Sunday, April 12, 2026
Today was a two-show day. Being out of town limits the days we have available for seeing the shows we have tickets for, so sometimes we have to double up.
We started with Collide dance company’s production of The Joy List. As with all of their shows, I was incredibly impressed with the physical ability of each of the dancers. The story was about a young man who lost his mother at 13 and his struggles with depression and relationships after that. One of the company founders was the lead and it turned out to be his last show as a full-time participant in the group. He is a favorite of ours – with a very infectious smile – and we will miss seeing him in all of the shows next year.
Both shows were downtown Minneapolis, so we had time to kill between them. We went to the Loop Bar and Restaurant and enjoyed supper. We both reveled in getting white meat chicken with our meals – something that just doesn’t really happen in Japan. (We saw lots of other chicken parts being used…where does the white meat go?)
Suffs is on its first national tour after winning two Tonys (book and score?) last year. It is about women suffragists beginning in 1913. It was quite a history lesson for a lot of people I heard talking during intermission. Interesting. The first half was musically and story-wise rather repetitive. The songs featured any number of belters, who reached the rafters to the audience’s delight. Honestly, I don’t remember ever hearing louder applause at the Orpheum than I did for the song American Bitches. The second act had a lot more story to tell and I found it much more interesting. Overall, I think the audience was reacting to the ideas of standing up for what is right and demanding appropriate treatment by the government more than they were to the actual show. I have no problem with that and would have been surprised if Minneapolis acted any differently after the difficult season they have all just had.