Pagliacci - MNOpera - May 2026

Pagliacci

Program Cover

Music and Libretto by Ruggero Leonavallo

Review By Ernest Edwards

MN Opera is closing out their 2025/2026 season at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts with their production of Pagliacci. 

One of the things I really like with this opera is the run time. Including the intermission it’s about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Even on an opening Saturday night, that run time can be music to one’s ears.  I have nothing against shows that range from 2-1/2 hours, to 3 hours to 4 hours. It’s nice, once in a while to have such a short run time. Downtown St. Paul was crazy last night, with the watch party for The MN Wild’s playoff game at the same time as the MN Opera production.

In addition to the vocal talent, what I really liked with this opera was the scenery. There was a reason they kept the curtain closed before the show began. The scenery contained the cars from a traveling circus inside of a warehouse. For this production they began the story in the 1970’s and then went back in time to the 1930’s for the main parts of the story. 

So many great vocals and talent with this cast. Amanda Batista as Nedda, Won Whi Choi as Canio, David Wolfe as Silvio and Reginald Smith Jr as Tonio. 

This production is rich in visuals, with both the costumes and scenery. While this opera is beautiful in many ways, the story has a tragic ending. 

This gorgeous production runs through May 17, 2026. Check out www.mnopera.org for tickets. 

The Hobbit - Theatre in the Round - May 2026

The Hobbit

The program cover

Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien

Adapted for the stage by Greg Banks

Review by Ernest Edwards

The Hobbit. As a play? Is it any good? It’s better than good, it’s absolutely fabulous!!!

Theatre in the Round has one of the best plays currently in production in the Twin Cities.  

This faithful adaption of the story of The Hobbit, is told by 10 actors who play all the roles. This play has it all, a story, adventure, dwarves, a wizard, goblins, trolls, eagles, spiders, elves, wolves and a dragon. All of this is accomplished with simple stage craft and stage magic. The results are simply amazing. One of the best nights at the theatre that I have ever had. 

It was fun listening to fellow audience members during the intermission and walking to the parking ramp after the show. Everyone was talking about the scene with the eagles. That scene definitely leaves a lasting impression. 

This play made its premiere in 2019. The concept for this story is a dark utopian future in the year 2056. 30 years after “the incident.” There’s an acting troupe who was going to tell us the story of The Hobbit. They couldn’t make it, but this group of performers has seen the show many times before, and they also have the costumes and props. Don’t let hearing this turn you away from the play. Once the story begins, you are hooked. This is The Hobbit. All the key moments are there. The way they did Smaug the dragon was perfect. 

This show kept on delivering and delivering. It didn’t stop with the surprises, nor the story, nor the stage magic. 

Director Scott Gilbert has a very fine cast with The Hobbit. The cast is lead by Isabelle Hopewell as Bilbo Baggins. Two of the many characters played by Wini Froelich are Gandalph and the Elf Queen. One of the many characters played by Bryce Kalal is Thorin Oakenshield. 

Shout out to the scenery and props designers, for whom this play would be nothing without their creativity of taking us to Middle Earth. There and back again. On an unexpected journey. The Set was designed by Keven Lock, with assistant set designers Ash Aurig and Nomi. Props were designed by Elliott Van Winkle. We also need to mention the costumes for this play. Very fun and creative. Costumes Design Coordinator is Constance C. M’allowince, along with Costume Design Contributor Hunter Goldsmith. 

Get your tickets for an adventure. Some performances are already selling out. The play runs through May 31, 2026. Check out www.theatreintheround.org for tickets. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Hennepin Arts - April 2026

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Marquee

Based on a new story by J.K.Rowling, Jack Thorne, & John Tiffany

A new play by Jack Thorne

There is magic on stage at the Orpheum Theatre. The special effects are out of this world. It’s a treat for the whole family. 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the new eighth story in the Harry Potter franchise. The story in the play takes place right after the ending in the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” book/the ending in the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” movie. The story begins 19 years after the events of the Battle for Hogwarts.The gang is at Kings Cross Station in London, watching the next generation hop on the Hogwarts Express for their first year at Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are sending their daughter Rose to school. Harry and Ginny are sending their youngest child Albus Severus Potter to Hogwarts. On the train Albus befriends Scorpious Malfoy, Draco Malfoy’s son. 

The play has been around since June 2016. I can’t believe we are still keeping the secret of what happens

The stage, before the play begins

in the story. I will also keep up the trend. In addition to the magic and special effects, it’s an excellent story that has lost of twist and turns. I do have the play script on a bookshelf at home right next to the rest of the Harry Potter series. 

Here’s my history with the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. When tickets first went on sale for the London production in the summer 2015, they kept adding dates, so my friends and I ended up purchasing tickets for May 2017. We knew almost two years ahead of time that we were seeing the show. We had a fun week of sight seeing and West End productions on that trip. We got the see the original lead actors in the cast just before they departed the production later in the month. The original version of the play was in two parts and had a total run time of 5 hours. We did parts 1 and 2 the same day on a Saturday. After life starting getting back to normal after 2020, we went to see the new 3 hour version on Broadway spring of 2022. At the core it was the same play. It was nicely edited down. I went again in December 2025, because actor Tom Felton was making his Broadway debut and reprising the role of Draco Malfoy that he played in the film franchise. Last night I went to see the National Tour that is in town at the Orpheum Theatre through May 17th. For the previous times I have seen the play in London and on Broadway, I have had main floor seats. For the Broadway on Hennepin season, my season seat is in the balcony. This was the first time that I was seeing designs, pattern ands lettering on the stage floor. That was fun & new for me. On tour the show is like 98% the same as on Broadway. There’s just a some very minor tweaks for the National Tour, but the show is the same as what you see on Broadway. 

As I have seen this play multiple times, I have had different opinions on it. At first I thought it was

Photo of National Tour by Evan Zimmerman

Albus’s story. Then with my December 2025 showing on Broadway, I felt like it was more Scorpious’s story. After seeing it again, I feel like it’s equally Albus and Scorpious’s story. They are best friends. The kind of friendship that rivals the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione. 

It was fun seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Orpheum Theatre last night. During intermission I heard several people asking “how did they do that?”. All of the magi on stage was spurring conversation amongst the patrons. 

The scenery is designed by Christine Jones. The scenery flows effortlessly from Kings Cross Station, to various locations within Hogwarts and transforms into the Forbidden Forest. Costume Desinger Katrina Lindsay is part of the magic with the costumes. The rest of the magic is brought to us by Lighting Designer Neil Austin, Sound Designer Garett Fry, and Illusions & Magic design by Jamie Harrison. I would love some behinds the scenes information on the magic and special effects in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  

There are some standouts in the cast for the National Tour. Nick Dillenburg is originally from the Twin Cities. There’s a nice two page interview with him in the program. He is cast as Harry Potter for the tour. David Fine is Scorpious Malfoy, Adam Grant Morrison is Albus Potter, Julie Nightingale as Delphi Diggory, Ryan Hallahan as Draco Malfoy, Abbi Hawk as Ginny Potter, Matt Harrington as Ron Weasley, Rachel Leslie as Hermione Grainger. 

For a magical good time, grab your wands and take the Hogwarts Express to the Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. The play runs through May 17, 2026. Check out www.hennepinarts.org for tickets. Don’t forget to check out the merchandise stand in the lobby of the Orpheum. If you are ever in New York City, also check out the Harry Potter Store, it’s located near Madison Square Park. 

Frozen: The Broadway Musical - Great Theatre - April 2026

Frozen

Program Cover

Music & Lyrics by Kirsten Anderson- Lopez and Robert Lopez

Book by Jennifer Lee

Review by Ernest Edwards

Great Theatre is presenting Disney’s Frozen at the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown St. Cloud. I have never been to this theatre before. It’s a gorgeous venue. Next season Great Theatre is producing Les Miserables, which I think will be perfect at the Paramount Center for the Arts. 

The stage musical is based on the 2013 Disney animated movie of the same name. For the 2018 transfer to Broadway, they expanded the script and added some additional songs. The stage musical is just as much fun and visually spectacular as the movie if not more so. 

There’s lots of great information in the program about Disney adapting the story from the Hans Christian

The marquee

Anderson tale of the Snow Queen. I learned that Disney had been trying to adapt the story since the late 1930’s. The journey to the movie we now know as Frozen is a wonderful read. There’s also information in the program about Nordic traditions. The fictional city of Arendelle, where Frozen takes place,  is somewhere in the Scandinavian peninsula. 

The story of Disney’s Frozen focuses on the sisters Elsa and Anna. As children they are close. Elsa has abilities with ice and snow. When she accidentally injures Anna as a child, Elsa stays in her own room in the castle. Several years after their parents boat sinks, Elsa is now old enough to be coronated as Queen. Things don’t get well at the Coronation. Elsa’s powers are revealed to all, and the she flees for the mountains. Unaware that she placed Arendelle in a blizzard in the middle of summer. 

The stage, before the musical began

The story of Frozen is about the power of love and the strength of two sisters who have an unbreakable bond. Both have some learning to do about life. They have been isolated in the castle for years. Now it’s time to intermingle with the people from the kingdom and keep those castle gates open year round. 

A fun side affect of Elsa’s magic is bringing the snowman Olaf to life. The act one finale is the song “Let It Go.” That song/scene does not disappoint with Great Theatre’s production. 

What I really liked in the program is the biographies of the cast and crew. They start out with everyone’s day job and then goes into their theatrical experiences. I liked that Great Theatre was showcasing their lives outside of the theatre. Normally you only see their theatre history listed. The Great Theatre has double cast the leads for Frozen. There’s the Snow Cast and the Frost Cast. I had the Snow Cast at the performance I went to. 

There’s only one weekend left to see this wonderful production of Frozen at the Paramount Center for the Arts. It closes on Sunday May 3, 2026. Check out www.greattheatre.org for tickets. 

The SpongeBob Musical

The SpongeBob Musical

The Program Cover

Book by Kyle Jarrod

Original Songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coultron, Alex Elbert of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady A, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, They Might Be Giants, TI, and songs by David Bowie, Tom Kenny, and Andy Paley. Additional Lyrics by Jonathan Coultron, Additional music by Tom Kitt. 

Over the weekend I went to the matinee performance on the last day of production for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Department of Theatre production of The SpongeBob Musical at the Marshall Performing Arts Center. Even before the musical begins, there’s some activities to get you in the mood in the lobby. You could make yourself a pirate hat, or your own SpongeBob and much more. There was lots of signs up on the lobby about the sustainability of the scenery and costumes, which was a fun read before the show began. 

The stage was very fun looking at the top of the show. At the start of the show, all of the action was taking place in

The stage, before the musical began

front of the stage curtain. Once they said “Welcome to Bikini Bottom!” then the curtain opened to reveal the rest of the scenery and stage space for the musical. 

Director/Choreograher Matthew Wagner help lead the cast into the fun and zaniness of the script. So many moments that had us all laughing out loud. Such a fun joyous musical. I don’t even think hilarious is the right word to describe this production. It was great to let the guard down and enjoy the fun ride with this gang from Bikini Bottom. 

You do not need to be familiar with the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants to enjoy The SpongeBob Musical. It’s a great stand alone story. The town has discovered that the volcano will erupt at sunset tomorrow. They need to find a way to stop the volcano or relocate. The evil Sheldon J. Plankton and his wife Karen have a scheme on how to save the town and hypnotize the residents so their restaurant will be the only one in business. It’s up to SpongeBob, Patrick (the starfish) and, Sandy Cheeks (the squirrel) to stop the volcano and save the town. Sheldon and Karen would try everything to stop them, including creating an avalanche. 

The entire cast had so much energy and cranked up the fun meter to 120%. There are some cast members that I should mention for their outstanding performances. Noah Jetland as SpongeBob SquarePants, Tate Nowacki as Patrick Star, Erik Rasmussen as Squidward Q. Tentacles, Emerson Spenser as the French Narrator, Solymar Romero as Patchy the Pirate, Phuong Nguyen as Karen the Computer, Hope Davis as Sandy Cheeks, and let’s not forget Aaron J. Dumalag as Sheldon D. Plankton. Aaron J. Dumalag as Sheldon D. Plankton, to quote Rupaul “he had uniqueness, nerve, talent and charisma”. 

From the pre show to the curtain call, this show was a blast! 

The stage, during intermission

Scenery was designed by Curtis Phillips, Costumes by Caitlin Quinn, Hair & makeup by Morgan Royals, and Lighting was designed by Richard Tamayo. These four artists helped to create the world of Bikini Bottom and bring it life with such wonderful results. 

UMD Theatre has announced their 2026/2027 season. The season begins with MacBeth in October, Everybody in November, Dance Works in December, Rhythm, Rum, Rise in  February, and Sweeney Todd in April. Looks like a fun season. 

The Wizard of Oz - Children’s Theatre Company - April 2026

The Wizard of Oz

Program Cover

By Frank L. Baum, with Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg

Based on the classic motion picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co and distributed by Warner Bros. 

Review by Ernest Edwards

This stage production of the classic The Wizard of Oz is very true to the 1939 movie of the same name. Similar to the movie there is some double casting going on. The three farm hands named Zeke, Hickory, and Hunk do have some easter eggs about which characters they will be once we go over that rainbow after the tornado scene. 

Just like in the movie Professor Marvel is also the Wizard, Almira Gultch is also the Wicked Witch of the West. In this stage production the actress playing Aunt Em is also Glinda the Witch of the North. 

Got to give some props to the Scenic Designer Adam Koch, Costume Designer Lex Liang, Lighting

The stage, before the musical begins

Designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Sound Designer Reid Resja, and Projection Designer Kylee Loera. At the helm of this production is Director Rick Dildine, who expertly guides this cast and crew into a wonderful production that is both familiar and new. Technology from 2026, does a lot to enhance this stage musical with projections and special affects. The production team knocked this show out of the park! I know, a baseball reference, but it is a true description of the work that went into this stage production. 

The night that I went to the show, actress Aniya Bostick was playing the role of Dorothy. The role of Dorothy has been double cast and there’s two different actresses playing her.  

This is a very talented cast. Zeke/Cowardly Lion is played by Reed Sigmund, Hickory/Tin Man is played by Regina Marie Williams, Hunk/Scarecrow is played by Dean Holt, Aunt Em/Glinda is played by Becca Claire Hart, Uncle Henry/Gatekeeper is played by Riley McNutt, and Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch of the West is played by Autumn Ness. I had a great view of the stage from row O on the main floor, but I spent most of the show saying to myself “I know that voice” of the actor who played the Wizard. I read the cast list after the show, and noticed the actor who played Professor Marvel/The Wizard is JoeNathan Thomas, who played the General in White Christmas the past two holiday seasons at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. That’s where I have heard his voice before. 

If you are a fan of the classic movie, then get out and see this wonderful production. The special effects

The stage, during intermission

are out of this world. Especially the tornado scene with Dorothy. If you have never seen The Wizard of Oz before, this wonderful and fabulous stage production will be a great introduction to this classic story. 

The Wizard of Oz is a must see production. I cannot recommend it enough. 

Buy yourself some tickets and go over the rainbow at The Children’s Theatre Company. The musical runs through June 14, 2026. Tickets are available at www.childrenstheatre.org. 

Guys & Dolls - Chanhassen Dinner Theatres - April 2026

Guys & Dolls

Program Cover

Music and Lyrics by Frank Loessor

Book by Jo Sterling & Abe Burrows 

Review by Ernest Edwards

Guys & Dolls is a good old fashioned musical from the golden age of Broadway. Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s production of Guys & Dolls checks all the boxes. Songs, sets, story, choreography, cast, costumes. Check, check, check, check, check, and check!

The musical premiered on Broadway in 1950, and takes place in NYC in the late 1940’s. There was also a movie made in 1955 that featured Marlon Brandon, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Viviane Blaine. 

The story follows Nathan Detroit and his never ending game of craps. They have to keep changing the location to keep the police, Lt. Brannigan, off their trail. Nathan has been engaged to Adelaide for 14 years, and she wants to get married. Gambler Sky Masterson is back in town, and Nathan bets Sky he can’t get Sarah Brown from the Save A Soul Mission to go on a date with him. Lots of hilarity ensues from there. Place your bets on excitement. Buckle up, you are in a for ride with Guys & Dolls. It’s such a fun musical, you can’t but feel happy long after the musical is over. 

This production is directed and co-choreographed by Tamara Kangas, with co-choreography by Linda

The stage, before the musical begins

Talcott Lee. This is Tamara’s first production that she has directed since taking over the reins at CDT. This is an impressive first foray. I can’t wait to see what she does next. She is playing with a full house. 

Let’s talk about those costumes by Rich Hamson. Gorgeous is not even the right word. That is what the costumes are. I tell you, this stage musical was presented in technicolor! From the ladies costumes, to the Hot Box girls, to the guys suits. Everything was visually spectacular. I also liked the scenery designed by Nayna Ramey. There were parts of the main stage space I had never seen used before. The backdrop for NYC was perfect. The scenery effortlessly changed for each scene. I also really liked the Guys & Dolls sign that was upstage center before the show started, and came back during intermission and at the end of the show. The neon outlines of the NYC skyline on either sides of the stage was nice too, especially the silhouette of the Brooklyn Bridge. 

This score by Frank Loessor has some of the most fun and memorable songs on Broadway. You will 

Photo by Dan Norman

recognize several of the songs from Guys & Dolls. 

The cast is lead by a fabulous foursome. Nathan Detroit is played by Charlie Clark, Miss Adelaide is played by Madeline Trumble, Sarah Brown is played by Sara Masterson, Sky Masterson is played by Shad Hanley. Other notable performances are Arvide Abernathy played by local favorite Tod Petersen. Other cast members that I recognize are Tony Vierling, Michael Gruber, Ryan London Levin, Armando Harlow Ronconi, and Jon Andrew Hegge. 

Adelaide has lots of great moments in this production. Matthew Hall as Nicely-Nicely Johnson, brings down the house with the second act number “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat”. 

We all won the dice toss with Guys & Dolls. 

Guys & Dolls runs through September 25, 2026. Check out www.chanhassendt.com for tickets.