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.
 |
the '50s kitchen (Bridget Benson, Siri Ashley Wright,
Lydia Rose Prior, and Natosha Guldon, photo by Molly Weibel) |
The play is narrated by Joan (Natosha Guldan), who is hosting her three best friends in a weekly cooking club in the Chicago suburb of Winetka (fun fact: it's the hometown of Rock Hudson). It's 1957, and Joan introduces each of her friends to us, as the action pauses and the lights darken except for her spotlight (lighting design by Andrew Vance). There's Dottie (Bridget Benson), mother of four (and counting) and the most conservative of the group; Connie (Lydia Rose Prior), pregnant and carrying a secret; and free spirit Agnes (Siri Ashley Wright), who wants more from her life than marriage and children. The women gather to develop a menu to enter in a Betty Crocker cooking contest (the show bears more than a little resemblance to the History Theatre's original musical
I Am Betty). Through the course of one afternoon they gossip, argue, bond, reveal secrets, and maybe even go into labor. After intermission (which includes a fun flower power set reveal that shows us the onstage band), Joan catches us up on the lives of all of her friends, who haven't seen each other in ten years. A lot of issues are brought up (including racism and identity) and resolved a little too quickly, but we go along with it because this cast and these characters are so endearing.
 |
welcome to the '60s! (Natosha Guldon, Lydia Rose Prior,
Siri Ashley Wright, and Bridget Benson, photo by Molly Weibel |
Artistic and Executive Director Laura Tahja Johnson directs the piece and really succeeds in creating a feeling of community among the women, as well as navigating the time jump and direct audience addresses in the script. The score includes a variety of songs in different musical styles from each era, the kind that get stuck in your head when you leave the theater. They also cover a variety of themes and tell us a little more about each character. Music Director Emily D. H. Olson lead the four-piece all-female band that (spoiler alert) is revealed to be on stage, and it's really fun to watch them rock out. The women sound great singing solo, duet, or in four-part harmony, with a nice sound mix that almost made me think they were unmiked, and that's a good thing (sound design by Paul Estby). Completing the musical picture, the choreography by Dorian Brooke is really fun and of each era, specific to each song.
The delicious '50s set (designed by Curtis Phillips) is of a bright blue kitchen complete with period appropriate appliances and props. The top of Act II features a set reveal in which the '50s become the '60s - a little more shag carpet, orange tones, and happy flowers. The costumes also undergo a transformation - '50s housewife dresses with aprons becoming the mod outfits of free '60s women (designed by Sarah Christenson).
At a time in which we're seeing a backlash against women's rights, hard-fought and -won by the women of the '50s, '60s, and later decades, it's inspiring, if a little depressing, to look back and celebrate the changes through the lives and songs of this fictional group of friends.
A Taste of Things to Come continues through February 9.
