"Follies" at Artistry

Artistry's production of Stephen Sondheim's 1971 musical Follies, the final show of their 2017-2018 season, opened two weeks ago, but the Great April Blizzard of '18 caused them to cancel several shows on their opening weekend. I finally had the opportunity to see it this weekend, and it was worth the wait! Having seen the 2011 Broadway revival, I knew what a gorgeous, but complicated, musical Follies is (does Sondheim write any other kind?). During my two-week delay in seeing the show I've been listening to the 2011 recording, so I was primed and ready for this show, and I loved every minute of it. Music Director Anita Ruth's 21-piece pit orchestra, Director Benjamin McGovern's large and talented cast (which includes three Equity actors, perhaps the most I've seen in a single show at Artistry), plus the dazzling design do justice to Sondheim and book writer James Goldman's complicated and beautiful musical. Congratulations to Artistry for tackling tricky Sondheim and pulling it off beautifully!

"Myron Johnson's Nutcracker (not so) Suite" by James Sewell Ballet at the Cowles Center

A few weeks ago, the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers were invited to a backstage tour of the Cowles Center, new home of Myron Johnson's 30-year holiday* tradition that is Nutcracker (not so) Suite, and to have a chat with one of the show's stars (and one of my favorite #TCTheater artists) Bradley Greenwald. You can read all about that fun event here, but even more fun - I finally saw the show! I had seen it two years ago, the first year it was performed by James Sewell Ballet, but Myron changes it up every year to keep it fresh, so while I knew what to expect, it was in some ways a whole new show. In all incarnations of the show, Mama Flo is the only one who speaks, and everyone else expresses themselves beautifully through movement. But this year, since Mama is played by Bradley Greenwald, she also sings. This Nutcracker diverges quite a bit from the original, but it's festive and fun and a great way to ring out 2017 with the final four performances this week Wednesday through Saturday.

A Preview of "Nutcracker (not so) Suite" by James Sewell Ballet at the Cowles Center

Myron Johnson's unique creation Nutcracker (not so) Suite has been around for 30 years, but I first became aware of it two years ago when James Sewell Ballet Company first presented it at the Cowles Center. Before that, Myron's company Ballet of the Dolls performed it at various locations around the Cities, including their home for many years, the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. As a theater geek who loves to watch dance but doesn't usually have time to fit it into the busy theater schedule, Nutcracker (not so) Suite is theatrical enough in its storytelling to give me an excuse to go. Especially this year, with one of my absolute favorite #TCTheater artists, Bradley Greenwald, joining the show! Not the classical Nutcracker, but rather an adaptation of it set in 1960s NYC and featuring pop music and an array of dance styles, I described it as "delightfully bizarro." I'm looking forward to revisiting it again, and even better - the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers were invited on a backstage tour of the Cowles Center and a happy hour chat with Bradley. Read on for more on this fun TCTB event, with pictures! And be sure to visit the Cowles Center website for more information (discount tickets available on Goldstar).

"Nutcracker (not so) Suite" by James Sewell Ballet at the Cowles Center

"Once upon a time, not tutu long ago,
On the Upper East Side, lived Marie and mother Flo.
With loads of her Barbies, nothing meant more,
to Marie who'd spend hours behind the closed door.
But the Eve is upon us. It's Nineteen Sixty Three!
Marie's run away but doesn't get far,
while crossing the street she's bumped by a car.
Dreams dark and scary race through Marie's mind,
But Barbie is coming, Ken's not far behind!"

The delightfully bizarro Nutcracker (not so) Suite is described thusly. While I admittedly have never seen the original Nutcracker ballet (disclaimer: I'm a theater geek who doesn't know much about dance), the plot sounds fairly similar - after a Christmas Eve party, a young girl dreams of strange and enchanting things. But this Nutcracker, originally created by Myron Johnson for his company Ballet of the Dolls and presented this year by James Sewell Ballet, is set in late '60s NYC. The young girl in question is the neglected only daughter of a boozy mother, and the dolls she dreams about are her beloved Barbie dolls. For any little girl (or boy) who ever dreamed her (or his) Barbies to life, this Nutcracker is a bewitching delight.