"Glory" at Theatre in the Round

Similar to The Wolves or Flex, Glory is a play about a women's hockey team that's about so much more than hockey. These athletes are referred to as hockey dolls, sportscasters talk about how they look in their uniforms, when they're strong and tough and powerful people say they must be men, they get paid less and have less access to the things they need than male athletes, and people in power claim women are soft and weak and therefore aren't qualified to do hard things like play hockey (or serve in combat). Was this the 1930s or last week? The answer is both, which is perhaps why the cast and creative team of Theatre in the Round's production of this beautiful play made me cry about hockey, I sport I've never watched and care nothing about. This play (based on a true story and premiering in 2018) deals with sexism, anti-Semitism, war, poverty, and discrimination in a way that's unfortunately still incredibly relevant today. Go see Glory at the oldest theater in Minneapolis, continuing weekends through February 9.

"A Taste of Things to Come" at Lyric Arts

Lyric Arts is starting off 2025 with a fun and feel-good musical about a group of suburban women in the 1950s, and how their lives (and the lives of all American women) changed in a decade time jump into the '60s. Although a line towards the end of the play reminds us of just how far we haven't come and how much work there is yet to do, the musical celebrates women, their friendship, and their accomplishments in broad brush strokes. The winning cast comprised of mostly newish performers portrays a tight bond and even tighter harmonies on this fun original score tinged with the sounds of the '50s and '60s, accompanied by an all-female band. Get A Taste of Things to Come at Lyric Arts on Anoka's Main Street through February 9, and maybe it'll spark deeper conversations and continued hard work to continue to make lives better for women in this decade and into the next.

"ON LAUGH SUPPORT... with Lorna Landvik" at Bryant Lake Bowl

What's a theater blogger to do in early January when theater companies are still on holiday break, or prepping new shows to open in mid to late January? Start the year laughing with Lorna Landvik at Bryant Lake Bowl. This is my third (non-consecutive) New Year hanging out with the Minnesota author and comedian, and as usual, a good time was had by all at the tiny theater behind a bowling alley (with delicious food and drink service before and during the show). Lorna's new show is called On Laugh Support, the premise being that the world is a mess, so we need laughter more than ever. I totally agree with Lorna's statement that if we spent more time laughing and singing together (Lorna loves a ukulele singalong, and so do I), instead of judging and belittling each other, the world would be a better place. On Laugh Support continues Fridays and Saturdays through the end of January, and you can check out Lorna's books here.

"The SpongeBob Musical" by Unlabeled Theatre Company at Park Square Theatre

"When you have a disability, you live with a lot of labels. Labels that other people put on you. In some cases, you have labels slapped on you before you're even born. Most of those labels aren't particularly helpful. So we're ripping off those labels: Unlabeled Theatre Company." I was pleased to be able to experience my first Unlabeled production this weekend. They have a unique performance model in which they pair an actor with a disability or who is neurodivergent with a neurotypical actor. So two people are portraying each character, saying (or singing) the lines in unison with mirror, or shadow, movements. Their third production in about a year is The SpongeBob Musical, which I'd never seen before, nor have I ever seen the popular cartoon upon which it's based. Unlabeled is doing an abbreviated 75-minute one-act version of the show (that features songs by David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, and more), and I found it to be a really sweet, inspiring, and relevant show about community, friendship, and joining together in times of crisis. The performers are all so genuine and pure in their performances, beautifully supported by their shadow partners, and it's really wonderful to see a truly inclusive cast. Because everyone deserves the opportunity to participate in theater, and experience the benefits that can provide in one's life. The SpongeBob Musical is playing for two weekends on Park Square Theatre's Andy Boss thrust stage, click here for info and tickets.

A Feature on Leslie Vincent's "Cabaret Open Gym" Series at The Hive Collaborative

In just over a year, The Hive Collaborative has become a welcoming home for artists and audiences with a variety of programming including theater, music, movies, bingo, and other events. One such unique series of shows is local theater and music artist Leslie Vincent's "Cabaret Open Gym," a sort of open mic evening in which anyone can get up and sing a song or tell a joke or do any kind of performance. I attended the inaugural show back in September, which was a really fun way to experience a wide variety of performance and support local artists in various stages of their careers. A nice feature of the event is that the first half is curated, meaning Leslie invites more established local artists to present something they're working on, so you know you'll see some great stuff by people you're likely familiar with from stages around town. The second half of the show is open, meaning anyone can sign up and be added to the list to perform. Some of these artists are new to performing, some have more experience, some may lack polish, but you also may discover a diamond in the rough. I love supporting artists in creating new and inventive work, and this is a great way to do that. Read on for an interview with Leslie, and make plans to attend the next Cabaret Open Gym on January 13 (tickets start at $10) and/or sign up to perform yourself!

"Alma Murder" by The Mystery Cafe at Sheraton Bloomington

I went to my first high school reunion last weekend. No, not my actual high school reunion (I was a nerd with few friends, no need to revisit that), but something much better - an immersive comedy murder-mystery dinner-theater reunion! At Alma Murder (now playing in the downstairs ballroom at Sheraton Bloomington), you're greeted by the principal and secretary of Mellencamp High School as if they know you. You're asked to fill out a nametag with your name and graduation year (class of '92 here) for this all-class reunion on the eve of the destruction of our beloved Mellencamp. The jock and cheerleader/class president/party planner drop by your table to say hi and reminisce. And like all reunions (I assume, never having attended one before), you also get served a delicious three-course meal, have a few drinks with friends old and new, and solve a murder! As with all shows by The Mystery Cafe, it's a fun experiential evening of theater with no separation between audience and performers, rather we're all part of this fun and wacky reunion. Alma Murder continues through January 31 in the South Metro, with their other show, the immersive wedding show 'Til Death Do Us Die (which I saw last year) opening this weekend and playing through February 8. Click here for info and tickets for both shows (dinner included in the ticket price).

2024 #TCTheater Favorites - The Best Year Post 2020

This year we marked the fourth anniversary of the day that theater (and nearly everything else good in the world) shut down due to a global pandemic. And while there are still cancelled shows and understudies stepping in at the last minute due to the virus that won't go away, it feels like this was the first full year of theater since the pandemic, and definitely #TCTheater's best. From a second viewing of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's fabulous 2023 revival of Jersey Boys in early January, to an understudy performance of this year's remount of one of my 2023 faves Dinner for One on New Year's Eve Eve at the Jungle Theater, I saw 251 live performances in three countries, and three different states in this country. That includes 147 plays, 67 musical/opera/dance shows, 19 concert/other, and 18 comedy/improv, 230 of which were in Minnesota (including 31 Minnesota Fringe shows and 7 Twin Cities Horror Festival shows). That's definitely back to pre-pan levels, and about as many as one human can handle in 366 days (I needed the extra day this year). This task of narrowing down that list of shows to a few (dozen) of my favorites is something I both look forward to and dread every year. There's just so much amazing theater happening on a daily basis in this town that it's nearly impossible to do. But here's my best attempt:

A Crooners Holiday: The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society and Kate and Bradley Beahen

With the brief lull in #TCTheater that comes around the holidays*, I was able to head down the road to Crooners Supper Club in Fridley for a couple of shows. Crooners was a lifesaver for me in 2020, as it was pretty much the only place you could see live performance, in their makeshift parking lot drive-in theater. Now with four different performance spaces (all with food and drink service), there's always something happening at Crooners, much of it theater adjacent. A few days after Christmas I attended The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society's Christmas Post Mortem show, and a few days before New Year's I attended siblings Kate and Bradley Beahen's cabaret show Fresh Starts and Showstoppers. Read on for a brief summary of those shows, both of which will be returning in 2025. And if you don't already have your tickets for next Monday's A Grand UNITE for Civil Rights, a fundraiser for the ACLU hosted by #TCTheater artist Serena Brook and featuring a veritable who's who of local music-theater talent, you better get them right now before they're gone! What's better than a night of good food, great entertainment, and a worthy cause?

"The Heart Sellers" at Guthrie Theater

The final play of the Guthrie's 2023-2024 season in their proscenium theater was the Pulitzer Prize-winning play English, about a group of students in an English class in Iran, preparing to become immigrants and facing all of the challenges that entails. Currently on the proscenium stage is a play that serves as a wonderful companion piece, telling another piece of the immigrant story. The new play The Heart Sellers (by Lloyd Suh, author of the brilliant play The Chinese Lady seen at Open Eye last fall) is about two women newly immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea and the Philippines. One lonely Thanksgiving day, they find a surprising and revelatory friendship in this two-hander that's funny and real and relatable and moving. We all come from immigrants (except for those people indigenous to this land), some more recently than others, but it always requires a leaving behind of valuable things (home, culture, family, language) in order to pursue a better quality of life (safety, security, opportunity). These two women embody that conflict in a palpable way, and it's both heart-breaking and heart-warming. See The Heart Sellers at the Guthrie Theater through January 25.

"Family Dinner" at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

After the tragic closure of HUGE Theater this fall, only a year after opening their new space in Uptown, a bunch of improv shows needed to find new homes. Some of them organized as The Neighborhood, performing monthly at Jungle Theater just a few blocks away. Some of them moved to Strike Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, some of them found or created other spaces. Happily, my all-time favorite improv show Family Dinner has found a new home at Dudley Riggs Theatre where Brave New Workshop (the oldest comedy troupe in the country) performs, operated by Hennepin Arts. With just eight shows performed to sold out houses, hopefully Family Dinner will be back at its new home on Hennepin Avenue for years to come, so that we can experience this communal Family Dinner that's both absurd and grounded in reality, both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-warming, as we get to know a new and uniquely wacky family each time. There are two remaining performances this year, but if you want to go you should get your tickets now before they sell out (I have some friends who waited too long and missed out on the fun). For real, click this link and buy your tickets now, I'll wait here.

"I'll be Homicidal for Christmas" by The Mystery Cafe at Sheraton Bloomington

This holiday* season brings us not one but two mystery dinner theater experiences with The Mystery Cafe. The troupe has been around for over 35 years, but I only just "discovered" them last year. As their performance season is just a few months around the holidays, I had to wait a year before seeing them again. But the good news is they have four shows this season at two locations: two holiday shows currently playing, and two more coming up in January. It's a fun immersive experience that goes beyond traditional theater, obliterating the separation between audience and performers, with broad campy comedy (and too many bad puns to count) performed by some of the best comedy/improv folks in town. A few weeks ago I saw their new show A Cruise-mas Carol at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake on the north side of town, and last night I drove across the city to their new south metro location, the Sheraton Bloomington, for the returning show I'll Be Homicidal for Christmas. Set during a taping of a Christmas TV special in the '70s, things go off the rail when someone(s) end up dead. There are just a couple more performances of the Christmas shows left before they start their new shows in January, and they've got a 25% discount for the Sheraton shows running through December 28. It's a fun group outing that's maybe a little less intimidating than theater can sometimes be for the uninitiated.

"The Christmas Spider" by Skylark Opera Theatre at the Lowry Lab Theater

For the last several holiday* seasons, Skylark Opera Theatre has been presenting a modern one-act English-language opera. They're continuing that tradition this year with the one-weekend-only performance of The Christmas Spider, based on a Ukranian folktale. The super sweet story of a poor family finding miracles in nature and kindness has been turned into a beautiful and accessible opera. It would be the perfect introduction to opera for kids, with a sparse 45-minute runtime and two adorable and talented children in the cast. But no matter your age, it's a heart-warming and moving piece that as always is gorgeously performed by Skylark. Catch one of the four remaining performances at The Lowry Lab Theater inside St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists in downtown St. Paul, which is particularly pretty right now with all of the lights and the recent snowfall. It makes for a very festive outing.