Leslie Vincent, John Jamison II, Em Adam Rosenberg, Jay Owen Eisenberg, Erin Nicole Farsté, and Therese Walth Photo by Rick Spaulding

In Whoa, Nellie!, the musical with book, lyrics and music by Josef Evans closing out the 2024-2025 season at History Theatre, you will learn all this and more–though some of what you will see on stage are Evans' inventions, intended to illustrate examples of the kind of life adventures Nellie King accumulated in her wild ride of a life. In fact, there is little written about her, other than the newspaper archives that no doubt provided Evans with a lot of his material for the show. Nellie's frequent run-ins with the law left a trail of news clippings. She is said to have carried these with her, sometimes using them to impress would-be captors into letting her go.

Nellie King was part of a string of American criminals who somehow captured the public's imagination and became folk heroes, the likes of Billy the Kid, the James Gang, Ma Barker, and Bonnie and Clyde. Although they caused a great deal of heartache and loss for their victims, the public at large–egged on by newswriters eager to sell papers–often viewed these characters with wide-eyed fascination. Whether Nellie drew this kind of attention or not, it appears to have been her ambition.

Whoa Nellie! offers the conceit that Nellie sought attention not just for being an outlaw, but for flaunting conventions of appropriate behavior and appearances as a woman. Early in the show we are introduced to celebrities from her era who defied boundaries around sex or race. These include fabled sharp-shooter Annie Oakley and investigative reporter Nellie Bly, who both achieved fame doing work that was rigidly ascribed to men. Bert Williams was one of the most successful entertainers in his day, breaking barriers for other Black performers. Aida Walker was another enormously successful Black vaudeville and theatre star, often performing with her husband George Walker; after George's death, she achieved acclaim for performing the male roles with which he had been associated. Julian Eltinge was a famed female impersonator in vaudeville, theatre, and silent films, though off-stage he presented strictly as a straight male and took great issue with anyone who suggested otherwise.

Evans has devised a series of vaudeville acts that highlight these breakthrough personalities and the rigid parameters they fought against, not as part of Nellie's narrative, but laying out the landscape on which she journeyed. This is particularly true in the first act when five songs in succession leave Nellie's tale on the sidelines. The first of those, "Boom Town," doesn't even approach Nellie's story, as it deals with competition between Minneapolis and St. Paul over which burgeoning city was most "booming." Another of those songs, "Hysterical Damsels," is exceedingly hard to listen to as four male characters disparage female emotionalism in obnoxious terms. The song is immediately followed by "You Gotta Be Crazy (Not to Go Crazy)," which gives three female characters the chance to fire back, and their shots score a round of bullseyes. None of this is really about Nellie, though she lived in that world. We learn about Nellie from the narrative scenes, with several songs integrated into those scenes adding depth to her story. We also receive updates on her escapades through journalist Nellie Bly reading breaking news stories about Nellie, a somewhat tired, but in this case, effective device.

It is unlikely that Nellie King had any actual dealings with any of those more famous people, but their appearance in Whoa, Nellie! sets up a celebration of her bravado and ingenuity in flaunting convention, putting her in the company of those who did so without breaking the law. Unlike those others, we can't quite approve of Nellie because of her crimes and moral weakness, but we definitely can enjoy her company and sympathize with her struggle to free herself form society's boxes, especially in the remarkable performance by Em Adam Rosenberg in the title role.

Rosenberg has been seen on many stages in the Twin Cities over the past several years in a wide range of roles, from Shakespeare at the Guthrie to Rent at Artistry, but has not till Whoa, Nellie! held the center of a musical. I can say without hesitation that they can not only hold the center, but also spin it on the tip of their finger should they choose to. Rosenberg has a full, evocative voice with a wide range (kd lang comes to mind) and emits a charisma that never wanes. Good thing, too. Nellie King might, in the wrong hands, be a hard character to want to spend this much time with, but Rosenberg wins us over.

The rest of the top-notch cast play multiple ensemble parts in addition to a primary role. Bert Williams acts as the de facto emcee, and John Jamison II is terrific in that role, showing us through acting, singing and dancing the kind of show-biz panache that explains Williams's huge success. Tod Peterson is the funniest person on stage as over-the-top vaudevillian John Durham, while Jay Owen Eisenberg's portrayal of Julian Eltinge delivers a winning blend of dignity and sass. Erin Nicole Farsté brings a beautiful voice to her performance as Aida Walker, Therese Walth portrays Nellie Bly with a gust of newsroom brio, and Leslie Vincent conveys Annie Oakley's cock-sure confidence. Thomas Bevan has a dashing leading man quality (and a fine voice) as actor Edward Loudon, as well as one of Nellie's several husbands who saw her through a particularly rough time.

Director Laura Leffler does a good job of balancing the vaudeville numbers with the more standard musical theatre book scenes, making effortless transitions between the two. She keeps the overall atmosphere of the show light, then nimbly transitions into more somber territory when the dark side of Nellie's past life finally closes in. Joey Miller's sprightly choreography brings added entertainment value to the production, and music director Amanda Weiss leads a four-member band that delivers Evans' score with flair.

Joel Sass' cleverly conceived set design uses the tarnished proscenium of an old vaudeville palace as its centerpiece, drawing our focus back to that framing device throughout the show. Bryce Turgeon's inventive costume designs meld together the character's different personas–wild west denizen, Shakespearean actors, gay nineties songbird, florid news reporter, female impersonator–so that, depending on their stance, they can look like one thing or the other, and sometimes two or more things at once. Grant E. Merges lighting design and C. Andrew Mayer's sound design both contribute to the gloss of the production.

Nellie King is a fascinating character, and the idea of creating a musical around her was a good one. However, I am not convinced that Nellie King fits easily into the mold of those breakers of convention that keep her company throughout Whoa, Nellie!. In spite of the giddiness of some of her exploits, hers was not a life to hold as an example of forward-thinking liberation. Yes, she defied convention by often dressing as a man, but her rationale was that to ride a horse fast enough to make a getaway was a lot easier in pants than in a dress, and that she would more likely get the better of a robbery victim if they mistook her for a man. She defied convention by not settling down, but that had more to do with criminal activities to support her addiction and the need to evade the law, than a lifestyle choice. And it could hardly be called an achievement.

If Whoa, Nellie! does not work as a celebration of breaking barriers of social constraint–fine performances and well staged musical numbers based on that premise notwithstanding–it does work as a portrait of a woman trapped at an early age into a life that can never be both conventional and happy. Nellie chose to pursue happiness, though it was a happiness chased by demons. I would love to have gotten a deeper look into her journey and the transformations that she lived through, and leave Annie Oakley, Nellie Bly, and company for another show.

Still, an introduction to the enigma that was Nellie King–and I am willing to bet a large sum that for most of us, Whoa, Nellie! is our introduction to her–and high-level stagecraft and talent, including a revelatory performance by Em Adam Rosenberg, make it well worth saddling up and riding over to History Theatre before Nellie high tails it out of town.

Whoa, Nellie runs through June 8, 2025, at at History Theatre, 30 East 10th Street, Saint Paul MN. For tickets and information, please call 651-292-4323 or visit historytheatre.com.

Book, Lyrics and Music: Josef Evans; Director: Laura Leffler; Assistant Director and Choreography: Joey Miller; Orchestrations: Robert Elhai; Scenic Design: Joel Sass; Costume Design: Bryce Turgeon; Lighting Design: Grant E. Merges; Sound Design: C. Andrew Mayer; Properties Design: Rebecca o Malmstrom; Intimacy Coordinator: Sophie Peyton; Fight Choreography: Annie Enneking; Dramaturg: Catherine Charles Hammond; Stage Manager: Stacy McIntosh; Assistant Stage Manager: Gianna Haseman; Production Manager: Lee Johnson.

Cast: Thomas Bevan (Edward Loudon/ensemble), Jay Owen Eisenberg (Julian Eltinge/ensemble), Erin Nicole Farsté (Aida Walker Overton/ensemble), Grace Hillmyer (The Chi/ensemble), John Jamison II (Bert Wiliams/ensemble), Tod Peterson (John Durham/ensemble), Em Adam Rosenberg (Nellie King), Leslie Vincent (Annie Oakley/ensemble), Therese Walth (Nellie Bly/ensemble).