Private Lives - Guthrie Theater - August 2026

Private Lives

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By Noel Coward

Review by Ernest Edwards

The Guthrie Theater is concluding their 2025/2026 with the Noel Coward comedy Private Lives at the Wurtele Thrust Stage. 

This comedy is delicious. It’s got some bite to it. You can definitely sink your teeth into this one. I was at last nights production. It was such a fun night at the theatre for me. 

The play was first produced in 1930. The language and situations still feel timeless. 

While their house is open, there is a piano player (Brad Beahan) on top of the two story scenery. He interacts with the audience between songs. It helps to get us in the mood before the play begins. 

The story is centered around two couples on their honeymoon at a hotel in Deauville. The first couple we see is

The stage, before the play begins. 

 Elyot Chase (played by William Connell) and his wife Sibyl Chase (played by Nikki Massoud). The second couple we see is Victor Prynne (played by Dustin Bronson) and his wife Amanda Prynne (played by Laura Odeh). We learn as the play progresses that the couples who share an outdoor terrace, have history together. Elyot and Amanda were once married to each other, and have been divorced for five years. Both are newly married, celebrating their nuptials at the same hotel with neighboring rooms. Is fate playing a game? Once they both realize what is going on, Elyot and Amanda both try to convince their spouses to leave and go to Paris, without specifying that their ex spouse is in the room next door. While their spouses are out, Amanda and Elyot begin to reminisce. They flee to Amanda’s apartment in Paris. One of my favorite moments of the play was watching the Terrace transform into Amanda’s Parisian apartment. It was pure stage magic and a great way to end the first act. 

The second and third acts take place in Amanda’s Parisian apartment. Amanda and Elyot are both

The stage, for the second half of the play. 

enjoying the bliss of being together again, and also get under each other’s skin. The second act ends with the arrival of Sybil and Victor standing in the doorway of the apartment. 

I love the conclusion of the play. At first it seems like Amanda and Elyot are through with each other, and their spouses will be divorcing them. As Victor and Sybil begin to argue, Amanda and Elyot slowly exit together and leave these two to argue on their own. 

Noel Coward has such a way with language and comedy. I never knew Noel Coward also appeared in his own plays. That was a fun fact to read from the program. This play is simply magnificent. 

Need to make mention of the scenery designed by Alexander Doge and the costumes designed by Meg Neville. Along with the script and the cast, those two design elements really helped bring the show together. 

Photo by Dan Norman. 

For a fun night of comedy, I recommend catching Private Lives at The Guthrie Theater before it closes on August 23, 2026. Check out www.guthrietheater.org for tickets. 

Alice in Neverland - Theater Latte Da - August 2026

Alice In Neverland

By Phil Kenny & Reston Williams

The last show of Theater Latte Da’s 2026 Next Festival was the new musical Alice in Neverland. I was at the closing performance. Just before the show started, we learned that it is being further developed in Atlanta, GA  followed by Seattle, WA. The staged reading at Theater Latte Da was so good, that I hope we get to see Alice in Wonderland back as part of the main season at Theater Latte Da in the not so distant future. 

As you can guess from the title, this new musical is a mash up of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Similar to the play Peter and the Star Catcher, we are introduced to an origin story for Captain Hook. This story begins before Peter brings Wendy, John and Michael to Neverland. 

For this staged reading, they also had projections on the back wall of the stage. Which was great for the different scenes in the musical 

Between, the story, the songs and the cast, this was such a wonderful staged reading. It was a very night of theatre. 

The cast was a great collection of actors I have seen at Theater Latte Da before and at other stages around the Twin Cities. It was the perfect cast for this presentation. Such great comedic and vocal talent. 

Here’s the cast list from the program. Noah Hynick was superb as the Mad Hatter. Jane Bruce plays Alice, Will Dusek plays Peter, Graham Kingsberry plays James/Swordfish, and Jay Albright plays Smee. 

New York City - July 2026

I was in New York City for a long weekend and got to see seven shows in four days. I also got to do some other touristy things while I was there. 

Day 1, Thursday July 23, 2026

My flight landed at 11:00am at JFK Airport. I took the tram to Jamaica station in Queens and transferred to the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Station. I was able to make it to Bryant Park for Broadway at Bryant Park, which started at 12:30pm. They did songs from Hadestown, & Juliet, Just in Time, Maybe Happy Ending, The Lost Boys and Moulin Rouge. It was fun to finally see Broadway at Bryant Park in person. Then I had enough time to check into my hotel before my 3pm matinee. 

Titanique at the St. James Theatre

My matinee musical was Titanique. This was my third time seeing Titanique, but my first time seeing it on

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Broadway at the St. James Theatre. It had seen it twice previously Off Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theater by Union Square. 

The musical was written by Marla Mindella, Constantine Rousouli, and Tye Blue. I like to coin this musical as the little show that could and sure did do big things. The story begins at a tour of the Titanic museum. Celine Dion interrupts the tour to tell the story of Titanic from her perspective. The tour guide even tells Celine that she wasn’t in the movie, and only sang the theme song that played during the credits after the movie. That doesn’t stop her. We are taken on fun ride of the movie, narrated by Celine Dion with her music. 

I also want to point out that Marla Mindella and Constantine Rousouli also wrote and starred in the Off Broadway musical The Big Gay Jamboree that I got to see at the Orpheum Theatre in October 2024. 

Marla Mindella plays Celine Dion, Constantine Rousouli plays Jack Dawson, Melissa Barrera plays Rose DeWitt Bukater, John Riddle plays Cal Hockley, Jim Parsons plays Ruth DeWit Bukater, understudy Brad Greer was Victor Garber/Luigi, Deborah Cox was Molly Brown, and Layton Williams as the Tour Guide/Iceberg. Background vocalists were Sara Gallo, Polanco Jones Jr, and Kristina Leopoldo. 

Titanique is not only a ton of fun, but it is also one of the gayest things on Broadway. I was loving every minute of it. 

Titanique is currently scheduled to run on Broadway through September 20, 2026.  The show has also had productions in London, Toronto and Chicago. I’m hoping it get’s to Minneapolis or St. Paul someday. 

The stage before Titanique, with a gaint Heart 
Of the ocean necklace floating above the stage. 

Titanique cast during the curtain call

Schmigadoon! At the Nederlander Theatre. 

Based on the Apple TV series with book, music and lyrics by Cinco Paul 

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My evening musical was was the fun 2026 Tony Award Winning best musical Schmigadoon!

For my performance understudy Clyde Alves played Josh Skinner, Melissa Gimble was played by Sara Chase, Mildred Layton was played by Ana Gasteyer and Danny Bailey was played by Max Clayton. Such a fun cast.

The stage musical follows the first season of the Apple TV series. You have Josh and Melissa find themselves in a town that is one giant live musical with elements from so many classic stage musicals. They have to find true love in order to return to the real world. It’s a fun ride. The cast was great! The sets and costumes were so colorful too. Such a fun an uplifting show. Lots of comedy, costumes, singing, dancing and tap dancing. “Who could ask for anything more?!”

The stage, before Schmigadoon begins. 

The stage during intermission. 

Day 2, Friday July 24, 2026

During the day on Friday, I finally made it to The Bronx Zoo. On previous trips, I have been able to make it to the Zoo at Central Park, the Queen’s Zoo and the Zoo at Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The Bronx Zoo is the big one. It does take some time to enjoy that zoo. I want to say it has some similarities to the Minnesota Zoo in size and scope. 

Stranger Things: The First Shadow playing at the Marquis Theatre. 

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I had went to see this play a year ago in May 2025. At the time I had never seen not one episode of the Netflix series “Stranger Things”. It was a great prequel and introduction into the series for me. I then watched all five seasons between September and December 2025, and even went to a movie theater to see the final episode on the big screen on New Years Eve. Yeah, I really got into the series. Stranger Things: The First Shadow was my favorite stage show of 2025. It is the one show I could not stop thinking about. With it closing on Broadway in January 2027, I thought this was the perfect time to see it again live on stage. 

This time around, I was better able to relate to the story and characters. It was fun seeing a young Joyce, Bob, Harper and Henry Creel. The special effects are out of this world for this stage production. Rumor has it Stranger Things: The First Shadow will be filmed on Broadway for streaming on Netflix on a later date. The story and the special effects need to be visually preserved. 

The play goes even deeper into Henry Creel’s origin and Dr. Brenner. This show starts strong and doesn’t stop. 

You have go through the Creel House to see the play

A sign in the lobby. 

Day 3, Saturday July 25, 2026 

Cats: The Jellicle Ball, played at the Broadhurst Theatre. 

I’m one of those people who did not like the original production of Cats. I remember the marketing was “Now and Forever”, and in the mid 1990’s when I did finally see it I was like “why is this show still playing?”. The original Broadway production ran for 18 years, and was the longest running show on Broadway when it closed. Now the original production did have some things going for it, such as the music, choreography, the costumes, wigs and make up were all very creative. The show has very little of an overall story/plot, which I what I really didn’t like. 

The marquee outside of the theatre. 

Where the original production fell short, Cats: The Jellicle Ball succeeds. They took the story from an alley full of cats to a NYC Ballroom competition. Having the show infused with the NYC Ballroom scene really took Cats to a new level. Songs were grouped into Ballroom categories. And celebrity guest judges are added to the beginning of the musical. For the performance that I went to, one of the guest judges was the legendary and iconic Debbie Allen. 

The musical did also win three Tony Awards from the 2026 Tony Awards. Best Direction for Zhailon Levingston and BIll Raugh, Best Choreography for Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons and Best Costumes for a Musical went to Qween Jean. Since I went to the see the musical in July, a cast recording for Cats: The 

The stage, during intermission. 

Jellicle Ball has been announced. That is exciting news! This cast deserves to have their vocals captured on a cast recording. 

They also put a catwalk on the stage that extended into the audience, with audience members also on both sides of the stage with cabaret tables and chairs near the front of the main floor, and a DJ housed in one of the balcony theatre boxes. 

The cast was phenomenal! Andre De Sheilds is Old Deuteronomy, “Tempress” Chasity Moore is Grizabella, Sydney James Harcourt is Rum Tum Tugger, Kya Azeri is Macavity, Junior Labella is Gus “the theatre cat”, Robert “Silk” Mason is Magical Mister Mistoffelees. The whole cast was fun and fabulous and took the musical to new heights. 

The energy for this production was nonstop. I enjoyed Cats: The Jellicle Ball way more than I ever enjoyed the original production of Cats. Bringing it to present day, the NYC Ballroom scene, and all the representation on stage made this a must see production. It’s sad that while the original production played for 18 years, this revival only played for around 18 weeks. Guess it was an expensive show to produce. Although it was drawing in the crowds and seats were filling, if the show wasn’t brining in a million a week, it was loosing money. This specific early closing is raising questions about the state of Broadway and the cost of Broadway. I hope Cats: The Jellicle Ball is able to find a life after Broadway. 

For this production the trip to the heaven side layer, was a spiral staircase that descended from above and Grizabella climbed the stairs and the stairs disappeared. I thought that way of updating that moment worked really well for this setting. 

I did buy a Cats: The Jellicle Ball fan before the show started. I was using it for clapping during the production. I am amazed they did not sell out of those. That’s a fun souvenir to have. I went from strongly disliking the original production to loving everything about Cats: The Jellicle Ball. That is the impact this revival and reinterpretation is having on audiences. 

Between shows on Saturday, I went to the new observation deck at One Times Square. It’s the old New York Times building  that the square is now named after. For years it’s the building that has been covered in billboards. Now they have opened an observation deck 19 floors up. It’s a great way to see the intersection of Broadway, 7th Avenue, and 42nd Street from above. Trust me, the street level of Times Square is very full of pedestrians. You do need to buy tickets, but it is so worth it for the view. 

Les Miserables: The Arena Concert Spectacular (Miz Rocks!) at Radio City Music Hall. 

Les Miserables is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with a world tour that is almost over. The only stop for

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the tour in North America was at Radio City Music Hall for a little over three weeks. Les Miserables was the whole reason this trip had to happen for me. Les Miserables at Radio City Music Hall! It was a no brainer for me. 

For the Radio City Music Hall stop, they had three different actors rotating as Jean Val Jean and two different actors as Javert. For the night I went Alfie Boe was Jean Val Jean. He has announced that once this tour is over, he is retiring as Jean Val Jean. He has played this character off and on since the 25th Anniversary concert at the O2 in London. It was real treat to see and hear him live on stage at Radio City Music Hall. Bradley Jaden was Javert at my performance. Let me tell you, this young man has a voice. His rendition of “Stars” was so good, so powerful and so moving. Samantha Barks was Fantine. Samantha had originally played Eponine for the 25th Anniversary concert at the O2 and then was also Eponine for the 2012 film version of the musical. The Bishop of Digne was played by Philip Quast who was the original Javert for the Australian production of Les Miserables. He is also on the Complete Symphonic Cast Recording (5th Anniversary) as Javert, and was Javert at the 10th Anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall which has been dubbed “The Dream Cast”. It was so cool to see and hear him involved with the 40th Anniversary concert. Matt Lucas is also back as Thenarier, a role he has been playing off and on since the 25th Anniversary concert at the O2. Other cast members to recognize are Mariana Prior as Madame Thenardier, Shan Ako as Eponine, Jac Yarrow are Marius, Beatrice Penny-Toure as Cossett, and Christian Mark Gibbs as Enjolras. 

Radio City marquee for Les Miserables 

This was not a full stage production, it was concert production. There were costumes, scenery and projections. They had video screens for closeups, which I appreciated. And The lighting equipment played a part in scenes like “Master of the House” and “The Barricade” where the lighting equipment rigging morphed into different shapes for those scenes. A moment that I thought was staged really well was the transition from Young Cossett to Cossett. Jean Val Jean walks upstage center with Young Cossett, and walks back downstage with an older Cossett. So simple and so effective. 

The orchestra was on stage for the entire performance. They were on the upstage part of the scenery. It was nice having a large orchestra for this production. This is a great score, and Radio City is known for excellent acoustics. 

The curtain call for Les Miserables

Les Miserables at Radio City Music Hall was everything I expected it to be and so much more. 

Les Miserables is another show that I have seen many times over the years. I’ve seen the original production on tour, the 25th Anniversary production on tour, and I’ve seen it in Toronto and on Broadway. I also have many different DVD’s of the various anniversary concerts over the years. It is one of my favorite musicals. Seeing this concert production at Radio City Music Hall was simply magnifique. 

Day 4, Sunday July 26, 2026. 

I started the morning by doing a quick walk through Central Park. My matinee wasn’t until 3:00pm, Sunday morning was the best time for me to do a stroll through Central Park. I learned while I was there that the Bethesda Fountain will be closed for a year for renovations. That is one of my favorite spots to visit in Central Park. I do want that fountain to stay in tip top shape. 

Death of a Salesman, Winter Garden Theatre

My matinee was the Joe Mantello directed Tony Award revival of Death of a Salesman. The performances by

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Laurie Metcalf (Tony winning performance) and Nathan Lane were not to be missed. Nathan Lane played Willy Logan, Laurie Metcalf Linda Loman, Christopher Abbott played Biff (their son) and Ben Ahlers played Happy their second son. 

Between the script and the performances, this was a must see production. Nathan Lane is really good at drama. I had last seen him on stage in Angels in America in London back in 2017. He’s made a career out of doing comedy, but he does also excel in dramatic based roles. 

The marquee 

The side of the marquee

Masquerade

Andrew Llloyd Webbers The Phantom of the Opera may have closed on Broadway as the longest running show on Broadway, but an Off Broadway reimagining titled Masquerade is breathing new life into the story of the Phantom. 

I will try to describe this production without too many specific spoilers. It is something to experience in person, live on stage. 

First what is so interesting with this production is they do 6 productions a night. Every 15 minutes between 7:00pm and 8:30pm a new production starts. And the different productions never overlap. That is some behind the scenes information I would love to know someday. 

Masquerade is, and is not Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. It’s the got the music and the script, but it’s not linear to the original production. It’s also very up close and personal, which is so cool. So many times the cast was right next to me. There are additional scenes about the Phantom’s origin as a freak performing at a circus before he escapes and hides out in the catacombs beneath the Opera house. The song “Learn to be Lonely” from the credits of the 2004 Phantom of the Opera movie is also part of this production. 

Part of the fun, is everyone dresses up for this production and wears a mask the for the entire production. If you don’t have a mask, they will provide one. Every square inch of the building at 218 West 57th Street in NYC is used for this production. From the basement to the rooftop. We go up and we down and we go all around the space. If you are familiar with the Phantom of the Opera musical, you can guess what scenes are staged on the rooftop. I will not give that away. 

I have seen Phantom of the Opera numerous times over the years, on tour, in Las Vegas, on Broadway, in London, the “new” tour in the teens, and now the reimaged version that was just in Minneapolis on tour November of 2025. I still say the Las Vegas production was the most spectacular! How could it not be, it’s Vegas after all. This production has a lot going for it with the intimate experience and the changing of locations. It is Phantom of the Opera as you have never experienced it before.

The production is directed by Diane Paulus. For my 7:15pm performance the following actors were in my cast. Christine was played by Halie Ferrier, Madame Giry was played by Nicole Ferguson, Andre was played by Matthew Curiano, Firmin was played by Mark Banik, Raul was played by Francisco Javier Gonzalez, Carlotta was played Betty Morgan, Piagni was played by Sean Seamus Thompson, and the Phantom was played by Nicholas Edwards. 

I definitely recommend Masquerade.

Day 5, Monday July 27, 2026 was really just a travel day. I had a 12:00pm return flight. It was a great long weekend of theatre.

The Hobbit - Zephyr Theatre - August 2026

The Hobbit

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Written for the stage by Greg Banks

Review by Ernest Edwards

Zephyr Theatre found a great venue for producing the play The Hobbit this summer. Outdoors at Aamodt’s Apple Farm in Stillwater. The play is based on the Tolkien book of the same name. I was at the closing weekend of the play. It was excellent. Well done! 

It is the same script that was used by Theatre in the Round this spring. Zephyr Theatre has a smaller cast and also trimmed the script to be a 90 minute play with no intermission. Both productions were wonderful. I really can’t say one was better than the other. It was fun seeing a play outdoors with the woods in the background. 

Actor Jeffry Nolan played all the “creatures”. When he wasn’t being the dwarf named Kili, he was a goblin, a troll, Gollum, a giant spider, and Smaug the dragon. He was definitely earning his sweat during this play. Bilbo was played by Grace Hillmyer, Gandalf was played by Antonisia Collins, Thorin was played by Brandon Brooks, and Anya Naylor was Balin. In addition there was some double and triple casting going on with the cast. There’s a lot of characters in The Hobbit.

While the show did close over the weekend. I want to say producing a play at Aamodt’s Apple Farm is a great idea. I hope Zephyr Theatre makes outdoor shows an annual event. 

The stage, before the play begins. 

In The Heights - Artistry - August 2026

In The Heights

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Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Book by Quiara Algeria Hudes

Review by Ernest Edwards

The 2008 Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In The Heights is on the stage at Artistry in Bloomington this summer. This musical is timely for 2026. It is a sizzling sensation on the stage. It’s definitely a run night at the theatre. 

The story focuses on a street in Washington Heights in Manhattan. On this street there is a thriving Latino community, with folks from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico and more. There is a hair saloon, a car service, and a bodega, but most importantly they all treat each other like family. They are a community. This community takes care of each other. 

The best part of the musical is the cast. Director Maya Garcia has assembled a great cast to share the stage with Scenic Designer Eli Sherlock’s scenery, and embody Abby Magalee’s choreography. Usnavie is played by Andres-Roman Wood, Abuela Claudio is played by Jen Santoro Botty, Vanessa is played by Janely Rodriguez, Camilia is played by Lisa Vogel, Benny is played by Chris Owusu, Nina is played by Raquel Ponce, Daniella is played by Julia Diaz, Carlo is played by Isa Condo-Olvera, Kevin Rosario is played by Pedro R. Bayon. 

The character of Usnavie is kind of the narrator of the story, but his is also part of the story. Actor Andres-Roman Wood is in his final year of at the University of Minnesota. I would like to see how his acting career grows from here.  

What I really liked about the scenery, is how it does feel like a street from upper Manhattan. Artistry brought Manhattan to the Twin Cities with this scenic design. 

It had been over a decade since I had seen the National Tour before the movie version came out. Now that’s only been a few years since I have seen the film, I can better compare the stage musical and the Hollywood treatment it received as a movie musical. As always with Hollywood, there some tweaks made to the movie musical. Both the stage musical and movie musical represents the story in similar ways. Both are excellent versions of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s concept. 

We all know Lin-Manuel Miranda has an even more famous stage musical out there. A little show called Hamilton that is now celebrating 11 years on Broadway. It was with In The Heights that we first got to hear his way of telling a story with the styles of rap in some of the songs. The opening song “In The Heights” gets us in the mood for some excellent Latino inspired story telling. 

This sensational musical is live on stage through August 23, 2026. Check out www.artistrymn.org for ticket. This is a hot ticket for the 2026 summer theatre season. 

Black Girl In Paris - Theater Latte Da - July 2026

Black Girl in Paris

Words by AriDy Nox, Music by Jacinth Greywoode

Review by Ernest Edwards

Black Girl in Paris is the first new show to have a staged reading for Theater Latte Da’s 2026 Next Festival. We were treated to the first act of this new musical. Black Girl in Paris is about Sally Heming when she arrives in Paris with Thomas Jefferson’s daughter Patsy. The story takes place on the eve of the French Revolution. (Thomas Jefferson was in Paris from 1784-1789) Sally’s brother, James, was already in Paris with Thomas Jefferson. He was learning to be a chef. He was also fluent in French. Sally has a lot to learn about French language, manners, and society. Freed slave Marie-Jeanne takes Sally under her wing and tutors her in the things she doesn’t know. Sally quickly learns that Paris is definitely not Virginia. 

As depicted in the musical, Thomas Jefferson was realizing that the United States was created on the backs of slavery. He is looking at abolishing slavery in America, but his plan was then to just send the slaves back to Africa. We all know that is not what happened with American history. 

As this first act ends, Thomas Jefferson asks Sally Heming to spend the night in his bedchambers. Sally has a decision to make. 

I hope that some day we get to see a staged reading of the full show. Seeing Sally Heming in Paris is not a part of her history that I was aware of before. This story was both fascinating and informative. 

Some of the cast that I want to call out from the staged reading are Rajane Katurah as Sally, Nubia Monks as Mama, Richard S. Rigmaiden IV as James, Sasha Andreev as Thomas Jefferson, Audrey Parker as Patsy, and Deidre Cochran as Marie-Jeanne. 

There are two additional new shows getting staged readings coming up through August 10, 2026. Check out www.latteda.org for tickets. 

Slip - Yellowtree Theatre - July 2026

Slip

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By Michael Egan

Review by Ernest Edwards

This year I was able to see one out of the three shows that Yellowtree Theatre are presenting as part of their The Playwright Festival. These are new works that get staged readings, which is an important part of the process when working on new works. It’s great to be a member of the audience. Your reactions help the playwright know what is and is not working. 

The play I was able to see is Slip by Michael Egan. I was at the final performance of the play. It’s a play dealing with a parent who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. The playwright has also dedicated this play to his parents. 

There is a great cast who perform the stage reading of Slip at Yellowtree Theatre. Mick, the Dad is played by Stephen Yoakam, Mary, the Mom, is played by Molly Sue McDonald, Patrick is played by Michael Egan, and Lee is played by Thomasina Petrus. 

It’s a very powerful play that spans several months. We see the affects of Alzheimer’s on Mick and how it affects his son Patrick and the nurse Lee. As the show goes on, we also discover that Mary is a figment of Mick’s imagination. She has been dead for years now. 

The play ran for 90 minutes. I for one, would like to see this story become a fully staged play someday. It was very moving and powerful. 

Yellowtree Theatre has also announced the shows for Season 19. Check out www.yellowtreetheatre.com for more information on Season 19 and how to purchase tickets.