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.

"A Snowy Kiss" and "Holiday Office Party" at Strike Theater

And now for something different - a night of holiday* improv! Last year Strike Theater debuted a new long-form improv show - Holiday Office Party. And since I've attended my share of such events (although not anymore, post-covid my office has virtual holiday parties in which we do things like make origami or decorate gingerbread houses or play trivia games), I found it funny and relatable. Holiday Office Party is back this year for three weekends only. And since this weekend's performances were at 9pm, I decided to see the 730 show at Strike too, which was a one-weekend-only show by jorts! Improv. A Snowy Kiss is their annual tradition, an improvised holiday romance of the type we know so well from Hallmark and Netflix. It was a fun night of improv and a different sort of holiday show. Visit Strike's website for their upcoming show schedule.

"Santa's Surprise Party" by The Mechanical Division at The Hive Collaborative

The best surprise of this holiday* season is the return of DalekoArts! Sort of. Amanda White and Ben Thietje, founders of the New Prague theater company that closed its doors last year after 11 successful years, have returned to their former company The Mechanical Division to create a silly holiday comedy of the type frequently performed at Daleko. Written by Ben and directed by Amanda, and featuring actors we know and love from Daleko, it's almost like returning to that beloved theater, without the long but gorgeous drive. It's playing at The Hive Collaborative in St. Paul, which over the last year has become one of my favorite venues for its welcoming vibe and variety of programming, and this time of year is particularly cozy with holiday lights and decorations (owners Laura and Eric live next door and their house is the brightest on the block!). Even better, it's a 7pm show with a 70-minute runtime so you can be in bed by 9 go out after the show and do other fun holiday things! Santa's Surprise Party is sweet and silly and stupid and wonderful, with just three shows remaining and few tickets left!

"The Little Mermaid" on tour at the Ordway Center

This holiday season the Ordway is presenting a touring production of The Little Mermaid, the stage adaptation of the 1989 Disney movie that was the first of its modern era animated films. I don't think this is the most successful Disney adaptation. That would be The Lion King (currently the 3rd longest running Broadway musical), followed by Alladin or Beauty and the Beast (the Ordway did a gorgeous original local production of the latter in 2022, a tradition I hope they get back to next season). But even if it's not the best, and it's not local, The Little Mermaid is still a lot of fun for the littles and those of us of a certain age who grew up with the movie. It features a winning cast, and a cool design that is so effective in making us feel like we're "Under the Sea" that I almost got seasick! The Little Mermaid continues at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in beautiful festive downtown St. Paul through December 29.

Broadway tour of "The Book of Mormon" at the Orpheum Theatre

The Book of Mormon is the fourth longest running musical of those currently playing on Broadway, and 12th of all time, soon to pass RENT to become the 11th longest running Broadway musical. It's been touring the country (and world) for years, and has stopped in Minneapolis numerous times. But I hadn't seen it since 2018 so I was more than ready to experience one of my favorite and one of the most joyful musicals again. Seeing it for the fifth time, I was instantly caught up in the humor and heart of the piece, cringing at the foul language, and having a wonderful time. The words I've written in the past about my love for this show still hold true*:

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at Park Square Theatre

I don't know about the best, but Park Square Theatre's production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! is the cutest Christmas pageant I've ever seen! I have vague recollections of the 1972 children's novel which was adapted for the stage ten years later, and a TV movie shortly thereafter which I probably saw as a kid. But I was mostly unfamiliar with the story walking into Park Square, and was completely charmed by it. Featuring a cast of just three adult actors and 18 children, it's a super sweet, rambunctious, funny, adorable 70 minutes of theater. There were tons of kids in the audience at the Sunday matinee that I attended, who were probably entertained by all of the shenanigans of the kids on stage. As was I, but I was also moved by the story of "bad kids" finally finding a place in the community and a story that inspired them. And yes, there is a movie version playing on the big screen right now, but live and local is always better. See these talented kids having the time of their lives on Park Square's big stage in downtown St. Paul for two more weekends only!

"Take Two for Christmas" by nimbus theatre at the Crane Theater

nimbus theatre is back with another Hallmark holiday movie spoof, their third in three years. The first one, A Count Up to Christmas, was a lot of fun and chock full of cliches of those types of movies. As often happens, the sequel, A Very Electric Christmas, was still fun but not as good as the first one; it was a bit rough with a convoluted plot. I'm happy to report that the third play in the trilogy, Take Two for Christmas, is back to the fun of the original, and might even be my favorite of the three. It's got all of the tropes needed for a holiday rom-com: a small town invaded by city folk, a frozen lake, a gazebo to save, and a sweet romance (or two). The design is cozy festive and the cast is all in on the spoofy fun premise. Whether you love or love to hate the Hallmark Christmas movie, Take Two for Christmas is a fun way to celebrate that live on stage. See it at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis through December 22.

"Scrooge in Rouge" at Open Eye Theatre

This holiday* season, Open Eye Theatre is remounting** Scrooge in Rouge, which premiered last year, a show I called, "a little off-kilter, in the best possible way." The three-person musical reimagines the classic A Christmas Carol in the style of English Music Hall entertainment, meaning "witty lyrics, bad puns, and naughty double-entendres." The fabulous three-person cast portrays all of the characters in this story that hews fairly closely to Dickens' original, even including many of the famous lines you'll hear across town at the Guthrie. But there are a few ridiculous diversions too, resulting in a very entertaining and fun little show. You can see this alternative (or addition) to A Christmas Carol at Open Eye in South Minneapolis through December 29.

"Black Nativity" at Penumbra Theatre

A #TCTheater holiday* season really isn't complete without Penumbra Theatre's annual production of Black Nativity, the truest expression of a "joyful noise" I've ever seen. They've been doing this show in various incarnations for over 30 years, but this is only my fourth time seeing it. And it's been a few years, so I was overdue for this healing balm, especially necessary this year, with the world seemingly getting bleaker every day (and literally getting darker every day as we progress towards the Winter Solstice). The show is similar to what they've been doing the last several years, with a few changes in personnel. But it's always a source of joy and inspiration, lifting the spirits to face whatever darkness is to come as we leave the theater, just like Black churches have been doing for their congregations for centuries. Black Nativity continues through December 22.

"Dinner For One" at the Jungle Theater

Jungle Theater has a new holiday* tradition. After gifting us the most charming Jane Austen fan fic series Christmas at Pemberley from 2017 to 2022 (the finale of which is currently playing at Lyric Arts), they debuted their original piece Dinner for One last year. This sweet little play with music is based on a 12-minute comedy sketch written in the '20s, a televised version of which has become annual holiday viewing in many European countries. Artistic Director Christina Baldwin came up with the idea for the show, and co-created it with Sun Mee Chomet and Jim Lichtsheidl, with the former directing and the latter two performing. Featuring an odd ritual of a dinner party for Miss Sophie's 90th birthday and her imaginary guests, personified by her loyal servant, it's the perfect vehicle to show off the strength of the creators. And although I would like to say it's the rare show I wish were longer (it's a scant 60 minutes), it's perfection and I wouldn't change a thing. Somehow those 60 minutes are fuller and more satisfying than many shows two and three times its length. Dinner for One continues through January 5 at Jungle Theater in Uptown.**

"A Christmas Carol" at Lakeshore Players Theatre

'Tis the season* for A Christmas Carol. The Guthrie is in their 50th year of producing Charles Dickens' classic story of redemption, forgiveness, generosity, and kindness, and you can find many other iterations on various stages and screens. Lakeshore Players Theatre is throwing their hat in the ring too with a new original adaptation by the director Kivan Kirk. I love this story, so I was eager to experience a new version of it out here in the 'burbs. This lovely show is still the classic story we know, but from a fresh perspective, and full of heart and humor. A Christmas Carol is the first show in Lakeshore's four-show 72nd season and performances are already selling out for this crowd-pleaser, continuing through December 17.

"A Cruise-mas Carol" by The Mystery Cafe at Majestic Oaks Golf Club

Even though they've been around for 35 years, this is only my second year attending the immersive mystery dinner-and-a-show experience that is The Mystery Cafe. While much different than the type of theater I (and probably you) usually attend (no sitting in the dark passively observing, no separation between audience and performers, no fourth wall at all), it's still theatrical storytelling, and there are some familiar faces from the local theater/comedy/improv world. But it's less about the plot or the mystery, and more about the fun, food, and immersive experience. Last night I attended their new show A Cruise-mas Carol at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake on the north side of town, which runs through January 4, followed by the wedding-themed 'Til Death Do Us Die, which I saw last year. They've also got two shows playing at the Sheraton Bloomington, with a special Black Friday deal for 50% off tickets good though Monday. Check out one (or more) of these shows for a fun, accessible, and unique theater outing.