‘There’s a buzz in this city’

507 MAGAZINE • www.PB507.com THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015 3
events
‘Nuns’ set to go
crazy in Mantorville
By Tom Weber
weber@postbulletin.com
MANTORVILLE — Get ready for the
craziness when the Mantorville Theatre
Company presents “Meshuggah-Nuns!”
Nov. 20 through Dec. 13.
The musical, directed by Denise Ruemping,
with musical direction by Levi Livingood,
takes the “Nunsense” sisters on
an all-expenses-paid Faith of All Nations
cruise. While out at sea, the ship runs into a
week-long storm that causes the passengers
to get seasick — all except the actor slated
to play Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.” The
ship’s captain asks the sisters and the Tevye
actor to step in and present an original
entertainment production.
In the cast of “Meshuggah-Nuns!” are
Kathryn Heroff, Sarah Schaller, Alicia
Frarck, Priscilla Ruemping and Karl
Huppler.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 4
p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets
are $20 for adults, $17 for students, seniors
and corporate discounts, available at the
Chocolate Shoppe in Mantorville and online
at www.mantorvillain.com.
Bach expert to
perform on
organ at St. John’s
ENTERTAINMENT
IF YOU GO
What
“Little Women”
When
Nov. 21
through Dec.
20. Preview
performances
Friday through
Nov. 20
Where
Commonweal
Theatre, 208
Parkway Ave. N,
Lanesboro
Tickets
$35; 800-657-
7025
Elizabeth Nida Obert / Post-Bulletin
From left, Scott Dixon, Kami Spaulding and Gary Danciu, all of Lanesboro, rehearse a scene Tuesday at the
Commonweal Theatre for the upcoming production of Little Women, which runs Nov. 21 through Dec. 20.
Just a ‘Little’ switch in
Commonweal schedule
By Tom Weber
weber@postbulletin.com
Organist James Kibbie, who has performed
at major concert halls in Europe
and North America, will present a recital
at 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Church of St.
John the Evangelist, 11 Fourth Ave. SW,
Rochester.
Kibbie is chair of the organ department
at the University of Michigan, and
maintains a full schedule of concerts and
recording engagements. He has performed
at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris,
the Royal Festival Hall in London, Dvorak
Hall in Prague and Lincoln Center in New
York. He was awarded the Grand Prix
d’Interpretation at the International Organ
Competition in Chartres, France.
He is an expert on the works of J.S. Bach,
having recorded and performed the complete
cycle of Bach’s organ works.
The Rochester recital will include works by
Bach, Jehan Allain, Charles Tournemire and
Jiri Ropek. Admission is a freewill offering.
By Tom Weber
weber@postbulletin.com
LANESBORO — Last-minute changes
in plans drive a lot of people crazy.
Hal Cropp, however, takes a philosophical
approach to the last-minute
change that caused the Commonweal
Theatre in Lanesboro to make a switch
in its long-planned Christmas production.
“That’s theater,” said Cropp, executive
director of the Commonweal. “Things
happen. You adjust, you improvise.”
In this case, the improvising involves
plugging in a production of “Little
Women” where the originally scheduled
production of “The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe” was to take place,
Nov. 21 through Dec. 20. The Commonweal
first produced this original adaptation
of “Little Women” in 2010.
“We were really fortunate we had
developed this ‘Little Women’ script,”
Cropp said. “It made the cast switch
relatively easy.”
After getting word that “The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe” would have
to be dropped from the schedule, Cropp
said, the Commonweal spent about a
week looking at alternatives. “But ‘Little
Women’ really seemed to meet the
needs,” he said. “When we pulled out
the script again, giving it a re-read made
us think ‘This was a good production.’”
Plus, the Commonweal happens this
year to have three female apprentice actors
to cast in the play. All in all, Cropp
said, “It’s serendipitous.”
Cropp is directing “Little Women,”
which features Commonweal member
Megan K. Pence, apprentice actors
Abbie Cathcart, Elizabeth Dunn
and Kami Spaulding, as well as Scott
Dixon, Gary Danciu, Brandt Roberts
and Allison Alden in her Commonweal
debut.
The Commonweal adaptation of the
story is set at Christmas time, with the
March family looking back at events
that are told in Louisa May Alcott’s
novel.
Normally, “Little Women” is not
thought of as a Christmas story. “Rightfully
so,” Cropp said. “It’s not a Christmas
story. But the framing device we
put on it came from the need to have a
Christmas production. It’s a fiction not
present in the book, but it gives us a
lens to look back at events in the book.”
In any event, the story is ideal for
the Christmas season, Cropp said. “It
speaks to those core values: family,
love, sacrifice,” he said.
In conjunction with the show, the
Commonweal will collect new art
supplies and art kits at preview
performances Friday through Dec. 20,
to be delivered to kids at Mayo Clinic’s
Eugenio Litta Children’s Hospital. Each
patron who donates an item will receive
a $5 discount on their ticket.