The Seagull - Modern Rep - November 2026

The Seagull 

By Anton Chekhov

Adapted and Directed by Grant Sorenson

Review by Ernest Edwards

I love Grant Sorenson’s adaptation of the classic 1896 Chekhov play The Seagull.  Not only is this a great script, but there are no weak links in this cast. What a cast it is! The play is so good that it had me doing an instant standing ovation when the play was over. Stellar cast with amazing performances of a classic play. 

This play is so good that if I had the time, I would definitely see it again. 

If you are not familiar with the story to this Anton Chekhov play. It focuses on the family at their lakeside estate over the course of the summer. Irina is an actress who is known on the stages of Moscow. Her son Konstantin wants to be a playwright and writer. Pyotr moves to the country estate to get away from the city. Doctor Dorn says the country will be better for his health. Konstantin wants Nina, Nina wants Boris, Boris is with Irina, Marsha wants Konstantin and Semyon wants Masha. Polina and Ilya are Masha’s parents who work at the estate. 

Maybe by today’s standards this play could fit the category of dysfunctional family drama. 

This is not my first time seeing a production of The Seagull. I did find that this production was delicious. I loved every minute of it.  

Director Grant Sorenson also was the scenic designer for the play. He created a great space for the cast to use. 

Let’s talk about this cast. David Michaeli gives a stunning performance as Konstantin. He dives deep into Konstantin’s psyche, his hopes, his dreams, his regrets. David Michaeli plays the violin very well too. It was great seeing him in this role. Christina Baldwin plays Irina, who is more concerned about how others perceive her as an actress than the is as a mother to Konstantin and a sister to Pyotr. Steve Mallers has a great stage presence as Boris, the lover of to Irina and a famous writer. For this production the role of the Doctor was played by Laura Esping as Yevgenia Dorn. She was great in this role. Trying to be the voice of reason in the room, when everyone else is trying to the loudest speaker in the room. It was fun watching the cat and mouse game between Lena Breheney as Masha and Leo Rossmiller as Seymon Medvedenko. Strong, talented cast. Director Grant Sorenson did an excellent job assembling this fine group. 

The play has been extended to November 14, 2026. Check out www.themodernrep.com for tickets. This one is not to be missed. 

One-Shot - Six Points Theater - November 2026

One-Shot

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By Andrew Rosendorg

Review by Ernest Edwards

Sixpoints Theater is presenting the World Premiere of the play One-Shot. What a play it is! This is a very relevant play for our time. 

It’s 1999 at a video rental store in McLean, Virginia. I absolutely loved the scenery designed by Brady Whitcomb. You walk into the theater and you see a video rental store on stage. So many movies lining the shelves, and movie posters on the walls. I wanted to walk amongst the scenery, like I was at a “Blockbuster” back in the day browsing movies to rent for the weekend. I could see many classics and movies from the 1990’s on the shelves. That was excellent attention to detail. Also loved the sign “Be Kind, Please Rewind” as in 1999 people were still renting VHS Tapes. Renting DVD’s was just around the corner.  

The story of the play is back dropped by racism, antisemitism and homophobia. The windows of the video store keep getting vandalized with slurs being spray painted on the windows. David and Martin are high school students working at the video store owned by Charles. David and Martin are both gay and boyfriends. The video store is a safe haven for them to be themselves. Martin is Latino and undocumented, while David is Jewish. David’s father was killed by gun fire at the Synagogue a year earlier. The Synagogue  hate crime was pre cursed by negativity via spray paint too. Everyone is upset that the video store is being targeted for hate. Charles, being a man of color and gay, tries his best to be a role model and provide a safe environment for Martin and David. 

David and Marin both have dreams of attending the film program at NYU. When Martin receives the scholarship and David doesn’t. David reports Martin as an undocumented immigrant to NYU. Spoiler Alert! Needless to say, when this does come out, not only does it put a strain on their relationship it ends their relationship. As David acts like it’s not a big deal, Martin explains how he has to work extra hard to blend in and not stand out. He had to change the pronunciation of his name, and something like what David did could get him deported to a country he has no memory of. Martin’s life could be upended by David’s actions. David’s actions are not love, they are jealousy and are not to be forgotten. 

The final scene of the play is about 10 years later. What I really liked about that scene was how actor Nico Sacco as Martin portrayed Martin as a different man. A man with some life experience, a man confident and comfortable with his identity as a gay Latino. 

The strength of this play is not only in Andrew Rosendorf’s script, but is with the cast. Director JC Cutler had a a great cast to work with. Charles is played by Warren C. Bowles, David is played by Carter Graham, and Martin is played by Nico Sacco. According to the program Nico Sacco will be a 2027 graduate of the University of Minnesota BFA acting program. I can’t wait to see how his acting career grows from here.

One other thing that I liked what Sixpoints Theater did for this play. In the lobby of the theater, you can write down movies that had an impact on your life and put them on the bulletin board. There is also a map of hatred and social progression on the wall. That map was very interesting, insightful and powerful to read. So much racism, hatred, bigotry, antisemitism, and homophobia in the USA. 

There’s not much time left to catch this wonderful gem of a play. The play closes on Sunday November 8, 2026. Check out www.sixpointstheater.org for tickets. 

Twelve Kinds of Ice - Children’s Theatre - October 2026

Twelve Kinds of Ice

Book, Music and Lyrics by Ben Steinfeld

Adapted by the novel by Ellen Bryan Obed

Review by Ernest Edwards

What words can I use to describe the new musical Twelve Kinds of Ice? Wonderful and magical. 

I have never read the book the musical is based on. I really want to read the book after seeing this perfect one act musical at the Children’s Theatre Company. Between the run time of 60 minutes along the story, this show is perfect for the whole family. 

The story follows Ellen as she recounts winters from her childhood with her Dad. We learned about all the different kinds of ice as the seasons change and the cold from winter starts to take hold. We learn how much the family loved turning their garden into a neighborhood ice skating rink. Her Dad keeps a calendar and this season they were able to ice skate for 99 days before that February sun got too strong to keep the ice in the garden. 

I was really impressed with Justin D. Cook as the musician. At times we has playing four different instruments.  He was a marvel to watch as he performed the musical for the songs sung by the cast. 

Anna Schloerb as Ellen/Young Ellen and John-Michael Zuerlein as Dad brought so much storytelling of this beautiful tale to life. This two person show about the joys of winter was perfect. 

Katherine Fried and John-Michael Zuerlein

One can kind of take winter for granted. Twelve Kinds of Ice reminds us to enjoy all of the magic that winter has to offer. Come early to enjoy activities in the lobby and to read the stories and interviews in the program. Lots of great information about ice. 

Don’t miss out on the World Premiere of Twelve Kinds of Ice, now playing through November 22, 2026. Check out www.childrenstheatre.org for tickets. 

Dracula - Night Fire Theatre - October 2026

Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy

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By Kate Hamill

Review by Ernest Edwards

There’s a new production of Dracula in town. It’s not your average telling of the tale. It’s dubbed “A Feminist Revenge Fantasy”. It is and it is not Bram Stokers Dracula. It’s the story we are all familiar with. What this play does is it puts the women in the front of the action. It’s the women who have to rescue the men. I loved that twist. 

This production, playing at the Historic Mounds Theater in St. Paul, has all the thrills and chills of Dracula. This production also uses every square inch of the theater. Having the cast creep up on you from behind was such a cool moment! Sends shivers down one’s spine. 

If you are familiar with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this is the story, but with a few changes. Renfield is now a female character, Dracula doesn’t like Mina this time around, Dracula still takes Mina’s friend Lucy and turns her into a vampire, Dr. Van Helsing is also a woman in this play. It doesn’t matter the role,  knowledge, or experience men still don’t believe the women until they experience the unknown with their own eyes. Also with this play, Mina has to rescue her husband Jonathan Harker from the clutches of Dracula. 

This is a fun adaptation. I liked it. It really gives you something to sink your teeth into. It’s bloody good. 

Some cast members to call out are Jennifer D’Lynn as Renfield, Maggie Me Sulentic as Dr. Van Helsing, Cate Jackson as Mina Harker, Richard Nissan as Jonathan Harker, Mary Lofreddo as Lucy Westernra, Robin Gilmer as Maid, and Maverick M. Miller as Count Dracula. 

The plays runs for about 2 hours and 40 minutes. This spooky play is perfect for the Halloween season and runs through October 31, 2026. Check out www.nightfiretheatre.com for tickets. 

As You Like It - Ten Thousand Things - October 2026

As You Like It 

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By Williams Shakespeare

Review By Ernest Edwards

Have you even seen the William Shakespeare play As You Like It performed with only seven actors? Then get out and see the Ten Thousand Things Theater production now playing at various venues through November 8, 2026. 

This small and very talented cast of some Twin Cities favorites, bring big performances to the stage. I got to see the play at the performance space at Open Book in downtown Minneapolis. It was the perfect setting for As You Like It. 

Let’s talk about this cast. Katie Bradley plays Jacques, LeBeau and Phoebe, Dustin Bronson plays Oliver and Amiens. Dustin also plays a forest priest and has the best mannerisms for that character. Love it! Isa Condo-Oliver plays Celia, Adam and Audrey. Darius Dotch plays Orlando. Bill McCallum is Touchstone, Duke Frederick and  Silvius. Nubia Monks plays Rosalind. Greg Watanabe plays Duke Senior, Charles and Corbin, These seven actors effortlessly bring this production to life. You have to see Darius as Orlando with Nubia’s Rosalind. Their performances are not to be missed. 

Normally As You Like It has a huge cast, with big scenery and costumes. I think the strength and spectacle in this production is the simplicity of it all. Go see Shakespeare as you have never seen it before. It is well worth it. 

The play continues through November 8, 2026. Check out www.tenthousandthings.org for tickets. 

Twelve Angry Men - Lyric Arts - October 2026

Twelve Angry Men

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By Reginald Rose

Adapted for the stage by Sherman L. Sergei

Review by Ernest Edwards

Lyric Arts has a hit on their hands with the classic drama Twelve Angry Men now playing on the Main Street Stage in downtown Anoka. The crowd was really drawn into this play opening night. 

I had first seen this play on tour in 2006, which featured George Wendt and Richard Thomas, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. To this day I still have not seen the movie based on the play, got to put that on my to do list. The Lyric Arts production is a lot more up close and personal than when I had originally seen on it tour. 

It’s 1958, it’s a hot summers day at the Cook County Courthouse. The jury is deliberating in a room with barely one functioning window. Not only are temperatures hot with the jury, they are literally roasting in this room too as they deliberate what sounds like an easy case. At the start or the play 11 jurors believe the defendant is guilty without a doubt, but the twelfth juror has reservations. That right there is the plot of the play. I don’t want to give anything away with the story or the case. 

Twelve Angry Men will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

Director Julie K. Phillips has assembled a great cast to tell this story. I really liked Davin Grindstaff as

Photo by Molly Jay

Juror 8. He’s the main character and the juror who doesn’t believe this as open and shut as everyone else believes it to be. I also liked Dominic Delong Rodgers as Juror 4. 

I really liked the scenery designed by Cory Skold. The table in the room is placed at an asymmetrical angle. The walls are open and representational. The Windows are not symmetrical in their placement either.  All of this puts the focus on the cast and the storytelling. 

This play keeps you engaged from the very beginning to the very end. If you have never seen Twelve Angry Men before, now is the time. This production is not to be missed. 

This 90 minute play runs through November 1, 2026. Check out www.lyricarts.org for tickets. 

The Taming - Yellowtree Theatre - October 2026

The Taming 

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By Lauren Gunderson

Review by Ernest Edwards

The Taming is a fun and hilarious play about three women with ties to politics. Although this play premiered in 2013, The Taming feels perfect for the 2026 election cycle. 

Director Austene Van has assembled the perfect cast for this play. Jane Froiland plays Patricia (The Conservative). Nora Targonski-O’Brien plays Bianca (The Liberal) and Grace Litzau plays Katherine (The Beauty Queen). 

There’s a political event happening at the same location as a Beauty Pageant. Katherine has this plan to rewrite the US Constitution with the help of Patricia and Bianca. Patricia and Bianca just don’t know that yet. 

Photo by Alex Clark

One of the my favorite fun moments before the show began, is when the pre show music played the 1970’s theme song to the television series Wonder Woman. There were flashes of neon colors coming from the scenery. That was a fun moment.  

This 90 minute play is fast paced and hilarious, even farcical at times.

Don’t miss this play. It continues through November 1, 2026. Check out www.yellowtreetheatre.com for tickets.