate in the character for a time. It is here, that Majok’s script kicks into overdrive, requiring the performers to manipulate the audience’s allegiances from moment to moment.

Sanctuary City runs around an hour and forty five minutes with one intermission. It is a drama, but also contains humor and while it will leave you with a lot to think about and does not end with a super sunny resolution, it’s creativity and performances will leave you feeling excited and engaged rather than depressed. Sanctuary City runs through June 1st at Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/sanctuary-city/

Three Sisters, Tremendously Entertaining First Night of a Very Unique Two Night Theatrical Event

Nissa Nordland and Sam Landman Photo by Alex Wohlhueter

Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov the famed Russian playwright, not to be confused with the character Pavel Chekov, most recently played by Anton Yelchin in the Star Trek franchise, is one of those plays I’ve been waiting eagerly to see. In today’s world of diminishing audiences the classics can feel like a tough sell. It’s dark days and people want to be entertained, they hear Chekhov and think Russian play almost a 125 years old, it’s got to be good for you and boring as hell. Well it turns out it’s entertaining as hell, laugh out loud funny, and honestly probably not all that good for you. At least not if you’re experiencing any sort of existential dread. My approach to life is more along the lines of the character in the play Fydor Kulygin, I just try and be happy, accept the bad things but focus on the good. So I nod knowingly at the philosophical masturbation engaged in by most of the characters and laugh wholeheartedly at the moments when their basic humanity shines through, whether it be their annoyance with each other as everyone is with the character of Natasha or the romantic yearnings of Masha and Alexander. One can’t help but wonder at realities tendency to imitate art, if there is in fact a reality, which Dr. Chebutykin has come to believe there isn’t

I know I’m throwing around a lot of names you don’t know, but this is a Russian play told in four acts. To try and get into a plot synopsis of any depth would equate to the review equivalent of War and Peace. Magnificent, but something neither of us have the time or patience for I’m sure. So I’d rather use whatever goodwill you bring to this review and share the experience with you rather than the plot. First off let me assure you that you can see Three Sisters on it’s own and leave the theater completely satisfied, in fact more than satisfied as my plus one for the evening, my son Alexander said, “That might be the best thing I’ve seen”. Thing of course being live theater performance. While I can’t make that claim, it is, as Dr. Chebutykin might say, really fucking good. What is unique about this production from Theatre Pro Rata is that while one audience is in the main stage at the Crane Theater enjoying Three Sisters another audience is in the lobby of the theater seeing a play by Aaron Posner titled No Sisters. The plays are designed so that actors from one play can exit a scene in one space in time to make their entrance in the other. The intermissions are even timed so that as the lights dimmed on Act II and we began to clap we could hear the the audience in the lobby doing the same. I’ll be seeing No Sisters on Saturday evening and while I was already looking forward to it, now, having seen Three Sisters, Saturday night feels like Christmas morning, it can’t get her soon enough. This is the sort of theatrical situation that doesn’t happen very often and so it’s important to jump on it while you can. I believe some performances are already close to or have sold out and since it requires two nights to get the full effect, you’ll want to make plans now.

This is the part of the review where I single out a couple of my favorite performances and also if necessary comment on some less effective ones. The problem with this, formula if you will, is it doesn’t make allowances for cases like this, where everyone in the play is so good you don’t know who to single out. That’s fine if it’s a cast of four or five but this show has fourteen actors. Even if I eliminate the the four that have fairly smallish roles that still leaves ten, far too many to cover in depth. And so let me say this, Nissa Nordland, Sam Landman, and Duck Washignton are already on my must see list, and they earn their spot on that list again without a doubt. Trust me they’re brilliant, moving on, Sean Dillon, whom I always erroneously just associate with Improv, is sincere and creates an extremely funny and likable character. Kayla Hambek and Brettina Davis who play the other two sisters along with Nordland are excellent. Davis as the youngest sister conveys the most optimistic outlook at the opening, making her coming to an understanding of reality all the more heartbreaking. Hambek’s finest moment is her silent indignation at her sister-in-law’s lack of compassion. David Coral, gives a very good performance as the Dr. especially well done was his drunk scene. Jeremy Motz, gives a wonderfully weird performance as Vasily Solyony who is a very odd soldier. Marci Lucht plays a character no one really seems to like, but she does it in such a hysterically funny way, that while we dislike her character we love every moment she’s on stage. Matt Wall plays Fyodor Kulygin, the ever optimist, he conveys the characters tedium in a way that allows us to laugh at him with the other characters without actually being tedious to us, and in fact gaining our sympathy. The cast is rounded out nicely by Jonathan Edwards, Phi Hamens Nelson, Meri Golden, and Margaux Daniel, their roles are fairly small here but I assume I’ll have more to say about them after Saturday’s performance of No Sisters.

So what puts this play in the running for “That might be the best thing I’ve seen” status? Well certainly it begins with Chekhov’s play. Wikipedia lists the play as a drama, but the Directors note in the program says that Chekhov insisted Three Sisters was a comedy. It’s so funny it’s hard to see how anyone could think otherwise. But that’s what makes Carin Bratlie Wethern’s direction so sublime. This could be directed and performed in a very serious manner, Wethern’s decision to honor Chekhov’s intentions makes for a richer theatrical experience. There are still lost dreams and the unhappiness of day to day life that many of the characters espouse, but they do it in a way that also reflects our own sense of sarcasm and defiance. Wethern understands that getting a laugh doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice ideas or emotional depth. It’s through humor that most of us learn to deal with the unpleasantness of life. She has also wisely put together a cast who know comedy and that the best comedy comes from character and the ways in which people respond to each other. I know this is already getting long and you are scanning ahead to see if you want to stop reading yet or not, but I have to mention a couple of the technical crew just briefly. MJ Leffler’s set design is really well imagined, I loved the windows that exist in space allowing us to see out into the garden through nonexistent walls. Also the Lighting and Sound Designers, Emmet Kowler and Jacob M. Davis if only so I can acknowledge the very effective work that occurs during intermission, look to the ceiling when you go and you’ll see what I mean.

Three Sisters and No Sisters runs through May 24th at the Crane Theater in North Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreprorata.org/2025-season

Anything Goes at Lakeshore Players

Anything Goes is an enjoyable enough show, the plot is lightweight but it features some great Cole Porter songs. The production is directed and choreographed by Kyle Weiler and I expected to be wowed by the dancing in this one. I kept expecting it throughout the first Act and had just about given up when the show stopping title song came to close out Act I. All of the pent up desire was consummated in one fell swoop. The performance of “Anything Goes” is probably worth attending the show for that alone. Thankfully, while not a must see, there are still plenty of other elements that contribute to an all around good time at the theater. Weiler’s choreography is brilliant and there is more of it on display in Act II, though nothing does or probably could top the ending of Act I. I’m not as high on Weiler’s direction which is only serviceable. I suspect trying to direct and choreograph a show that was very dance heavy spread him a little thin and he wasn’t able to put as much thought into the direction. It feels like there is a lack of connection comedically between the outlandishness of some of the story elements and its staging. The original book for the musical included P.G. Wodehouse among its authors, though this production is based on the 1987 revival, with a new book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman. I can’t speak to the changes but I’m sure they were allowed more moral latitude in the update.

There are several standouts in the cast, first and foremost is Hope Nordquist as Reno Sweeney a Night Club singer who is performing the entertainment on an ocean liner heading from New York to London. Nordquist gets several great numbers to shine in, the aforementioned “Anything Goes” as well as “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” and “The Dancer in Me” which she goes toe to toe with Lewis Youngren’s Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Its a fun number that has some nice footwork but also inspired comical moves as well. You may have noticed the absence of a plot synopsis, that’s because it doesn’t really matter, at least in this production. There are multiple sets of romances, none of which we actually care a thing about, there are gangsters and bosses and hiding out and pretending to be someone else. The reason to see this show is for the songs, the dancing, and while we care very little for any of the characters, we still have fun with some of the performances. Other enjoyable portrayals come from Marley Ritchie as the tough talkin’ Erma, who’s full of sass and attitude. Another crowd favorite was Adam Bloom as Moonface Martin, a gangster who is public enemy number 12.

The set design by Justin Hooper is well conceived and constructed with large staircases on either side of the stage leading to an upper platform. I expected Weiler to take more advantage of this Busby Burkeleyesque structure, but there is probably only so much you can safely do on those decently steep stairs, and I’d rather everyone was safe. The toilet in the brig of the ship was an inspired touch. Meghan Kent’s costumes for the most part where well done, though there was a dinner jacket that was hard to ignore that was coming apart at the seems, but that may have been the result of some strenuous dancing. Overall the production ran well technically, with each department adding value to the whole. I enjoyed the show, but I do think that it would be improved if we came to care about the characters a bit more.

Anything Goes runs through May 18th at Lakeshore Players Theatre in White Bear Lake. For more information go to https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/anythinggoes-season-72-1-1

Be a Part of The Stages of MN, Write the Theme Music For The Stages of MN YouTube Channel!

The launch of The Stages of MN YouTube channel is still over a month away. But I’m hard at work in developing what I hope will be an engaging new way to celebrate live theater. I want this to be a collaborative platform where I can engage with theatergoers and makers. With that in mind I’m sending out this request to you, faithful readers, if you or someone you know has experience writing music or songs I’m looking for something original to use as the Theme music for the show. Watch my latest video on YouTube for an idea of what I’m looking for.

I love the idea of having the show open with the something created by you whether you are a professional music and theater maker or just a novice fan of theater. I’m looking for something between 20 to 60 seconds, that I can use for the opening and closing of each episode. Like I say in the video anything goes, silly or serious, instrumental or with lyrics. I’m open to anything and everything. Send your creations to robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com, ideally by May 11th. I’d love to get as many options as possible, if there are multiple great choices I may use some for individual segments. I’m excited for you to be a part of The Stages of MN as it expands into new territory.

Feel free to reach out via email or any of the social media channels if you have any questions. I look forward to listening to your creations.