"Holmes/Poirot" at Park Square Theatre

A year and a half after cancelling the remaining shows in their 2022-2023 season, Park Square Theatre is back! After experiencing financial difficulties, they took a season off to reassess and regroup, and are coming back with a four-show season on their main stage in the Historic Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul. First up is one of those cancelled shows - a world premiere new mystery combining two of literature's favorite detectives. Holmes/Poirot was inspired by a dream that Steve Hendrickson (who has played Holmes multiple times) had, and told to prolific local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. The result is not one but two thrilling and well-plotted mysteries, brought to life by a fantastic nine-person cast. Park Square has a long history of presenting summer mysteries, and while it is now finally, thankfully, fall, Holmes/Poirot fits well in that popular tradition. Playing Thursdays through Sundays until November 3.

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" at Yellow Tree Theatre

To open their 12th season in an unassuming strip mall in Osseo that belies the charm of the interior, Yellow Tree Theatre is producing the 2015 Tony winning best play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, just the second production in #TCTheater. Like the 2017 production at Mixed Blood Theatre, they're utilizing a smaller cast and much fewer hi-tech effects than the Broadway production and tour. A style that perhaps serves this beautiful story, about a differently abled teenager who discovers his own strength, even better. Ellen Fenster (who almost always makes me cry) directs the talented and diverse nine-person cast in this uniquely funny and poignant play.

"Idiot's Delight" by Girl Friday Productions at Park Square Theatre

Idiot's Delight is one of those deceptive plays that makes you think it's a light and fun romp through the past, until you begin to see the seriousness behind the beautiful clothes and pretty music. WWI vet Robert E. Sherwood's play premiered in 1936 and is eerily prescient about the impending war in Europe. Or maybe not; maybe it was obvious at the time that the world was heading to another Great War, only 20 years after the first one. But even now, 80 years after it was written, the themes of nationalism, loyalty, changing borders, and a great sadness at the cost of war on all sides ring true. This one left me feeling a little depressed, but with much to contemplate, and also thoroughly entertained, as always, by Girl Friday Productions' biennial contribution to the #TCTheater world. Girl Friday specializes in "larger scale American plays of exceptional literary merit that are less frequently produced today," and Idiot's Delight is indeed a delight, but one that is most certainly not for idiots.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" at the Guthrie Theater

I don't ever want to read the recently published Go Set A Watchman, which reportedly paints a much less flattering, more complex, and perhaps more realistic portrait of the small-town Southern lawyer Atticus Finch. The Atticus Finch of Harper Lee's 1960 novel To Kill A Mockingbird and the 1990 stage adaptation by Christopher Sergel, now playing on the Guthrie's thrust stage, is just the best man. This is the Atticus I want to know, remember, and celebrate. The lawyer who believes in justice, equality, and fairness for every person, who is a loving yet strict father who raises his children to be smart and independent thinkers who use their own judgement to decide what's right and wrong, that's the Atticus that I, however naively, believe in. And that's the Atticus that it's a bittersweet joy to watch as his story comes to life on the Guthrie stage. Except of course that it's not really Atticus' story, it's his daughter Scout's story as she comes to see that her father and the town she lives in are not exactly what she thought they were. With the clear-eyed innocence and straight-forwardness of a child, she guides us through this story that is representative of a difficult and ugly time in our history, a time that isn't as long ago as we like to think. To Kill A Mockingbird is an American classic and this beautiful production does justice to it.

Even though it's been many years since I read the book or saw the 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck (so long that I had forgotten the ending), the story is familiar to anyone growing up in this country where it's required reading at most schools. In 1935 Alabama, a black man is accused of raping a white woman, and Atticus Finch defends him in court despite the bad will of most of the town against him and his family for defending a black man. All of this is reflected through the eyes of his daughter Scout who, along with older brother Jem and friend Dill, watch the proceedings with curiosity, fascination, confusion, and dismay.

Atticus with Jem, Scout, and Dill (Baylen Thomas,
Noah Deets, Mary Bair, and Issac Leer, photo by Joan Marcus)

I'm not sure I've ever seen three children command the Guthrie stage before like these three kids. There are two sets of the Scout/Jem/ Dill trio, and the ones I happened to see (Mary Bair, Noah Deets, and Isaac Leer) are a charming, precocious, and talented bunch. When they're not on stage alone for long scenes, they're going toe-to-toe with a cast full of beloved Guthrie veterans (of note, only one of the adults has never appeared at the Guthrie before). I am in awe of all three of them and what they're able to do at such a young age! I especially adore Mary Bair as Scout. If I had a daughter I'd want her to be just like Scout - smart, stubborn, curious, independent, brave, sensitive, open-hearted, unafraid to speak her mind and ask questions, and quick to defend herself and her family.

the trial of Tom Robinson (Baylen Thomas, J.C. Cutler,
Ansa Akyea, and Peter Thomson, photo by Joan Marcus)

While these kids own this stage and this story, the adults aren't bad either. That one Guthrie newcomer I mentioned? That would be Baylen Thomas as Atticus, who perfectly embodies all of the wonderful characteristics that I described above, while still portraying the humanity of Atticus behind the icon. There are too many wonderfully strong performances in this cast to mention, but to name a few: Stacia Rice with a warm presence as the neighbor Miss Maudie who serves as a narrator, a clever device by the playwright that allows him to set the scene and include some of Harper Lee's language; Regina Marie Williams as the Finch's beloved housekeeper Calpurnia; Ansa Akya bringing depth and humanity to the accused man; Peter Thomson as the judge, in Mark Twain hair leaning back in his chair chomping on a cigar; T. Mychael Rambo leading a choir as Reverend Sykes; Ashley Rose Montondo, both sympathetic and infuriating as the accuser; and Bruce Bohne as her utterly despicable father.

As per usual at the Guthrie, the set, costume, lighting, and sound design make it easy to suspend disbelief and feel like we're in a small Southern town a century ago. The thrust stage is covered with a worn wooden floor, surrounded by three front porches and one rope swing. The jailhouse is lowered from the ceiling, and the inside of the courtroom comes up from below for that crucial scene that spans the intermission. Lived-in period costumes complete the look (set and costumes by James Youmans and Matthew J. LeFebvre).

I found this to be a really lovely evening at the theater, one that left me with tears in my eyes, a warmth in my heart, and a feeling of injustice, not so much at Tom Robinson's fate (because really, what other ending could there be in the deep South of the 1930s), but that Tom Robinson's story continues to be repeated today. To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic piece of American literature, one that's timely and relevant despite being set 80 years in the past, and this beautiful production and excellent cast of young and old alike bring it to life in an entirely satisfying way. (Continuing through October 18.)

"Stage Kiss" at the Guthrie

As someone who has never worked in theater but is enamored of the whole theater world, I'm often curious about the rehearsal process and how a piece of theater is created. Sarah Ruhl has given us a peek inside that world in her play Stage Kiss, now playing on the Guthrie's Proscenium Stage. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's a pretty hilarious look at the entire process of creating a performance, from audition, to first read-through, to blocking, to dress rehearsal, all the way to opening night. The writing, as delivered by this fantastic cast, is laugh-out-loud funny and the play (which Sarah notes is "for actors") is a loving send-up of acting, theater, and love.

Stage Kiss is one of those play-within-a-play shows (actually two-plays-within-a-play), providing multiple levels and nuances for this great seven-person cast to play with under the sharp direction of Casey Stangl. As opposed to the character of the director, who doesn't seem to have a clue what he's doing in directing a 1930s flop called Last Kiss in a New Haven theater. He seems flummoxed whenever he's asked a question, and often talks about the "slippery" tone of the play, in which a wealthy married woman finds out she's dying, sends for her first love, and is reunited with him, only to watch him run away with her daughter. Complicating the rehearsal process is that the actors playing the woman and her lover are former lovers in real life, with some unresolved feelings about their relationship. The line between art and reality begin to blur as they find themselves drawn to each other, remembering why they fell in love so long ago, until they remember why they broke up. The play has some fantastical elements, as characters in the "reality" portion of the play step out to speak their feelings, or break out in song, while seeming perplexed that they're singing. There's nothing slippery about the tone of Stage Kiss, it's the humor of heightened reality.

Todd Gearhart and Stacia Rice (photo by Joan Marcus)

Six of the seven actors in this cast have multiple roles to play, both in the play world and in the "real" world, and all appear to be having a blast with the wide range of duties, from sitting bored in a rehearsal room to over-the-top acting as characters in the play-within-a-play. Stacia Rice is so funny and natural as the actress, in contrast to the delightfully exaggerated play roles. A dreamy Todd Gearhart is a great match as her lover on stage and off. Michael Booth plays the actress' husband both in the play and in the real world, like flip sides of the same coin. Grant Fletcher Prewitt (half of the great comedy duo that was last year's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) is a scene-stealer with his genius physical comedy skills, eliciting laughter from the audience just from walking onstage in his second act getup. Cat Brindisi and Rebecca Hurd provide great support in multiple roles, both real and deliciously over-the-top. Charles Hubbell is the one member of the cast who exists only in the "real" world, as the amusingly daft director.

the cast of Stage Kiss as the cast of Last Kiss
(photo by Joan Marcus)

Devon Painter should be commended for displaying great range in her costume design, which includes cute and chic modern wear, the glamorous world of the '30s, and outrageous '70s costumes in the second act play-within-a-play (entitled I Loved You Before I Killed You, or Blurry, it's too ridiculous to be described). Todd Rosenthal's set design is also quite versatile with lots of moving pieces and startling transformations. We're taken from the bare stage and brick walls of a theater rehearsal room, to a sleek '30s living room, to a shabby '70s apartment. It's fun to watch the progression of sets and costumes in the ongoing rehearsals in the first act, beginning with street clothes and markings on the floor, slowly adding a wardrobe piece here or there, or a representative piece of furniture or two. If you've ever pored over the rehearsal photos that the Guthrie often includes in their playbills, you'll recognize the idea.

The Guthrie is a busy place this summer with the scrumptious smash hit The Music Man causing larger than usual crowds. I just hope that visitors to River City also check out the Guthrie's many other great offerings, Stage Kiss among them. While The Music Man is a heartwarming and overflowing production of a classic musical about small town America in the last century, Stage Kiss a very funny and modern new play that is an homage to the theater world we love so well (playing now through August 30).

"Boeing Boeing" by Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Boeing Boeing is the perfect screwball comedy. Though this tale of an American playboy in Paris with three "air hostess" fiances was a hit in France, the English translation flopped on Broadway in 1965. But the revival over 40 years later was a hit and spurred a flood of regional productions around the country. Fortunately for Twin Cities theater-goers, Torch Theater chose it as one of it's 2015 shows at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage. With a stellar cast, spot on direction, and a swinging '60s vibe created by set, costumes, and music, it's practically perfect in every way (to quote that other big show). I can't remember the last time I laughed so much at the theater!

Bernard lives in a swanky apartment in Paris with his three international fiances, none of whom know about the other two. He tells his friend Robert, visiting from Wisconsin, that he's able to pull this off due to careful planning and paying attention to the time tables of the women's three airline employers, and of course with the begrudging help of his organized maid Berthe. Everything runs swimmingly and all parties are happy with the arrangement until a perfect storm of weather over the Atlantic and faster planes causes all three women to be in the apartment at the same time. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Bernard, Robert, and Berthe go to great lengths to keep the women apart for as long as they can, which results in lots of physical comedy and door slamming. It's like a shell game trying to keep track of who's in which room. But of course it can't go on forever, and the truth, or some version of it, eventually comes out.

Stacia Rice, Zach Curtis, and Sam Landman
(photo by Thomas Sandelands)

I can't decide who in this six-person cast is my favorite; they're each my favorite in different moments. Director Craig Johnson has set the perfect campy tone with precise comedic timing that the cast executes brilliantly. Sam Landman as Bernard is the picture of a cool and confident '60s playboy, until his perfect plan starts to fall apart and he becomes increasingly more desperate. As square Wisconsinite Robert, Zach Curtis* literally throws himself around the set in service of the comedy. Mo Perry's* expressions as put-upon maid Berthe are priceless; add to that her impeccable line delivery and she's quite the scene stealer. And the three air hostesses are all hilarious and fabulous. Stacia Rice (Torch's Artistic Director) is the master of the entrance, making Italian Gabriella's presence known with an arm flung elegantly over her head, her cape and gloves thrown down, commanding attention. As American Gloria, Rachel Finch is smart and confident, walking around the apartment doing exercises and eating her pancakes with ketchup. German Gretchen is embodied by Sara Richardson with her wide expressive eyes, her head cocked perfectly to the side in her short blond wig as she pauses for laughter, sweet one minute and sour the next.

Mo Perry and Sara Richardson
(photo by Thomas Sandelands)

Since the characters come from different countries they all speak in accents, but they're not meant to be realistic. They're the delightfully exaggerated accents of comedy - French, German, Italian - even American Gloria speaks with a tony East Coast accent, and Wisconsinite Robert sounds decidedly Midwestern (read Stacia's thoughts on the accents in this article in the Pioneer Press). Every aspect of the show is over the top, yet somehow you still seem to care about these characters and want to see them end up happy.

Eli Schlatter's set design looks like something out of a '60s sitcom: clean lines, bar stools, black leather furniture, a globe bar, corded phone, and a bright orange bean bag that gets much use. Katherine B. Kohl has created mod faux stewardess uniforms that are to die for, complete with matching hats, coats, gloves, shoes, and what looks like authentic vintage bags from TWA, Alitalia, and Lufthansa. The music playing before the show and during intermission is the icing on the cake, perfectly completing the cohesive '60 theme of the show.

Staging a play from the '60s about a man with three fiances during Women's History Month could be a mistake, but somehow it doesn't seem sexist. It's clear that the women have the upper hands in this polygamous relationship, and they all get what they want in the end. It seems that Bernard really does care for them all, even if he is lying to and manipulating them. And in the '60s, "air hostess" was one of the few careers open to women that allowed them to be independent and travel the world; these women are no pushovers.

Boeing Boeing is a hilarious broad comedy, perfectly executed by the Torch Theater team. If you're looking for a good laugh, go see it between now and April 4 (discount tickets available on Goldstar).


*It's worth noting that Mo Perry and Zach Curtis are doing double duty; they're concurrently appearing as Mrs. and Mr. Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at Park Square Theatre, which is mostly performed during the daytime for students. So it's logistically quite possible, but also probably creates a bit of whiplash going from the great romantic tragedy to this high comedy. On second thought, that probably makes it easier.


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"Death and the Maiden" by Gremlin Theatre and Torch Theater at Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Often after going to the theater, there's one word that sticks in my head, that I then use probably too many times when writing about it. After seeing Death and the Maiden, that word is disturbing. This is not a light and happy show; it's dark, intense, thought-provoking, and beautifully done, as I've come to expect from Gremlin Theatre and Torch Theater. Death and the Maiden is the first of four collaborations between these two excellent small theater companies that have been around a while, all to be presented at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage* in 2015. Next up is Torch's Boeing Boeing in March, Gremlin's H2O in June, and another collaboration TBA. But first there is this dark and disturbing little play with an ambiguous ending.

The 1990 play Death and the Maiden takes place in an unnamed country "that has recently emerged from a long period of dictatorship," perhaps similar to playwright Ariel Dorfman's native Chile. Fifteen years earlier, Paulina was kidnapped, tortured, and raped, and spends most of her life hiding in her beach house with her husband Gerardo, who has recently been appointed to a commission to find and punish the people who committed atrocities during the dictatorship. But only those ending in death, so Paulina fears that her captors (whom she never saw due to a blindfold) will never come to justice. By chance meeting, a Dr. Miranda arrives at the beach house, and Paulina instantly recognizes his voice as one of the men responsible for her assault. She ties him up, holds a gun to his head, and puts him on trial. Gerardo doesn't believe his wife and defends Dr. Miranda. And it's unclear to the audience as well whether the doctor is the sadistic man who participated in countless atrocities against Paulina and others, or an innocent man falsely accused. All else being equal I tend to believe the woman, but there are just enough glimmers of uncertainty to leave me a bit unsure what, and whom, to believe.

Peter Christian Hansen, Craig Johnson, and Stacia Rice
(photo by Aaron Fenster)

Torch's and Gremlin's Artistic Directors Stacia Rice and Peter Christian Hansen, respectively, once again team up as the (not so) happy couple (see also Sea Marks), joined by Torch Associate Artistic Director Craig Johnson as Dr. Miranda. All three of these actors are among the best in the Twin Cities, performing on stages around town, and it's a joy to watch the three of them together. But that's the only joy found in this play. Remember, the word of the day is disturbing, and Craig embodies that in his performance of the seemingly nice and harmless doctor who may or may not be hiding a dark secret, with one particularly intense confession scene. Peter is the charming and supportive husband who wants to help his wife, but just can't seem to believe that this pleasant man is a monstor. But the show really belongs to Stacia as Paulina, in a performance that's raw, painful, and vulnerable, while still showing Paulina's fierce strength and determination to make this man pay so she can finally move on with her life. All of the interactions between these characters crackle with tension.

The lovely beachy set features designer Michael Hoover's clean lines, in cool shades of blue and tan. The peaceful surroundings are in sharp contrast to the turmoil of the story, both past and present.

Death and the Maiden continues through February 21 (discount tickets available on Goldstar). I can't say it's a fun play, and it doesn't wrap things up nicely, but it's worth your time to see these three talented actors tackle this meaty, thought-provoking, and yes, disturbing play.


*Last year plans were announced for a new residential and commercial building on the site of the Garage, with a new theater as part of the new space. I have not been able to find any updates on the project since then. But the Garage is a nice little venue, so I hope it sticks around in some form or another.

"The Heidi Chronicles" at the Guthrie Theater

Playwright Wendy Wasserstein (whose work was last seen on the Guthrie stage in 2008 with the excellent Third) won a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize for her most well-known work, The Heidi Chronicles. It's an epic play, covering nothing less than the changing role of women in American society in the '60s, '70s, and '80s through the life of one woman. We see about a dozen scenes of Heidi at 2-3 year intervals throughout her life as she struggles to figure out who she is and what she wants in life during a time in America that saw great social change. These snapshots of a life create a complete picture of who this woman is, although I couldn't help but wish we had more time to spend with each different Heidi throughout the years (someone should adapt the play into a TV series, with each scene expanded into a 10-episode season). This fantastic cast of Guthrie faves and newbies bring Heidi's story to life, along with some pretty fabulous period costumes and ingenious set design.

The play opens with Heidi in the present day, aka 1989, giving a lecture on women artists. We then flash back to a high school dance in 1965, and follow Heidi throughout her life as she goes to college, campaigns for McCarthy, becomes an art historian, and watches her friends get married and have children, until we end up back in the present day again. All of these events inform who Heidi has become, from a baby shower to lunch with an old friend to a TV show about baby boomers. We also follow three of Heidi's friends throughout the years: her friend Susan, who goes from a boy-crazy teen to living in a women's collective to a powerful TV executive; her on-again-off-again boyfriend Scoop, magazine editor for the baby boom generation; and her gay friend Peter, successful pediatrician. Their hair and clothing changes drastically over the years, but their friendship, although strained at times, never wavers.

As Heidi, Guthrie newcomer Kate Wetherhead is a likeable heroine, transforming from awkward teenager to confident professor. Fellow newcomers play the men in Heidi's life - Zach Shaffer as the charming and dependable Peter, and Ben Graney as the jerk Heidi can't seem to rid herself of. Local actors make up the rest of the cast, including Tracey Maloney as Heidi's constant friend who continually redefines herself, Stacia Rice as a range of characters from a conservative mother of four finding her liberation to a vapid TV anchor, Mo Perry (making her welcome Guthrie debut) as an early '70s radical and a soft Southern wife, Eleonore Dendy as a naive young woman in the '70s and a "have it all" woman of the '80s, and Sam Bardwell who is, as usual, fun to watch as multiple minor characters, even when he doesn't say anything.

Clint Ramos does a remarkable job with both costume and set design. From mod '60s dresses to '70s bell-bottoms to '80s shoulder pads, this show is like a fashion parade through the decades. Many quick-changes are involved, especially for Heidi who rarely leaves the stage, and marks the passage of years by adding a jacket or removing a headband. The set consists of a huge wall made up of drawers, file cabinets, empty frames, and shelves, with secret compartments that open to reveal signage that helps establish time and place in the rapidly moving years. Huge set pieces are efficiently moved in during scene changes, from massive museum stairs to a TV studio to a living room. Kudos to the stagehands and everyone behind the scenes for making everything run smoothly. The play also uses music well to set the time and tone, with scenes frequently ending with characters singing along to classics.

The Heidi Chronicles continues on the Guthrie Thrust stage through October 26.

Susan and Heidi in the '60s
(Tracey Maloney and Kate Wetherhead, photo by Joan Marcus)

Heidi and Peter in the '70s
(Kate Wetherhead and Zach Shaffer, photo by Joan Marcus)

can you tell it's the '80s?
(Stacia Rice, Mo Perry, Kate Wetherhead, and Tracey Maloney, photo by Joan Marcus)

"Rancho Mirage" at Old Log Theater

Mirage: noun. 1) an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density. 2) something illusory and unattainable like a mirage.

The title of the new play Rancho Mirage by Steven Dietz refers to a gated community outside an unnamed city in a desert area. But the mirage in the title also refers to the lives of three couples. All three have a secret, whether it's financial troubles or marital troubles, that is slowly revealed throughout the course of the play, until they and we realize that their lives are not what they seem, but simply a mirage. Currently receiving its regional premiere at the Old Log Theater, which is under new management and quite obviously stepping up their game, Rancho Mirage is a darkly funny look at American life, embodied by a fantastic cast of local favorites (and one former TV star). It seems that there are now two theaters in the Southwest suburbs worth the drive from my home on the opposite side of town.

The entire play takes place at a dinner party (although no actual dinner is consumed) at the seemingly beautiful and perfect home of Diane (Stacia Rice, now acting opposite her second desperate househusband) and Nick (James Denton). Their guests are Louise (Ann Michels) and Trevor (David Mann), also residents of Rancho Mirage, and Pam (Mo Perry) and Charlie (Joshua James Campbell). The pleasant and friendly conversation among this group of friends soon gets real as it's revealed that Diane and Nick are about to lose their home, Louise and Trevor are separated, and Pam and Charlie are struggling with the decision about whether or not to have children (and in fact vacillate so much between the desire to enjoy their lives without children and a sense of obligation to follow their friends into the expected role of parents, that I had a hard time figuring out who these characters really were). Secrets, mishaps, stories, and arguments all unfold as these six people are forced to face the mirage of their lives. Diane poignantly sums it up when she says, "I used to think that our life was this beautiful thing that hasn't happened yet. But there is no other thing, our life is this." The good news is that now that they see through the mirage, they can work to make their lives more real. (Another way to say this is "no day but today.") 

Joshua James Campbell, Mo Perry, James Denton,
Stacia Rice, Ann Michels, and David Mann

I know and love all of these actors (although I'm more familiar with David as a director than an actor), so I'd drive across town to see this cast in anything. Stacia just shines in everything she does (including her role in the locally filmed web series Theater People), and brings depth to the conflicted Diane. Ann is very funny as this over-the-top character, constantly waving her arms and unintentionally insulting her friends. Mo is a master of the look (keep an eye on her as her character patiently waits to be poured a glass of wine). James has grown beyond his TV role into a legitimate member of the Twin Cities theater community (if only the audience would let him, they erupted in laughter so long when he uttered the word "housewives" that it threatened to derail the story, despite the cast's best efforts to keep it on track). Josh is charming as ever as the relatively naive Charlie, and David exhibits dry wit as everyman Trevor (who just happens to have taken up sewing). The cast works and plays well together in this ensemble piece, as directed by Artistic Director R. Kent Knutson.

Rancho Mirage continues through December 7. If you live in the Southwest suburbs, there's no reason not to check out the new Old Log Theater. I found it worth the drive to the charming lake town of Excelsior to see this fantastic cast in this very funny play. Old Log's season continues with A Year with Frog and Toad; Almost, Maine; and Steel Magnolias. I will definitely be keeping my eye on them.

"King Lear" at Park Square Theatre

Park Square Theatre's new production of Shakespeare's King Lear* sets the classic story of an aging king going mad in Prohibition era America, complete with guns, gowns, and lots of drinking. The strong cast brings the characters to life, most of whom end up dead by the end of the play in typical Shakespearean style. Along the way, stories of betrayal, loyalty, disguised identities, power, manipulations, and eye gouging (gross) are told in intensely dramatic fashion. I have to admit, Shakespeare is not my favorite (I much prefer Park Square's last show, the new two-person play Red, more about ideas than action), but this play is worth seeing for the masterful performances of the cast in these meaty roles, directed by Peter Moore (a much different tone than his other show I saw this week, the sketch comedy 2 Sugars, Room for Cream).

I've seen King Lear once before, a Royal Shakespeare Company production at the Guthrie, starring Sir Ian McKellan. But since that was pre-blog and my memory is not as good as it used to be, I really didn't remember much about it (other than I saw way more of Gandalf than I ever wanted to!). So it was with a fresh eye that I saw this production, and was able to appreciate Raye Birk's performance without any baggage of past performances of this classic theater role. As King Lear, he convincingly transforms from powerful and genial, to irrationally angry, to pitifully lost, to compassionately loving, often in one scene. With such a range of emotions, it's no wonder this is such a coveted role, and Raye plays every one of those emotions to the hilt.

Another performance I particularly enjoyed is Jim Lichtsheidl as the bastard son of a lord who manipulates his father into believing that his brother is plotting against him, while playing with the affections of two of Lear's (married) daughters. Jim is so deliciously evil that you almost want to root for him in his schemes (and what is it about a mustache that instantly makes a man look more devilish?). Dan Hopman also impresses as the wronged brother, who hides out as a bum, and is thereby able to protect his father (the regal Stephen D'Ambrose) after the aforementioned eye gouging.

Other standouts in the cast include Jennifer Blagen and Stacia Rice as Lear's greedy daughters who flatter him until they get their inheritance, and then push him aside; Adelin Phelps (who played a version of Cinderella in my favorite Fringe show this summer) as the daughter who refuses to play his game and is disowned because of it, while still remaining loyal to the father that she loves; and Ansa Akyea as another loyal supporter of the king despite being banished and forced to assume a new identy (wouldn't it be awesome if banishment were still an available punishment today, and one could change one's hairstyle and accent and be completely unrecognizable to the people who know them best?).

Last but not least, Gary Briggle plays the fool as a former Vaudeville performer, who cheers his lord with songs and brings some much-needed levity to the show. One of my favorite parts of the play happens before the action of play actually begins. When I got to my seat about ten minutes prior to showtime, the cast was already on stage mingling at the King's party, as the fool (Gary) entertained them by singing songs ranging from opera to pop songs of the day ("You're the Top"). It's fun to observe the informal meetings and partings, not to mention the gorgeous dresses with full-length trains worn by Lear's daughters (costumes by Amy B. Kaufman).

Park Square Theatre's re-imagining of King Lear is playing now through November 11. It's worth checking out if you're a fan of Shakespeare or of great performances.

*I received one complementary ticket to the opening night of King Lear.

"Sea Marks" at Gremlin Theatre

After seeing Sea Marks at the Gremlin Theatre, I had to listen to Glen Hansard on the way home, just to continue that distinctly Irish feeling of achingly beautiful pain mixed with joy that the play captures so well.  In fact I was surprised to find out that the playwright, Gardner McKay, is not Irish, but rather an American actor, artist, and writer.  I spent a week hiking around the Dingle Peninsula on the Southwest coast of Ireland several years ago, and this play brought me right back to that place.  It's a stark and beautiful land, with fierce winds, rugged cliffs, and great waves on the endless sea.  Colm, one of two characters in this play, grew up on an island referred to as "The Heads," along the western shore of Ireland.  He's rarely left the island in his lifetime, until he meets, corresponds with, and falls in love with a woman from Liverpool.  He moves there to be with her, but the call of the sea is too much to ignore.

Stacia Rice and Peter Christian Hansen (also the Artistic Director of the Gremlin) star as the unlikely lovers Timothea and Colm.  They're two of the best theater artists working in the Twin Cities today, and that's not just me speaking in hyperbole; they each have plenty of awards and accolades to prove it.  To watch them together in this intense, beautiful, sweet, awkward little dance of a play is a true pleasure.  Colm meets Timothea briefly when she visits the Heads for a relative's wedding.  During the long lonely winter, he remembers meeting her and writes her a letter.  She writes him back, despite not remembering him.  They correspond for over a year, until she returns to the island for another wedding and asks him to come back to Liverpool with her.  Timothea works in the publishing industry, and she's had segments of his poetic letters to her published as a book of sonnets.  As much as he tries to fit into her world, he never quite does.  They live in different worlds, and they can visit each other in those worlds for a time, but in the end they have to continue living their separate lives, joined only by beautiful words on the page.  This is a bittersweet love story.

In addition to the marvelous acting, the set and costumes help to create the sense of place and define who these characters are.  As seems to be usual at the Gremlin, the set (by Carl Schoenborn) makes interesting and effective use of the vertical as well as horizontal space.  Timothea's cozy multi-level apartment is on the left of the stage, and Colm's sparse little room by the sea is on the right, with an obvious difference between the two settings.  The simple costumes (by Becki Harris) help create a sense of character, from Timothea's 50s era dresses and working woman's outfits, to Colm's sea-worn clothing and Irish "jersey."  I also enjoyed the music.  Before the show a selection of Celtic music is heard, while at intermission it switches to the more modern music of the 50s, as the action of the play leaves the timeless Irish shore for the busy modern city of Liverpool.  And the accents, to my untrained ear, are fun to listen to and further define who these people are.

A beautifully written play performed by two great actors, a simple and effective set and costumes, and a story that transports you to another time and place for a few hours - it all adds up to a lovely experience at the theater.

"Dangerous Liaisons" by Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Have I mentioned how much I love the Minneapolis Theatre Garage?  I think it's the best theater deal in the Twin Cities.  For $20 cash at the door (and free parking) you get to see some great theater by small but talented theater companies.  Everything I've seen there has been worth the money, and much more!  Last week I saw Dangerous Liaisons by Torch Theater, and it was no exception.  I'd never seen the play (aka Les Liaisons Dangereuses) or the 1988 movie before so I was largely unfamiliar with the story, if not the general concept.  It's a deliciously wicked story; two friends cruelly manipulate people for their own amusement and benefit, with no regard to the consequences for their victims.  In the end everyone loses.

Stacia Rice (Torch Theater's Artistic Director) is excellent as La Marquise de Mertueil, the widow who plays these wicked games.  What she doesn't want anyone to see is that she does it in self-defense, to keep herself from being hurt or used.  And as a woman in 18th century France, it's the only power she has.  Her friend and partner in these games is Le Vicomte de Valmont (John Middleton, also excellent), an 18th century Barney Stinson.  (Or rather, Barney Stinson is a modern day Vicomte.)  He knows exactly the right things to say and do to get seemingly any woman into bed.  It's a game for him, and he always wins because he doesn't play fair.  He sets his sights on the pious married woman Madame de Tourvel (Mo Perry in a heartfelt and moving performance), and unintentionally falls in love with her.  But that's only part of their scheme; things get more complicated and don't quite work out the way they had planned. The Marquise is left alone to crumple sadly and beautifully into a heap in her full skirts.

The supporting cast is also excellent, even those playing the servants who don't have a lot to do except smirk as they're changing sets between scenes.  The stage is as deep as I've ever seen it at the garage; usually it's much shallower but they must have opened it up to allow for more space for the bed and period furniture.  The costumes (designed by Rich Hamson) are rich and luscious enough to make you drool (see the photo above), including matching hats and coats for the dresses.  Perhaps my favorite feature of the play is the live music that's played between scenes.  Most of the singing is done by two members of the ensemble, Ann Michels and Matthew O'Connor Riehle, who also plays the lute and other period instruments.  They sing various songs in English and French (including "Alouette"), and it's really quite lovely, sometimes heartbreakingly so.

I'm a little late with this one so it's only playing for another week.  Check it out if you want a great cheap night at the theater.


Celebrity Sightings
This is a good one, friends!  I got to the garage in plenty of time to pick out a good seat.  After I got settled I noticed that three seats down from me was a sign that said "Reserved for Sally Wingert."  And next to her was "Reserved for Dominique Serrand."  Wow, that's like Minnesota theater royalty!  Sure enough, they came in and watched the show.  Sally will soon be appearing in Crashing the Party at Mixed Blood Theatre, and Dominique's theater company with Steven Epp, The Moving Company, will be presenting a new work at the Lab Theater in March.

"True West" by Torch Theater at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage

I received a tip about this show about a month ago, but I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to look into it until a few days ago.  Truthfully, I was hoping to rule it out because I have a pretty busy theater schedule in the next month, with more shows to add.  But when I saw that it stars John Skelley, one of my faves, and Peter Christian Hansen, who recently won an Ivey Award, I changed my mind.  This show was another must see, and I fortunately just caught it before it closed.

True West was written by American actor and playwright Sam Shepard and first produced in 1980.  It tells the story of two estranged brothers who meet up later in life.  Austin (John Skelley) is the younger brother and the responsible, mature, educated one who has a job, wife, and kids.  His mother has asked him to house-sit for her in L.A. while she's on vacation.  He's a screenwriter so he's using the time to do some research and writing, and as well as meet with an L.A. producer.  His older brother Lee (Peter Hansen) shows up and ruins his plans.  Lee is a drifter and a grifter, never staying in one place too long, making money however he can, legal or not.  The two brothers have reacted to their father's alcoholism and abandonment in opposite ways - one by being an overachiever and hoping to win his love, the other by becoming more like him.  But eventually, they end up at the same place.

Austin is writing a screenplay on an old typewriter (remember, it's 1980), and is about to sell it to his producer Saul (a slick and slimy John Middleton).  But instead, Lee runs into Saul, and charms and cons him into buying an idea of his.  Saul drops Austin's movie (a period love story, which "no one wants to see") for Lee's silly story about two idiots chasing each other across Texas.  Austin is furious and frustrated - "everything is riding on this" - which makes you wonder what else is going on in his life that makes him so desperate to sell this screenplay.  The brothers fight and argue as they work on the new screenplay based on Lee's story.  Austin goes from drinking milk to matching Lee beer for beer, and then they both continue on to the harder stuff.  The kitchen becomes a mess of empty beer cans and littered dishes and silverware.  Austin begs his older brother to let him join him on the road, living in the desert.  Lee agrees, but their plan is quashed when their mother comes home unexpectedly.  This feels like just a snippet of this family's life that makes you curious about what happened before and what will happen next.

This play really gets deep into these two characters and their relationship with each other and their parents.  And it's not pretty.  In fact, it's brutal, and very physical.  I couldn't help but wonder how many injuries were incurred throughout the run of the show.  The actors are probably glad not to be hurling themselves and each other across the stage every night.  But it sure was entertaining, if at times painful, to watch.  John and Peter are both great and fearless in creating these characters.  I remember seeing Peter in Dollhouse at the Guthrie last year.  He was so good at playing this jerk of a husband, that I wanted to boo him when he came out for the curtain call.  This was a similar experience; they're both good at playing unlikable characters, but somehow finding the humanity in them.

I can check another theater off my list, Torch Theater, whose Artistic Director is Stacia Rice, another one of my faves.  I've been to the Theatre Garage three times in the last few months and have really come to enjoy it.  It's pretty unassuming from the outside, but for $20 cash at the door you get to see some great theater in an intimate little space (so intimate in this case that I was glad I was not sitting in the front row because it appeared that the fights were about to spill over into the audience!).  Over the last year or so I've been going to more and more venues around town to see more and more theater companies.  And the more theater that I go to, the more theater that I'm led to, as I discover more and more favorite actors, venues, and theater companies.  This town is an interconnected web of talent.

"A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Guthrie

STELLAAAAAAAAAAA! Before last night, that’s pretty much all I knew about Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire. But now I know what a fascinating, entertaining, tortured tale it is. I saw it last night as the final show of the 2009-2010 season in the Wurtele Thrust Stage at the Guthrie Theater (the final show in the McGuire Proscenium Stage is Scottsboro Boys, which I’ll see in a few weeks). As usual at the Guthrie, it was an amazing production.

Blanche DuBois has got to be one of the greatest characters in the history of American theater. Think Scarlet O’Hara, only without the “I’ll never go hungry again” strength. Blanche and her sister Stella were raised on a beautiful old Southern plantation to live a certain kind of lifestyle. That lifestyle has fallen apart, and Stella is now married to the abusive Stanley, living in a run-down house in New Orleans, and Blanche has gone from man to man, looking for someone to take care of her. She was raised to be the wife of a gentleman and mistress of a household, and doesn’t know how else to get through life. She’s still haunted by the tragic ending of her early marriage, which is beautifully illustrated by the sound and lighting in the play. At times you feel like you’re inside Blanche’s head, and it’s not a comfortable place to be!

The story begins when Blanche comes to New Orleans to visit her sister (and takes a streetcar named, yes, Desire, to get there). She meets Stella’s husband Stanley, a brute of a man, verbally and physically abusive toward his wife. But he has that charm and passion (e.g., “Stellaaaa!”) that, like most abusive relationships, keeps Stella coming back to him. Stanley and Blanche do not get along, and when Blanche overstays her welcome and Stanley discovers the truth about her past and why she’s there, he uses it against her. Her fragile world comes tumbling down.

The all-around solid cast features Guthrie regular Stacia Rice as Stella Kowalski, Guthrie newcomer Gretchen Egolf as Blanche DuBois, and 1999 graduate from A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training, Ricardo Antonio Chavira (Carlos from Desperate Housewives), as Stanley Kowalski. Gretchen beautifully portrays Blanche’s charm and wit that's covering for a person on the edge of falling apart, and who eventually steps over that edge. I felt the most sympathy for Blanche in this play. Sure she’s made some poor choices in her life, but she’s just doing what she knows and trying to find someone who will love her and take care of her. As her suitor Mitch (Brian Keane) tells her at one point, “You need somebody. And I need somebody, too. Could it be - you and me, Blanche?” I really wanted that to happen for her, for both of them, even as I knew it wouldn’t.

Stacia and Ricardo have a believable passion and ease with each other as Stella and Stanley. Ricardo is so good I wanted to boo him when he came out for the curtain call! Stanley is not a likeable character. In a way, Blanche is the lucky one, because she hit bottom and might now get some help to rebuild her life. Stella is stuck with abusive Stanley, and you know it’s only going to get worse. To quote Wicked (I mentioned I’m a theater geek, didn’t I), “If that’s love it comes at much too high a cost.”

Other notable members of the cast are frequent musical theater performer Ann Michels, and my “costar” and one of my favorite local actors, Raye Birk. For those of you who don’t know, I also have a burgeoning career as a movie extra – catch me at minute 56 of the Coen Brothers’ 2009 film A Serious Man. Raye plays the doctor in the film, and even though my scene was not with him, I consider him my costar. ;-).

Another digression: several weeks ago I saw Stacia and Ann in the audience of Circle Mirror Transformation in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie; I think they were just beginning rehearsals at the time. The play was a really funny and touching look at a community acting class and the lives and relationships of the participants. A show about actors must draw actors, because I also saw Randy Reyes (Song in the Guthrie’s recent production of M Butterfly) in the audience.

I’ll close this first “review” on Cherry and Spoon with some memorable quotes from the show. Even though I’ve never seen the play before, some of them were familiar to me because it’s become a part of our culture.

“I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic. I try to give that to people. I do misrepresent things. I don't tell truths. I tell what ought to be truth.”

“I never met a dame yet that didn't know if she was good-looking or not without being told, and there's some of them that give themselves credit for more than they've got.”

“Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

Thanks for reading, and check out this production if you get a chance. It's haunting and tragic and at times, funny. Even though it was 3+ hours long, it didn't feel that long. It was another wonderful night at the Guthrie, my favorite place on earth. :)