Spring brings "Funny Things"

Tuesday, May 3:

It looks to me as if spring has sprung! And just in time since John Command begins rehearsing his Jungle production of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum tonight—and he is riding high with the Star Tribune’s rave reviews for his production of Kiss Me Kate at Bloomington Civic (see the review here).

We are so excited to have John on board directing his first Jungle show – and what a great show it is: fun, hilarious, good natured and just what the doctor ordered! The show stars Claudia Wilkens and Richard Ooms (a real life husband and wife!) playing the show’s married couple Senex and Domina, Bradley Greenwald as Miles Gloriosus, the self-important centurian, and, introducing to the Jungle stage in the leading role of Pseudolus (the slave who seeks his freedom), the fantastic Christopher Teipner.

Mr. Command is being assisted by Chris Fournier, known locally as Chris Black. She choreographed the first production of a musical at Chanhassen (How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying) and appeared on Broadway in Sweet Charity. We are thrilled to have her on board.

I’m about to run over to Old Arizona to see how the set model (I am designing) fared on its ride over from the Jungle and to hear the first read-through of the script. More to come…

Wednesday, May 4:

And this morning spring is still here! How terrific. The read-through of Forum last night was simply wonderful. The cast that Mr. Command has assembled is stunning all the way down to the smallest part! The voices were marvelous, the leads, hilarious (Chris Teipner is going to be fabulous as Psuedolus and he has a great voice to boot; Bradley will outdo himself as Miles Gloriosus, and Claudia and Richard were hysterical as Domina and Senex).

If you love a big old musical, get your tickets now. I’m betting on a smash hit! Plus, it’s the perfect fun evening for a summer’s night. And have I ever told you about our fabulous group sales guru, Deb? If you’ve got a card club, garden club, book club, theater club, this is a great show for you. Call her at (612) 278-0147 and she will get you set up.

And don’t forget the fabulous restaurants that ring the theater: Heidi’s, It’s Greek to Me (with its charming outdoor patio), Risotto, Fuji Ya, Moto-I (across the street with a lovely roof top terrace) and Bryant Lake Bowl.

Shirley Valentine Closes

Shirley Valentine closed with a final stunning performance by star Cheryl Willis on Sunday, March 20th. Cheryl has been the toast of the town for the past six weeks, the box office phone has been ringing off the hook – one would be hard put to find an audience member who was not totally enchanted and delighted by this incredible performance. 

photo by Michal Daniel

Closing night also happened to be Cheryl’s birthday (which one? not from my lips!). Her husband, C. Andrew Mayer (who also happens to be a Jungle Sound Designer), and I hosted a birthday bash in the lobby after the show to celebrate. Food, drink, three birthday cakes (one a cherry-chocolate sheet cake made by Cheryl’s mother-in law, Jewel Mayer, who gave a lovely toast to the birthday girl at evening’s end), sandwiches assembled by Cheryl’s two sisters, Patsy and Debby, who flew in from hometown Liverpool just for the show (Cheryl herself hails from the home of Beatle-mania) to support their uber talented sister. The party (to which the entire audience was invited!) went on until well after midnight!

The next day when I arrived at the theater at nine in the morning, the crew had already disassembled the Greek Island of Santorini and the huge void of the stage loomed once again, expectant, awaiting Joel’s set for Next Fall, which opens Friday, April 8. This touching and funny play, the talk-of-the-town in New York last year, is receiving its local premiere at the Jungle. Order you tickets now—you will love it.

Bye for now. One more storm – then SPRING!

Beautiful Changes at the Jungle

The weather is warming up—how beautiful is that?! April is almost here and before we know it spring will be coming in!

Those of you who have driven by the Jungle at night have undoubtedly noticed the glowing red awnings on the newly refurbished façade of the Jungle. Isn’t it stunning now the Jungle Theater sign has been raised up to the top of the building? Inside, for those of you who were fortunate enough to see Cheryl Willis’s superb portrayal of Shirley Valentine, you have also seen the redecorated Jungle auditorium with the deep red and antique gold panels in the walls and the red velvet curtains in the arches—all of which makes our auditorium one of the most inviting, welcoming and comforting rooms in town! 

AND in May, as soon as the spring is truly here, we will begin painting a gorgeous mural (designed by artist Betsy Cole) on the outside wall of the back of the theater:  30-foot tall red hibiscus flutes surrounded by branches of huge white plumeria blossoms, and all in celebration of the theater’s 21st birthday. So come on down, see a show and experience one of the most exquisite theater renewals in town!

And speaking of, next up on this year’s superlative Jungle season is director Joel Sass’s fabulous production of Next Fall, featuring veteran actor Stephen Yoakam along with several fantastic new faces. Joel has designed a stunning set, and the play itself is a stunner. I know you will find this experience unusually rich, moving, humorous and heartwarming.

If you don’t have season tickets, buy a three-play package and save up to 20% on tickets. You deserve great theater all year and the Jungle will not disappoint: play after play, season after season, the quality of the work on the Jungle stage just keeps getting better and better, show after show, year after year. And, believe me, it’s all for YOU. The Jungle is YOUR neighborhood theater!

Cheryl Willis is Shirley Valentine!

Now that we have moved from the rehearsal space at Old Arizona to the theater itself, where the set for the opening production of the Jungle’s 21st Birthday Season is being completed, we have begun to make the ultimate transition to the production’s real world, its home for the next two months.

And whom do we find at home on the Jungle stage this February but Cheryl Willis, the star of Willy Russell’s formidable one woman show, Shirley Valentine. Cheryl plays the legendary Shirley Valentine, that housewife from Liverpool who, on a two-week trip to Greece, experiences a new and revolutionary connection to self that illumines her world.

Cheryl herself hails from Liverpool and imbues the text with a musicality and an authenticity that is almost impossible for an American actor to achieve. The charm of the Liverpool accent is rarely heard on American stages and since so much of a character’s persona and spirit rests in the authenticity and specificity of dialect, the Jungle is truly blessed to have Cheryl essaying the life-changing journey of Shirley Valentine (as the Past that was her Present morphs into the dynamic new shape of NOW).

Don’t miss the charm and lyricism, toughness and delicacy that Cheryl brings to the role. Join me for an inspiring, breakout performance of this immensely gifted actress! 

The Jungle comes of age on its 21st birthday!

What a whirlwind! The rehearsals for Shirley Valentine are going swimmingly – Cheryl Willis is stunning as Shirley. The performance continues to grow by leaps and bounds. We had a photo call this weekend for the media and the pictures are so beautiful—Cheryl against white and then Photoshopped onto a background of a beach in Greece.

For the Jungle’s 21^st Birthday Season we are giving the theater a facelift, beautifying the auditorium with red and gold panels. You will be surprised, believe me, at how warm and comfortable it is! The front of the theater has new red awnings and vertical white lights that shoot up the columns. All is being renewed, bringing a new energy and freshness to our little theater!

In addition to the daily work on the opening show of Season 2011, John Novak, Company Stage Manager, and I have been auditioning for Hamlet. Two weekends ago we saw 280 actors (!), all of whom presented a memorized monologue. Then, the following weekend we had the initial call back audition with 45 actors selected from the larger initial group. And this coming weekend we will narrow this group down to 20 and cast the show!

Joel Sass has a full company of actors for Next Fall with Stephen Yoakam as the lead horse. John Command, director of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, has also finished casting his show with Claudia Wilkens, her husband Richard Ooms and Bradley Greenwald leading a cast of 20! This is the theater’s first big Broadway book musical and should raise the roof of the Jungle.

Drive safely through our winter wonderland and see you at Shirley Valentine!

Fully Committed Returns!

The energy around the theater is revving up as it always does before an opening, but this opening  seems so doggone special! Nathan is just sensational in his role (Sam!) which (if you all remember) he played 8 years ago! Then he was in his early 20’s and now (time is a bird and the bird IS on the wing!)—now he is 30 and what a difference a decade makes! His performance has grown by leaps and bounds— for those of you who remember it from the first incarnation you know how brilliant it was then –NOW it is truly incredible. What a gifted guy he is!  And how lucky we are to get some of that good ol’ Jeune Lune magic back in town and HERE AT THE JUNGLE! Good things never die!

Nathan Keepers 2010 © Michal Daniel

Speaking of good things: Joel Sass’s production of 39 STEPS opens at the Guthrie on Friday night, too. From all reports, the preview audiences have been giving it a standing ovation nightly. Casey (the director of Fully Committed) saw one of the previews and reports that it is fun, funny and beautifully done. Bravo, Joel! And another Bravo to 39 STEPS star Sarah Agnew (who will ever forget her splendid Syringa Tree here at Jungle home plate?)

Now the election is over, the pendulum swings right and America is still America –“did you ever see a lassie go this way and that way, go this way and that.” That old song. We know it well. But whatever your persuasion, we keep on goin’, bangin’ heads, bringin’ in the joy, roaring our laughter, singing our “new days” at every table we join. It’s a People’s Republic and down here at the Jungle we are going to make the most of it! 2011 season tickets are now on sale (a great season line up – with a Jungle Hamlet to boot)—get ‘em for your family, encourage your friends to come along! Heidi’s Restaurant will be opening after the New Year (where Vera’s WAS), the Uptown Bar will be moving into the movie theater across the street—and our real life on the avenue just keeps getting’ better and better. SOOOOO—See you around!