Sweet Revenge!
High drama, romantic tension, and a singing hot dog with buns included – there is no better way to spend a summer night than delving into the whimsical experience of Sweet Revenge!, the 55th show on the Minnesota Centennial Showboat. With the Northrop Summer Music Festival over and the opening of our dance season a month away, take an evening to check out another favorite local pastime. The Showboat has been enchanting audiences since 1958, giving the Twin Cities engaging summer performances where you cheer for the heroes and hiss at the villains. (However, tomato throwing is not encouraged.)
Directed by Peter Moore and Vern Sutton, this year’s melodrama does not disappoint, with an evening full of forbidden love, split second escapes, and the evil-doings of a whiskey-swilling granny. The main storyline centers on secret lovers who must overcome a series of unfortunate events and villains to find their happily-ever-after, among other exciting moments of deceit and humor. In a review by The New York Times of a recent revival of the 1905 classic, they commented, "If this brave tale of death, seduction, deceit, betrayal, and poetic justice cannot make you happy, you are in grave peril."
The showboat experience would not be complete without the delightful and audience-favorite olios between scenes. Like little vignettes, these dramatized songs and dance have been part of theater since it’s early beginnings, initially meant to cover scene changes on the stage. Today, the olios of the Showboat have taken a life of their own, leaving audiences dying from laughter with only the best of awkward moments and wittingly timed comic relief. Crowd favorites include “Dancing Divas” where leading ladies battle it out by belting tunes, and an olio classic where a charismatic hot dog serenades the audience with the help of an obsessive bottle of mustard and disinterested catsup counterpart.
Sweet Revenge has a stellar cast of ten University of Minnesota students who perform the show eight times a week throughout the summer months. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see an American classic on the beautiful Mississippi, with the show still running until August 24.
Satisfy your show tooth with Sweet Revenge!