"Newsies" at Artistry

Artistry's production of Newsies has done so well in its first two weekends, selling out several performances, that they extended it for a week. I saw it the second weekend, and it's easy to see why it's so popular. The musical adaptation of the 1992 cult hit Disney movie appeals to kids as well as their parents, with an inspiring and relevant story about young people standing up for their rights. Artistry has assembled a young, talented, and energetic cast, with some fabulous high-kicking choreography. Catch it at the Bloomington Center for the Arts, now through August 18.

"Romeo and Juliet" by Gray Mallard Theater Company at Sociable Cider Werks

You've heard of Shakespeare in the Park? Now we have Shakespeare in the Pub! Specifically, the parking lot of Sociable Cider Werks in Northeast Minneapolis. Now in their third year, I finally made it out to see Gray Mallard Theater Company, and it was a delight! There's really nothing better about Minnesota summer than sitting outside on a not-too-hot summer night, enjoying some Shakespeare, food, and local cider. (Well, maybe lakes are better - Shakespeare at the Lake?!) They said they've done a history and a comedy, so now it's time for a tragedy. Why not the most famous tragedy, the story of Juliet and her Romeo. By far the Shakespeare play I've seen the most often (more than a dozen times), but one that's always relevant and entertaining and frustratingly tragic (I always hope that somehow the Friar's message will get through to Romeo, but it never does). With an engaging cast, simple design, and the gorgeous night sky as backdrop, this Romeo and Juliet is your new must-do summer #TCTheater experience. Unfortunately I'm getting to this late (because summer is busy) and there are only two shows left. But if you're looking for something to do this weekend, see it before it closes on July 28!

"English" at the Guthrie Theater, a Co-Production with the Goodman Theatre

Now is your chance to see the 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama - English by Iranian American playwright Sanaz Toossi. The Guthrie/Goodman co-pro played at the Chicago theater in May, and has now transferred to the Guthrie for a month or so. I didn't know it was a Pulitzer Prize winner when I saw it, but I wasn't surprised to learn it. It's such a beautiful play, that's about language but also so much more - identity, migration, finding your voice. And it's as funny as it is poignant and heart-breaking. The five characters - four students and their teacher in an English language class in Iran - are so specific and relatable and human, it's a pleasure to spend 93 minutes with them. Don't miss your chance to see this gem at the Guthrie Theater, now through August 18.

2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival Must-See List

The most adventurous 11 days in the #TCTheater year is almost upon us! The Minnesota Fringe Festival runs August 1 through 11, with about 100 shows playing at 9 Fringe venues (plus some additional venues for independently produced shows). This will be my 14th consecutive year attending MN Fringe (if you count the all-virtual 2020 festival and the 2021 hybrid), so I have a pretty good idea of how to go about this. But if you're new to fringing, don't worry, it's easy! The MN Fringe website has everything you need to know, including details about all of the shows, info for how to get to the venues, and ticketing info. Bookmark this, and refer to it as needed. I also have a few tips at the bottom of this post. But first, and without further ado, my annual Minnesota Fringe Festival Must-See List.

Broadway Tour of "SIX" at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

The smash hit musical SIX returns to the Ordway Center for the third time. It actually played here in 2019 before it even went to Broadway, where it was nominated for eight Tony Awards and won two. It's still playing on Broadway and has since become a worldwide phenomenon (I saw it in Toronto earlier this year). I've seen it five times now, and will never pass up a chance to see it. Why? It truly is a practically perfect 70ish minutes of music-theater, telling the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII as a pop concert, with an all female cast and band. It's a delightful mash-up of history and pop culture and music and theater. You can read my full review of the 2019 production here (which is largely unchanged, except for the cast), and read on for six reasons to see SIX (again) before these queens leave town on July 28.

"Kinky Boots" at Lyric Arts

To close out the 2023-2024 season, Lyric Arts is bringing us their second regional premiere of the season (the first was 9 to 5) - the super fun and feel good musical Kinky Boots. Last seen in the Twin Cities in 2015 (the Broadway tour), the 2013 Tony-winning musical celebrates the love of shoes and self-identity in a glorious, fun, warm-hearted way. But of course it's about more than just shoes (even if they are "the most beautiful thing in the world"). As with most musicals there's a love story at its core, but this time the love story is a friendship between two very different men who grow to admire and respect each other, encouraging each other to live up to their full potential. With this great story (based on a 2005 movie that was based on a true story) adapted to the stage by Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein with score by music legend Cyndi Lauper (the first woman to win a solo Tony for best score), it's a surefire hit!* Lyric Arts has assembled a fantastic cast to ensure the most fun and heart-warming time. 

"Rope" at Gremlin Theatre

The 1929 play Rope, which was adapted into a 1948 film by Alfred Hitchcock, is now receiving fine treatment on the Gremlin Theatre stage. Written by English playwright Patrick Hamilton (who also wrote Gas Light, which was also adapted into a film, and later become a term for psychological manipulation), it was inspired by the real life case of two college students who murdered a child in 1920s Chicago as an intellectual pursuit. In this version of the story, two university students murder a fellow student, put his body in a chest, and then hold a dinner party with food served on top of the chest, just to prove they could get away with murder. It's sickening really, but also makes for a riveting and suspenseful tale, because - spoiler alert - they don't get away with it. Watching their carefully plotted plan unravel like so much frayed rope is a thrill. A fantastic cast and spot on design chillingly bring this story to life. See it at Gremlin Theatre in Vandalia Tower in St. Paul's Midway neighborhood now through August 4.

"Penelope" at Theatre Elision

Next up in Theatre Elision's tradition of bringing us rarely done (often regional premiere) one-act musicals with a largely female cast and/or creative team is Penelope, about the long-waiting wife of Odysseus. What started as a pandemic project by singer-songwriter Alex Bechtel turned into a concept album, and then a one-woman musical with help from director Eva Steinmetz and book writer Grace McLean (who also wrote Elision's winter show In the Green, and is currently starring in Suffs on Broadway as a hilariously buffoonish President Woodrow Wilson). Penelope premiered in 2023 in New York, and here it is on the Elision Playhouse stage less than a year later. Thanks once again to Theatre Elision for finding this music-theater gem, and no one better to perform it than the luminous Christine Wade, who has been in every Elision show (and often serves as Vocal Director). She's joined on stage by a five-piece orchestra on this gorgeous score that sounds modern yet classical, telling a story of longing, waiting, loyalty, and identity. It's playing for about a month, so you have plenty of time to get to Elision Playhouse to see this new original piece of music-theater that you can't see anywhere else (unless you're planning a trip to NYC this month). 

"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" by Jackdonkey Productions at Phoenix Theater

William Shakespeare wrote 37(ish) plays, an astounding feat for any playwright, but especially when you consider that they're still being performed 400 years later. I'm not even the biggest Shakespeare fan, I don't seek out Shakespeare, but being after being a Twin Cities Theater Blogger for 14 years and a Guthrie season subscriber for 20, I've seen about two-thirds of his plays, and some of them multiple times (over a dozen Romeo and Juliets alone!). That's a lot of hours of Shakespeare. But if you don't have time to see 37 plays (who does?), now you can see them all in under two hours! In Jackdonkey Productions' version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), three talented actors take you through them all, well sort of. Each play at least gets a mention or a line, with a couple of them getting a bit longer treatment. The script (by Reduced Shakespeare Company) is really just a framework upon which the cast and creative team build a silly, fun, fourth-wall-breaking romp of a show. And you don't need to have seen any of Shakespeare's 37 plays to enjoy it (although if you have, you'll get a few more of the references). See it now through July 21 at Phoenix Theater in Uptown (still open despite the construction on Hennepin). Or you can catch it in Lanesboro or Stillwater the following week.

2024 Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona

Last weekend was my favorite Minnesota theater vacay of the year - the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona. I first attended the festival in 2018 with some of my Twin Cities Theater Blogger friends, and have been back every year since (not counting 2020 - the year that doesn't count), with those same friends, or different friends, or sometimes by myself. This is a smallest festival since I've been attending - only two shows with a company of nine actors, compared to twice that size pre-pan, but what's not smaller is the quality of the theater, the thought and care put into it by the entire team, and the community feeling of being at the festival. Two shows is better than none, and it makes it even easier to see everything in a short weekend trip. Or extend the trip by a few days and enjoy the lovely city of Winona, about a two-hour drive from the Twin Cities, with its ample opportunities for hiking, water sports, museums, shopping, restaurants, and other activities. The festival continues through July 28, so make your plans now for a quintessential Minnesota theater vacation!

"Little Shop of Horrors" at the Guthrie Theater

For their summer musical this year, the Guthrie has chosen the cult favorite Little Shop of Horrors. The 1960 B-movie filmed in just two days (per a great article in the program) - turned successful Off-Broadway musical - turned 1986 film starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene (from the original Off-Broadway cast), and Steve Martin - finally landed on Broadway in 2003. And 20 years later it's on the Guthrie stage, the first regional theater to produce a Broadway musical in 1983 (per another great article in the program). It's a bit of a departure from the more classic musical fare usually seen at the Guthrie, and it's a risk that has paid off greatly. This production leans heavily into the story's B-movie roots, features a super talented (and mostly local) cast, and is loads of fun while not ignoring the tragic aspects of the story. Visit the Guthrie through August 18 to see this fantastic production of this brilliant little musical, but please, don't feed the plant.