Skeleton Crew at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

Jennifer Fouché, Darius Dotch, Stephanie Everett, and Mikell Sapp Photo by Dan Norman

* 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.

Under the direction of Austene Van, the hardest working woman in theater, Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew comes vividly to life on the Guthrie Theater’s McGuire Proscenium Stage. The play follows four characters at a Detroit, Michigan, Stamping Plant that is facing the possibility of shutdown. While the plot follows the tensions that surround who knows if the plant’s closing vs who doesn’t, and at times the characters try and make it into a workers vs management battle, but it’s really about the characters. Morisseau’s characters are richly drawn, no one can be reduced to a simple description like Foreman, thief, Shop Steward, single mother. No one ends up being defined by their first impression, no one is a hero nor villain, they’re all just individuals doing the best they can for themselves and each other. The undeniable authenticity of the characters comes from Morisseau’s well crafted script. The fact that we come to care strongly for all four characters is due to the remarkable talents of the four-person cast.

Faye, who seems to live in the break room, is played by Jennifer Fouché, she’s the Union rep who’s been at the plant for 29 years, at 30 years her retirement benefits are greatly increased. Darius Dotch, plays Reggie the Foreman under enormous pressure to keep productivity up and discover who’s been stealing materials from the factory. Stephanie Everett, plays Shanita a single woman who is the best on the assembly line and is also pregnant, she needs her job and her benefits. The final character Dez normally played by Mikell Sapp, was performed by the understudy Domino D’Lorion at the performance I attended. Dez is a young man who has dreams of opening his own auto shop and only six months away from having enough money saved. I won’t go into further details of their characters but to say that we care about all of them and that they defy any attempt to categorize or stereotype them. Fouché and Everett were brought in from out of town so they are both new to me as performers and are excellent in their roles. Both Dotch and Sapp are performers I’ve seen before and while I can’t comment on Sapp’s performance not having seen it, I’m familiar with his work and am confident it will be at the same high level as the rest of the cast. Dotch is the role I most identified with and he does an excellent job playing the reality of being the boss, but one who has come up with workers. He’s trying to serve the needs of two different groups that in some ways have opposing goals, Dotch skillfully finds the way to communicate that internal struggle and the stress it puts on the human being in that role. I do want to mention that I thought Domino D’Lorion’s performance as Dez was flawless with a winning combination of charm and toughness that served the character well.

The drama and humor is played out on a wonderfully detailed set designed by Regina Garcia. Built into the set are some tinted windows which when lights are shown through backstage allows the performers to be seen in silhouette dancing, which is used during the scene changes. It’s a neat effect, though I’m not entirely sure what it’s purpose is, I took it to represent the assembly line, the workers doing their choreographed moves down on the factory floor. I liked Samantha Fromm Haddow’s costumes as well, especially the one’s for Reggie several of which I wouldn’t mind having in my own closet. It’s a fantastic production that does what all great art does, help us see the world through eyes other than our own. It’s refreshing to see a drama that feels real, engaging, and doesn’t feature an antagonist. No one is the bad guy, no one is the savior, we are all just at the mercy of life, and it’s how we navigate it which decides whether we are victims or not. None of these characters are, they are all fighters, and working for the best possible outcome they can get from life.

Skeleton Crew runs through June 9th at the Guthrie Theater in Downtown Minneapolis for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2023-2024-season/skeleton-crew/

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Matilda JR. is a Charming Condensed Version Perfect For Introducing Children to the Musical

The latest production from Stages Theatre Company is Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR., the JR. indicates this is an abridged version of the full musical by Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin. I saw Matilda at the Orpheum Theater when it toured a few years back and fell in love with it. Stages production has so much to love about it and only one real criticism, which isn’t even fair, and that is that I miss all the stuff that had to be left out. The purpose of these abridged productions, also very popular with the Disney shows, is to get productions to a length that is more appropriate for young audiences and performers. Recommended for ages 5+ they are a great way to introduce school-age children to the live musical form, it gets them the story the experience of seeing actors sing and dance and opens their imaginations to the creativity inherent in live theater. Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. Is the story of a young girl of incredible intelligence completely unsupported by her parents who begins school that is run by an evil headmistress that hates children. It’s a cautionary tale about the resiliency of children and the damage that can be done when adults forget the importance of their role in nurturing young people. Which may sound a little adult but the story is told in such a way that children can understand and relate. The use of humor in the songs and the book are very entertaining and will keep the attention of children.

I make it a rule in general not to comment on performances of school-age children unless they are in a professional touring company. It feels like an unnecessary rule when it comes to this production as the entire cast, made up largely of children, are all fantastic. There are several of the kids whose voices and stage presents indicate a bright career should they choose to follow that path later in life. The two actors I do feel like I can single out are Aniya Hollie and DeZhanè Antionette. Hollie who plays Miss Honey the teacher with a heart of gold and a bottomed out self-esteem is a veteran of eight Stages Theatre Company shows. She has matured into a very good actor making palpable her character’s desire to protect the children while dealing with the crippling intimidation of the headmistress Agatha Trunchbull. Antionette plays Trunchbull and perfectly embodies the villainous head of the school who clings to her glory days when she threw the hammer for her country in the Olympic Games. Antionette relishes the juicy role digging into the tyranny while also seething with frustration when her injustices are foiled by the clever children.

Co-directors Sandy Boren-Barrett and JC Lippold, who’s also the Music Director, keep the show moving along at a Brisk pace, critical to holding younger audiences attention. Choreographer Krysti Wiita does an impressive job with the young cast and I felt came up with some good alternatives to what the touring company had created, particularly in the song “When I Grow Up“. High marks as well go to the design team which include Set Designer Joe Stanley, Costume and Makeup Designer Meghan Kent, Props Designer Philip Hoks, Lighting Designer Tony Stoeri, and Sound Designer Gretchen Katt. Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR. runs through May 19th at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins for more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.stagestheatre.org/matilda/

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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.

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

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

Shakespeare’s History Plays in Rep, the Once in a Generation Event is a Triumph at the Guthrie

The above disclaimer, which has began each review since my injury, has never felt more like a curse than a blessing then it does for this review. Of all the shows I have covered since beginning The Stages of MN in 2019 this historic three play event deserves an epic review. But, as Shakespeare himself wrote “brevity is the soul of wit”, pray that it be so. And so with rough and all unable-pen our blogger shall pursue a review.

I count myself very fortunate to have been among the few, the happy few attending the opening day marathon of the Guthrie Theater’s History plays comprised of Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V. I know that most people are frightened off at the thought of 13 hours at a theater seeing three Shakespeare plays. But, the experience greatly outweighs and gives proof the falsehood of imagined discomfort. For “there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so” and so, think not on it, as a non-runner thinks of a marathon, as something to be endured. But rather embrace it as the once in a lifetime privilege and rest assured that like the long distance runner the adrenaline and the excitement and the sense of accomplishment will carry the day. Never have 13 hours passed so quickly or the air in the theater filled with such electricity and excitement. There is one additional marathon day scheduled for Saturday May 18th I urge anyone with an interest in Shakespeare to take advantage of this rare opportunity. As daunting as it may seem, it is, in reality, a supremely satisfying and exhilarating experience. If the date does not work for you I urge you to see all three plays in order whether that be one a week or over the course of a weekend. But one of the unique thrills of seeing these three plays in rep, is watching the actors complete character arcs over multiple plays and seeing the full scope of this story, these histories, play out upon the stage.

The plots of the plays are filled with political intrigue, Civil Wars, loyalties and betrayals, they tell of villains, Kings, knaves and heroes. The Guthrie’s marketing very succinctly distills the plays to their essence Richard II a king becomes a man, Henry IV a man becomes a King, Henry V a king becomes a hero. While that touches on but one key theme of each play it also alludes to the arc that carries through all three, for together they tell of the consecutive reign of three English Monarchs. Each play runs over two and a half hours including the intermission they are histories so we expect drama and intrigue they tell of wars and battles and there is combat and even a few brief moments of romance. For those unfamiliar with the plays, what might surprise is the amount of humor that can be found in each play. Which goes a long way towards converting the plays fascinating historical dramas into well-rounded entertainments. Let us speak no more of plots but, before moving on to the individual plays, a few thoughts on the entire undertaking. One of the aspects of seeing all three plays in one day is the way in which you become aware of the complexity involved in the undertaking of such a feat. We see why we call this a once in a generation event. The intricacies of the details from lighting, costuming, wigs, props, makeup, sound cues, and set designs is mind boggling. The actors learning three plays worth of dialogue, blocking, stage combat, some playing as many as 8 characters across the trilogy. We marvel on the day of the stamina of the cast and crew to run all three in a single day. But, that is just the tip of the iceberg and almost downplays the dedication, talent, and hard work that was needed over years to plan, over months to stage, and over weeks to perform often twice in the day. Picture here a well-deserved standing ovation for Stage Managers Tree O’Halloran and Karl Alphonso, Assistant Stage Managers Jason Clusman and Olivia Louise Tree Plath, Lighting Designer Heather Gilbert, Sound Designer Mikaal Sulaiman, and Composer Jack Herrick.

Truth be told I had never seen any of these plays produced on stage, my exposure to Richard II was Limited to episode 1 of the series The Hollow Crown. The role of King Richard II is played by local favorite Tyler Michaels King who is, as always, brilliant in the role. His King is a man who has come to believe all that his sycophant hangers on tell him, and has completely bought in to the concept of his divine appointment to the throne. Vain and spoilt at the beginning his transformation from divine King to a mortal man, is where Michaels King finds nuance and humanity. David Andrew MacDonald seen recently at the Guthrie in Dial M for Murder is a standout in this play as the Duke of York. Also, Jasmine Bracey as his wife, The Duchess of York makes quite an impression in her short scene towards the end of the play. Begging the newly crowned Henry IV to pardon her son, it’s played with feeling, but also great humor. This play gives us our first look of the day at the set designed by Jan Chambers which consists of a throne room that rotates on a turntable the backside of which can stand in for various locations throughout the three plays. Around the turntable is a rotating donut that set pieces can be placed and rotated from backstage. Both of these rotating floors mechanisms, along with the trap door and elevator platform allow for quick and fluid transitions between scenes. On either side of the stage are large tower like structures on which actors can stand and perform, again allowing us to focus on one area while transitions are happening elsewhere. It’s a marvelous design that allows for the many scene, location, and environmental changes that need to occur over the course of three full length plays.

Henry IV is condensed from Henry IV part 1 and 2 into one play, this is the play that resulted in the most cuts for obvious reasons. My exposure to Henry IV has been multiple viewings of Orson Welles film The Chimes at Midnight which also draws from all four of these plays as well as The Merry Wives of Windsor as well as other texts, as well as episodes 2 and 3 of the series The Hollow Crown. William Sturdivant who had played Henry Bolingbroke who was crowned King at the end of Richard II continues as that character. The strange thing about Henry IV is that it’s almost more Prince Hal played by Daniel Jose Molina and Falstaff played by Jimmy Kieffer’s play. Studivant, still gets to shine over the course of Richard II and Henry IV, perhaps getting the best opportunity to show a characters change over a longer. Of time playing the Young Henry in Richard II and an older near the end of life King Henry IV. He does a nice job of aging Henry aided by well-designed wig, makeup and costuming by Trevor Bowen. It’s hard for me to shake off Welles’ portrayal of Falstaff but Kieffer does good work with the iconic role portraying him a little more outwardly calculating, less ludicrous and less sympathetic. Making Prince Hal turning away from him feel more deserved and less cruel which I think adds to the realism. Molina for his part while the King and Henry V gets to establish his character here as Prince Hal in his wilder youthful days. With this play surprisingly more than Henry V we must note the wonderful stage combat by Fight Director and Captain U. Jonathan Toppo.

Henry V is a work I’ve had the most exposure to not only The Hollow Crown episode 4 but the Kenneth Branagh film is one of my favorite films, I’ve seen all or part of it at least 20 times. Display belongs to Daniel Jose Molina his portrayal of King Harry genuinely conveys the characters maturity and understanding of the awesome responsibility of being the King. Molina still finds places to inject humor into the line readings sometimes in surprising places but they always work. All three plays are fantastic and the direction by Joseph Haj is consistently intelligent and unifying. There was one aspect of this particular play that struck me as an odd choice by Haj and costume designer Trevor Bowen. The costumes of the French Court have a distinctly modern high fashion look that does not mesh with the look of the costumes of every other character in all three plays. It does allow for a lot of added humor around the French Royal Court particularly the role of the Dauphin, played by Dustin Bronson. On its own Bronson and his fellow actors take on the characters of the French Court in army is hilarious. But within the body of the three plays it’s the one piece that feels out of place. I also expected there to be a fair amount of stage combat in Henry V, and was surprised to find very little. That says it works without the stage combat but after seeing how well it was handled in the previous play one couldn’t help but want for more.

There are 26 actors who appear on stage, four of which have non-speaking roles as attendance officers londoners and soldiers. Of the 22 with speaking roles there isn’t a bad performance and too many to single out individually but here are the names of just a few of those not already mentioned who created very memorable moments and characters across multiple plays; John Catron, Charity Jones, Melissa Maxwell, Lanise Antoine Shelley, and Eric Sharp most of whom local audiences will recognize. I do also want to give a shout out to one of my favorite up and coming performers Em Rosenberg who is making their speaking role debut at the Guthrie playing eight roles. All of them small, to be sure, but it’s so thrilling to see someone whose talent has caught your eye getting to take this step and have this experience. They get to play a lot of different characters with not a lot to do but keep your eye on Rosenberg, I think at some point in the future they are someone we will see as the lead in Guthrie Productions.

Shakespeare’s history plays run through May 25th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets including how to save money on three show packages or to attend the final Marathon Day on May 18th go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2023-2024-season/history-plays/ . We are also planning a Twin Cities Theater Bloggers post show event 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

We few, we happy few, we band of Bloggers

God of Carnage is Wickedly Funny at Theatre in the Round

Mia Josimovic, Kendra Mueller, Michael Postle, and D’aniel Stock Photo by Aaron Mark Photo Film

God of Carnage the Laurence Olivier and Tony award-winning play by Yasmina Reza has the simplest of setups, two couples the Raleigh’s and the Novak’s who have gotten together to discuss an incident between their sons that resulted in one losing a couple of teeth. What begins as a civilized discussion slowly spirals out of control over the 85 minute run time of the play. The content warning for the play which states strong language including derogatory insults with some racist and homophobic terms, simulated vomit will give you some idea of what is in store. This is a very black comedy that I’ve heard criticized as entitled people Behaving Badly. I think that is far too simplistic, the play exaggerates for comedic effect but underneath the reactions, the characters have whatever they’re entitlements may be ring true to those observant of human nature. Ultimately it’s about illustrating the differences between the persona we show other people and how we really feel. It’s about our hidden natures, our hidden resentments, and our hidden entitlements how all of these can emerge when the right buttons are pushed. It reminds us that no matter how old we are or how civilized we think ourselves to be, there is still within us all, a child. Someone once said grown ups are just children who owe money which is the simplified theme of this play. All of the action takes place in the living room of the Novak’s a set designed by Michael Haas that perfectly exploits the theater in the round forum.

If the play sounds familiar you may have seen the Roman Polanski film from 2011 entitled Carnage which sported the to-die-for cast of Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly. It’s a play whose brilliant script sinks or swims on the shoulders of the cast, Director Alissa Blaeser’s ensemble looks to have trained for the Olympics. They are Mia Josimovic, Kendra Mueller, Michael Postle, and D’aniel Stock. The play is a true ensemble piece where every part is equally important and the cast, while playing characters who seem to be in constant competition with each other, never seem to be trying to steal the spotlight from each other. The roles require each actor to modulate their characters loss of control showing provocation to momentary outbursts then regaining composure again. There’s a delicate and subtle give and take that in lesser hands would not feel authentic, the strength of this cast is that while the responses are certainly heightened they maintain a sense of realism.

God of Carnage is a dark comedy that invites us to take pleasure in watching not great people having one of the worst days of their lives. Blaeser finds the perfect tone to enable us to get to that mental place to enjoy their misfortune. It’s at times shocking how far the characters allow themselves to regress but there’s also a delicious sense of Schadenfreude in watching it happen. God of carnage runs through April 28th at Theatre in the Round Players in Minneapolis. For more information and purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/home/season-placeholder/72nd-season/carnage/

Apples in Winter Erases Theater and Creates a Reality at Gremlin Theatre

Angela Timberman Photo by Alyssa Kristine Photography.

A one handed play requires the very best performer to hold an audience’s attention for 90 minutes on their own. Gremlin Theatre is apparently aware of this and thus cast Angela Timberman who not only keeps our attention but keeps us utterly and completely enthralled. Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett tells the story of Miriam who spends her time upon the stage making an apple pie. While preparing and baking the pie in full view of the audience she slowly reveals why she is making the pie. A slice of her apple pie is what her son has requested for his last meal before he is executed for a crime he committed 20 years ago. He was a drug addict, that isn’t an excuse for his actions, this story isn’t about him, it’s about Miriam. He has been incarcerated for 20 years for a crime he committed, what the play shows us is that his mother was essentially serving this sentence with him. It’s one of a parent’s worst nightmares, what do you do when your child has done something that many find unforgivable. We know how to grieve for the families of the victims, but how do we treat the family of the one who has killed someone else’s children? Fawcett’s play builds slowly and steadily from Miriam speaking to us about making pies to slowly revealing the details of where she is and why. It has been twenty years of routines and isolation and as her son approaches the end of his time, she is faced with losing her routines, and the toll his crimes have taken upon her.

Back to Angela Timberman, her performance as Miriam is like a masterclass in acting. Emotionally and technically flawless. There is a moment towards the end when Timberman feels sick and needs to sit down, but there are no chairs and so she finds herself on the floor. Let me be clear, I have seen Timberman perform multiple times, I know her on sight, and I know her to be an accomplished actor. In that moment when she sinks to the floor, I had to actually restrain myself from going to her and putting my arms around her. I wasn’t seeing Angela Timberman anymore, I was seeing Miriam. She is going through all the stages of someone who has loved someone with addiction issues goes through. She was trying to be the caregiver, she was blaming herself, and ultimately she was angry about the lies and deceit and pain she had been put through. And in that moment I wanted to go to her and tell her it wasn’t her fault and hold her for a moment, so she had a minute when she didn’t feel like she had to hold up the world on her own. The kicker is that on top of giving such a convincing and emotional performance, she made a pie, without a recipe! I can’t make a dish I’ve made dozens of times without referring to the recipe a couple of times, let alone monologue a script and give a performance so good that you make an experienced theatergoer forget they are in a theater watching a performance.

The production is well directed by Brian Balcom whose staging allows us to slowly get absorbed into the action, which is small and contained drawing us in. Later moments of explosive emotion are all the more powerful because we were initially drawn into the quiet matter of fact manner of the pie making. The set and lighting design by Carl Schoenborn looks like an institutional kitchen and it is lit that way which really help to remove any sense of theatricality and achieve a sense of realism, that causes reviewers to momentarily forget they are part of an audience. As do the costume and props designed by Sarah Bauer, who choses Timberman’s costume such that we immediately feel we know her type, she is every middle aged mother or young grandmother. Which is a reminder that these horrible things can happen to anyone, anyones child can become an addict. It also helps us to put ourselves in her place and empathize with the impossibility of her position. I also want to mention the sound design by Montana Johnson, which is minimal, but plays a very important role when it comes to Miriam’s recounting of the night her son committed the crime for which he has been condemned. It’s handled extremely effectively signifying the way the sound of rain plays a particularly vivid role in Miriam’s memory of the night, almost the way a smell will sometimes bring back a certain memory.

Apples in Winter runs through April 7th at the Gremlin Theater in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://gremlintheatre.org/apples-in-winter/

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/