Twin Cities Community Theater Beat

Pirates of Penzance , like all of Gilbert & Sullivan’s operettas, is a very silly story. When the story opens, Frederic, accidentally apprenticed to pirates as a child, is finally turning twenty-one. While in his apprenticeship, he was bound by his sense of duty to be a full-fledged pirate, but once released, his sense of duty means that he must be their enemy (beginning at 12:00 on the dot). Frederic quickly falls in love with a young maiden and is eager to leave his illegal ways behind, but the pirates find a complication – Frederic was born on February 29 th in a leap year, meaning that his 21 st birthday is still decades away! Will his fiancée wait for him until he’s 84? Will the local constables arrest the pirate band (Frederic included)? Will the Major-General ever assuage his conscience after telling the pirates a lie? Will any of the characters learn the folly of their black-and-white thinking??? (To that last one: absolutely not.) This play...

When Elle Woods’ boyfriend dumps her because she’s not “serious” enough for him, she decides to win him back by following him to Harvard Law School. But even after getting in, no one takes her seriously! With the help of a kind but determined TA, she works hard to prove herself as a student and finds a new passion for helping others through the law. But her future is on the line when she’s chosen to help with a big murder case. Can she win the case, and more importantly, can she do it while staying true to herself? This summer Cross Community Players was back in the Maple Grove Town Green Amphitheater with their production of Legally Blonde .   The space offers some challenges for the cast and crew, since the set has to come down and be stored after every rehearsal, and weather issues (this year, extreme heat) can interfere.   But as an audience member, this is a lovely spot to attend a show.   There’s plenty of room for seating and the lake behind the st...

When The Little Mermaid film came out in 1989, Disney had been struggling for decades to match the success of their early animated films, and they finally had a hit  –   The Little Mermaid  was loved by audiences and critics alike .   A big factor of the film’s success was Broadway veteran Alan Menken’s score, which won him two Oscars (and two Golden Globes, and a Grammy). Later, like so many other successful films, The Little Mermaid  was adapted for Broadway.  Not every film makes an easy transition to the stage, but in this case I think the creators made some very thoughtful decisions that make this show work.  For example, the climax of the film is an ocean battle between Prince Eric and a giant Ursula while Ariel watches helplessly; in the musical, this scene is replaced by one that focuses on Ariel and her relationships to the other characters.   Besides being easier to stage, it’s much more satisfying that Ariel doesn’t need to be rescued b...

There have been many retellings of the Cinderella story over the years; it turns out we’re willing to come back again and again to see a good person in adversity fall in love and have their dreams come true. All it takes, it turns out, is a little bit of magic. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original Cinderella musical was written in 1957, and is a breezy, streamlined telling; no side characters like talking mice, no Grimm-style violence, and no unnecessary backstories (Cinderella has a godmother and she turns out to be a fairy – that’s that!). A classic musical like this feels different – and refreshing, really – amidst a summer of mostly modern musicals. Eden Prairie Players, according to a producer’s note in the program, had been hoping for years to put on this version of Cinderella , before finally getting the rights for 2020 and having to reschedule.   Luckily things have finally come together!   Eden Prairie Players performs in the amphitheater at Starin...

Millie and Bob, and their neighbors Norma and Jim, seem to be the picture of 1950s domestic bliss, but they have a secret – Millie’s really with Norma, and Bob’s with Jim.   Their arrangement has worked so far to keep them together and keep them safe from dire societal consequences, but when Bob and Norma’s jobs require them to seek out “deviants” such as themselves, they’re all in danger of being outed. Perfect Arrangement , produced by Theatre in the Round Players, is at times a very silly play.  The humor is forefront from the start, and occasionally veers into  slapstick, but over time the story leads to an emotional conflict as the four main characters are forced to question their morals, their relationships, and whether this arrangement is really as perfect as it seems. Theatre in the Round Players scheduled this play to coincide with Pride Month and has complemented it with additional programming, including post-show discussions, suggested follow-up resources, an...

The best thing about a one-act festival is that, in one sitting, you can experience a whole variety of ideas and perspectives.   Short plays are a great way to focus in on one moment, one conflict or decision, and zero in on the emotional impact that it creates.   At Lakeshore Players Theatre’s 18 th Annual 10-Minute Play Festival , subjects ranged from familial relationships to societal dangers to futuristic electronic scams.   The festival included ten short plays, each with a different director and cast of 2-4 actors.   Audience members were invited to cast their votes for their favorite play, and the winner will be named “Best 10-Minute Play of 2022.” The most successful one-act plays for me are the ones with an interesting point of view and a strong focus throughout; they don’t need much exposition, or they have created a situation in which the exposition is realistic and unobtrusive.   Some of the plays in this festival were a little unsubtle in getting...