Twin Cities Horror Festival XIV - The Best Time of the Year!

Y'all, we LOVE the Twin Cities Horror Festival (which runs October 16 – 30 at the Crane Theater) the annual horror theater festival that celebrates all things horror. LOVE. 

Why Should YOU Go to TCHF? (in convenient bullet form)

• TCHF is comprised of short plays in a variety of horror genres to suit any taste, from funny and gory to eerie and thoughtful.
• TCHF pays 100% of ticket sales to its artists. YAY paying artists!
• You can see some of the most amazing theater artists in the Twin Cities and add their work to your don't-miss theater list.
• Tickets to the shows are only $15.00! So worth it!
• Plus, check out the spooky souvenirs at the merch table and Goblin Market!
• After 14 years, TCHF runs like a dang top. Easy ticketing, welcoming and friendly staff, ample free parking!
• Spend an evening and see a few shows. They've created lots of cozy seating areas and offer concessions including some excellent NA mocktails. 

Now, in its 14th year of being awesome, we are seeing some amazing shows at the festival. Here's our guide to the shows we've squeezed in so far!

Gudlung - Dangerous Productions

"It’s Christmas, and Ted just wants the perfect family holiday. Sure, his wife is under the weather, his kids are cranky, and reality is being torn to shreds by an ancient horror—but, every family has its quirks, right? Luckily, Ted has a new friend with altruistic desires and an endless hunger. Combining Rockwellian sensibilities and Lovecraftian logic, “Gudlung” is sure to be a holiday classic for eons to come."

It's Dangerous Productions and there's no better way to kick off the Horror Festival than by seeing the familiar tarp spread out on the stage. That tarp means it's going to be a very bloody good time. And it is. Alas, no program so I can't give shoutouts to the actors who so beautifully played the wild shifts in tone and personality as Ted tries to create the perfect Christmas, again and again. Lovecraftian ancient horror is the vibe of the festival as it's difficult to top the horrors of contemporary American life in 2025.

Gospel Gus's Godly Goodtime Get-Together - Hot Chocolate Media with Phantom Chorus Theatre

"Evangelical Kids TV show mascot personality Gospel Gus has passed away. Manna studios is hosting a reunion to help make that…merchandising cash flow. Hot Chocolate Media teams up with Phantom Chorus Theatre to bring this nightmare alive."

 

 Scrimshaw by Rogues Gallery Arts

"A pair of married missionaries working in a Pacific whaling village take a mad whaler into their care after he was found floating adrift in the ocean. As they learn about his journey, his experiences and the sea creature he claims to have encountered they also face challenges to their view of the world, their faith and their own sanity." 

The Neverland - Lady Chamberlain Productions

"By light of day, the Neverland exists only in the imagination. But at night, the wild beasts of the island stalk alarmingly close. Three lost children rely on each other–and a mysterious faun guide known only as Pan–to traverse the island, face down beasts of world myth, and discover the reason they’re on the scariest adventure of their lives."

Bay Creek - The Miller Conspiracy

"After his father's sudden disappearance, the last of four generations of smugglers from the river bottoms of Pike County, Illinois contends with his family's legacy of violence and crime. Held by police and under interrogation, he must come face to face with the terrifying entity his ancestors carried over the veil from the other side."

The Walls - Strike Theater and the Improv Movement Project

"The Walls is a tale about a bank robbery gone wrong and a safe house that's not safe at all. A dramatic play loaded with tension and movement. The Walls meshes movement, acting and storytelling  to present a terrifying experience. The Walls features the talents of Rita Boersma, Sam Landman, Peytie McCandless, Jay Kistler, Mark Benzel, Sean Dillon, the Improv Movement Project.  Written and directed by Mike Fotis and presented by Strike Theater and The Improv Movement Project."  

The Last Menagerie - Melancholics Anonymous

"In this zombified parody of the classic play, The Glass Menagerie, the delusional undead Wingfield family has someone for dinner. Does Laura have the guts to step outside her world of broken baby dolls and eat the man of her dreams? Horror, the way Tennessee Williams intended!" 

Familiar - Special When Lit

"What’s a teen witch without her cat? Rosemary is about to find out. Her beloved familiar may have passed away, but by no means has it passed on. After opening a portal into a shadow realm, Rosemary discovers that only in the dark are you truly able to see. A teen-friendly nightmare from Nissa Nordland, writer of Stabby Stab Stab, Kin and Incarnate."

Murder. Murder. Murder. Murder. - Love Drunk Life

"A collection of short horror plays tied together by one prompt: crows. Enter into worlds of women transforming into birds, scientists playing God, cannibalism via dino nuggets, and a local DJ who is determined to be the ultimate final girl in an evening of deadly horror."

 Madness and Betrayal: A Grand Guignol Double Feature - Silent Scream Productions

"Love, mortality, sickness and obsession reign in two gory, tension-filled historical  one-act melodramas. A popular 19th c. theatre form credited as the origin of modern horror, Grand-Guignol judged its success by whether guests “passed out, threw up, or left”. A physical theatre spectacle of stage combat, gripping suspense, and shocking effects."

Terms - Four Humours

"A horror play about insurance, from the people who brought you Rasputin and Harold." 

And coming up, we're going to be seeing the final two. Reviews to come!

Camp Bludde - IK Productions

"An old legend, old money, new blood. This deep in the wilderness, no one can hear you scream. Camp Bludde is a summer camp by and for a wealthy elite class of people. Every ten years, a camper is brought in on a scholarship. But things are not what they seem. When a hooded figure pursues the campers, it’s clear Camp Bludde lives up to its namesake."

Cursed Objects - Dolly Who?

"You're invited to an exclusive peek inside the curious world of the Cabinet of Cursed Objects, a vintage shop selling one-of-a-kind, very vexed trinkets owned by the infamous Webb sisters, Millicent and Melody. After the arrival of a mysterious door sends the evening spinning off its hinges, the Webb sisters, their assistant, and a trio of “Cabineteers” are forced to grapple with an unfathomable terror, each other, and themselves." 

Today is 3/25/26 and apparently we never published this even though TCHF is our FAVORITE. So I'm doing it now!

Okay bye.

 

Kimberly Akimbo at the Orpheum Theatre

Carolee Carmello in the National Tour of
Kimberly Akimbo. Photo by Joan Marcus.

We were excited to see Kimberly Akimbo on tour, as we hadn't been able to see it in New York. In the original Broadway production, Kimberly, a teen with a rare genetic condition that ages her far beyond her years, was played by Victoria Clark, a wonderful performer we were lucky enough to see years ago in The Light in the Piazza. 

On this tour, the role is played by the equally delightful Carolee Carmello, who we first saw on the AMC TV series Remember WENN. A theater veteran with outstanding credits including the original casts of Parade and The Addams Family plus 14 other Broadway shows, she was a definite selling point of the show and did not disappoint! Go see it at the Orpheum Theatre before it heads to its next stop. Last two shows are on July 13.

In a world of jukebox musicals and musicals based on movies, Kimberly Akimbo has one of the more unusual plotlines. It won five Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Musical, Best Book for David Lindsay-Abaire, and Best Original Score for Jeanine Tesori's music and David Lindsay-Abaire's lyrics.  

Carolee Carmello and the National Touring Company of
Kimberly Akimbo. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The show follows Kimberly, a teen dealing with a debilitating condition that causes her to age at four  to five times the normal rate, so that at 16, she has the body, including aches and pains, of a woman in her 60s. She's at a new school, hoping to make friends, and not getting much support from her wildly dysfunctional family. In spite of the challenges the character faces, the show is funny, touching, and hopeful. 

The National Touring Company of Kimberly Akimbo.
Photo by Joan Marcus.

The cast, led by Carmello, is small but mighty. Jim Hogan and Laura Woyasz play Kimberly's self-absorbed parents, and Emily Koch is hilarious as her not-so-petty criminal aunt. The young actor playing her love interest, Miguel Gil, is charmingly geeky. The other outsider teens (they're in Show Choir!), played by Grace Capeless, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Darron Hayes, and Pierce Wheeler, each have their own romantic issues, which are summarily sorted out by Koch's Aunt Debra. They're also in Show! Choir! and their harmonies are TIGHT.

Jeanine Tesori's tunes are catchy, and David Lindsay-Abaire's lyrics and lines are frequently hilarious and often touching. 

We just want to give a little more love to Carolee Carmello, who has the daunting task of being an adult actor who is playing a teenager who is aging to an age beyond the actor's. Still with us? She does it beautifully, with a lovely youthful voice and fabulous physicality. You'll fondly remember the tale of Kimberly and to grab life by both hands, because we all only go around once. 

Extra fun fact! Like us, are you intrigued by how the cast managed to skate around at the ice skating rink? It's a cool trick. Click here to learn more.

Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West

Following the success of 2023's The Defeat of Jesse James, the History Theatre is again tackling a Wild West (or Midwest) legend (in her own mind). Whoa, Nellie! The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West plays from May 17 to June 8, and after opening night, I'm already hoping to see it again.

 

(l-r) Erin Nicole Farsté, Tod Petersen, Grace Hillmyer,

John Jamison II (center), Leslie Vincent, Thomas Bevan.

Photo: Rick Spaulding.

Whoa, Nellie! 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. By turns hilarious, tuneful, and deeply emotional, this grand spectacle resurrects an array of vaudevillian superstars to share a story of surprising contemporary resonance. Plumbing the depths of America’s obsession with celebrity, the show reveals potent historical truths around gender, addiction, mental health, and media sensationalism, as it follows Nellie’s desperate pursuit of the love, acceptance and transcendent immortality it promises. (History Theatre)

Since this is the History Theatre, it's about a real person, albeit one that not many people have heard of. Nellie King cut a swath through Minnesota and the Dakotas in the late 1800s, calling herself a detective (then a new profession) to enable her lying and thievery, while also making appearances on the stage.

The show is a moment out of time, with Nellie staging a show about her life on an opera house stage. She has gathered a troupe made up of notables from her era, none of whom were likely to have known King in real life, but who all share a history of being marginalized due to their identities. Each of these players also play a number of roles in the story of Nellie's life. If it sounds confusing, it's not.

The always-electric John Jamison II is superstar vaudeville performer Bert Williams. Erin Nicole Farsté brings wonderful presence and a killer voice to singer Aida Walker. As Julian Eltinge, a popular female impersonator of the era, Jay Owen Eisenberg deftly plays a number of male and female parts to perfection. Tod Peterson is John Durham, the impresario who brings Nellie's show to the stage, and plays roles from comical to threatening. Grace Hillmyer plays a hauntingly innocent ingenue. Leslie Vincent is a rough and tumble Annie Oakley, which made me want someone to cast her in Annie Get Your Gun ASAP. Therese Walth is the indomitable Nellie Bly. Thomas Bevan shows his range as a variety of Nellie's romantic conquests.

(l-r) Leslie Vincent, Em Adam Rosenberg, Tod Petersen.

Photo: Rick Spaulding.

Em Adam Rosenberg is captivating as Nellie King, whether Nellie is sweet-talking a jailkeeper, conning a mark, or romancing someone else's husband. With a stunning vocal range and impressive depth, Rosenberg plays Nellie's highs and lows with equal fervor.

Josef Evans wrote the book, lyrics, and music, and his script and songs address Nellie's life and times while drawing parallels to our current moment. There were many songs I'd like to hear again, but a favorite was the number performed by Walth, Vincent, and Farsté "You Gotta Be Crazy (Not to Go Crazy)" as a counterpoint to the mens' number "Hysterical Damsels."

Laura Leffler's direction keeps the story moving, with fun, appropriately period choreography by Joey Miller, who is also the associate director. The set by Joel Sass, representing a long-gone St. Paul opera house, and lights by C.Andrew Mayer are spot-on (pun intended). Bryce Turgeon's costumes give us a cheeky look at the actors in their undergarments, which makes their quick changes between characters an easy task.

The music, orchestrated by Robert Elhai and directed by Amanda Weis, provides great support to the singers with a small but mighty four-piece ensemble (Weis, Kyle Simons Baker, Corey Fitzgerald, and Audrey Q. Snyder).

Whoa, Nellie: The Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West is a wonderful night at the theater. Once again, History Theatre brings our region's history to life in the most magical way.

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)

The Birds by TheatreX at The Hive

As longtime fans of gothic horror, we were really anticipating TheatreX's production of The Birds. We loved their production of The Haunting of Hill House performed at the James J. Hill House (!!) in 2018, which had the best sound design we've ever heard in a show locally (we called it "staggeringly effective.")  

 

TheatreX also did a terrific Frost/Nixon in 2024 at Landmark Center. The Birds is presented at our neighborhood theater: The Hive Collaborative and being able to walk to theater = priceless.

We saw The Birds originally at the Guthrie Theater, which commissioned the play and held its North American Premiere in 2012. Written by Conor McPherson, the play is based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, which was also adapted into an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

The play bears very little resemblance to du Maurier's 1952 story, which has some interesting reverberations to the present. As farmhand Nat works to secure his family from the bird onslaught, he contemplates how government will respond: 

"Maybe they’ll try spraying with gas, mustard gas. We’ll be warned first, of course, if they do. There’s one thing, the best brains of the country will be onto it tonight.”  Somehow the thought reassured him. He had a picture of scientists, naturalists, technicians, and all those chaps they called the back-room boys, summoned to a council; they’d be working on the problem now. This was not a job for the government, for the chiefs of staff—they would merely carry out the orders of the scientists.

Later, as they realize all radio communications have stopped:

The tapping began at the windows, at the door. The rustling, the jostling, the pushing for position on the sills. The first thud of the suicide gulls upon the step.  “Won’t America do something?” said his wife. “They’ve always been our allies, haven’t they? Surely America will do something?”  Nat did not answer.

The play also bears little resemblance to Alfred Hitchcock's film, which STILL causes me to walk a little more quickly when I see more than four birds resting on a telephone wire. Also, it's hard to forget  the famous behind-the-scenes story of Hitch whipping birds at poor Tippi Hedren. 

But here's the deal: Although Conor McPherson has a great reputation for atmospheric, slightly supernatural, contemplative thrillers, his script for The Birds is a bit of a dud. One of the most chilling elements of both du Maurier's story and Hitchcock's movie is the creeping dread. Birds are a normal, everyday sight in the world. When they start to mass and then to unexplainably attack, it's truly horrifying. 

Rather than building up to disaster, McPherson places his characters in the middle of an unexplained catastrophe where birds, apparently all over the world, are massing to attack humans. Two strangers who met on the road are holed up in an abandoned house. Nat (Tim Reddy) suffers from a fever as Diane (Kari Elizabeth Godfrey) listens to the last-ever radio broadcast, in which the participants are trying to report overwhelming events as they are happening. When the signal goes out, it's understood that there will be no more broadcasts. 

As the two get to know each other (she's a writer, he's had mental health issues), they are constantly aware of the ominous sounds of birds flapping their wings, flying into the sides of the house and the boarded-up windows, and walking across the roof. Or in the house?? The fantastic sound design by Forest Godfrey, especially in the first act, is chilling and claustrophobic. The audience feels the same tension as the characters, with the sounds of marauding birds coming from all around the theater. You couldn't help but look at various corners of the theater just to be sure that the birds weren't coming in. 

Diane and Nat are settling into a routine of wary cohabitation and venturing out to scavenge for food and fuel, when they are joined by Julia (Ankita Ashrit), a girl who claims to have escaped from an attacker in the previous group she was sheltering with. As Julia sets her sights on Nat, the domestic routine is unsettled and secrets abound. Unfortunately, although the tensions rise among the three, the pace lags. There's very little sense of urgency despite the real dangers of bird attacks, unfriendly survivors, and starvation. Instead, the story leans into love triangles and a rather cliched interpersonal development. Even a visit by a potentially menacing survivor doesn't help ratchet up the tension. 

TheatreX's website calls McPherson's The Birds a "gripping and unsettling look at human relationships in the face of societal collapse" and I wish it was. Although the play brings up questions of loyalty and morality, such as whether it's different to kill someone than to let them die, it doesn't really do anything with those questions. We are left with the survivors still struggling against an unfathomable and inescapable enemy, just hoping to live for another day. Maybe the banality and helplessness of that struggle is just too close to home right now.

Secret Warriors at History Theatre

Secret Warriors, a new play commissioned by the History Theatre (running through April 19), does what the History Theatre does best: focuses in on a particular element of history with a Minnesota connection. This World War II-set play, written by R.A. Shiomi and directed by Lily Tung Crystal, brings to light the stories of the Japanese Americans who were recruited to serve as translators and interpreters in service to the American military.

This play is set during a particularly shameful chapter of American history when, in February 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt cited military necessity as the basis for incarcerating over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, regardless of birth or citizenship status. While their families have lost their businesses and livelihoods and are living in camps, these men have come to Minnesota to attend the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) and serve the country that has incarcerated their families. 

"They are the warriors you don’t know. Inspired by the stories of the Japanese Americans who served as translators and interrogators for the U.S. Armed Forces, Secret Warriors features two men, Koji Kimura and Tamio Takahashi, who took extraordinary risks to save their fellow soldiers in the Pacific Theater during World War II. As the eyes and ears of General MacArthur, they saved countless Allied lives and shortened the war by two years. Discover their compelling personal journeys and heartfelt love stories set against the backdrop of the war and the incarceration of their families." (History Theatre)

In the first act, we meet a group of recruits as they attend the language school at Camp Savage in Minnesota. Koji Kimura (Clay Man Soo), Tamio Takahashi (Erik Ohno Dagoberg), Masa Matsui (Song Kim), and Isamu Oikawa (Josh Kwon) are studying hard and constantly monitored by Lt. Jeff Nelson (Paul LaNave), who demands they keep up with latrine cleaning and KP duty when they're not studying. Though the four come from very different worlds, they band together to help one another pass. A welcome respite for Koji and Tamio comes when they spend an evening at the Minneapolis USO and meet Natsuko Nishi (Stephanie Anne Bertumen) and Denise Murphy (Kendall Kent). Their wartime romances make it even more difficult to leave when they receive their overseas placements. 

The second act follows the soldiers through the war and beyond. From being unable to go up on deck (and threatened) on their ship overseas to going into incredibly dangerous situations, the stories of these brave heroes are even more poignant considering that everything they did remained a secret until many years later. Not only that, but their efforts did not provide any relief or comfort to their incarcerated families.  

Hey, by the way! Did you know that the antiquated law that enabled President Franklin D. Roosevelt to authorize the Japanese internment camps was The Alien Enemies Act of 1798? Sound familiar? It should, because the current federal administration is using it to deport legal and illegal immigrants without due process. Speaking of shameful chapters in American History . . .

(L-R) Erik Ohno Dagoberg, Josh Kwon, Clay Man Soo,
Song Kim. Photo by Rick Spaulding. 

The cast of Secret Warriors is universally excellent. Erik Ohno Dagoberg is a engaging hero as Tamio, whose streetwise spark contrasts with Clay Man Soo's initially innocent farmer boy. The two also have marvelous chemistry with their respective loves, Kendall Kent and Stephanie Anne Bertumen. Rich Remedios, with his rich voice and bearing, is another standout in distinctly different roles as their teacher John Aiso, and as a Japanese military leader who is questioned by Koji. 

We stayed for the "Afterthoughts" talk back and learned quite a bit about the creation of the play. We would have not known to shout out Rio Saito, their Japanese Language Consultant, but we definitely do after hearing the work they put into teaching non-Japanese speakers to speak so authentically in Japanese. I loved how naturally they flowed from Japanese to English and how captions were not used. Why should we as English speakers always have language spoon fed to us? It was also fascinating to hear of the organizations that are holding and sharing this history in the Twin Cities who assisted with this play.

As Lily Tung Crystal says in her director's note: "These soldiers faced an extraordinary contradiction. They were asked to prove their loyalty to a nation that has turned its back on them. They fought on two fronts--one against an enemy abroad, the other against racism at home. Their contributions were critical to the war effort, yet for decades, their service has remained largely unrecognized."

Thanks to the History Theatre and the cast and creators of Secret Warriors for shining a light on the stories of these heroic soldiers as well as the stories of incarcerated Japanese Americans. 

If you'd like to learn more about the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II, a great source is Densho, an organization that is dedicated to "preserving Japanese American stories of the past for the generations of tomorrow." 

And if you'd like even more reasons why preserving and telling these stories is so important, see the article "The Rise and Threats of Digital Erasure in Public Memory" on Densho's website, which gives an example of how the current federal administration is attempting to remove race from American history.

Triassic Parq by Minneapolis Musical Theatre

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: If you want to see “rare musicals, well done” (their mission), you have to check out Minneapolis Musical Theatre. We’ve followed them for years and they excel in presenting fun, quirky, and heartfelt productions of musicals you won’t see anywhere else.

Their current show, Triassic Parq, performed at Lush Lounge and Theater through April 13, is so tremendously rare, we've never even heard of it. And to be honest? It's a little bananas. It's about dinosaurs and gender, and faith and science, and it's utterly filled with chaos and camp. We've never seen anything like it.