Johnny Skeeky; or, The Remedy for Everything

Theater Latté Da closed out its 26th season with this world premiere comic opera with libretto by Bradley Greenwald (C.)and Steven Epp with music by Giacomo Puccini and orchestrations by Robert Elhai (C.). The production featured Jay Albright, Erin Capello, Benjamin Dutcher, Steven Epp, Bradley Greenwald, Anna Hashizume, Elizabeth Hawkinson, Norah Long, James Ramlet and Felix Aguilar Tomlinson.

First love and old friendship face off against greed and hypocrisy aboard a tricked-out yacht anchored off the coast of Miami in Bradley Greenwald and Steven Epp’s witty, contemporary libretto, sung to Puccini’s glorious score.

We Shall Someday

Theater Latté Da was thrilled to present this world premiere musical with book and lyrics from Harrison David Rivers (Five Points, To Let Go and Fall) and music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen. The production featured Ronnie Allen, Erin Nicole Farsté, Roland Hawkins II, and Bradley Johnson.

The roots of resistance and resilience run deep in three generations of a Black family grappling with inequality, violence and oppression. This intimate new musical, performed by four actors in tour de force performances asks us to contemplate the cycle of racism in America and how we might commit to creating real change.

Christmas At The Local

Theater Latté Da staged the world premiere of this rollicking new celebration of the season, featuring the words of Dylan Thomas and Dr. Maya Angelou, with music by local singer-songwriter Chastity Brown, and Welsh artists Cerys Matthews and Mason Neely. The production featured Phinehas Bynum, Spencer Chandler, Joy Dolo, Bradley Greenwald, Jason Hansen, Elizabeth Reese, Matt Riehle, and Quinn Shadko

On a cold winter’s night, a group of locals gather to raise a glass and play a tune, calling forth the spirit of the holidays through story and song. Voices blend, memories are rekindled, and a bit of mystery hangs in the air.

Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical

Theater Latté Da was thrilled to produce the world premiere musical adaptation of Reginald Rose’s classic play with music and lyrics by Michael Holland and book by David Simpatico. The production featured Sasha Andreev, Curtis Bannister, Reese Britts, Charlie Clark, James Detmar, Bradley Greenwald, Brian Kim McCormick, Riley McNutt, T. Mychael Rambo, Matt Riehle, Wariboko Semenitari, and Adan Varela.

In a small New York City jury room, on "the hottest day of the year," twelve men debate the fate of a young defendant charged with murdering his father. In form, TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL is a courtroom drama; in purpose, it's a crash course in those passages of the U.S. Constitution that promise defendants a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.

To Let Go And Fall

Harrison David Rivers’ (Five Points) world premiere play featured original music by Minneapolis-based Jelloslave cellists Jacqueline Ultan and Michelle Kinney. The production starred Mark Benninghofen, Austen Fisher, JuCoby Johnson, Tyler Michaels King, André Shoals, and Jon-Michael Reese and featured Conner Horak and Da’Rius Malone.

Todd and Arthur are two former ballet dancers who reunite at New York’s Lincoln Center Plaza having not seen each other for more than 25 years. This beautifully-told story takes us through the lives of both men, their choices, regrets, and coming to terms with age, illness and sexual identity.

Underneath the Lintel

Glen Berger’s renowned play was reimagined as a play-with-music by Theater Latté Da, with a brand new musical score composed by Frank London. Sally Wingert was joined by musicians Dan Chouinard and Natalie Nowytski to bring the new take on this play to life.

A Dutch librarian embarks on a quest to find out who anonymously returned a library book; a travel guide that is 113 years overdue. A clue scribbled in the margin of the book and an unclaimed dry-cleaning ticket then take her on a mysterious adventure that spans the globe and the ages. The librarian, who has never left her native town of Hoofddorp, grows determined to track down the offender. As she travels around the world on her obsessive search, she finds herself on a journey that not only unlocks ancient mysteries, but also moves her to new revelations about her place in the universe.

Five Points

Theater Latté Da's most ambitious musical world premiere to date brought together the talents of a dynamic creative team. The score is the work of Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar, a New York-based songwriting team with significant Broadway credits. The book is written by the prolific Twin Cities-based playwright Harrison David Rivers.

New York City. 1863. Set amidst the tumult of the Civil War, Five Points chronicles the journeys of Willie Lane, a young African American performer at the famed Almack’s Dance Hall, and John Diamond, an Irish immigrant and former jig champion. Inspired by the confluence of African American and Irish cultures, and the birth of American tap dance, Five Points tells the story of two men who risk everything for the chance to be a part of the American Dream.

Five Points premiered in Latté Da's 20th anniversary season in March 2018.

C.

With book and lyrics written by Bradley Greenwald and music by Robert Elhai, this new musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s great play, Cyrano de Bergerac, reminds us of the power of language and gives new voice to one of its greatest champions.

Cyrano is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. He’s a remarkable poet and a consummate musician who is deeply in love with the beautiful and intellectual Roxane. However, he is plagued with persisting self-doubt because of his extremely prominent proboscis.

C. debuted at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis in March of 2016.

Lullaby

Lullaby is a new play with alternative rock music that’s powerful and absolutely beautiful. In addition to original music from Michael Elyanow, the production features the music of national recording artists Garrison Starr and Chris Dallman.

In hopes of learning to play lullabies for her infant son, a widowed young mother seeks guitar lessons from a once almost-famous rocker. As the two very different women bond over tricky chords and haunted pasts, a hilarious and moving story of friendship and forgiveness emerges.

Lullaby received its world premiere in 2016 at the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis.

Steerage Song

Created by Artistic Director Peter Rothstein along with musician and writer Dan Chouinard, this musical docudrama tells a story of the journey immigrants took from Europe to America through Ellis Island.

Rothstein and Chouinard spent over three years gathering immigrant songs from 30 different European countries then narrowed their selection to 40 songs. The production includes lyrics in 15 different languages, but the driving force is the universal language of music. Providing a context for the music are quotes taken from immigrant guidebooks, Ellis Island documents, immigration legislation, and articles about life in New York’s Lower East Side tenement district.

Steerage Song received its world premiere in 2011 at the Fitzgerald Theatre in partnership with Minnesota Public Radio. New partnerships are being formed to allow Steerage Song to live beyond its premiere.

Passage of Dreams

Theater Latté Da took musical theater to new heights—literally—combining intriguing stories, compelling music and the art of aerialism in this triptych of new musicals. The production was created in collaboration with New York-based team Katie Baldwin Eng, playwright, and Jeff Tang, composer.

The production was comprised of three short musicals, Passage of Dreams, Thirst and Bessie’s Birthday, all commissioned by Theater Latté Da and New York University’s Write/Act Festival. Passage of Dreams was developed at The Playwrights’ Center as part of PlayLabs in 2006, and had several workshops and readings in Minneapolis and New York. The Southern Theater run in 2009 marked the first time the works had been fully realized, demonstrating Theater Latté Da’s commitment to the development and production of new musical works. 

All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

In developing All Is Calm, Artistic Director Peter Rothstein wanted to create a work for the theater where the content dictated the form. In 1914, radio was the primary communication tool, so Rothstein conceived All Is Calm as a radio-docudrama. All Is Calm tells the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 in the words and songs of the people who lived it, with dialogue created primarily through found text from letters, official war documents, autobiographies, World War I poetry, grave stone inscriptions and even old radio broadcasts.

Because theater is an art form that asks audiences to engage their imagination to complete the story, Rothstein created a rich audio experience, and left the visual world up to the audience to imagine. The music was re-arranged for the production by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach of the vocal ensemble Cantus.

In 2007, All Is Calm premiered at three Twin Cities churches in collaboration with Cantus. The world premiere was also broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio and was heard worldwide through live streaming. The broadcast has since been aired each year locally, nationally and even internationally through American Public Media. In 2008, Cantus and Theater Latté Da teamed up with Hennepin Theatre Trust to present All Is Calm at the Pantages Theatre. All Is Calm has since become a holiday tradition being performed annually at the Pantages and on tour throughout the country during November and December. In 2018, All Is Calm made its Off-Broadway debut at the Sheen Center in New York City and went on to win a 2019 Drama Desk Award.

A Christmas Carole Petersen

In 2000, this holiday favorite received its world premiere at the Loring Playhouse in Minneapolis. Written by Tod Petersen and Peter Rothstein, A Christmas Carole Petersen is a lively musical that speaks to the power of the holidays to bring out the best and worst in all of us. Tod Petersen, acclaimed for his hilarious and moving performance, reflects on the Yule season with his family and in particular, the show’s namesake, his mother Carole. Elements of Christmas kitsch, nostalgia and music blend to remind us of the traditions and rituals that shape a family, as a Minnesota son struggles to rediscover the magic of the holidays.

A Christmas Carole Petersen was presented for seven seasons at the Loring Playhouse before moving to the Ordway Center’s McKnight Theatre in December of 2007 and 2008.