Something Rotten Has Sold Out It’s Entire Run

The Cast of Unlabeled Theatre Company’s Production of Something Rotten

What did I think of Unlabeled Theatre Company’s production of Something Rotten!?
In a practical sense, it doesn’t matter, because as of opening night, the entire run is completely sold out. That’s a wonderful problem for any theater company to have. But Unlabeled Theatre Company isn’t just any theater company.

The company exists to create opportunities for adults with disabilities to participate in theater. Every role is performed by an actor who has a cognitive and/or physical disability or is neurodivergent, paired with a neurotypical Shadow Partner. Together, the two performers share the role, performing it in unison.

Right now, those of us who love theater are thinking a lot about the importance of art and its power to change the world. Sometimes those sentiments can feel grand, idealistic, or even a little naïve, especially when the world feels as bleak as it does right now. In moments like these, when we need art the most, our convictions can start to feel implausible.

Then you see a show like this.

It reminds you that change doesn’t always look big. Sometimes it’s small and precious, like changing one person’s understanding of what they are capable of. What they can do. What they can become. That’s what Unlabeled Theatre Company does: it creates possibility and hope.

On this night, the performance showed everyone in the room, but especially those on stage, what they could do. That may sound small, but for those who shared that moment, it was enormous. And the thing about small changes is that they ripple outward. It’s not just the people on stage whose worlds expand; it’s the person in the audience who recognizes themselves in someone performing. Who sees, through that person, that maybe they, too, can do something they were once made to believe they couldn’t.

At the beginning, I said it doesn’t matter what I thought of this show, but of course it does. You don’t need my review to convince you to see a show you can’t buy a ticket for. What I can do is this: I can tell you how beautiful this evening was. How it reminded me that there is still humanity among us. That there are people and organizations in a world that often feels flooded with cruelty who are choosing instead to lift others up.

Will this review sell another ticket? No, not this time. But maybe it sends you to their website. Maybe you subscribe to their newsletter so the next time they produce a show, you don’t miss it. Maybe it reminds you that there are forces in this world that aren’t trying to exclude or diminish, but to expand, to affirm, and to celebrate. To remind us that every person has value, and every person has something to share.

Everyone was great, and the standing ovation at the end wasn’t a “look what you did” moment. It was deeply felt and completely earned. We were genuinely entertained and moved by the music, the laughter, and the joy that radiated from the stage.

While you can’t see this production, I strongly encourage you to visit Unlabeled Theatre Company’s website and join their mailing list to stay connected to their work https://unlabeledtheatre.org/. I Hope you get to experience the magic of one of these performances, you will be amazed at the talent on stage.

If you’re able, consider making a donation to help them continue this vital mission.

Watch the 2025 TCTB Awards on the latest episode of The Stages of MN YouTube Show!! https://bit.ly/TSOMNEp25YouTube

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

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

Plano Is a Fast Paced Darkly Humorous Journey Into Another Plane of Reality at Mixed Blood

Plano, the play by Will Arbery, falls under the heading of experimental theater, a phrase that can trigger flashbacks to previous traumas in much the same way the term performance art often does. This production marks the first full-length show from the new company Third Space Theater, which had a breakout hit with Breach at last year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival. Thankfully, the group of up-and-coming theater makers behind Third Space Theater weaponizes experimental theater as a way to engage and entertain the audience rather than alienate them.

Plano is a strange play that moves at breakneck speed, condensing time, sometimes within the space of a single sentence. Co-directors Alex Church and Em Adam Rosenberg guide the cast with a perfectly calibrated tone: not quite grounded in reality, but not completely detached from it either. That balance allows the increasingly unmoored narrative to unfold in a way that feels deliberate rather than chaotic.

The story focuses on three sisters, played by The Stages of MN newly minted “Must See” performer Stephanie Kahle, and what I suspect are future members of that club, Hannah Leatherbarrow and Mariabella Sorini. The sisters seem cursed in distinctly unsettling ways: one is married to a man who is clearly gay while her house is infested with slugs; another’s husband is abusive, and he multiplies; the third suffers from mysterious ailments. Their memories become their nightmares, and they move through them, interacting with and attempting to normalize the bizarre circumstances surrounding their lives.

The cast is impressive in how they mine humor from the dialogue purely through delivery. They never play a joke; instead, the laughter emerges naturally from their complete acceptance of the absurd. Beyond the three sisters, the cast includes Jennifer D’Lynn, Ben Qualley, Samuel Osborne-Huerta, and Michel Hundevad as a faceless ghost. Everyone is fully aligned tonally, contributing to the dreamlike, or perhaps nightmarishly unreal, quality of the piece.

Plano is a thinker. It’s the kind of show that will take days to fully process. And yet, it’s also immediately entertaining, I was able to write about how much I enjoyed it barely an hour after leaving the theater. At a brisk 85 minutes with no intermission, it flies by.

I highly recommend this production, and if you can, try to attend one of the performances that includes a preshow concert by co-director and choreographer Em Adam Rosenberg. It’s well worth arriving an extra half hour early. Those dates are January 9, 10, 12, 17, and 18.

Plano runs through January 18 at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.
For more information and tickets, visit:
https://tix.gobo.show/events/event/r5FkUiiCpqF7daXpAl2N

Watch for the 2025 TCTB Awards to be announced on the next episode of The Stages of MN YouTube Show!!

The Stages of MN: Looking Back at the Year That Was 2025!

2025 has been a very eventful year for The Stages of MN. I want to thank you, faithful readers and now viewers, for being here. Knowing you’re out there reading and watching is what keeps me doing this. I especially want to thank those of you who come up to me at shows, introduce yourselves, and share your thoughts on what I’m putting out there. I love getting those photos together too, let’s try to ramp that up even more in 2026.

Of course, the biggest thing that happened in the world in 2025 was the launch of The Stages of MN YouTube Show and Podcast. On June 18, the first episode premiered, featuring an interview with Austene Van, Artistic Director of Yellow Tree Theatre. Since launching, I’ve released 24 full episodes as well as four mini-episodes covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

When I launched the show, I was unemployed and able to devote a lot of time to its creation. Even so, with the addition of the YouTube show, adjustments had to be made to accommodate the increased workload. After my application for more hours in the day was rejected, I determined that two things needed to happen: first, I needed to cut back on the number of shows I saw, and second, I needed to tighten things up. That became even more true once I acquired full-time employment. Easier said than done.

In 2024, I posted 147 blog entries, compared to 168 in 2025, though some of those were tied to episodes. The average word count per post in 2024 was 1,001 words, while 2025 saw a decrease to an average of 903, progress! Blog views grew from 72,200 in 2024 to 74,500 in 2025. Episodes of the YouTube show received 4,364 views in 2025, and the channel currently has 140 subscribers. The blog has 375 subscribers, up 160 from 2024.

Subscribers are wonderful, and we love them, but the vast majority of views come from social media. The site continues to grow steadily, which means more people are seeing the reviews, and hopefully more people are getting out to see live theater. Readers can help the site grow by following The Stages of MN on Facebook and Instagram. Like, share, and, why not subscribe? When you see a review you like, like it. When you see one you love, share it. Encourage friends to follow as well. The more visibility we have, the further the reach, and the more likely it is that someone who isn’t a regular theatergoer will stumble across a post and be inspired to check out a show.

Creating new audiences for live theater needs to be the objective of anyone in theater or anyone who loves theater. The second objective is to create or promote great theater, which hopefully leads to goal three: turning occasional theatergoers into regular theatergoers. I’m trying to do my part. I saw over 190 shows in 2025 and wrote reviews of 189 separate productions.

Now comes the moment where I share my Top Fives for 2025 in three categories: Touring Productions, Locally Produced Plays, and Locally Produced Musicals. These lists are not ranked; they are listed alphabetically.

The Stages of MN Top 5 Touring Productions:

& Juliet
Kimberly Akimbo
Life of Pi
Phantom of the Opera
The Wiz

The Stages of MN Top 5 Locally Produced Plays:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Guthrie)
Pride & Prejudice (Theatre in the Round)
Primary Trust (Guthrie)
Somewhere (Guthrie)
Three Sisters / No Sisters (Theatre Pro Rata)

The Stages of MN Top 5 Locally Produced Musicals:

Endometriosis: The Musical (Theatre in the Round)
Lizzie: The Rock Musical (Open Eye Theatre)
Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Elision Playhouse)
Once on This Island (Artistry)
Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West (History Theatre)

Every year I add a few performers to my personal “Must-See” list, actors, dancers, and singers who stood out over the course of the year. Sometimes they’re artists I’ve never seen before; other times they’ve moved from “I really like what they’re doing” to “I need to see everything they do.” A few of the names that already adorn that list: Tyler Michaels King, Max Wojtanowicz, Joy Dolo, Shanan Custer, Daniel Petzold, Em Adam Rosenberg, Jeffrey Nolan, Allison Vincent, Brendan Nelson Finn, Grace Hillmyer, and Noah Hynick, to name just a few.

Here are the additions to The Stages of MN Must-See List for 2025:

Tara Borman (Endometriosis: The Musical at Theatre in the Round; Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical at History Theatre)
Dustin Bronson (A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Guthrie; Love and Baseball at Artistry; Misery at Yellow Tree Theatre)
Antonisia Collins (Robin Hood at Zephyr Theatre; Once on This Island at Artistry)
Anna Hashizume (Grease at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres; My Fair Lady at Theater Latté Da)
Stephanie Kahle (The Crucible at Night Fire Theatre; Breach at MN Fringe; Pride & Prejudice at Theatre in the Round)
Nubia Monks (Paradise Blue at Penumbra Theatre; The Nacirema Society at the Guthrie; Primary Trust at the Guthrie)
Hawken Paul (Legacy of Light at Theatre in the Round; Bart and Arnie from Melancholics Anonymous; Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 at Elision Playhouse; multiple MN Fringe shows)

It was another great year for theater, and I’m very much looking forward to 2026. I hope you are as well. I write about theater and love it, but I’m not an extrovert. That said, I genuinely enjoy meeting readers and artists, so if you see me at a show, please stop over and say hi. Ask for a picture, and I’ll put you in the “At a Show With…” montage in future YouTube episodes.

The Stages of MN is always open to partnering with theaters to participate in or help facilitate pre- and post-show discussions or events. If that’s of interest, reach out. We’re also always looking for sponsors for the YouTube show. If you’re interested in sponsoring an episode, email me at robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com. You don’t have to be theater related, if you’re a reader or viewer with a business to promote, reach out and we’ll figure something out.

This year I also launched The Stages of MN +1 Club. I usually get two tickets to shows, but when a plus-one cancels or everyone’s busy, I text the +1 Club. Want in? Send me your name and phone number. When I have an extra ticket, I’ll text the group, and the first person to reply directly gets to come see a show with me for free. No group-text chaos allowed.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support, faithful readers and viewers. And now, in the immortal words of Carol Jackson:

“Go see a show!”

Showdown at the Kar-a-OK-e Corral, One Final Murder to Solve Before The Mystery Cafe Closes.

It was my fifth case with The Mystery Café, and the writing was on the email: this would be my last. After its 38th season, the Café is closing down. The head of the agency, Brian Kelly, cites rising food costs as one of the motives, though I just heard President Trump say grocery prices are lower than they’ve ever been since the Great Depression, so who knows what to believe. One thing was certain: a crime was going to be committed at the Kar-a-OK-e Corral, and I needed to be there to help find the murderer.

The problem? It was the worst weather of the season in Minnesota. The roads were slicker than the cap of an olive oil bottle after the kids have “helped” you cook dinner. I made it to the venue, though it was a white-knuckler if I’ve ever seen one. Mother Nature was angrier than a TSA agent without a paycheck, and I knew this crime needed to be solved quickly before the roads became completely impassable.

When I arrived, I was met at the entrance by Mama Myrna Shamwow herself, owner of the Kar-a-OK-e Corral. Mama was full of life, though her sense of fashion direction had clearly taken a turn down bargain basement alley. It was immediately clear that she might be a little down on her luck, but that didn’t affect her confidence. This was her place, and she was firmly in charge. Rumors of karaoke fixing had swirled around Mama like bees around a little black rain cloud for years, but so far she’d never been stung. This year, however, the Ham Lake City Council announced that things would be watched closely to ensure everything was above board.

The news that there would be no fix this year ran through the contestants like COVID through a senior center on grandkids’ day. They were elated, unlike the residents of a senior center four to seven days after grandkids’ day. All of them, that is, except Tiffany Shamwow, Mama’s daughter and six-time winner of the annual singing competition. Tiffany was none too pleased to learn she wouldn’t be handed the championship on a golden platter this time.

Not yet knowing what crime would be committed, I began making a mental list of potential victims and suspects. First up were Sully and Shar, a couple who saw this as their first real chance to win. Shar was so desperate for victory that she prevented Sully from singing, which clearly upset Sully, and seemed to relieve the audience. Next was Colt Yokum, Mama’s accountant and a man with friends in low places. Then there was Iris Vox, Tiffany’s perpetual second fiddle, who she played like a harp from hell. It wasn’t hard to imagine Iris getting as tired of Tiffany plucking her strings, as this metaphor is. Also in the mix was last-minute entrant Jimi Wylde, as gifted vocally as he was clueless about everything else. Finally, there was Bernie Love, the DJ, who opened with a musical number that left me wondering why he wasn’t competing.

As for the crime itself? I’ll leave that to you, faithful readers, to discover when you make your final journey to The Mystery Café.

This show gives audience members the opportunity to sign up and perform a karaoke song during the evening, for those so inclined. I attended a Sunday brunch performance, when the weather, and therefore the roads, were particularly terrible. I don’t drink, and I’m therefore unlikely to summon the courage to sing karaoke under any circumstances. Add in the time of day and the icy roads, and participation was understandably low. We did have two audience performances, both so good that they effectively shut down the rest of us who lack confidence in our vocal abilities. I’m told evening performances inspire much higher levels of participation, and that it’s a judgment free, just have fun space.

The food, as always, was enjoyable, and I loved seeing some of my favorite local performers. Josh Carson plays Sully and does finally get to sing, once the waitstaff had collected their tips. I’m not saying there’s a correlation, but I’m also not not saying it. Also performing are Twin Cities power couple Nissa Nordland and Sam “the Man” Landman as Tiffany Shamwow and Bernie Love.

This may not be the funniest Mystery Café show I’ve seen, and the mystery itself is no Agatha Christie or Conan Doyle puzzle. Though it’s fair to say it stumped me. But like all their productions, it’s an enjoyable outing with friends or family, but never both, don’t cross the streams. I gave tickets as a Christmas gift to the Aged P’s and my brother and sister-in-law; it’s been a bit of a tradition for us, and I’m genuinely sad to have to find something new next year.

The addition of karaoke is an inspired one and likely adds a lot to the fun. I happened to see it under less than ideal circumstances, but I’m confident that anyone who sings, or drinks enough to think they can, will enjoy it even more.

Showdown at the Kar-a-OK-e Corral runs through February 15 at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake. The show includes dinner (or brunch at matinees) and a crime. If karaoke isn’t your thing, there are two other shows in this final season: A Cruise-mas Carol, running through January 9 at the Sheraton Bloomington, and ’Til Death Do Us Die, playing January 16–31, also at the Sheraton Bloomington.

You can read my reviews of previous years’ productions here:
https://bit.ly/TSOMNCruismasCarol
https://bit.ly/41TqaJh

For performance dates and reservations, visit:
https://www.themysterycafe.com/

The Chaos of the Bells The Funniest Show Yet at The Brave New Workshop!

Brave New Workshop’s annual Christmas show this year is called The Chaos of the Bells, and this might just be their best one yet. The show is wonderfully irreverent and hilariously funny, poking fun at everything from Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and Santa Claus to OnlyFans and classic Christmas songs. I won’t spoil the fun by revealing my favorite bits or giving away punchlines. What BNW delivers, what I always look forward to this time of year, is laughter, pure and simple. And honestly, in a year like 2025, when reflecting on the state of the world feels unusually heavy, distraction by way of comedy is exactly what I need.

Musical Director Jon Pumper seemed to play an even larger role this year. Either that, or there were simply more musical numbers than usual. In any case, he remains an invaluable part of the ensemble. For those unfamiliar with Brave New Workshop, it’s the longest-running comedy theater in the United States. Their holiday tradition features sketch comedy, punctuated with songs, and always concludes with their original twist on “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

Favorite sketches this year: two neighbors chatting in a garage in Fridley, a phone call to Santa Claus, “Kissing Cousins,” and a number from White Christmas. Okay, I have to stop there or I’ll end up listing every sketch of the night. There wasn’t a single miss—every piece landed. If only SNL were this consistent.

A show like this is only as good as its writers and performers, and this year the brilliant core four, Lauren Anderson (who has starred in more consecutive BNW shows than any performer in the theater’s history), Denzel Belin, Isabella Dunsieth, and Doug Neithercott, are joined by the inspired addition of Rita Boersma. Boersma, whom you’ll often see working with Mike Fotis of Strike Theater, blends seamlessly with the veteran cast. Her characters and her fearless commitment to going for the laugh are all-in. Her Fridley neighbor character was a standout. In one sketch, she made out with her “husband,” who was wearing a welding mask; based on Dunsieth’s reactions, I’m guessing Boersma added a little improvisational enthusiasm to the moment. It was an evening highlight.

The whole cast is fantastic, and the script is fresh and funny. I did catch one idea recycled from a previous Christmas show, but it was a highlight then too, so I was delighted to see it back.

This is the perfect outing for a holiday get-together with friends or now that the kids are too old for The Grinch and sick of A Christmas Carol, make this your family holiday tradition instead!

The Chaos of the Bells runs through January 17th.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit:
https://hennepinarts.org/events/the-chaos-of-the-bells-2025

A Nice Family Christmas Unwraps a Lot, is This Very Funny Holiday Show at Lyric Arts

Kathleen Winters, Anthony Zadra, Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green, Lori Constable Photo by Molly Jay

A Nice Family Christmas? They should probably call it A Very Dysfunctional Family Christmas, but maybe that’s a little too on the nose. Still, “nice” feels a bit disingenuous. Funny? Yes! Delightful? Absolutely! Nice? Not on your life. Like all holiday stories about families, we get the ugly, the humorous dysfunction, but also, beneath it all, something genuinely good. After all, what is a Christmas story if not an opportunity for redemption, healing, forgiveness, and reconnecting with the people who drive us crazy?

Set in Minnesota, the play takes place on Christmas Eve in Mom’s condo, where her three grown children arrive to find Grandma there unexpectedly from Florida… and then their very unwanted Uncle Bob barges in as well. The three siblings, who barely seem to speak to each other, are all in relationships that are teetering on various precarious edges. Over the course of the evening, secrets will come out, Grandma will deliver approximately 237 inappropriate comments, and yes, everyone will grow a little. But mostly? The audience will laugh their butts off.

It’s hard to imagine anyone who won’t relate to something in this show. A family dynamic, a tradition, an awkward secret, a chaotic holiday memory, or a rogue Uncle Bob. You’ll spot a piece of your own life somewhere in the mix. At times it almost feels like a modern TV comedy—one of the good ones, not something from the late ’80s. Add a dash of The Golden Girls and you’re in the ballpark. Grandma, in particular, channels major Sophia energy, firing off one-liners like she’s got a writers’ room in her purse.

It’s funny, usually when I leave a show, I’ll think, “I wish this person had seen that.” But for the first time I walked out thinking, “I wish I’d seen this with my brother and sisters.” I think we would’ve had a blast, and dinner afterward would’ve been even more entertaining.

Performance wise, Grandma and Uncle Bob are such wildly outrageous characters that you can’t help but love them. Kathleen Winters and Anthony Zadra have fantastic timing and fully commit to the eccentricities of their characters. I most identified with Carl, the middle child, he’s a writer, not for anything as prestigious as The Stages of MN, but for the Star Tribune. I especially related to the moment when his Mom and Grandma come to see who arrived and are visibly disappointed that it’s him and not his brother Michael. Patrick Kozicky does wonderful work as one of the few semi normal humans in this family, and even when he isn’t the focus of a scene, his reactions land perfectly.

Giving him solid competition in the “closest to normal” category is Lyreshia Ghostlon-Green as his sister Stacy. It’s probably the most under written role in the script, but Ghostlon-Green adds more to the role than she’s given on the page. As Michael and his wife Jill, Sam Sweere and Waverly Ann McCollum deliver hilariously physical performances. When Michael needs to make amends with a member of his family, his discomfort at doing so doesn’t just seep into the rest of his body it floods like a busted dam. His wife is a tsunami of hormonal hysteria due to fertility hormones she is on, It’s a lot and it’s hilarious.

Lori Constable masterfully plays Mom, nailing every aspect of the character’s many roles. She’s the one caught in the middle, put upon, the peacemaker, and ultimately the glue that holds the entire family together.

Phil Olson’s script (he’s a Minnesota native) is genuinely funny. While it doesn’t tug too hard on the heartstrings, the characters do grow, and we arrive at a very nice ending. I’m now curious about his companion play, A Nice Family Gathering. I’d love to see Lyric Arts bring it to the stage next season with the same cast.

A Nice Family Christmas runs through 12/21 at Lyric Arts in Anoka.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.lyricarts.org/nice-family-christmas

Episode 22: Beware the Phantom of the Stages of MN is Up and Ready to View over on YouTube!

On this very indulgent episode of The Stages of MN Show I sit down with my son Alex and we discuss our Phantastic double feature day! It was a trip down memory lane for both of us as we were surprised by the very good production of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium at Park Square Theatre and the gorgeous Touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. You can watch the episode here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode22YouTube. Or if you or not blessed with the power of sight you can listen to the podcast edition here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode22Podcast.

You can still see both of these shows! to get tickets to Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium which runs through December 14th at Park Square in St. Paul bit.ly/ParkSquareGoosebumps and The Phantom of the Opera which runs through December 7th at Hennepin Arts Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis https://hennepinarts.org/events/the-phantom-of-the-opera