"WHOOSH!" A Ghost Story and Music Performance by Andrew Erskine Wheeler at the Mill City Museum

The 2023 Minnesota Fringe Festival has just ended, but last night I had the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite shows of the 2022 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Andrew Erskine Wheeler's solo play WHOOSH! The Civil War Mythology of Michael Hickey and His Perilous Precipitation Over St. Anthony Falls has been expanded and renamed WHOOSH! A Ghost Story and Music Performance, presented in the most appropriate location possible - the gorgeous Mill City Museum Ruins Courtyard right next to the falls themselves. St. Anthony Falls, which we learn were known as Owamni Yamni by the Dakota and Gakaabikaang by the Ojibwe, play a big part in this story of an Irish immigrant who follows his brother to Minnesota work in the logging industry, and then into the Civil War. It's a beautiful story that combines local history, ghost stories, Greek tragedies, Irish music, and the trauma of war and loss. Andrew once again gives a captivating performance as multiple characters in this story, and sitting there outdoors on a warm summer night within sight of the location of this historical fictional story was a special experience. I say "was" because the two sold out performances are over, but hopefully we'll see WHOOSH again. In the meantime, check out the other events happening at the Mill City Museum (just make sure there's not a football game happening at the same time to complicate the parking/traffic situation, as I failed to do).

"Carmen" by Mill City Summer Opera at Mill City Museum Ruins Courtyard

A review in brief of the final dress rehearsal of Mill City Summer Opera's Carmen, before a brief rain delay (which I hereby declare shall forevermore be referred to as a raintermission) turned into a cancellation of the performance, midway through Act II of IV:

"Sweeney Todd" by Mill City Summer Opera at the Mill City Museum Ruin Courtyard

In just it's 5th season, Mill City Summer Opera has become hugely successful, with six sold-out performances of fantastic outdoor opera in the spectacular location that is the Ruin Courtyard at the Mill City Museum. And even though this year's selection, Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, isn't technically an opera, it works beautifully performed by this 30+ member opera company (and orchestra of nearly that many) in this unique location. Only one performance remains, but tickets have been sold out for months, so watch their Facebook page in early 2017 for the announcement of next year's show, and get tickets early!

"The Daughter of the Regiment" by Mill City Summer Opera at the Mill City Museum Ruins Courtyard

One of the best things about summer in Minnesota is outdoor theater and music. A few weeks ago I saw Classical Actors Ensemble's charming and playful Two Gentleman of Verona at Lake of the Isles, and last night I continued my outdoor theater pursuit with The Daughter of the Regiment by Mill City Summer Opera. This is my first time seeing seeing them, but it's only their 4th season so I don't feel too bad about that. Now, when I think of outdoor theater or opera, I picture it as a little more casual, a little more informal. But this is a full-out opera, with orchestra, sets, costumes, and a huge cast, that just happens to be performed in the starkly beautiful Ruins Courtyard behind the Mill City Museum. I'm not an opera aficionado, but I was truly impressed by the quality of this production. And this piece is a perfect choice for summer opera - a light and silly romantic comedy. I'd tell you to go see it for a perfect Minnesota summer evening (after a lovely dinner at one of the many area restaurants, including my favorite Spoonriver) but the remaining three performances are sold out. I did see a sign for rush tickets so you might have some luck with that, otherwise mark your calendars to get your tickets early for next year's show.

I'm not sure why Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti wrote an opera set in the Tyrolean Mountains (now a part of Austria) in which everyone sings in French, but he did. It makes sense for the French regiment (this is during the Napoleanic Wars), but it's a little odd to see these Austrian mountain peasants in dirndls, lederhosen, and alpine hats singing about the terrors of the French army... in French. But whatever, it sounds pretty. And all of the dialogue (of which there's not much) has been translated into English, which I found helpful (there are, of course, surtitles on a screen hanging above the action to translate the French libretto). The plot reads a little like a soap opera, in which an abandoned baby girl was raised by a regiment, only to be reunited with her wealthy and stuffy family years later. They want her to marry a duke rather than the poor peasant soldier she loves, but this is one of those happily-ever-after operas (as opposed to the operas where everyone dies), so the lovers are reunited. The plot is pretty much an excuse for some beautiful and varied music, from rousing battle songs to lovely ballads.

As the titular daughter, Leah Partridge is absolutely radiant, performing the role of this rebellious tomboy with such spirit and grace. Chad Johnson performs the role of her lover with a Billy Magnussen-esque boyish charm. Rounding out the trio is Nathan Stark as the regiment's Sergeant, with great chemistry with both of the above. Cindy Sadler is also great as the pampered and flounced Marquise. Local favorite Bradley Greenwald (who can do pretty much everything - straight plays, musicals, operas, comedy, drama, foreign languages, one man shows, writing a new musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac from the original French) is a hoot and a half as the servant Hortensius, milking every moment and making jokes about "ruins" with a knowing wink to the audience. He introduces party guests with a series of ever more ridiculous names (my favorite - Baron Fahrvergnugen von Volkswagen). I only wish his character had more than a few lines to sing solo, because his voice is incomparable. Another local favorite, Claudia Wilkins, makes a brief cameo as the prospective groom's proud aunt.

One of my favorite parts of this experiences is that there is not a microphone or a speaker in sight. Maybe they were there and well hidden, but it's a rare treat to hear the music flowing directly from the instruments and singers to the audience's ears, unfiltered by anything but the heavy Minnesota summer air. Speaking of which, I know it's hard to keep instruments in tune in varying environmental conditions, so kudos to conductor Brian DeMaris and his 30+ piece orchestra for playing outside in all kinds of weather and sounding spot-on and beautiful through it all.

The set is sparse but more than I expected. Most of the action occurs on a raised platform, with tree trunks and a rustic hut reminding us we're in the wooded hills of Tyrol. Things get fancied up a bit in the second act, when a few furniture pieces and some drapes are added to represent the castle on the mountain (set design by Jo Winiarski). Jessica Jahn's late 18th Century period costumes are gorgeous, colorful, and incredibly detailed. I don't want to think about how much the actors are sweating under all of those layers of skirts, ruffles, flounces, jackets, vests, wigs, and hats. The regiment looks sharp (see below), the Tyrolean peasants made me homesick for Salzburg (where I studied abroad), and the second act party scene is the pièce de résistance (ooh look, I spoke French!). The women's gowns are extravagant, only topped by their ridiculous headpieces (spotted - a cherry and spoon!). All of this takes place against the stunning backdrop of the ruined walls of the Washburn A Mill, leftover after a 1991 fire of the abandoned mill. A historic spot in the city of Minneapolis, built by flour mills, now remarkably turned into a space for education and great art.

Marie is torn between two worlds (Bradley Greenwald, Cindy Sadler,
Leah Partridge, Nathan Stark, and the regiment, photo by Rich Ryan)

Outdoor music-theater in Minnesota, there's nothing better so enjoy it while it lasts! Next up - Mixed Precipitation brings operetta and delicious food tasting to a park near you!

Summer 2015 Twin Cities Theater Preview

For some people, summer means baseball, barbecues, boating, and other outdoor activities. For me, summer means more theater (and iced mochas)! Here are a few shows I'm looking forward to this summer. If I missed any, please add in the comments below.


One of the highlights of the summer theater season is always Skylark Opera's Summer Festival, which I've attended for the past four years. They do two shows in repertoire that fall on various locations on the music-theater spectrum. For their 8th festival, they're doing a Sondheim revue (is there anything better?!) called Putting It Together and Puccini's La Rondine. Both shows can be seen at the EM Pearson Theatre on St. Paul's Concordia University campus, just four performances of each between June 12 and 21 (more info here).

This summer the Ordway is producing not one but two local musicals - Damn Yankees (did someone mention baseball?) in June and Pirates of Penzance in August. Their last local musical, A Christmas Story, was delightful, and I expect more of the same with these two shows (more info about Damn Yankees here and Pirates here).

Park Square Theatre has had much success with their summer Sherlock Holmes plays, and this year they are presenting the world premiere of a new one - Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders. No, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not send his famous detective to Minnesota, but author Larry Millett did, and my favorite local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher has adapted this recent novel into a play. A summer mystery featuring the world's most beloved crime-solver and plenty of local flavor, what more could you ask for (playing June 19 through July 19, more info here)?

Over in Uptown, the Jungle's summer selection is the classic comedy You Can't Take It With You, featuring a huge and star-studded cast, including three real-life married couples - Charity Jones and John Middleton, Angela Timberman and Jay Albright (possibly the funniest couple in existence), and Cathleen and Nathaniel Fuller. The family that plays together... (playing June 19 through August 9, more info here).

More often than not, the Guthrie celebrates the summer with a big beautiful musical. They're following up last year's hit, "the hummable and quotable" My Fair Lady, with another American classic - The Music Man, "the toe-tapping musical for the whole family." It's sure to be a luscious extravaganza with lots of familiar faces in the supporting roles and ensemble (playing June 20 through August 23, more info here).

"Summer lovin', had me a blast!" The quintessential summer musical Grease is coming to Lyric Arts in Anoka, July 10 through August 2. It's sure to be a fun time, but Lyric Arts musicals have a tendency to sell out, so get your tickets soon (more info here).

If you're someone who hates to be inside on a lovely summer day, you can still enjoy theater and the outdoors. Check out one of the many options for outdoor theater, including Mill City Summer Opera (presenting Daughter of the Regiment in the picturesque and historic courtyard of the Mill City Museum in July) and Mixed Precipitation (touring Escape from Alcina's Island in area parks in August and September).

If you're heading Up North to the cabin this summer, don't worry, you can still catch some theater. A great thing to do on a rainy day is drive into Bemidji to the Paul Bunyan Playhouse. I have not yet had the pleasure, but I know that many of my favorite Twin Cities artists go up there in the summer to put on some great theater. They've got five shows on the schedule this summer, including one of the best new plays I saw last year, the local true crime caper Prints, and the hilarious musical Spamalot (more info here).

And of course, you can't talk about summer theater in Minnesota without mentioning the Minnesota Fringe Festival. The full schedule of the hundreds of one-hour shows at a dozen venues will be announced in the next month or so. Until then, check out their website for a tentative list of participants, and cancel all other plans between July 30 and August 9.


I hope you enjoy all of the wonderful things that summer in Minnesota has to offer, including the above theater, because winter will be back again before we know it!


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"An Eventually Christmas: Holidays at the Mill" at the Mill City Museum

Eventually... why not now? So went the popular slogan for Gold Medal flour in the early 20th Century, the height of the flour milling business upon which our fair city of Minneapolis was built.* What was once the Washburn A. Mill (the Washburn-Crosby Company later became General Mills) is now the site of the Mill City Museum, right next to the river in Minneapolis, just down the block from the Guthrie Theater. The vacant building burned down in 1991, but most of the external structure was saved. The museum opened in 2003 and showcases the history of the milling industry and the city that it helped to build. I've been wanting to visit the museum since it opened, but in typical theater geek fashion, it was theater that finally got me there. An "Eventually" Christmas: Holidays at the Mill is a unique theater experience written by talented local writer/comedian/actor Joseph Scrimshaw (whom I only recently discovered thanks to his hilarious and odd little Fringe show this summer). At just $14 for the short play, which also includes admission to the museum (an $11 value), it's a steal - for just three extra dollars you can experience the museum plus this fun little play that helps you imagine the lives of the people that worked in that very location. I love the idea of theater happening in the exact location where similar events might have taken place (see also: After Miss Julie, produced by Gremlin Theatre in the basement kitchen of the James J. Hill House); it makes me feel like I'm witnessing history, instead of just a made-up drama.

the cast of An Eventually Christmas

The play takes place in the museum's Flour Tower elevator. If you've never been to the museum, this might seem odd - a play in an elevator? But the elevator is actually a unique way to tour the building, and, it turns out, experience theater. The bleacher-like seats in the large elevator face the opening, from which the different floors are viewed, representing different stages in the flour-making process (the museum's guided tour will give you a more detailed history that you can use as background to the events of the play, although it's not necessary to follow the play). Our guide through the play is the Ghost of Mill City Past (the charming and personable Richard Rousseau), dressed in chains, "like that other ghost in that other story being told down the street." The Ghost directs the elevator to different floors and explains a bit about the characters in the scenes, who are based on real employees of the mill, circa 1920, as described in the company's "Eventually" newsletter. The Ghost cajoles museum tour guide Anthony into taking on different roles in the scenes (Anthony is actually actor Brian Columbus, very entertaining as he slips from being just plain Anthony into the various characters). The story involves a couple of women on the "women's floor" (packing bags of Gold Medal flour) as they plan for the annual Christmas party, which sounds like it was THE event of the season. The story culminates on the 8th floor, when the audience exits the elevator and enters the Washburn-Crosby Company's party, and watches the events unfold.

I've always said that theater is my window to the world, and in this case, it's my window to the world of the past. An "Eventually" Christmas: Holidays at the Mill is a great addition to the museum and helps you experience life in the mill as it was 90+ years ago, while standing in that very location. History + theater = a great day in my book. And the next time someone says "eventually" to me, I'll respond with "why not now?" Sounds like a great motto for life, as well as flour.

An "Eventually" Christmas continues this weekend only, three performances a night Friday and Saturday. Click here to find more info and make reservations (space is limited in the elevator, so reservations are recommended).

*When you visit the museum, be sure to watch the short film by another local talent, Kevin Kling. Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat gives the entire history of the city of Minneapolis in an abridged version. While I would happily watch a two hour film on this topic, the under-twenty-minute version is entertaining and informative.