31 Days of Theater (You're Gonna Love Mayyyyy)

I don't need to tell you, loyal theatergoers, how important it is to support the arts and arts funding in these incredibly challenging times.

However, even as loyal theatergoers ourselves, we were delighted to see how incredible the theater offerings this May are, and reminded us what an amazing theater community we have here in the Twin Cities. (Naturally, check the website for dates/times.)

So without further ado, 31 Days of May Theater!

May 1: Fun Home at Theater Latte Da - A gorgeous production of the Tony-winning musical with a fantastic cast. (April 2 - through May 11)

May 2: Scarecrow on Fire at Illusion Theater - A take on the Oz story by Kevin Kling with another all-star cast: Dan Chouinard, Simone Perrin, Stephen Yoakam, and Kling. (April 25 - May 4)

May 3: The Nut, The Hermit, The Crow and The Monk at New Native Theatre - This comedy follows a zillennial brother and sister on a journey to heal from generational boarding school trauma, inspired by The Odyssey and Alice in Wonderland set to the soundtrack of Dark Side of the Moon! (April 16 - May 4)

May 4: Muyehpen by Exposed Brick Theatre - Written by Ehkhudah Zar, this is the first-ever theater production by a Knyaw playwright in the U.S. and shares the story of Muyehpen with a new generation. (performed in Worthington on May 4 only)

May 5: Sister Act at Lyric Arts - The entire run of this based-on-the-movie musical is completely sold out, which is a good reminder not to sleep on hot shows! (April 11 - May 11)

May 6: Joyful Noise at Bucket Brigade Theater - The unbelievably true tale of the unlikely origin of Handel’s Messiah by this charming theater, performed in an old church. (April 25 - May 10)

May 7: Sickle at Theatre Novi Most - A "pastoral apocalyptic" tale of four women attempting to survive a Russian-made famine in Ukraine. Amazing cast, includes Ukrainian supertitles. (May 1 - May 10)

May 8: The Lightning Thief at Stages Theatre Company - Musical based on the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan with a delightful young cast and ingenious staging. (April 11- May 11)

May 9: Waitress at Artistry - Production of the Broadway musical by Sara Bareilles with the usual Artistry artistry and skill. (April 17 - May 11)

May 10: Bart and Arnie by Melancholics Anonymous - Two pals making their way in the city. Existential dread and friendship. Puppets. Modern Dance. Whimsy. The financial difficulties of living in the big city and the highs and lows of art and commerce. (May 9 - May 18)

May 11: The Rainbow Connection: A Cabaret at the Hive Collaborative - It's time to play the music and light the lights with The Rainbow Connection - a cabaret of all things Muppety! Join us to laugh, cry laugh more, and sing along to your favorite Muppet tunes. Bring your Muppet Show knowledge to try and stump our expert! 

May 12: When We Are Found at Penumbra Theatre - Love’s newest fable is an achingly poignant and sometimes funny meditation on the passage of time and the persistence of love — and a hopeful prayer that what we seek finds us. (April 24 - May 18)

May 13: The Mousetrap at Guthrie Theater - Agatha Christie's murder mystery, the longest-running play in the West End. (March 15 -  May 18)

May 14: An Act of God at Six Points Theater - Four words: Sally Wingert as God. Also, written by the head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. (May 3 - May 18)

May 15: The Last Day of Pompeii: A New Musical at Gnarly Bard Theater - Road trip to St. Cloud and step into the shadows of history in The Last Day of Pompeii, a gripping new musical set in the heart of a city teetering on the brink of destruction. (May 5 - 18)

May 16: mixtape: adrift: true stories of being lost in the sauce by Wayward Theatre Company - An intimate collection of humorous to harrowing stories of folks who are looking for their way, delving for the answers and seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and this wild and weird world we all stumble through. (May 15 - 17)

May 17: & Juliet at Hennepin Arts - See the tour of the Broadway show that asks what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? (May 13 - May 18)

May 18: Three Sisters/No Sisters at Theatre Pro Rata - A new adaptation of Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov alongside No Sisters, a clever companion piece by Aaron Posner. Performed simultaneously! (May 9 - 24)

May 19: Puppet Lab Festival at Open Eye Theatre - A 2-week festival of radical, genre-expanding, boundary–pushing puppet work, the culmination of a 6-month development residency for emerging puppetry and mask artists.

May 20: The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years at Guthrie Theater - Among the fantastic cast: Aimee K. Bryant, Joy Dolo, Darrick Mosley, Greta Oglesby, Regina Marie Williams. I mean, come ON. (April 20-  May 25)

May 21: Lolek by Open Window Theatre - Lolek brings to life the captivating story of Karol Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul II) and his heroic resistance to the Nazi Occupation of Poland as a young man during the Second World War. April 25 - May 25)

May 22: Berlin to Rugen at the Phoenix Theater - A new one-man show by Michael Rogers, writer and director of “As Above, So Below” (winner of Minnesota Fringe Artist Pick award and the What the Fringe!? - Best Drama award).  (May 21 - 24)

May 23: The Improvised Sword & Sorcery Campaign by The Bearded Company - In this award-winning improvised fantasy campaign, The Bearded Company will tell you a tale you won't soon forget. (May 22 - 24)

May 24: Violet at Ten Thousand Things - A young woman embarks on a cross-country bus trip in search of a televangelist she believes can cure a scar on her face. Always inventive, always inclusive, love TTT. (April 23 - June 1)

May 25: Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West at History Theatre - Tells the rip-roaring musical tale of Nellie King, the “wily and scandalous female cowboy detective” whose countless criminal exploits and penchant for male attire made her an 1800s Minnesota media icon. (May 17 - June 8)

May 26: Between Riverside and Crazy at Park Square Theater - Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy from Stephen Adly Guirgis, this play explores family bonds, resilience, and the harsh realities of life in modern New York City. (May 14 - June 8)

May 27: NOOMA, An Opera for Babies at Ordway Center - NOOMA is an invitation into a vocal circus, a space where sounds, words, gestures and objects are offered, mimicked and transformed as we delight in the joy of making music together. Part of the Flint Hills Family Festival.

May 28: Ode to Walt Whitman at Open Eye Theatre - Bart Buch’s acclaimed ODE TO WALT WHITMAN is a tender, silent puppet poem that uncovers a dialogue between Walt Whitman and Federico Garcia Lorca

May 29: Matt & Ben at the Hive Collaborative - Before Good Will Hunting. Before J-Lo (both times). Before all those f*cking Bourne movies. They were just two best friends... (May 30 - June 30)

May 30: Significant Other at Lyric Arts - Directed by Max Wojtanowicz and diving into the complexities of modern relationships with humor and heart, SIGNIFICANT OTHER is a candid and charming exploration of all types of love. (May 30- June 22)

May 31: Sixpack at Jungle Theater - With a backdrop of the competitive world of Hmong volleyball, SIXPACK explores if a friendship can withstand the harms, betrayals, and messiness that happen when you feel your life pulling away from the future you envisioned. (May 31 - June 29)

Death and the Maiden at Pangea World Theater

The new production of Death and the Maiden at Pangea World Theater is a tense thriller that will linger in audience members' minds long after they leave the theater. 

Le Switch by Philip Dawkins at the Jungle Theater

If you are looking for the perfect play to celebrate Pride, to follow Two Boys Kissing, or even to see where the anger from The Normal Heart finally got the GLBTQIA community - Le Switch at the Jungle Theater is the one. In fact, in my view, Le Switch may be a perfect play. I know that is a LOT of pressure to put on a play, and on a review, but here are my thoughts.

The plot is fairly simple. David (played by Kasey Mahaffy) is commitment-shy, and not sure what he makes of marriage equality. He falls back into the comfort of his home of unopened, antique books and his deep friendship with his roommate. Frank (played by Patrick Bailey) is a father-figure, activist, and grieving the loss of his longtime companion. David's best friend Zachary (Michael Wieser) is getting married, and is holding the bachelor party in Montreal. When David gets to Montreal, he is swept off his feet by a gorgeous, young florist Benoît (Michael Hanna). In the months that follow, David and his non-traditional family, including his sister Sarah (Emily Gunyou Halaas), have to figure out what commitment and marriage really mean to them, while also realizing what it means to be queer.

David is a librarian who is focused on classification, and cataloging. He likes things being where they should be. He knows who he is as a queer man of a certain age, and what he believes about marriage. At the same time, he collects books and leaves them unopened because then there is a mystery about them, they could be anything and he can believe them to be anything. There is a fantastical aspect of David. I think the cross-cultural romance helped bring this out even more. After all, when we travel aren't we usually able to be more ourselves? Free from the roles we have imposed on ourselves back at home?

Michael Hanna & Kasey Mahaffy
Photo by Dan Norman

The script, written by Philip Dawkins, is fast-paced, funny, smart, honest, timely and real in so many ways. He knows how to tell a story that affects multiple generations to a multi-generational audience. The question of marriage equality has many responses from the personal to the political. There are some in an older generation who are against marriage equality because it is a heternormative institution that "queers" should never want to follow. They pride themselves on being and staying different. There are others who fully accept and want equality because they are finally allowed something they never thought they would be allowed. This script shows all of these sides while never sounding preachy, yet keeping it honest and real. Along with that there is the question of what does it mean to be queer? If you have been feeling different all your life but suddenly you are no longer different...how do you deal with that? (there is a perfect line for this that I wrote down...but might have had the cap on my pen...darn.)

David goes on a journey, not only to Montreal, but to a different person. In the same way, the set (by the always amazing Kate Sutton-Johnson) goes on a journey as well. It starts very realistic but suddenly walls are rotating during transitions, jutting out for new locations, furniture sliding on and off stage - all with great lighting by Barry Browning, perfect sound design by Sean Healey, and fantastic projections by Daniel Benoit. What starts as one thing, ends as another. David starts as one thing and with a great magical realistic ending...well...go see for yourself.

I may say this too much but I can't think of a better cast. Emily Gunyou Halaas (looking like a young Patti LuPone) plays David's twin sister Sarah practically perfectly. There is a comfort between she and Kasey Mahaffy in their conversations and interactions onstage. Kasey is...well my initial notes say 'I can't even" so that says something. He is funny, moving, honest to the character, truthful and open. David's best friend Zachary is played by the extraordinary Michael Wieser. He is funny, stunning, sassy, and though his character may be on the outrageous side, he is solidly grounded and so clearly loves David. Patrick Bailey as Frank is also grounded and grounding. He seems to be a touchstone for David, someone who has been there for a long time and has helped David grow into the person he is. Bailey is wonderful and funny. Bringing magic to the stage is Michael Hanna as Benoît--brilliant in English and French--challenging David and yet remaining totally true to his character. Hanna and the rest of the cast are perfect really. Part of the perfection is the direction by Jeremy B Cohen. He kept the show moving, consistently real and truthful, finding time and place for humor and emotion helping make it a perfect production.

Le Switch plays at the Jungle Theater through July 31. Go see what I consider to be a perfect play in a fantastic production.

Scapegoat at Pillsbury House Theatre

Christina M. Ham's new play, Scapegoat, premiering at Pillsbury House Theatre, revolves around a horrific, but mostly forgotten, chapter in American race relations. Elaine, Arkansas, was the site of a so-called Race Riot in 1919 that resulted in the deaths of five white people and anywhere from 150 to 800 black people. Twelve black men were convicted and sentenced to death, while no white people faced charges related to the events.

As the first act opens, black sharecroppers Virgil and Effie (James A. Williams and Regina Marie Williams) are anguished and helpless, listening to the dying cries of their only son, who has been burned alive right in front of their house by a gang of white sharecroppers. The violence, though unseen, is vivid and disturbing. But Virgil and Effie do what they must to survive and move forward.

Regina M. Williams and James A. Williams 

(photo by George Byron Griffiths)

Once we are acquainted with their story, Ora and Uly (Jennifer Blagen and Dan Hopman) enter. They are white sharecroppers and neighbors of Virgil and Effie. Uly is unrepentant about his role in the murder of his neighbor, which Hopman plays with an eerie nonchalance. Ora is distraught, but clearly unable to defy her husband, and Blagen is affecting as a woman caught in her time and place. Ora and Uly are far less successful than their neighbors, which is made apparent through Dean Holzman's set and Trevor Bowen's costumes.

Ora tries to make amends, and while the womenfolk move toward understanding, their husbands cannot. Sadly, the poverty of both families is the result of the sharecropper system, which sets up the landowners to come out ahead in all transactions. Virgil is working with union organizers to pull the sharecroppers together to negotiate more favorable terms from the landowners. James A. Williams is passionate and determined  as Virgil, even as continuing his work threatens his life, Regina Marie Williams is heartbreaking as the mother who has lost her son and fears losing her husband as well.

Each action leads inevitably to the historic tragedy, which is about to begin as the act ends. When the play resumes, the mood has lightened incredibly. In present-day Elaine, two couples on a road trip happen upon the site of riots, and as they (and we) learn what happened, we see how deep the scars of violence and injustice run, even in an allegedly "post-racial" environment.

Regina M. Williams, Dan Hopman, Jennifer Blagen, and James A. Williams
(photo by George Byron Griffiths)

The brilliance of Ham's script is in taking a huge event and bringing it down to the intimate level of just these characters. It makes the horror personal. And in the second act, each character reacts to the revelation of the history in his or her own way.

All four actors brilliantly portray their completely different characters. It was a bit of a relief to see Hopman show up as a Brooklyn hipster married to Paula, played by the astounding Regina Williams, completely transformed from the terrified and grieving Effie. James Williams and Blagen are also at drastic odds with their first-act characters as a successful attorney and his college-professor wife. Director Marion McClinton uses the memory of the first act to draw parallels between the two sets of people in ways that illuminate the struggle that continues today.

Scapegoat is an excellent example of the breadth and power of the Twin Cities theater community. Playwright Christina Ham, who came to Minnesota on a fellowship to the Playwright's Center, has plays produced nationally and internationally, but makes her home here. The play was workshopped at the Playwright's Center PlayLabs series with the same excellent cast that performs here. The terrific design team are all experienced locals, making this a fine reminder of how fortunate we are to have these incredible talents right here in Minnesota.

A powerful play, masterfully executed, which illuminates how the past carries forward to today, Scapegoat is a must-see.

Constellations at the Jungle Theater

Beekeeping and quantum mechanics mixed with the multiverse - that is what to expect when seeing Constellations at the Jungle Theater. This play is an amazing kaleidoscope of ideas, options, and chances all mixed into a two-person show. Written by Nick Payne, Constellations is about Roland (Ron Menzel) and Marianne (Anna Sundberg) who meet at a barbecue. Roland is a beekeeper while Marianne is a theoretical physicist - a very unlikely combination. There are several attempts at starting a conversation, each time the characters come to an impasse the scene starts again. When the conversation actually continues, the scene continues. In less talented hands this could look like a high school production of the "first date sketch" in which a bell rings each time the date doesn't work out.

Photo: Dan Norman

Lucky for us this incredible cast, under the precise direction of Gary Gisselman, transforms this work into an amazing show about two people and how each interaction changes their lives. Take the opening scene. Each time the characters come to an impasse the scene starts again. However we start to ask ourselves - is it the same characters making another attempt at connecting? Or is it the same characters in a different universe which creates the alternate outcome of the conversation? I felt the play showed multiple versions of events which really highlights how each choice we make affects our lives and the lives of others. The multiverse is the main through line to this show. That is not to say the characters don't have a storyline. It is fascinating and mesmerizing to watch these actors play similar scenes repeatedly but each scene is played slightly differently - either in attitude, or physicality, or small changes in the words. Roland and Marianne (in some universe) meet, date, are in a relationship, break-up (because she cheats multiple times, or he cheats once), meet again at a ballroom class (some very sweet and simple choreography from Myron Johnson), get married, and deal with death. In one universe there is possible abuse, in another there is a brain tumor in the frontal lobe that may or may not lead to assisted suicide. All I can really say is that this show provides a lot to think about while also providing laughs, sighs of romantic joy, tears, and simple wonder.

I have already mentioned that the cast and direction were singular and incredible. The other thing that I have to mention is the set by Kate Sutton-Johnson. The directors note states "...a new play whose only stage direction is 'with every change of font there is a change of universe.' And there are sixty changes of font." How do you design for that? Sutton-Johnson found the perfect solution by creating a multi-level set with angles and curves through out. There are lines painted on the set, radiating in various directions. There are also metallic bands set across the top of the set, along the back and sides of the set creating an abstract sculpture for the actors to work on. Occasionally the bands would reflect light into the audience creating a shimmer - reminding us of the multitude of stars (and possible universes) in the sky at night. The program provides more insight into her process, along with some fantastic background to the science of the show, beekeeping, and a list of four books available at Magers & Quinn to further explore the ideas behind the play. I had an amazing, talk-creating experience watching Constellations. It plays through May 29th so there is plenty of time to see it, but if it gets reviews like it did on Broadway, I have a sense that the sooner the better.

Review - The Storms of November by Nimbus Theatre

Pictured: Alyssa Perau, Brian O'Neal, Heidi Berg, Zach Morgan

Photographer: Todd Craig

T. S. Eliot states that "April is the cruelest month." If you are a ship on one of the Great Lakes, however, November is the cruelest month.

November is the month for storms on the Great Lakes. The odd thing is that the 10th and 11th seem to be the worst. The Storms of November, written by Josh Cragun and directed by Liz Neerland, tells the story of one of the big ships and storms. Ships alone on a big lake, solitary, storms, relationships between the crew, hints of a mystery...all making for a really good story. So how do you show all this on stage?

The M/V Marie Kearns arrives in port

Photographer: Todd Craig

Nimbus Theatre has done a fantastic job building the front of a ship on the stage. It takes up almost three-quarters of the stage and is almost overpowering, yet it is used so well. The rest of the stage is set as a small cafe in a Northern Minnesota harbor town.

The story starts with a shipwreck and the saving of a young girl who is found floating in Lake Superior. From there it covers a lot of ground (or water, in this case), from business changes, to family issues, the best path from one harbor to another, how to survive a storm, and more. It was thoroughly interesting and kept my attention for the two-hour running time. The cast is great throughout, even while changing characters.

It is clear that Josh Cragun has a true love for the story and the setting. His comments in the program are really interesting and explain a lot about his view. I'm afraid that his love for the story may overshadow the script by trying to include too much history and myth. The history and myth is fascinating, there is no doubt, but it takes some focus away from the throughline of the story.

That being said, please go see this production while you can. It is a good solid show and Nimbus Theatre is a great theatre company. Nimbus is losing their current space at the end of the year, so please help support them now and wherever they end up.

Review - The Night Alive at the Jungle Theater

This may sound crazy but after almost 20 years I finally made it to the Jungle Theater. All my theater-going friends think I am crazy for waiting this long, and I now am agreeing with them. My first show there was The Night Alive--also my first Conor McPherson show, but certainly not my last.

L-R: Aimee (Sara Richardson), Doc (Patrick Bailey) 

and Tommy (Stephen Yoakam)

PHOTO CREDIT: Heidi Bohnenkamp

First off, the theater is gorgeous - both the lobby and the house itself. I like that it looks large but is still intimate. I also love how the seats are set up. I was sitting in the front row of the "back section" and loved the leg room. The house is comfortable. The audience was somewhat mixed regarding age however not much else. Now, what about the show?

This is the third Conor McPherson show that the Jungle Theater has produced. Previously they produced "Shining City" which deals with a ghost, "The Seafarer" about the Devil, and now "The Night Alive." Having not known or read any of Conor McPherson's work, I was expecting some shocks, something supernatural, some violence - everything that lends itself towards a great play for a cool autumn night.

The story is about Tommy (Stephen Yoakam), who lives in the drawing room of an Edwardian house that his uncle Maurice (Martin Ruben) owns. On occasion his friend Doc (Patrick Bailey) crashes on the cot in the corner of the same room. One night, Tommy brings home Aimee (Sara Richardson), who was beat up by someone. She is bloody and bruised and he takes care of her. They form a friendship and it seems like it is becoming more than a friendship. On the other hand, Doc states that Aimee is a prostitute.

And I think that is all I'm going to say - or all I can say without giving away too much of the plot. The set of the drawing room fills the stage, and is very realistic...to the point of having running water on stage.

It is a single set show, just over 90 minutes with no intermission. It was near perfect. Stephen Yoakam was fantastic and also on stage for the majority of the work. The relationships between him, Doc and Maurice are clear and yet you can see subtle changes to them as the play progresses. Tyson Forbes plays Kenneth - wow. He is a giant on stage and was truly amazing. I had only seen him in TigerLion Arts production of Nature previous to this. I will see him in anything he does from here on out. In fact, the whole cast is solid and a true joy to watch on stage.

The script has its funny moments but also reminded me quite a bit of Pinter - in the sense that you think you know where it is headed then suddenly a violent action takes place and things change. That was how I saw the show - showing us how random acts can affect our lives in good and negative ways. And yes, there is violence. Not to the point of Martin McDonagh (from what I know) but still shocking and bloody.

Go see this show. It plays through Dec. 20th and was a really intense and enjoyable piece to watch.

Taking the Leap: H2O at Gremlin Theatre

As an audience member, sometimes you just take a leap into a show you know nothing about and find out where it takes you. Gremlin Theatre's H2O was a little like that for me. In recent seasons, Gremlin's work has been consistently interesting enough to make their next show a must-see, even before reading anything about it.

The premise was intriguing: Jake, a loose-cannon movie star, decides to prove himself in a Broadway production of Hamlet. Deborah is an evangelical Christian and struggling actress who is trying to fulfill the calling she heard from Jesus in the New York Public Library.

Jake's fame entitles him to casting approval, which he uses to audition actresses for Ophelia, Hamlet's doomed love. When Deborah turns up at his apartment for the audition, she is immediately drawn into Jake's dysfunctional life. In spite of himself, Jake is fascinated with Deborah and her firm beliefs, while she sees the prospect of a high-profile job and perhaps the possibility of saving a soul along the way.

Everything about director Ellen Fenster's production, from the costumes and lights to the four "essentials" who smoothly facilitate costume and set changes, keeps the focus on the characters and their ideas. The two speaking roles are brilliantly inhabited by Peter Christian Hansen and Ashley Rose Montondo. Jake and Deborah are both changed by the relationship, which is clear in the terrific script by Jane Martin as well as in the performances.

Although the play is quite intense, deals with some very deep subjects, and refers quite a bit to the script of Hamlet, it is also very funny. H2O is a new play, which premiered in 2013 at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in West Virginia and was hailed as a "masterpiece" by the MD Theatre Guide. We are very fortunate to experience this new piece in such an exceptional production. Although the play runs just 90 minutes, the impact reverberates long after the show ends.