"The Debutante's Ball" at the History Theatre in Partnership with Mu Performing Arts

The History Theatre excels at taking stories from Minnesota's past and putting them on stage in a way that's full of life and relevant. The latest example of this is The Debutante's Ball by local playwright Eric "Pogi" Sumangil. The play was part of last year's new works festival "Raw Stages" and is now receiving a full production on the History Theatre stage. This story of a milestone in the life of local Filipino-American youths was charming and poignant as a reading, and it's even more so now with the benefit of sets, costumes, and choreography. It feels very real - the playwright based many of the characters and situations on his own experience, and memorabilia from recent Balls are displayed in the lobby. The specific and detailed look at one culture's tradition speaks to the larger theme of how we find and hold on to our culture, family, traditions, and identity in the ever changing modern world.

At the heart of this story is the teenager Ana (an appealing Stephanie Bertumen), who moves out of her parents' home because they want her to be an assimilated American and can't understand why she longs to learn more about her Filipino heritage. She finds the Valentine's Day Ball and the weekly classes to prepare for it, taught by the strict and traditional Tita Belinda (Sherwin Resurreccion, showing us the heart behind the tough exterior). There she meets other Filipino youth who are participating for different reasons, and are the typical range of high school characters - the awkward nerd, the cocky jock, the spoiled popular girl (played with youthful charm by Kylee Brinkman, Joelle Fernandez, Alex Galick, Maxwell Thao, and actual high schooler Jeric Basilio). The language is natural; these kids talk like real teenagers talk, with a few Tagalog words thrown in. Ana struggles to balance work, friendship, money, and her relationship with her parents, but with the help of her new friends is able to accomplish her goal of participating in the Debutante's Ball. Through this experience she learns something she hasn't been able to learn from her endless research - what it's like to really be part of a community and be proud and confident in who you are.

Part of Ana's research into her heritage is to watch videos, which we see played out by the cast onstage as Ana watches from the aisles. A cheesy soap opera that mirrors her parents' experience, a comedy routine, a children's story, a rap that explains the origins of the Ball. It's a clever device that allows the audience to learn about Filipino culture along with Ana. Another tradition we see onstage is a boy serenading a girl he likes outside of her house, a sweet and tender moment of young and innocent love.

the debutantes at the ball (photo by Scott Pakudaitis)

The play is called The Debutante's Ball - so there better be dancing and pretty dresses! Rest assured, there is. After spending two hours getting to know these characters I almost felt like their parents must, a sense of pride at what they've accomplished and how grown-up and mature they are. The girls look lovely in their matching white flowy dresses (costumes by Kathy Kohl), the boys handsome in their tuxes. The story culminates in a dance (choreographed by Pogi) that's quite beautiful on the surface, but goes much deeper knowing the tradition, stories, and people behind it.

The Debutante's Ball is a universal story of a young person coming of age and trying to figure out who they are, where they came from, and where they fit in the world. Continuing at the History Theatre through April 12 (discount tickets available on Goldstar).

"The Tiger Among Us" by Mu Performing Arts at Mixed Blood Theatre

Sometimes when you go to the theater, a play is just a play. At other times, a play is so much more than just a play, it's a meaningful exploration of ideas or experiences, in which artists speak their truth. Mu Performing Arts' world premiere production of the new play The Tiger Among Us is such a case. Playwright Lauren Yee brings to life one of Minnesota's largest minority cultures, Hmong, through the story of one family. We're introduced to the family through the oldest son, Pao, who sits at the front of the stage and talks directly to the audience. He tells us that Hmong people "have big families and eat a lot." Sounds like just about every culture I've ever heard of!

Family patriarch Thao (Saikong Yang) immigrated to the US from Laos with his wife, eventually ending up in the small central Minnesota town of Perham. Mother May (Sheng Kong, seen in flashbacks and hallucinations) has been gone for years, and Thao is raising his two children by himself on a janitor's salary. Pao (Maxwell Chonk Thao) dropped out of high school to help support the family with a job at the local Panera bread (artistic licence, I'm pretty sure Perham doesn't have a Panera). Lia (Gaosong Vang Heu) is a senior in high school and the star of the volleyball team, being courted by college scouts. She's a typical American teenager, with no more worries than the next big game, until a school project requires her to ask her father about his immigration experience. Thao is out of town on a hunting trip, so Lia does some investigating on her own. As secrets come out, the world she knows slowly begins to fall apart. Meanwhile, Pao is making plans to move to St. Paul where they'll be surrounded by other Hmong people instead of isolated in this small rural community, where they daily face subtle racism (perhaps the worst kind). Thao wants to leave his past behind him and just live his quiet simple life, but he's forced to face his demons. It's a bit of a tragic ending, but yet with hope that the new generation can continue their parents' dream of making a new life for the family.

Maxwell Chonk Thao, Sheng Kong, Saikong Yang,
and Gaosong Vang Heu as the Xiong family

The strong cast includes four Hmong-American actors (who also shared their experiences in the post-show discussion), as well as Claire Bancroft as Lia's cheerful friend and Garry Gieken as several characters, ranging from the friendly neighbor to much more threatening forces. Maxwell is a very appealing actor (see also Into the Woods), and Gaosong is a fresh-faced and exuberant young actor; together they create a believable supportive and bickering sibling relationship. Also good are Saikong as the father struggling to raise his family, and Sheng as a haunting vision in her family's life.

Playing now through February 10, The Tiger Among Us is an interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking look at the immigrant experience in a typical American family.

"Into the Woods" by Mu Performing Arts at Park Square Theatre

"Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what's right, you decide what's good."

After seeing the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods for the second time (the first being last year's production at BCT), I have an even greater appreciation of the cleverness of the piece. I love how it turns fairy tales on their heads and explores what happens on the other side of the "happily ever after." Does Cinderella get bored living the pampered life in the palace? Can you really get away with killing a giant without repercussions? Things are not always as straight-forward as they seem. In addition to the clever intertwining and re-imagining of fairy tales, the music is of course brilliant. Smart, fast, funny lyrics combined with unexpected and interesting melodies that sometimes don't fall easily on the ear, but that's what makes it so uniquely, brilliantly, Sondheim*. But something unique about Mu Performing Arts' production of Into the Woods is that director (and soon to be retiring Artistic Director) Rick Shiomi has "set the piece in the woods of Asia rather than those of fairy-tale Europe. Several of the classic western tales featured in this musical have equivalent stories in Asian cultures." And the shift works beautifully, shedding a slightly different light on these archetypal stories that are common among many diverse cultures, attempting to make sense of our shared human experience. And it's also a whole lot of fun.

Here are a few highlights in the all-around fantastic production:

• This is an intricate score and, I imagine, not an easy one to pull off successfully. But under the direction of Denise Prosek it sounds amazing, beautifully performed by the singers and the five-piece band that sounds bigger than it is.
• Randy Reyes and Sheena Jansen as the Baker and his Wife are the heart of the piece, and have a wonderful easy chemistry together. They both do a wonderful job filling in the little in between moments, such as when they frequently have to pause their dialogue to wait for the laughter to die down.
• Maxwell Chonk Thao and Suzie Juul are both adorable as the sweet but stupid Jack (and the Beanstalk) and the bubbly and willful Little Red Riding Hood.
• Alex Galick and Eric Sharp are appropriately melodramatic as the princes who enjoy being in "Agony" over the women they love, and for whom the thrill is in the chase (and kudos to Eric for also playing the dastardly wolf).
• Sarah Ochs plays Cinderella with a little more depth and spirit than in the traditional story, and beautifully sings the touching ballad "No One Is Alone."
• Last but not least, Katie Bradley is entertaining as the evil ugly old witch who transforms into a young and beautiful (but powerless) witch, and also has a poignant moment in "Children Will Listen."
• A really effective addition to the piece is the use of two Kurogos (played by Kim Egan and Bri Heu), traditional Japanese stagehands dressed in black who move set pieces and provide sound effects (such as a crying baby or a mooing cow).

The bad news is that the show closes this weekend, so only two performances remain, but it's well worth the effort if you can make it. I've really come to love Mu's slightly non-traditional take on traditional musicals (see also Little Shop of Horrors), which allows me to see them in a whole new light. I'm looking forward to the announcement of next summer's show! (In the meantime, you can catch Mu's awesome taiko drumming ensemble, Mu Daiko, at the Fringe Festival.)

the cast of Into the Woods

*For more Sondheim, see Theater Latte Da's Company at the Ordway McKnight Theatre and Sunday in the Park with George at Bloomington Civic Theatre, both opening in October.

"The Dragons are Singing Tonight" by TigerLion Arts at the Southern Theater

I've missed the Southern Theater.  Last season I had a season package that introduced me to several small theater companies I hadn't heard of.  Each show was unique and innovative and sometimes a little weird (in a good way).  Unfortunately the last show in my package was cancelled due to financial troubles, from which they're still recovering.  So I was happy to hear* about the new musical The Dragons are Singing Tonight, which sounded every bit as interesting as other things I've seen at the Southern.  And it is.  So many people and groups are involved in this show that I don't know whom to credit for what, so I won't even try.  The Dragons are Singing Tonight is based on a book of poems by Jack Prelutsky and is a collaboration of TigerLion Arts, Minnesota Boychoir, Puppet Farm Arts, Circus Juventas, In the Heart of the Beast, four actors, a composer, and twelve musicians, and more, all of whom seemed to have a hand in what's being presented at the Southern Theater.  And the result is delightful and whimsical and moving and silly and fun.

A boy (Maxwell Chonk Thao) wishes for a dragon of his own, and a girl (the luminescent Isabella Dawis), who herself has a dozen dragons, leads him to an egg in the garden which eventually hatches into a baby dragon.  But being a dragon-owner is harder than he thought, as Nasty (so named because of his breath and attitude) grows bigger and more independent.  The boy only wants Nasty to obey, so he puts chains on the dragon and makes him do his bidding.  But the girl warns him, "give him room or he will boom!"  And boom he does.  The boy eventually learns that he can't control Nasty; he has to let the dragon be himself so that they can both be happy.  Something that every pet owner (and Daenerys Targaryen) knows.  Nasty is portrayed by two actors as he grows from a spark to a huge dragon.  Elise Langer (who I've seen in several Ten Thousand Things productions) and Tyson Forbes (who's appeared many times on the Guthrie stage) are both amazing and work together so well to give life to the growing series of puppets.  At times they speak in unison, giving more dimension to Nasty.  The full-grown dragon puppet is graceful and lifelike, with Elise inside the body of the puppet and Tyson directing its head and expressions.  The two humans and the puppet combine to create a loveable full character.

Jack Prelutsky's poems have been beautifully set to music by composer Laurie MacGregor.  The songs are fun and catchy, sad and thoughtful, playful and whimsical.  I find they're still running through my head two days later.  "If you don't believe in dragons, it is curiously true, that the dragons you disparage, choose to not believe in you."  These are great poems for children that don't talk down to them.  The program includes a glossary of terms (such as disparage) that might be challenging for younger children.  The awesome twelve-piece band crammed into the side of the stage bring the words to life.  The Minnesota Boychoir joins the band and the actors in telling the story, and they're completely adorable - acting the songs instead of merely singing them.  Last but not least, three lovely and graceful aerialists perform on ropes and swings and add to magic.

The Dragons are Singing Tonight is a perfectly delightful theatrical experience for adults and children alike.  Here's a suggestion: if you can't get tickets to The Lion King, or if you don't want to shell out $100+ per person to take your family to the theater, go see The Dragons are Singing Tonight.  You'll save a ton of money but you'll still have a wonderful experience of theater, music, puppets, and circus.  And your money will go to support local artists rather than Disney.  :)


*I received two complementary tickets to The Dragons are Singing Tonight.