My 10 Favorite Minnesota Theater Moments of 2023

If you stood on the lip of a stage looking out into an audience, which would you rather see: 2,600 people on their feet whistling and cheering? Or a half-empty theater in Uptown or a similarly sparse high school auditorium in the suburbs? From the performer’s perspective, 10 times out of 10 you’re going to choose the full house standing O.

But I’m not a performer. I’m an audience member, one who goes to the theater not simply to be entertained or even always to populate this blog with reviews and writeups (a few shows I saw this year I didn’t find time to write about at all, including Hamlet at the Guthrie and The Root Beer Lady at the History Theatre); I go to the theater to be be inspired, challenged and energized, along with being entertained.

That’s my way of saying that, despite being in the audience for a number of sold out, highly publicized, and critically acclaimed productions this year, those weren’t (necessarily) the highlights of my year in Minnesota theater for 2023. My favorite moments seeing plays and musicals around the Twin Cities often came with this thought when walking out into the night: “I wish more people were here to see that.” That’s why I write One Fan Show — in hopes that you’ll get out there and support our wonderful theater scene, which is often taken for granted. 

One note: As you’ll see, all of these shows happened in the first seven months of the year. That’s because my wife and I welcomed our first child this summer, and while I normally put theatergoing high on my priority list, this has been a time when I’ve been overjoyed with my new priorities. However, you’ll see me at the theater more often in 2024, so make sure to say hi.

Now, let’s get to my 10 favorite Minnesota theater moments of 2023…

1. When Minnetonka Theatre was more ambitious than many professional theaters… Yes, as in Minnetonka High School. For the One Act Play Festival last year, the school developed a brand new show called Honk & Holler, which was based on a Radiolab episode about a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a gender discrimination case. It was a bold move for a high school, and it paid off big time. 
2. When Chanhassen pulled out all the stops for The Prom… Speaking of gambles, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres has plenty of classic musicals to pick from that would have been surefire hits with their normal audience. Instead of picking one of those, they chose The Prom, a musical about an ostracized high school lesbian who gets unwanted help from a cadre of Broadway narcissists. Not their normal fare. But they leaned into it, with a prom-esque photo booth, rainbow cake for dessert, and Nancy Nelson delivering a touching speech about the importance of inclusivity before the show. (The show itself was my favorite of the year.)
3. When Michael Braugher brought a new Hamlet to life at the Guthrie… Everyone knows Hamlet. Seemingly every theater has done Hamlet. And yet, Michael Braugher (son of the late Andre Braugher), who played the title role in his Guthrie debut, actually managed to find a fresh take on the vengeful prince. I’ll be thinking about his ruminative yet searing performance every time I see Hamlet from now on.
4. When Blues for an Alabama Sky proved the magic of last-minute tickets… I didn’t have this Pearl Cleage play on my list of must-see shows of the year. I just showed up at the Guthrie with my wife when we had a free night, got some prime orchestra seats for cheap, and proceeded to be absolutely bowled over by this show and this cast. Some people buy theater tickets months in advance, but in 2024, please do yourself a favor and see a show on a whim. 
5. When Waverly Ann McCollum and Cam Pederson reached absurdity nirvana in Spongebob at Lyric Arts… What do you do when you’re cast as a sentient computer and an evil microscopic underwater organism? If you’re McCollum and Pederson, respectively, you put your entire life force into the preposterous performance and end up creating theatrical magic. The leads of The SpongeBob Musical, as anyone who knows the TV show can guess, are the characters SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy and Squidward. But these two stole the show with their full-tilt commitment.
6. When The Prom band blew the roof off… When reading about theater, how often do you hear about the band or orchestra? Not often enough. But music director, conductor and keyboardist Andy Kust and his band for The Prom deserve all the jazz hands you can muster. Chanhassen can pack the stage with as many singers as they want (and the stage was absolutely crammed for group numbers during this musical), but without these masterful musicians I wouldn’t still have “It’s Time to Dance” playing in my head months later.
7. When the set of 5 made me jump out of my seat… JuCoby Johnson’s apocalyptic play was ambitious, and I admired that, even if I don’t think it was entirely successful. That said, the set by scenic designer Chelsea M. Warren, lighting design by Bill Healey and sound design by Dan Dukich were pitch perfect.
8. When I sang along to “Seasons of Love” with Theatre 55… Audience participation is a polarizing topic among theatergoers. Do you love it and crave it? Or hate it and hide your face whenever an actor breaks the fourth wall? It didn’t matter what team you were on at the end of Theatre 55’s production of Rent at the Gremlin Theatre. The theater company for people 55 and up inspired the most unselfconscious singalong I’ve ever experienced when they got the audience to join in for “Seasons of Love” during the curtain call.
9. When Senator Amy Klobuchar was the opening act before Hamilton… If you don’t know, now you know.
10. When the understudy was my favorite part of the show… The Wedding Singer at Lyric Arts was one of the shows I saw this year that I didn’t have time to write about, but it’s probably for the best because I didn’t respond to the material. My only regret about not reviewing it is that I didn’t get to sing the praises of Megan Engelhard, an ensemble member and understudy for the lead role of Julia who stepped into that role at the last minute for the performance I attended. Despite being the one person outside her comfort zone, she gave the most dynamic performance of the night. Next time you see that slip of paper in your program that an understudy is going on, take this as a reminder that notice is not a reason to worry — it’s a reason to rejoice.