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Regional Reviews: St. Louis The Minutes
In much the same vein, playwright Tracy Letts has managed to build something nearly as complex as an iPhone or an Android on stage in The Minutes, now appearing at the Tower Grove Abbey. The comedy holds up a modern mirror to us all, complete with filters and flashes and your own choice of backdrops. But the self-images of Mr. Letts' characters grow increasingly pixilated as mad storms crash all around in the highly respected Stray Dog Theatre. The Minutes runs nearly two hours (without intermission, in this case), becoming crazy and all-consuming. It's the unexpected Halloween masterpiece of the month, under the modern yet byzantine direction of Justin Been. Coming to us wrapped in metaphorical brown paper packaging and tied up with bureaucratic red tape, it cleverly unfolds into everything theatre should be. Mr. Been's set couldn't be any more elaborate (and yet mundane): a thoroughly believable small-town council chamber out in the rural west, Big Cherry, cursed with two weeks of torrential rain. The council is holding its weekly closed-door meeting, and there's one newer councilman, the bewildered Dr. Peel (played by the charming and naturalistic Nick Freed). All the other elected officials seem to wield a kind of calculated misunderstanding, a mirror-not-a-glass, as a strange weapon against each other. Communication becomes impossible. And yet they persist. And gradually, the fate of one absent councilman becomes the big chief mystery. The play premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 2017 before moving to New York and Studio 54 in 2022, after being delayed and losing its original Broadway venue during the pandemic. It was nominated that season for a Tony Award for Best Play. Gerry Love is admirably low-key in this staging, but later comically sputtering and embattled as the mayor, Mr. Superba (played by the playwright himself on Broadway). Here, Rachel Hanks is spot-on, full of high Steppenwolf quality, and underhandedly wacky as the recording secretary Ms. Johnson. Better than ever Stephen Peirick gets a classic "idealistic madman" scene, reminding us of Dustin Hoffman or Peter Finch or Jack Lemmon. And John Reidy (who always makes me laugh out loud) is Councilman Breeding, "hail fellow, well-met," in a subversively absurd way. Will Shaw is unrecognizable as the whimsical old man on the council, Mr. Oldfield, and Lavonne Byers as Ms. Innes makes a funny speech that burrows into our minds, before leading us to a stunning dance number (choreographed by Kevin L. Corpuz). It's all a bit like "A Prairie Home Companion" at first, but with a darker comic twist. Tawaine Noah is excellent as the believable/ridiculous Councilman Blake, with a plan to revitalize the town's annual heritage festival. The show's thunderstorm interruptions are by Tyler Duenow (lighting) and director Been (sound), and there are spiffy costumes by Colleen Michelson. The Minutes is gradually consumed with celebrating one's own heritage, or sense of self, until everyone goes through the looking glass at the end. Jonathan Hey builds another perfect character, Mr. Assalone, the town sheriff's increasingly mad brother. And Jan Niehoff fills up a strange blind spot in our own vision with an elusive quality, playing both Councilwoman Matz and (unexpectedly) a young Natalie Wood. Patrick Canute makes his St. Louis debut here, fantastic as an exasperated would-be political operator, Mr. Hanratty. He accidentally leads us into a huge confrontation between the town's cherished history and its horrible, forgotten truth. The Minutes, produced by Stray Dog Theatre, continues through October 18, 2025 at the Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave., St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.straydogtheatre.org. Cast (in order of appearance): Production Staff: |
