A few months back, it was asserted in the pages of this magazine that Ten Thousand Things has great taste in literature. We stand by that assessment—even now, as the company readies a production of an American musical that to some would appear gauche. The Little Shop story line is about as absurd as it gets. (It is, after all, a spoof of a ’60s B-movie.) But the cult musical boasts an irresistible bebop score as well as a lovable cast of characters. In the hands of Ten Thousand Things artistic director Michelle Hensley, these elements get stripped down to expose their underlying darkness. What’s more, a fine group of local character actors inject nuance into what is normally a big-voiced, Broadway-style production. Writer, actor, improviser, and all-around funny-man Jim Lichtscheidl plays geeky Seymour. Kate Eifrig, fresh off her run as Janis Joplin in Love, Janis, plays Audrey. One of the Twin Towns’ preeminent physical comics, Luverne Seifert, appears as the evil Orin Scrivello, D.D.S. Hensley has a surprise in store for the character of Audrey II, the blood-feeding plant; she isn’t giving any specifics, but teases: “It’ll be very different; it won’t be the traditional Audrey” (i.e., no giant, molded-foam puppet growling “Feed me, Seymour.”). 612-203-9502; www.tenthousandthings.org
Author: Christy DeSmith
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Hunger
Emigrant Theatre prefers to stage edgy, often enigmatic new plays by living writers. Therefore, the troupe makes a point of getting to know all the winners of the prestigious Jerome Fellowship, an honor that attracts a national congregation of top dramatists to Minneapolis, where they work in one-year residencies at the Playwrights’ Center. Recently, the folks at Emigrant read a Jerome playwright they particularly liked—New Yorker Sheri Wilner. Equal parts comedy, fantasy, and drama, Wilner’s multifarious Hunger concerns the story of Diana, a woman with a seemingly charmed life. But on the night of her engagement—when she’s spending the night with her fiancé, Adam, in his seaside cabin, and the perfect circumstances of her life seem only further cemented—Diana is left confronting some pretty monumental what-ifs. Does she stick with trustworthy Adam? Or does she strike out on her own in an effort to fulfill her deepest desires? A Prince Charming (of sorts) actually materializes in this instance, so Diana’s quandary isn’t as easily solved as it might seem. 1501 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-6131; www.emigranttheater.org
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Aftermath
Minneapolis has long been considered a hotbed of great physical theater, what with the resident clowns, mimes, and mask-makers at Theatre de la Jeune Lune. Still, in the past few years, the city has attracted an impressive fleet of younger physical-theatermakers—many of whom are packed into this single show. Aftermath marks the directing debut of Katie Kaufmann, a Connecticut transplant and theatrical clown who was lured here six years ago by Jeune Lune. This show represents Kaufmann’s toying with the idea of starting a permanent Minneapolis-based troupe. Notably, her inaugural cast includes Jon Ferguson, a recent arrival from Britain who has quickly established himself as an important director of physical plays (including the recent masterpiece Or The White Whale). Together with four others, Ferguson and Kaufmann physically render a camp of tsunami survivors with no memory of what hit them, nor any recollection of their lives before. 1501 Sixth St. S., Minneapolis; 612-341-1038; www.bedlamtheatre.org
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The Weekend in Wax
This weekend there’s a fashion wax museum event at Trocaderos, and I’ve noticed that it’s getting some attention. If you’re interested in attending the affair, I direct you to the Still In Style site. You’ll be pleased to know some fine designers are involved–including a couple locals familiar to us from Voltage (Hyper Lush and Kimberly Jurek). I do admit that I have my suspicions about this event … Will the “creep factor” shoot through the roof (as in the photo above)? But I’m trying my best to suspend judgment, dear friends. My promise to you: Photos. Reportage. Coming. Sometime next week.
Update! Promise Broken! Unfortunately, the live “wax models” were fashionably late about getting dressed that evening. And a close friend I had not seen in ages just happened to be rolling through town. But alas, I saw some lovely set designs:
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Doc Martens in Heaven
(Via Stereo Gum) Children of the ’80s and ’90s, how do you feel about these ads? They feature posthumous celebrity endorsements from the likes Kurt Cobain, Joey Ramone, Sid Vicious, and Joey Strummer … In each of the ads, the dead (!) rock-n-roll luminary appears toga-clad and hanging out on a cloud. But nevertheless, he persists to wear his beloved Doc Martens. Tacky? Tasteless? Hipper than thou? Note that the ads will appear exclusively in the UK. Here they’d probably cause all sorts of wrecks, thereby sending various other Doc Marten wearers to the pearly gates.
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Shopping the Coasts
Amen de Girlshop
Did you ever have the pleasure of trolling Girlshop? This was a trailblazer among women’s fashion sites. For almost a decade, it sold the finest threads from various emerging NYC designers. There was absolutely zero chance of head-on collision (at parties, say) with your dress-double, so long as you stayed put in Minnie and were clad in your (uh, expensive) Girlshop duds. It could be said that Girlshop has gone out of style; last month, it permanently closing its cyber shop. Now, it appears, that the Girlshop email list has been sold to the more mainstream Net-a-porter.com. (Psst. Here’s what I hear: Enter GIRLSHOP into the promotional code box and get free shipping.)Go West
On the other hand, if you’re more interested in a West Coast look, or into getting sweet deals on suggestive clothing for that matter, try Funkythreads.com. -
Beware of Chuck Taylors
Just dropping in to leave this entertaining link to a ridiculous television news story coming out of Utah this week. It’s a wake-up call to parents about the dark side of their sulky-chic teenagers’ ugly tastes in music and fashion. They call their story “Emos Exposed.” And yes, fearful friends, they do refer to “emo” as in “emo culture” as in Conor Oberst, Jeff Buckley, and every other pouty boy you’ve wanted to bed. The reporter even makes a leap by connecting emos to self-mutilation.
Note that the Wikipedia page to which the reporter links is in danger of deletion. What sport! Beware the teenager clad in All-Stars and concert tees …
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Two ultra-hip retailers join Minnie's flock
In shoppers’ news: Both West Elm and American Apparel are set to open local posts, in Edina and Minneapolis, respectively. If you’re not familiar, here are some quick bios on these bizes: West Elm is a Williams-Sonoma-owned (related to Pottery Barn, therefore) retailer of furniture and housewares of the clean, modernist, neo-Ikea sort. Think platform beds, bamboo sushi platters, graphic rugs, and the like. American Apparel is another story entirely, and the TC fashion media could have endless fun with this retailer of basic cotton/Lycra-blended socks, rompers, leotards, boy-briefs, and tees. On one hand, the LA-based company is lauded for selling sweat shop-free frocks, offering employees fair compensation packages, and using recycled cotton in much of its clothing. It’s therefore a favorite brand (even though it calls itself “brand-free”) among the urban hipster set–the fact that AA sells ’70s- and ’80s-inspired duds, such as thigh-high tube socks, doesn’t hurt matters either. On the other hand, however, the CEO is a total perv. Gross!
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Fashion Show: Foat Sure
Late Breaking: There’s an AAW Fashion Show featuring the aforementioned Foat Design (yoga wear and funky, earth-friendly knits) to the musical accompaniment of Faux Jean–which is a very fashionable band. (See ’em at left … I wonder if the foppish lead singer will don the Foat duds.). Check it all out on Saturday (tomorrow) at Spot Art, 7 to 11 p.m.
