The Dining Room at Theatre in the Round

The dining room! Such resonance!
So, this play and I go way back.  We put on this show when I was in high school, where I was the prop manager and entire back stage crew. Now my sister and I are taking turns running the light board for the current production at Theatre in the Round. I have seen this show many times from a variety of perspectives, whether it be sitting in the house, booth, or backstage in a proscenium stage or round. So here are my thoughts on the play itself and the current TRP production in particular:

I do not even want to try and count how many times I have sat through this production with all the rehearsals and performances. However, not until recently have I grown to appreciate this play. In high school I found the entire show to be utterly boring. I must admit, I am typically a fan of musicals, so I usually do not find dramas with long scenes of dialogue between two seated people to be as stimulating as a rousing song and dance. There is a lot of sitting and talking in The Dining Room... Anyway, I like to think I have grown as a theatre goer, as well as a person, since that first run of the show.

The play depicts many everyday scenes that happen in a dining room. It is a play very much about people and the importance of the dining room as a gathering place of family, friends, lovers, and acquaintances. It can be the heart of the home and bring people together as well as be a cold place with family meals straight from the first season of Gilmore Girls. Each scene has a universality to it. The play often has you wondering how many of the scenes are actually the same characters from previous points in the show because each part seems like it could be the same family or a completely different one.

I think the actors in the performance at Theatre in the Round do an excellent job. They are able to successfully change themselves into a new character for each scene. An actor can appear as a child at a birthday party one scene and a moment later appear as the crotchety, wheelchair-bound grandfather. I may be a bit bias, cause I get to hang out with these people backstage, but I feel like they do a wonderful job.

The only questionable part of this production is the staging. It does not seem to have been staged ideally for being in the round. I have not seen the show from the opposite side of the theatre, but I have a feeling if one is sitting on the far side from the booth it would feel like you were seeing a lot of the action from the back.

Otherwise, acting, props, costumes, lights, etc. are all well done. (And I'm having such a blast being a part of it!!!!)
So come by and see us! Running at Theatre in the Round until December 18th. More info here.

My November Notables

Here are some upcoming plays and movie events in November that I think may be worth checking out! (I didn't list any concerts because there are just so many and they are quite varied.)

Chanhassen Dinner Theatre:
Hairspray- Now- Jan 28
Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings- 4th- Dec 31

Children's Theatre:
A Wrinkle in Time- Now- Dec 4
The Wizard of Oz- 8th- Jan 8

The Guthrie:
Much Ado About Nothing- Now-5th
The Burial at Thebes- Now-6th
The Edge of Our Bodies- Now-20th
A Christmas Carol- 19th- Dec 30
Charley's Aunt- 26th- Jan 15

Heights Theatre:
The Wizard of Oz- 6th (1:15pm)
Found vs. Found- 14th (7:00pm)
Broadway Melody of 1940- 21st (7:30pm)
Bringing Up Baby- 24th (7:30pm)

History Theatre:
Beyond the Rainbow: Garland at Carnegie Hall- Now-6th
A Civil War Christmas- 19th- Dec 18th

Illusion Theatre:
Bat Boy: The Musical- Now-13th

The Jungle Theater:
I Am My Own Wife- 4th- Dec 18

Lyric Arts Main Street Stage:
Irving Berlin's White Christmas- 18th- Dec 18th

Park Square Theatre:
Oliver Twist- Now-6th
Of Mice and Men- 17th-20th

The Southern:
Triple Espresso- 16th- Jan 8

Theatre in the Round:
The Reluctant Debutante- Now-6th
The Dining Room- 18th- Dec 18th

Uptown Theatre:
Zombie- 4th & 5th (11:55pm)
Attack the Block- 11th & 12th (11:55pm)
The Room- 25th (11:55pm)
Rocky Horror Picture Show- 26th (11:55pm)

Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Uptown Theatre

First, background info:
Aside from the many viewings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show that I have done in the comfort of my home and the homes of friends, I have also gone to a few of the eccentric showings the movie and its cult following are known for. The first time I went was around Halloween about four years ago. The showing was in the small Mounds Theatre, where a sketchy group of dedicated Rocky enthusiasts gathered monthly. This was almost the ideal way to experience the show. My friends and I had known not to admit to being "virgins" so we did not have to go through the hazing process that anyone that has gone to one of these shows is familiar with. We enjoyed watching the others get heckled by the seasoned pros. Then, the show began. The costuming and props left a little to be desired (and were more risque then any of the other shows I've been to), but were more than made up for by the shouting done by these people that had clearly spent a large part of there lives watching this movie together (supposedly at least once a month at this theatre). It was very much like entering another world, where this group of people had their own script which they shouted in unison both between and over lines in the movie. It was so loud and clear, it was excellent. The only thing that detracted from this showing was, the understandable, rule against some of the typical Rocky Horror rituals of throwing rice and toast during certain scenes. This is also the only performance I've seen where Rocky was actually played by a man.

My second, and least satisfying live Rocky Horror experience, was at The Music Box Theatre in Chicago on Halloween 2009. The Music Box is a very large theatre and this Halloween showing of Rocky Horror is, I believe, the only one they do each year. It is a huge gathering of people who are clearly not the hardcore followers I had encountered at The Mounds. This is fine, seeing as I am clearly not a fanatic either, but there wasn't any really palpable presence of such people. The lines to shout and prop ques either did not happen or were to quiet  to be heard throughout the large audience. It was almost just like sitting and watching it at home. There was no added dialogue or snarky jokes to improve the experience.

And now, Uptown:

This year my friends and I went to see Rocky Horror at the Uptown Theatre. This was a great gathering! This production is put on by another group of enthusiasts called Transvestite Soup. This group performs at the Uptown Theatre once a month, and therefore are very good at putting on the show and shouting out the jokes. Since it was Halloween weekend the host before the show was dressed up as Captain Picard and made Doctor Who and Firefly references, which made my day... or night, I guess. Anyway, this group also sells handy prop bags (although you can bring your own), so you can better take part in the madness. And at this production you actually get to throw the rice and toast! It makes quite the mess. This was a great time and I am looking forward to bringing some of my "virgin" friends in the future!
If you have gone to a Rocky Horror Picture Show experience before or not, I recommend going to one put on at the Uptown Theatre!
Check out Transvestite Soup's site (with performance dates and info) here.

Minneapolis Musical Theatre Gets Batty, Again

I have a speical place in my heart for Minneapolis Musical Theatre. For one, MMT's director, Steven Meerdink, has been the theatre director at my high school for two decades, so I have worked with him personally and even been able to work on sets for MMT at Hennepin Stages and The Illusion. Two, MMT has great contests on their Facebook page to win free tickets to all their shows, which my sister and I have both been lucky enough to win a couple times. And three, they put on enjoyable, yet uncommon, shows.
MMT's current show is Bat Boy: The Musical. As the title would suggest, it is a musical about a boy found in a cave who has bat-like tendencies and features (based off a story in a Weekly World News tabloid). He is taken in by a family, much to the chagrin of the hick townspeople. The story is about family and being different.
The performance by Tyler Michaels, whose plays Edgar (the Bat Boy), is fantastic. He incorporates animistic mannerisms in a way that makes it seem natural. (This is his first show ith MMT... Maybe Meerdink actually found him in a cave?) Although the show is campy (as it is suppose to be), Michaels really makes you feel for Edgar and you want him to overcome his bat-ish nature, find happiness, and be accepted.

Photo Credit: Laurie Etchen

The show did kind of lose me towards the end as it got odder and odder. Let me say, this is not a show you want to go to with your grandma. The song "Children, Children" is a bit strange and random with costumes during that part that were even stranger. Shortly after that number, the big twist is revealed, which is a bit predictable (which isn't a problem) and rather bizarre (which could be a problem, but is performed through actor's shadows on a screen and puppets.. so kind of creative and cool).
I did think the show was well done and I very much enjoy the music. The song "Three Bedroom House" has been stuck in my head ever since. The show is both very funny and darkly dramatic. If you are interested in a supernatural show for this Halloween season, I suggest checking out Bat Boy! Tickets and info here. Runs through November 13th.

Oliver Twist at The Park Square Theatre is a Winner

Neil Bartlett's Oliver Twist at The Park Square Theatre is one of the best shows I've seen recently. As soon as the curtain lifted (with the assistance of a cast member) I was taken with the set. It was simply a room, but crated with such perspective lines that you are drawn in. The colors and application of the paint on the walls reminded me of a painting by Turner, dingy but artful. The wonderful set and other technical aspects are only the begining of this wonderful show.

J. M. W. Turner - Rain, Steam and Speed - The Great Western Railway

The smoothly transitioning lighting effects and creative sound effects were brilliant. Throughout the show there are sound effects that draw you in and give you a better feel of the scene, whether it is the sound of dripping water or a haunting melody. Many sound effects are done by the actors directly on stage. The creativity of performing the sound effects on stage made the subtle sounds stand out more without the amplifying them to an unnatural volume.

Many of the props and sets are simple, but so cleverly used and gracefully moved that the show seamlessly flows from one scene to another. In scenes where traveling occurs, chairs, boards, and buildings sketched on canvas (with other cast members to move them) change the landscape seamlessly as the characters move along. In two scenes in particular, one where The Dodger is bringing Oliver to Fagin’s lair and another where Nancy is going to meet the Browmows, the props are moved with such grace of movement. The actors move the props as if dancing with them, a simple dance that could rival those in large musicals. It was exquisite.

Photo by Petronella Ytsma

And then there is the acting, with standout performances by Stephen Cartmell as The Dodger and Steve Hendrickson as Fagin.  Everything Cartmell did appeared flawless. He starts out as a narrator who helps to introduce the tale and inspire Oliver. He then becomes The Dodger, tricky and quick but also protective of Oliver. Hendrickson delivers a performance that at times reminded me of Geoffrey Rush in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hendrickson really shined during his mad ramblings in jail. The only part of the acting that did not impress me was Oliver Twist himself. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing necessarily bad about Coon’s performance, it was just was not an outstanding part, which struck me as odd since it is the title role. It could be the nature of the show, where Oliver is somewhat like a prop himself, being moved through the plot by outside forces.  He does, after all, seem to have very few lines. Although Coon had some unpolished moments, he has more than enough talent for an actor of his age.

Photo by Petronella Ytsma

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised in the excellence of this show. I advise everyone to check it out! (Seriously, I called my mom right after and told her to go.) It runs through November 6, 2011. Info and tickets here.

I went to this show with a friend. She wrote a review for a legitimate news source. Check it out here!

La Cage Aux Folles

     As I took my seat in The State Theatre I was instantly taken with the set. A pink presidium with art deco accents surrounded a magenta lit Austrian curtain. On either side of the curtain there is a door with a balcony filled with members of the orchestra above. I had never seen the State Theatre so full. As the theatregoers filed in, a queen wearing a red sequined dress casually cracked racy jokes from the edge of the stage. I was amazed to see even the crowd of grey perms shake with laughter at a jokes with subjects including marriage and lesbians. She then announced the show and the lights went down.
     The show starts with George Hamilton, as the character Georges, welcoming us to his club, La Cage Aux Folles. Then the curtain rises. Backlit figures, casting their shadows on thin fabric, reminiscent of the famous Cell Block Tango scene in Chicago, begin to sing. Then, out from behind the curtains and the shadows, come a group of fantastic drag queens.
    And so the show goes on. With fantastic performances by the drag queens, especially Christopher Sieber. "I Am What I Am" was a fantastically moving moment of the show.
Blah Blah Blah. I'm already bored with this post.