Zephyr Theatre’s Robin Hood Steals From the Rich and Gives to the Audience

Robin Hood by Greg Banks marks the directorial debut of Twin Cities Actor and Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) Member Reed Sigmund. His greatest gift as a Director is in the casting of the play and then empowering that cast to bring their own voices to their characters and the production. The character work in this show is strong and so funny that one doesn’t know if it’s the script or the performers that make it so hysterical. This version of the Robin Hood tale is framed by a homeless camp sequence in which the four actors playing unhoused people share with the audience the legendary story, which they then enact. The Set Design and all of the costumes come from items that one might expect to be found discarded in such an encampment. There’s no note in the program of who is responsible for those aspects but they are well found and add to the surreal feel of this adventurous retelling. These aspects add a touch of appropriate timeliness to what is mostly a hilarious entertainment. I loved Sherwood when I saw it a couple of years ago at Theatre in the Round, which also featured the comedic genius of Jeffrey Nolan. I think this version of Robin Hood is my new favorite comedic take on the folklore hero. The Temperature was 109 in the shade and everyone in the audience was so entertained but what we were seeing that we forgot to even sweat.

The usual question my wife and I always ask each other is who was your favorite. But as you might expect, the question this time is who was your favorite character played by Jeffrey Nolan? I’m going to go with Prince John, but the five other characters tie as a close second. Nolan is enough to get me to any production as faithful readers will no doubt have realized by now. A more original and unique comedic voice you will not find, it feels like only a matter of time before we see him on SNL. What pushes this show into the stratosphere is the rest of the cast. Finding four other performers who aren’t going to be overshadowed by Nolan, particularly in a comedy where he plays about six different parts including a horse, seven if you include a remarkable, though brief, portrayal of a deer, is an amazing feat. But that’s what we have here. Grace Hillmyer, who readers will also be familiar with as someone who has impressed us in every role we’ve seen her in since first coming to our attention in Kinky Boots at Lyric Arts, plays among other roles Maid Marian. Hillmyer again shows us a new side of herself and her talent with this comedic side that previous roles had only hinted at.

Two of the performers I wasn’t familiar with is Antonisia Collins who plays Robin Hood, and Brandon Brooks as the Sheriff of Nottingham. From what I gather Collins has been racking up small supporting roles at CTC, well. I hope the people at CTC see this production because Collins is clearly ready for leads, which I hope to see her in again very very soon. Brooks, had apparently stepped away from acting a bit, clearly on stage is where he belongs. He is the villain of the piece, but the kind of villain you kinda love to watch. It feels like we are watching the convergence of the next group of actors that will be the ones who move on to bigger cities (please don’t) or are the ones we see constantly working at all the big theaters around town. The cast is rounded out by Jay Scoggin, who has a few small roles but mostly plays live music and provides sound effects throughout the show, which is such a fun treat, I love a live musical score in a play, especially when they are on stage and you can watch them creating the soundscape. When Scoggin does join in the show, he’s as funny as the others and very protective of his Skittles.

The Zephyr Theatre’s production of Robin Hood Runs through August 3rd at Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater, MN. It’s performed in the great outdoors which reminded me of my childhood theater going experiences at Trollwood Park in Fargo, ND. This is another great show to take the whole family too, but don’t think on it too long as there is just one more weekend to catch it. For more information and to purchase tickets either the chair seats or bring your own chair go to https://www.stillwaterzephyrtheatre.org/home/#events

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The Music Man is Terrific With Capital T and that Rhymes With P and That Stands for Perfect for the Whole Family at Lyric Arts in Anoka

Pictured: Tony Potts, Ben Glisczinski, Brandon Osero, Holli Richgels, Shana Eisenberg, Cole Strelecki Photo by: Molly Jay

The Music Man is one of a few musicals where the book, music and lyrics were created by one person Meredith Willson. It is brimming with memorable songs “Iowa Stubborn“, “Goodnight My Someone“, “Wells Fargo Wagon”, “Till There Was You” and all time rouser “Seventy-Six Trombones” as well as many others. It’s one of a handful of musicals that I was very very familiar with growing up, mainly from the 1962 film version starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones. What’s nice about this show, is that it’s fun for the whole family. I was only 8 when I fell under its spell and I hope families will use this production as a way to introduce their 8 year olds to the joys of a good old fashioned musical.

For those who don’t know, the music man of the title is Professor Harold Hill, Gary Conservatory of Music, Gold-Medal class of Aught-Five. Or at least that’s what he wants the citizens of River City, Iowa to believe. In reality, he’s a flim-flam artist who works his way across the country town by town, selling the idea of a boys band. The idea is the key word there, because he sells them the instruments and the uniforms, and then skips town with the money without teaching the boys to play a note. In fact, he doesn’t know one note from another. What he can do is keep everyone off balance long enough that they don’t realize there is never going to be a band. His first step is to create a need for a boys band. When he learns that the town has just gotten its first pool table, he uses it to rile up the citizens by pointing out the slippery slope to corruption that pool tables represent to the youth of River City. Which he points out in the song “Ya Got Trouble“, that’s Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for Pool. Well, it’s hard to argue with logic like that. His second step is to introduce at a town gathering the idea of keeping the young boys out of the pool hall by exposing them to a more morally enriching activity like, oh I don’t know, a boys band? Step three, keep the Music Teacher off balance so that she doesn’t expose him as a fake before he collects and gets out of town. Of course the Music Teacher isn’t like the others he’s come across in his travels, this is “Marian The Librarian” and he will find himself as off balance as she is by the end.

Key to the success of any production of The Music Man is the casting of Harold Hill and Marion. Lyric has great performers in each role. Tony Potts has the charm and charisma necessary to sell this character’s ability to talk anybody into almost anything. He almost convinces Paul Reyburn’s Mayor Shinn to purchase an instrument for a son he doesn’t even have. The role of Marion, which is played by Nadia Frazen, requires an exquisite voice, which she certainly has. The show is filled with great supporting players as well. From the always hilarious Alex Stokes, who finds a way to distinguish himself from the other three members of the school board/barbershop quartet with his unique comic timing and performance. To the talented young folks Maddox Tabalba as Winthrop and Ava Fox as Amaryllis. But there was one performer, whom I’m not even sure had a single line of dialogue, that really wowed me and that was William Kroeger. If I had to guess I’d say he was six or seven years old at most, but he’s as precise in his choreography, maybe more so than some of his adult cast-mates. Sometimes you see a performer that just has “it”. It’s a little early to say for Kroeger, but he seems to have the natural ease on stage that makes for a great performer, if he chooses to pursue it. He’s one to keep your eyes on.

The show is directed and choreographed by Lauri Kraft who does a great job of keeping the action fluid and the cast moving in the Lyric Arts, smallish stage. The dance moves particularly in “Seventy-Six Trombones” are impressive. With that scene feeling like carefully controlled, planned, and executed chaos. I also appreciated the clever staging of how to have Hill keep trying to engage Marion in conversation while she will not stop walking. If she were to actually walk she would cross the stage before the first exchange ended, and to do all of the exchanges they would have had to have them walk in circles around the stage. Instead Kraft has them walk in place and it works very effectively. In fact the set design cleverly works along the same principle. Greg Vanselow’s design consists of just a few pieces that are reconfigured quickly creating different locals and at times are moved by cast members to help create the illusion of movement.

The Music Man is a favorite musical of The Stages of MN and Lyric Arts Production does this piece of American Musical Theater justice. Strong performances, wonderful choreography and direction and a smart and creative production design make this a great show to enjoy on the hottest summer days. The Music Man runs through August 10th at Lyric Arts in Anoka. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.lyricarts.org/music-man

Romeo & Juliet and The Comedy of Errors Make For Another Fantastic Trip to The Great River Shakespeare Festival

Alessandro Yokoyama and Serena Phillip, Will Sturdivant and Emily Fury Daly (Photos by Dan Norman)

It’s time once again for the Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF) in Winona, MN. This year there are two productions which I was able to see in one day, Romeo & Juliet and The Comedy of Errors. There is a third production of Two Gentlemen of Verona that will have four performances around the Region. It is being staged by the graduate acting company of the Clarence Brown Theatre and the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK) who will be in residence at the GRSF this summer. This cohort of young professional actors will understudy roles in The Comedy of Errors and Romeo and Juliet while studying with the company and professors from UTK. They will also be presenting the Festivals Green Shows which take place about 45 minutes before each performance of Romeo & Juliet and The Comedy of Errors. These green shows act as a way for the audience to tune into Shakespeare’s language before the shows and also give the audience a quick rundown of the characters and their relationships and roles in the plays. It’s a great way to make sure the you’re prepared to get the most out of each production and I never miss them.

Romeo & Juliet is the real surprise this season, Director H. Adam Harris has taken an approach I’ve never seen before in staging the play as a memory play from the POV of Juliet’s Nurse. It really works, it doesn’t dramatically alter the play but it does add another undercurrent of loss. That may not sound like what you want in a tragedy but whenever we find new things to play in Shakespeare, it’s exciting. The concept is aided by some well designed lighting cues by Avery Reagan. They aren’t overused but periodically the lighting changes and the action freezes around the nurse. In this way the focus shifts to her and we see the story from her perspective, it colors the story in a slightly different way. The nurse is played by Stephanie Lambourn who brings out this new dimension in the character that feels fresh and original, while still feeling faithful. As the young lovers Alessandro Yokoyama as Romeo and Serena Phillip as Juliet are really terrific, with a great command of the language and an ability to make the immature decisions of the characters not feel juvenile, by bringing to the forefront the emotions they are battling. It’s one of the best productions of one of the most produced plays of Shakespeare’s that I’ve seen.

The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeares silliest comedies, and that is absolutely what Director Doug Scholz-Carlson leans into with this production. Audience members might not be as familiar with this play and that’s OK. This is simply meant as an entertainment and for a play written over 400 years ago it’s astonishing how funny it feels. Of course a lot of making a play like this work is in what the Actors and Director bring to the play. The plot is rather confusing while also being sort of simple. There are two sets of twins, one the master and the other the servants, who were separated when they were young during a shipwreck. As adults, they end up in the same city and a series of mistaken identities occurs. That’s basically all you need to know. The tricky part is keeping everyone straight throughout the play and who has mistaken whom for who… OK now I’m confused again. Really, the plot doesn’t matter and you wont have any real trouble following it. The joy of this production is the way the actors play the roles, the clowning they do and the ingenious ways in which they present a play with about 20 characters using only 9 actors. The best part of the show is the ways in which Will Sturdivant and Emily Fury Daly take on the challenge of playing the duel rows of the two sets of twins. It’s Shakespeare by way of Scooby Doo, set in the 1980’s with great musical cues throughout by Sound Designer Matthew Tibbs. And again Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz as Lighting Designer is an asset adding some wonderfully wacky lighting effects.

The Great River Shakespeare Festival runs through July 27th in Winona, MN. If you haven’t been yet, it takes just over two hours to reach from the Cities, there’s lot’s to do and some fun places to eat. We always make a two day trip out of it and have a fantastic time. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.grsf.org/

Glensheen Continues to Delight New Audiences in its 10th Anniversary Production

The Cast of Glensheen Photo by Rick Spaulding

Originally produced by the History Theatre in 2015, Glensheen returns once more to the stages of the History Theatre on this its 10th Anniversary. This was my third visit to Glensheen, and each time I venture back to the haunted mansion on the North shore I bring along someone new to share this wonderful true crime musical comedy with. This year it was my son and his Fiancé and they were very entertained, which gives me so much joy. Sharing great theater is what it’s all about, and when I get to see someone responding so positively, it replenishes my determination to share what I love with the world. It’s easy to see why the History Theatre brings the show back, it’s an incredibly fun production, that seems to get better the more times you see it. I really liked it the first time I saw it, and it just keeps getting better every time. I’m not a true crime fan, but it turns out you don’t need to be to enjoy this show. It’s less about the details of a true crime as it is watching in disbelief the train wreck of humanity that is the main character, Marjorie Caldwell. The amount of suspicious things that have happened around her and the lack of punishment she received is mind blowing. It makes for a fascinating story but it also raises serious questions about the criminal justice system…oh wait, we already had those doubts didn’t we? What’s amazing is how enjoyable the whole thing is. I spoke with playwright Jeffrey Hatcher two years ago on the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat (you can listen to that episode by clicking here https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/2150807/13157328 ) and he made a comment about it being a real story that seems populated by the characters from Fargo. I thought that perfectly embodied what Glensheen the Musical is. A great cast brings us into the past with songs that oddly do not feel out of place in a story as weird as this.

The book for the musical is by Hatcher with the songs written by Chan Poling who was a member of the alternative rock band The Suburbs. The two have collaborated several times on musicals including the History Theatre production, The Defeat of Jesse James, which was another wonderfully original piece of musical theatre. Hatcher’s script leans into the craziness of the events without drawing us into that frame of mind. This allows us to view them through our reality thus we see them for the absurdities they are. He tells us the story of Marjorie Caldwell and her husband Roger who conspired together resulting in the murder of her mother Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse, Velma Pietila. Very quickly, Roger is arrested and found guilty but Marjorie proves to be a much harder catch for the justice system. She’s a master of staying one step ahead of everyone, but also seems to lose a half step with every one that she takes. Always avoiding the punishment but somehow also losing the prize. Poling’s songs are fun, often witty, sometimes quite touching. Favorites are the hilarious “Conspiracy” performed by Marjorie’s defense team. The defense they mount is so crazy, it works. On a sweeter note is “Just You & Me” which is a duet between Marjorie and Roger. It’s a beautiful moment on the surface, but underneath it’s incredibly dark as it’s simply Marjorie manipulating Roger to save herself.

The cast is filled with actors familiar to theatergoers of the Twin Cities, most of the performers play multiple rolls. My favorite was Wendy Lehr who plays Elisabeth Congdon and Marjorie’s defense attorney among others. Her over the top defense attorney was a big reason that the song “Conspiracy” was a crowd favorite. Dancing like a man half her age, she was as believable as the elderly matriarch as she was unbelievably outrageous as the attorney for the defense. She also plays the Nurse Velma, and her sweet song “Stay With Me” is a nice moment playing tribute to a woman who was needlessly murdered just for agreeing to come out of retirement to help Nurse Elisabeth that night. Gary Briggle, whose rich vocalizations are a highlight and bolster every song especially the ensemble pieces. Dane Stauffer is perfect as the out of his depth, easily manipulated, Roger. He has the dumb and dumber act down perfectly and you are surprisingly sympathetic to him as the man in over his head. Jen Maren holds the whole show together as Marjorie, she perfectly straddles the line between being a smart manipulator and not quite smart enough to get what she wants.

Ron Peluso directs the show with a playfulness that lets the tone shift dramatically from scene to scene while still feeling like a cohesive whole. Rick Polenek’s set design is very impressive, recreating a section of the Glensheen mansion including the staircase on which the nurse was murdered. Bill Healey’s lighting design helps to emphasize the tonal changes and is cleverly used for dramatic effect, lighting flashes to create the dark and stormy night in an old mansion which basically screams for a murder. Bold flashes of red to strike a cord that syncs with Marjorie’s evil actions. It all works wonderfully with Sound Designer C. Andrew Mayer’s soundscape. David Lohman as musical director along with his orchestra are just off to the side stage right, with Lohman’s piano doubling as a bar. The choreography by Tinia Moulder is small and contained, it has to be due to the size of the stage. But Moulder makes every move count and the dancing and moves in “Conspiracy” are what makes that the showstopper it is.

Glensheen is running at the History Theatre in St. Paul through July 27th. If you’ve never seen it you should check it out. And if you have, you know you want to go again. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets https://www.historytheatre.com/2024-2025/glensheen

Necessity requires that going forward in order to produce a weekly YouTube show and podcast that reviews will become shorter. There are only so many hours in a day, but I have no intention of abandoning the blog version. Faithful readers, you have year after year grown The Stages of MN audience. While I hope you will become viewers or listeners as well, there will always be things here that cannot be found there. This will be the place for longer reviews, though slightly shorter than before, as well as Reviews of more shows than can be covered on the YouTube and Podcast versions. Essentially there will be some overlap, but each format will have unique content.

Episode 3: The Stages of MN Meets Will Sturdivant and a Game is Played. Available Now!!!

Faithful Readers and hopefully now Faithful Viewers and Listeners, the latest episode of The Stages of MN Show is up on YouTube https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode3 as well as in the slightly shorter Audio only Podcast version which you can listen to here https://bit.ly/TSOMNPodcastEpisode3 or search for The Stages of MN wherever you enjoy podcasts!

On this weeks episode, I chatted with Actor and Author Will Sturdivant about his path to becoming an actor, his new books, and The Great River Shakespeare Festival; where he is performing in Romeo and Juliet and The Comedy of Errors through July 27th in Winona, MN. I also try and stump Will with the shakespeare game. Where he has to identify what character spoke a line and for extra points which play it came from. Will was on fire, but I wont spoil if he was able to beat the game and in doing so, win back his car keys. You can click here for more about the Festival and to purchase tickets https://www.grsf.org/. I’ll be there for my third year in a row on July 11th to take in both shows with a few of my fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon http://www.cherryandspoon.com/ and Carol and Julie Jackson of Minnesota Theater Love https://www.mntheaterlove.com/. So if you see us around, don’t be shy, say hi! Get a picture and you’ll find yourself up on the next episode of The Stages of MN!

Also on this weeks episode a look at opening night of Cabaret at the Guthrie Theater as well as a review of the show running through August 24th. Click here for more info and to purchase tickets https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2024-2025-season/cabaret/. We also have a review of Madagascar: A Musical Adventure at Stages Theatre Company running through August 3rd, Click here for tickets to that show https://www.stagestheatre.org/madagascar-a-musical-adventure/. As always we have the photo montage of who I saw out at the theater last week. We also cover some breaking news in Verona that you will not want to miss. Don’t forget to Like, Review, share and subscribe.

Madagascar: A Musical Adventure is Fun for All Ages at Stages Theatre Company

Madagascar: A Musical Adventure is a stage adaptation of the popular DreamWorks animated film that came out when my kids were little. I know I saw the film, but to be honest it has completely left my memory I have some memory of penguins and lemurs but that’s about it. Luckily prior knowledge of the film is not needed to enjoy this simple tale of Zoo animals who go looking for something more. As with most children’s shows there is a positive message about friendship and this one focuses on best friends Alex the Lion and Marty the Zebra. Marty is having a midlife crisis, she is 10 years old and still doesn’t know if she’s black with white stripes or white with black stripes. When she decides to leave the zoo and see what’s out in the world her friends led by Alex go after her to bring her back. Somehow they all end up in crates on a ship in the ocean. They go overboard and wash up on the shores of Madagascar. There they’re befriended by Lemurs who hope Alex will protect them from their carnivorous enemies. Meanwhile Alex is getting hungry and while his friends are content with the lemurs vegetarian diet, Alex’s instincts began to get the better of him.

I think most kids are going to have a great time with this show. The songs are fun and lively and there’s even a more poignant lament sung by Marty that’s really kind of beautiful. The cast a mix of a few strategic adults and lots of kids who do a great job. The Costume and Make-up Designer Samantha Fromm Haddow deserves full marks for the wonderful animal costumes. I loved the hoofs and headpiece on Marty, particularly the penguins which are puppets controlled by men dressed like Jake and Elwood Blues, are really well done. There’s a nice set design too by Joe Johnson effective as the Zoo and then surprisingly lush when transformed to Madagascar. If your wee ones like animals and music, they will have an adventure with this show and the audience really gets into it clapping along and dancing in their seats, or maybe they just needed the restroom. Either way it’s a fun show for families.

Madagascar: A Musical Adventure runs through August 3rd at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.stagestheatre.org/madagascar-a-musical-adventure/

Cabaret at The Guthrie Theater Makes the World Go Round

The cast of *Cabaret* Photo by Dan Norman

Cabaret closes out the Guthrie season and feels like a portent of coming events. Directed by Guthrie Artistic Director Joseph Haj, this production doesn’t shy away from the ugly underbelly of the show. But it also doesn’t skint on the skin and scintillation. The period of freedom and openness and perhaps excess that allowed conservative forces to frighten the masses into regressing to an empathetic stone age is on full display. What I assume has to be an ad lib, the Emcee played to divine perfection, both wicked and tragic, by Jo Lampert says “Love is Love” and for a throw away line it’s the one that speaks the most urgent truth to our times. Sometimes I feel like every show I see has something urgent and vital to say to audiences. Even something as absurd as a musical about Endometriosis. Cabaret was designed to speak to the rise of nazism and how it stripped the freedom we take for granted away from the people who lived on the fringes or were part of a persecuted class in Berlin in the 1930’s. Written by Joe Masteroff (book), John Kander (music), and Fred ebb (Lyrics) it debuted on Broadway in 1966. That was another time of social unrest and one can see how the authors could see parallels to their world. What would they think if they could see us now?

When you step back and take away all the politics and social commentary what you have is an unusually structured musical. Whom we assume are the main characters, Cliff and Sally really seem to divide half of the spotlight between themselves and the B couple of Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz. The star of the show is the Emcee, who gets the second half of that spotlight. The best numbers have nothing to do with Cliff and Sally, in fact for a show that one feels should be about her, the character of Sally could disappear from the plot and you wouldn’t really lose that much. Let me be clear, I’m not talking about the performance by Mary Kate Moore, which is very strong, I’m talking about the character and the plot. It’s like there are some concessions made to the institution of musical theater, and once they included those they went to town breaking out of the traditional mold. And I think that was a bold move in 1966 and it still works like gangbusters today. The cast is terrific led by Jo Lampert who along with the Kit Kat Klub ensemble are what you will leave the production remembering. There is one scene that was an unexpected knock out for me, it’s between Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz they are singing “Married” and they are joined by Monet Sabel as the Chanteuse is a beautiful voice that works in contrast to the the more risque songs that pepper the rest of the show.

Choreographer Casey Sams creates some unforgettable tableaus making each number at the Kit Kat Klub unique and memorable. Jen Caprio’s costumes, again especially with the Kit Kat Klub ensemble and the Emcee are daring and creative. There is one scene where Lampert is dressed half as a man and half as a woman that’s very well executed. Marion Williams set design is well planned with the upper level used as train cars and rooms at the Kit Kat Klub. Some of my favorite technical moments came from the lighting and sound cues by Lighting Designer Josh Epstein and Sound Designer Mikaal Sulaiman. Their work helps to bring out some of the darker emotional moments with a sudden immediacy that one feels throughout their body. Mark Hartman as Music Director has his own tricks up his sleeves which I will not spoil but there’s a moment that surprises us and lands an emotional punch we aren’t quite expecting.

I’ve seen Cabaret performed three times now and this is my favorite production so far. if you’ve never seen it, this is the production to see. If you have and love it, you will not want to miss this what Joe Haj and the Guthrie have concocted. Cabaret runs through August 24th at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2024-2025-season/cabaret/ for more on my coverage of Cabaret be sure to tune into episode three of The Stages of MN Show on YouTube.