theatre

Making it to one of the world’s biggest stages hasn’t been easy. Read more about Minnetonka High School Alum Ryan McCartan Gets 'Wicked' on Broadway

In the musical Newsies—now playing at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT)—Les Jacobs is an almost-10-year-old boy whose older brother, David, and another newsboy, Jack, are involved in a strike against a powerful newspaper publisher. As in all CDT productions featuring children, the role is shared by two young men, 13-year-old Tanner Zahn Hagen and 11-year-old Jon-Erik Chamberlain.
Read more about Les is More

The Princess and the Pea is a beloved fairy tale. Once Upon a Mattress, a decidedly modern take on the timeless story, will make theatergoers young and old fall in love all over again—partly because of the pint-sized cast.

Minnetonka Theatre’s spring elementary show, Once Upon a Mattress, reimagines the story of Princess Winnifred and Prince Dauntless with catchy songs, a message about being yourself and a dose of comedy. Read more about Minnetonka Theatre Presents Once Upon a Mattress

Lights, camera, Nancy! Stages Theatre Co. is about to warm your chilly January days with Fancy Nancy: The Musical, a family-friendly production. Loosely based on Jane O’Connor’s Mermaid Ballet (part of the Fancy Nancy series), this witty musical follows Nancy and her friends as they discover what it really means to be fancy. “I would say this is a great show for toddlers or [preschool-age] kids,” says Stages education director Nikki Swoboda.

$16 adults, $14 seniors, $12 kids. January 20–February 20. Read more about Get Fancy at Stages’ Winter Production

It’s the true story of four rock ’n’ roll legends in their early years: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, recording together for one time only under the mentorship of Sam Phillips at Sun Records.

The story is now a musical, making its regional premiere this season at Old Log Theatre. Director Kent Knutson says that the young actors don’t do impersonations of the music legends, but instead bring them to life by playing their instruments live on stage. Read more about Million Dollar Quartet Makes Its Regional Premiere at Old Log Theatre

Have you heard the expression “skin like porcelain”? Well, this summer, for two Minnetonka actors, it’s literal—at least on stage. Susan Hofflander plays Mrs. Potts, the motherly teapot, in a production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. For every performance, Hofflander dons a tea cozy for a housedress, a spout for a sleeve and a teapot lid for a hat. She pushes a tea cart around the stage, offering a warm cuppa to heroine Belle and other denizens of the Beast’s castle. Read more about Minnetonka Actors Susan Hofflander and Jay Soulen Shine in Chanhassen’s Musical Beauty and the Beast

When Kathryn Wind was a freshman at Rosemount High School, having earned the coveted title role in a school production of The Diary of Anne Frank, she and other cast members went to see the same play at Park Square Theatre in downtown Saint Paul. Little did Wind know then that, starting at age 23, she would go on to play Anne at Park Square, from 2009-14. Read more about The Play’s the Thing at Park Square Theatre

The cast and crew at Minnetonka Theatre (a youth theater company in the Minnetonka School District) close their season with their annual spring musical. This month, they present Pippin (but stay tuned—they do have a summer performance coming up, too).

The musical Pippin features a mysterious performance troupe, led by the captivating Leading Player, and tells the story of Pippin, a young prince who longs to find passion and adventure in his life. Read more about Performing Prince