MAME

Life is a banquet!

June 11 – 27, 2010 

Music and Lyrics – Jerry Herman
Book – Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Based on the novel, ‘Auntie Mame’ by Patrick Dennis

Leave it to MMT to put a surprising twist on this classic musical.  MMT co-founder Kevin Hansen assumes the title role in Mame!  Mame’s wild, adventurous spirit is inside everyone who lives for the moment and believes that ‘life is a banquet!’  In the height of the roaring 20’s, ten-year-old Patrick is sent to live with his larger-than-life Auntie Mame, where he’s exposed to her wealthy friends and free-wheeling lifestyle.  Both Mame and Patrick’s lives are turned upside down as they struggle to form a family through wild, turbulent times and still live life to its fullest.

Director / Choreographer – Steven Meerdink
Musical Director – Lori Maxwell

Assistant Director – C. Ryan Shipley
Light Designer – Wu Chen Khoo
Costume Designer – Julia Owens
Sound Designer – Lucas Melchior
Scenic Designer – Joshua Stevens
Rehearsal Accompanist – Emily Hanson
Stage Manager – Sarah Bauer
Scenic Construction – Jay Schueller and Darren Hensel

Cast
Mame – Kevin Hansen
Young Patrick / Peter – Graham Zima
Patrick / Ensemble – Max Wojtanowicz
Vera Charles – Karen Wiese-Thompson
Agnes Gooch – Crystal Manik
Ito – Ryan Halliday
Beau / Ensemble – Christian Unser
Gloria Upson / Ensemble – Quinn Shadko
Pegeen Ryan / Ensemble – Alexis Clarksean
Dwight Babcock / Ensemble – Brent Teclaw
Uncle Jeff / Ensemble – Darren Hensel
Cousin Fan / Ensemble – Kecia Rehkamp
Mother Burnside / Ensemble – Laurie Etchen
Sally Cato / Ensemble – Billie Jo Konze
Junior Babcock / Ensemble – Andrew Newman
Gregor / Ensemble – Caleb Craig
Madame Branislowski / Ensemble – Jodi Tripp
Lindsay / Ensemble – Paul R. Coate
Mr. Upson / Ensemble – Ryan Grimes
Mrs. Upson / Ensemble – Mary Stenson

Musicians
Emily Hanson (Keyboard)
Kim Franken (Reeds)
Tim Hoffman (Trumpet)
Ryan Engelhardt (Trombone)
Dennis Pollard (Low Brass/Low Reeds)
Paul David Stanko (Percussion)

Reviews and Quotes

Star Tribune:  “The creative team and hard-driving cast deliver a “Mame” that pays spirited homage to a show and to classic musical theater. Like “Hello, Dolly” and “Gypsy,” “Mame” has great music, snazzy choreography and a story that affirms some national ethos…[The] surrounding cast draws their antic or credible characters vividly. Wiese-Thompson is true to Vera’s haughtiness and weariness. Wojtanowicz’s older Patrick embodies earnest pleasantness. And Crystal Manik gives a risible performance as nanny Agnes Gooch. But it is Hansen, with vocal strength and spot-on comic timing, who carries the simple production on his strong shoulders. Vocally, he is at his best when he’s singing with the full ensemble on such numbers as “Open a New Window” and “It’s Today,” both expressive of Mame’s, and the show’s, try-again philosophy.”

MinnPost.com:  “There’s nothing campy about Hansen’s performance…He’s playing Mame as a woman, through and through. And Hansen’s only the tip of the iceberg in an entertaining production of the musical…The balance of the cast gives strong performances, and while MMT doesn’t have the budget of other theaters, it makes up for that with an innovative, spartan set by Joshua Stevens and clever direction and choreography by Steven Meerdink.”

Pioneer Press: ” [Hansen’s Mame] is a well-sung, multi-faceted and sensitive performance and just the right size of larger-than-life-ness.  It’s not just a good performance for a guy playing a woman.  It’s a good performance, period…Director/choreographer Steven Meerdink and vocal director Lori Maxwell give Jerry Herman’s score a nice look and lustily enthusiastic voice… Karen Wiese-Thompson plays Mame’s boozing, bosom buddy Vera Charles with enough vinegar to pickle both Minneapolis and St. Paul. The character isn’t on stage all that much, but Wiese-Thompson infuses her with so much presence that when she’s gone, you wonder what she’s up to. Crystal Manik, who plays the straight-laced nanny Agnes Gooch, has the right incongruous blend of astigmatic squint, stoop-shouldered meekness and a huge musical-theater voice. Her transition from wallflower to fallen woman is effervescent and fun to watch.”