It's the Bible if it were covered in sequins and served with a double gin and tonic
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
And isn't that always a good thing?
If your understanding of the Good Book could use a refresh but you find the typical Old Testament sermons a little dry, look no further than Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, currently showing at the Orpheum.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
One of Andrew Lloyd Webber's first and best known musicals, Joseph follows the story of the man whose obvious position as his father Jacob's favorite was too much for his 11 jealous brothers. Through a series of attempted fratricide, almost-rape and skill at dream interpretation, Joseph lands himself a plum position in Pharoah's court, where his brothers eventually come in repentance and are forgiven for their devious actions.
It's likely to be a familiar story to many of us, and the technicolor wash over this production manages to hide the insanely dark subject matter (I mean how many of us would attempt to kill a sibling and then lie about NOT doing it to our parents? And things get weirder somehow...). This company in particular keeps things moving, with the entire show including intermission clocking in at under two hours - the perfect amount of time for most shows, I believe.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
This clippiness is partly due to the stylings of the excellent Narrator Laura Helm. Helm truly steers the ship of Joseph straight through murky waters and towards its end goal. Her lithe voice shimmys through the story and injects it with the energy it needs to really shine. She is key to this musical's success, and she does a great job.
Also enjoyable is JC McCann as Joseph. McCann tends to stray from his natural abilities - sorry sir, but Christina Aguilara you are not - but he still possesses a lovely voice that suits the part of Joseph quite well. In particular, McCann nails the classic "Close Every Door," ushering the first act towards a heady close.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
The ensemble is appropriately enthusiastic, and they sell their costumes like nobody's business. I've not ever been a huge fan of the production design in general for Joseph - I usually find it a little too Age of Aquarius for my taste - but there is some definite eye candy among the ensemble cast and that helps soothe the soul here. They also make excellent use of scrims and projections, adding an oddly comforting cartoonish aspect to the design that modernizes it and makes it feel homey.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
Joseph has never been a huge favorite of mine, but this production really brings a fresh take to an age-old story. It's especially appropriate following Easter (if you're into that) and a reminder that although we have our differences, we are all brothers. It's a good thing to keep in mind as we mourn Jamar Clark and find a way to heal our community together.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that Dominick Chenes, who plays Mario Cavaradossi, stole his playbook straight from under Pavorotti's nose. His powerhouse tenor rips through the role and shatters every glass in the house, without even sounding breathless.
Photo courtesy of the MN Opera.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Tosca, like many operas, is a tragic love story. The difference here is that although Tosca (the lover of painter Mario Cavaradossi) believes he is seeing another woman, she is mistaken; he is helping a former friend to escape from prison. For revenge, Tosca turns Cavaradossi in, only to find that he is innocent of cheating on her.
Photo courtesy of the MN Opera.
The source of all the confusion is the villain Scarpia, who abuses his position of power to try to ensnare Tosca to be his own lover. Tosca's passion for Cavaradossi outweighs her disgust with Scarpia, and she agrees to spend a night with him if she will free her lover. However, Scarpia backs out of his promise after their foiled night together and kills Cavaradossi after all.
Photo courtesy of the MN Opera.
As always, Puccini provides an entertaining opera, and it is hard not to feel involved in Tosca and Cavaradossi's drama. This is often thanks to Chenes, but Alexandra LoBianco provides quite the foil as Tosca herself. LoBianco is a worldwide primadonna and shows herself as such in her duets with Chenes. Mark Walters clearly relishes his role as the villain Scarpia, and swaggers around in nefarious opulence throughout the show.
Photo courtesy of the MN Opera.
As always, the MN Opera production team has proven they are some of the most talented around with a knockout set, particularly the golden features of a church in the first act. It is absolutely stunning, particularly when surrounded by the ensemble swathed in period appropriate clothing from the Catholic Church. There's nothing like Italian decadence to feast the eyes on, and Tosca has that in spades.
There always seems to be a fear with comprehension of opera that inhibits people from attending. This really bums me out, because at their core, most operas are no different from your average romantic comedy or soap opera; AKA, you've seen this before and have nothing to fear. The MN Opera is determined to help combat your opera phobias, and they have provided an amazing set of resources on their website and in the program that includes historical facts, biographies, plot synopsis, YouTube clips, Pinterest boards and more (click here to go to their resource section for Tosca). Even if you're not attending the show, it's a fabulous compendium of information; it's worth a perusal.
I'll just dive right in: Nina Simone: Four Women, the new show at Park Square Theatre, has everything you could want in a play, and they go all the way with it. It is a must see; forget even reading this review and run to buy your tickets now!
As the show progresses three more women successively enter the church: Sarah/Auntie, a member of the church and a local maid; Saffronia, a local volunteer with Martin Luther King Jr.'s organization; and Sweet Thing, a pregnant prostitute and childhood acquaintance of Saffronia. Each woman shares a deep pain or social struggle, and each finds healing through the connections they make with each other. This show is tense, fraught with all sorts of drawn lines: lines of color, lines of class, lines of sexuality, lines of geography; but as the women come together, it demonstrates how much power we have when we decide to stop standing alone and find community.
Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre.
Nina is locally written (by Christina Ham, who has two more shows being produced in the Twin Cities this spring) and absolutely profound. The script would be excellent on its own, but several of Simone's songs are woven into it and the musical punch they pack is intense. In particular, a gorgeous rendition of "Sinnerman" and the final piece that influenced the entire writing of the show, "Four Women," are deliriously beautiful. The show's strength is also it's only weakness - we need more songs! This cast is so talented, and I would gladly watch them sing anything they wanted.
Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre.
Park Square found an inimitable group of women for this performance. Regina Marie Williams is born to play Nina Simone; she has the deep, throaty tone, the anxious tick, the toothy speech mannerisms, and she brings the stage alive. Williams is able to shepherd the audience through deep, sometimes terrifying understanding of the dangerous world the characters inhabit (which sadly isn't much different today). Sarah, played by the equally gifted Aimee K. Bryant, has a spine tingling gospel voice that shatters through the theater every time she sings. Bryant shines through Sarah's learned servile restraint and brings heartaching warmth to her performance. She is a strong, strong partner with Williams, and they anchor the show.
Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre.
Thomasina Petrus brings a robust soprano and unique perspective to the show as Saffronia, the "high yellow" who is also the only flag-planting civil rights activist. Saffronia's presence displays the deep fission of hurt within the black community regarding traditions such as the paper bag test; her presence exposes the raw emotions felt around politics and privilege, and Petrus helps Saffronia to stand tall. Traci Allen Shannon is much darker than we've seen her before (last seen as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz) here as Sweet Thing, and her youth and enterprising nature bring the story a more modern feel.
Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre.
Nina Simone: Four Women is an absolute must see. I can think of no better way to celebrate Women's History Month than to view this female written, female produced, expertly acted and goosebumps beautiful knockout of a show featuring four exquisite women of color. If Nina can't move you, nothing will. And Park Square: please bring these ladies back for a concert!! They sing together so beautifully, and we would love to hear more.
I have a confession: when I found out Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) was doing Beauty and the Beast, I was disappointed.
No matter that it's been 10 years since the last time they performed this show; I felt like I'd seen it enough to not have to see it again. But I guess I had to discover that it's amazing what fresh eyes will do to a familiar piece.
Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
I found myself unexpectedly nostalgic as I watched the same story I've been watching since I was a little girl, and found the show to be unexpectedly timely. I'll assume that most readers are familiar with this plot, so I don't need to repeat it. The themes, however, struck me anew and seemed eerily timely for our current political climate: narcissistic, violent villain who will take everything he wants at all costs? Check. A gentle soul and good ruler hidden in ugly beast's clothing? Check. A heroine who is whip-crackingly smart and stands for justice at all costs (and is also gravely underestimated)? Check. A general population of people who are easily stirred to violence and prejudice? Check, check, check.
The Chanhassen hired a ringer cast for this show, and they sell it hook, line and sinker. In fact, it's impossible not to imagine the possibilities of further shows they could do with this cast - Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables please? Think about it CDT.
Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
Ruthanne Heyward shines as Belle, with the perfect Disney spring to her step and some unbelievably animated hair. Her finest moments moments occur in the second act, with "A Change in Me" and "Is This Home," both of which are gorgeously sung. Robert O. Berdahl is a perfect match for Heyward as the Beast. Berdahl makes the Beast incredibly human despite very heavy makeup, and his lyrical baritone anchors the show. All of Berdahl's solos are wonderful, and unexpectedly moving. This is a different pair than we're used to - Belle is much more confident and brandishes her intelligence like a weapon, while the Beast is far more tender and less confident in himself. It adds new depth to the story and is greatly enjoyable.
Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
The standout star (how could it not be?) is Aleks Knezevich as Gaston. Knezevich hams it up at absolutely every opportunity and clearly relishes his silly yet sinister role. The best number of the show (unexpectedly "Maison des Lunes" with Lefou (Daniel Hines) and Monsieur D'Arque (David Brinkley)) belongs to him, as his beautiful voice but evil words slithers out of his handsome face. This is a darker Gaston than I'm used to seeing, but he is still very funny - Knezevich knocks his role out of the park, and the similarities between his lines and some of the statements from current presidential candidates will have you giving a double take. Make sure you pay attention to them.
Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
There is such a wealth of great character parts in this show, and they're all well performed here. Ann Michaels (Babette), Emily Skinner (Madame de la Grande Bouche), Mark King (Lumiere), Keith Rice (Maurice) and Scott Blackburn (Cogsworth) all lend great charm to their parts. Susan Hofflander is remarkable as Mrs. Potts and delivers a ringing rendition of "Beauty and the Beast," causing you to forget all thoughts of Angela Lansbury. It's her finest work yet at CDT and will give you chills.
Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
A special shout out also has to go to Rich Hamson (costume designer), Susan Magnuson (hair/makeup designer) and Michael Brindisi (artistic director). The Chanhassen is a unique theater space and always has to reinvent what we're used to seeing in Broadway shows when they perform these classics. They have absolutely knocked it out of the park with this staging. The set is simple with very few moving parts, but it gives a sublime feeling of the castle and makes it clear exactly where you are in each scene. The costumes are amazing, and baffling; I honestly can't figure out how the performers get such complicated pieces on and off so quickly, nor where they store them. It's a feat of stage direction, and hats off to this team for some incredible work.
Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that children's stories (and children themselves, for that matter) aren't stupid or simple things. They have so very much to offer us and a lot of reminders, especially about behavior, that any grownup could stand to bear every now and then. Kids will love this show, and you should take them - but grownups, make sure that you don't miss the message Belle is trying to send you. It's okay to be smart, it's okay to stand up to bullies, and fighting for good things and better lives for the general population is never wasted time. Beauty and the Beast runs through the summer, so you have plenty of time to check it out. For more information and to buy tickets, click on this link.
A good friend of mine invited me to a performance this past weekend. She didn't even know much about it, so my date and I walked in blindly to the experience, completely unsure of what to expect. Fortunately, we were blown away.
I Am Woman was a one-night-only (for now; I hope they bring it back!) event, which encompassed original work (dance/spoken word/storytelling/drums) by several women of color. Separated into vignettes, each interacted with each other differently, sharing stories of their lives or families, their interaction with art, their struggles with societal norms, and more.
Each piece was beautifully performed, and it was so heartwarming to see multiple generations share the stage. The entire show blew us away and was a reminder to me that sometimes the best, most soul-sating things are the simplest. "Real Art" doesn't exist only in museums and on Broadway stages; it's around us all the time, and we can tap into it at any moment. I Am Woman could have been performed in a living room, a coffee shop, on a street corner, or anywhere else, and it really wouldn't have made it any less impactful.
So, an encouragement: keep writing, keep painting, keep dancing. Let yourself get swept away in the process of creation. You may find some truly amazing things as a result.
This show is what is usually called "white feminism" at its finest
And although I may catch some flak for saying that, I do mean it. Things are going to get real in a second.
Before all that: The How and the Why is an absolutely fascinating play about the relationship between Rachel and her biological mother Zelda, who she finally tracks down after her adopted parents are dead. Both Rachel and Zelda are working in the same narrow scientific discipline of evolutionary biology, and studied at similar schools. The show follows them as they discover more about each other's personal lives and about each other's research. The script is super nerdy, getting extremely technical at points about the theories each woman has developed. I loved it, and it was so refreshing to see a productions of females discussing serious technical matters between themselves. There are a lot of deep concepts to think about after you leave, and a lot of conversation that will deeply resonate with female audience members (the theories are about menstruation and menopause).
As Rachel, Molly Pach brings an earnest emotionality to her role. She vibrates youthful, passionate energy, and she is fun to watch. Pach sparkles on stage and brings her full range to the performance. As Rachel's mother Zelda, Caroline Kaiser anchors the play. She does a wonderful job with steering Rachel even though they know little of each other, and she radiates emotion without a word. Several times Kaiser even comes to the brink of tears, and her nuanced, brave portrayal of a woman who gave up everything for her career is truly touching and unexpectedly sympathetic.
There is a lot to recommend The How and the Why. It's tagline Smart | Engaging | Incisive is apt, and it touches on loads of issues that are important to women but aren't always talked about by, to and for women themselves: abortion, single motherhood, performing well at work in a field dominated by men, breast cancer, strained mother/daughter relationships, getting your period, menopause, and more. It's very nearly an all-female show: the director, author of the play, actors, and most of the production team are all women. In many ways it is so progressive, and it's so important for shows like this to be produced. I think everyone, male and female, should see it, and there's no reason not to - tickets all run under $20 per person.
However, the only time people of color are mentioned (in this case, an African tribe called the Hansa), they are literally called savages. And that is such a shame.
It ruined the show for me. One line. I almost walked out. And that sucks.
I know how nitpicky this sounds, that one line, literally one word, could be that tough. "It's just a joke," I can hear you saying now. "Who cares? It's one line." Most of the audience laughed; why couldn't I?
I think it's such a shame that a show that is working SO HARD to be progressive, that is right on so many fronts, pushing so many boundaries, can be so colonial in it's thinking when it doesn't directly apply to people who look like the main character/writer/director. And that's what I mean by white feminism: There is so much good to be found here but at the end of the day it's meant only for a Certain Kind of Woman. Many people could dismiss all the good the production creates based on that one principle. And I just don't want to buy into that concept.
Additionally, isn't it the mission, spoken or non, of most theaters to bring art to as many people as possible? More and more audiences, productions and reviewers are noting (and lamenting) just how non-diverse they are thanks to huge hits like Hamilton. Sure, financial access is part of the reason that audiences tend to be so white - any glance at general demographics reveals this - but that is not all of the problem. Maybe part of the problem is that people of color don't feel included in the mainstream world of theater, thanks to scripts that equate them to savages. There is a reason Minnesota is known as the king state of microaggressions: we. can. do. better.
This all being said: SEE THIS SHOW. I mean it. It's really good. It is complex, it is visceral, it gets so many things right. It is far and away the best thing I have seen in the New Century Theater, and the production and Hennepin Theater Trust should be proud of the work they have put on.
Just please, when a cultural group is called savages: don't laugh. It's not funny. If the chance happens, campaign that it be written out of the script. It's 2016 guys - we don't have room for that anymore.
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made different choices?
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
Maybe taken a trip that you decided you couldn't afford at the time; or dumped that partner when you knew they were wrong for you, instead of waiting two more years; or chosen an out of state college instead of one in-state; or never met your best friend. What if?
That is exactly the question asked by If/Then, the current production running at the Orpheum Theater. If/Then follows Elizabeth through two parallel lives she may have lived, had she made certain choices - one as Liz, who has a passionate love affair with Josh, a soldier and doctor; and one as Beth, a single woman who becomes one of the most successful urban planners in New York City. Both lives are interesting, both lead to success for Liz/Beth, and both have their own unique, difficult challenges.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
The concept of this show is absolutely fascinating, and I found myself unexpectedly moved, particularly in Act II when several difficult things happen in Liz's relationship with Josh. That being said, I have to be honest - this show is long. In a lot of ways, it's actually more of an opera than musical - there's very little dialogue or non-musical interludes - and it clocks in at nearly three hours. Die hard theater goers will love this show, and there's a lot to recommend it; reflecting real life and dialogues rather than made-up ones, not shying away from tough issues, a realistic view of life in a big city - but it will take some investment. Worth it, but be aware.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
The role of Liz/Beth was originated by Idina Menzel on Broadway, and her involvement was clearly a guideline for casting Jackie Burns, who plays Liz/Beth in this production. Burns has that Menzel-esque soaring voice that made "Let It Go" such a hit and she utilizes is fully here, which is a great thing; the score itself can be a little underwhelming and having some belters definitely helps sell the songs.
As Liz's love John, Matthew Hydzik is sweetly charming. He has a shy but great tone, and brings real heart to the hunky soldier stereotype. Anthony Rapp is endearingly normal as Liz/Beth's friend Lucas, and although his voice isn't classically "Broadway," provides a nice contrast to the rest of the cast. Daren Herbert is beguiling as Beth's love interest, Stephen. Tamyra Gray, Liz/Beth's best friend Kate, is unfortunately out during the Minneapolis run of If/Then; however, Charissa Bertels does an admirable job filling in.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
Another cast note and huge thank you to Telsey+Company, who cast this production: it features a great spread of diversity, both in the roles (ranges of sexuality, interracial dating) and the cast itself, which features a human rainbow. It was SO refreshing to watch a reflection of the real world we live in (especially those of us living in cities), and to see a broad representation of America's faces in the cast. Theaters, please: DO THIS MORE. Audiences want it and it enriches the show - keep moving in this direction.
Photo courtesy of Hennepin Theatre Trust.
Liz/Beth's calling as an urban planner is the inspiration for the set, which is themed with construction drawings, city maps and other subtle AEC industry touches. It lends a new, deconstructed feel to the stage, and I loved it. Costume changes are impressively quick, but nothing out of what you'd see in ordinary life. The choreography here is underwhelming, but the show sort of dictates that; there isn't an opportunity for the stereotypical razzle-dazzle kind of number, and that's okay.
If/Then's greatest strength by far lies in the way it shows how glamorous actual, real life can be. When we're in the shuffle of the everyday, it's easy to forget to appreciate how far we have come, how impressive our achievements are, or even to just stop and appreciate the good things in our lives for a moment. There are so many ways to be fulfilled, so many paths to choose, and there is no reason to regret the road you took. If/Then shows us all that there's a reason to take any of the paths available to you; just enjoy the one you get, because you'll only get one chance at it.
For more information about the show or to buy tickets, click this link.
