It was a year of horndogs, hauntings, joy and pain: the best of 2019 arts and entertainment included these 10 stage shows.
In 2019, the best of Twin Cities theater brought horny laughs, chilling drama and witty murderers
The best of what graced Twin Cities stages this year.
December 20, 2019 at 6:24PM
1. Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant. The degree of difficulty in creating a new stage musical is enormous, but Keith Hovis' semi-autobiographical show about four sarcastic adultolescents nailed it and Park Square Theatre gave it a bigger stage after its Minnesota Fringe Festival debut.
2. The Brothers Paranormal. In a lifetime of theatergoing, I can count on two hands the genuinely scary stage experiences I've had. Theater Mu and Penumbra's creepy take on cultural dislocation is one of 'em.
3. A Little Night Music. Peter Rothstein and Theater Latté Da's version of the Stephen Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler classic was elegant and emotional, capped by Sally Wingert's witty, wounded Desiree Armfeldt.
4. As You Like It. The Guthrie brightened up winter with Lavina Jadhwani's loosey-goosey, gender-fluid, horned-up staging of Shakespeare's beloved romantic comedy. It all ended with a dance party because — in February, in Minnesota — that's exactly what we need.
5. My Sister in This House. Four women — two privileged and clueless, two poor and angry — enact the class struggle in one cramped house. Theatre Pro Rata found layers of contemporary meaning in the haunting period drama.
6. Benevolence. The brutal murder of Emmett Till reverberates throughout Ifa Bayeza's drama at Penumbra, featuring a spectacular performance from Dame-Jasmine Hughes. The good news for theatergoers is Bayeza's Till trilogy still has one more play to go.
7. The Children. Linda Kelsey, Stephen Yoakam and Laila Robins dazzled at Jungle Theater as three older adults confronting the end of the world and wondering if they can do anything about it.
8. A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. The only one of these 10 shows that's still running is Old Log's assured production of the hilarious musical about a social climber with a homicidal bent and a gift for improvisation.
9. Cry It Out. More roles for Katie Consamus, please! She was quick-witted and original in a Yellow Tree Theatre comedy that took the issues that young moms face very seriously.
10. The Sins of Sor Juana. Ten Thousand Things' confident production spotlighted a nun willing to suffer to find the answer to one question, "Why instill curiosity in women and then punish them for having it?"
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Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
