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Review: Amorous absurdities provoke hilarity in "How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan"
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One of The Beatles most enduring songs remains All You Need is Love, an sing-along friendly universal ode to the virtues of that most cherished human condition. And yet anyone that’s ever actually been in love knows that such a motto, while appealing in its simplicity, really doesn’t cover all the details. For example, how can a reasonable human being maintain an optimistic outlook of love in the face of humiliating courtship rituals, woe-inducing offspring, and a lifetime of togetherness idled away at the Olive Garden? Thankfully the intrepid comedians in the Brave New Workshop have crafted a program to address such questions. Entitled How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan: Sleepless in Shakopee, amorous endeavors are examined in all their hilarious absurdities.
Just finding someone to love can be a complicated pursuit, this production attests, reliant upon a astute knowledge of flirtation techniques that when applied properly can be irresistible, but when misused can prove fatal. As for meeting someone, how does the cold technology of on-line services like Match.com stack up against the natural sting of Cupid’s bow and arrows? This production vividly depicts such a dilemma as an uproariously ridiculous musical showdown in which the ultimate romantic fate of a potential couple hangs in a precarious balance.
Falling in love, however, is only the first step in the endurance test known as commitment. Brave New Workshop dramatizes those myriad dangers that threaten to cripple relationships, from dream-based late-night recriminations to the monstrous transformations wrought by unchecked ovulations. Considering birth, the troupe hysterically exposes the common but unspoken societal fear of spawning ugly babies.
How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan upholds Brave New Workshop’s reputation as home to inspired comedic invention. This troupe of Laureen Anderson, Joe Bozic, Josh Eakright, Mike Fotis, Bobby Gardner, and Ellie Hino have established a rare chemistry that immediately feels natural, affable, and ever on the verge of casting audiences into rollicking convulsions of laughter. Whether paralleling the traumatic stages of breakup to the stages of grief, or extrapolating upon the comedic potential of male and female sex organs, this exceptionally talented troupe keeps the audience laughing - often uproariously - throughout the production.
Unlike some of the Brave New Workshop’s past programs, How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan contains few references to the current political world. Perhaps it was the change in our national administration that got the troupe fixated on a more affectionate subject. Whatever the case, the temporary reprieve from politics is a refreshing change after the exhausting presidential season. By shifting focus closer to home, to the relationships that define our daily lives, Brave New Workshop has developed a program of widely ranging appeal.
Considering the intimate nature of the subject, it should come as no surprise that a warm undercurrent of affectionate sentiment carries through the show only to manifest itself in the poignancy of the last scene. The moment serves as a reminder that despite all the foibles and follies, there’s a reason we still consider love our most cherished and precious virtue. Perhaps The Beatles had it right after all.
How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan: Sleepless in Shakopee runs through April 25th.
For more info: Brave New Workshop
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