Fall arts and entertainment guide: See musicals based on ‘Back to the Future’ and Betty Crocker

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
Updated ·6 min read

From “Back to the Future” to the return of St. Paul’s Park Square Theatre, the coming months have numerous options for live theater and musicals. The lineup includes a pair of world premieres, “Drawing Lessons” and “Holmes/Poirot,” and an encore presentation of the popular musical “I Am Betty.”

Here’s a look at what’s on tap.

‘Back to the Future’

Opens Sept. 10: The much-loved 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox has spawned two sequels, an animated TV show, video games, theme park rides and now a musical with music by longtime film composer Alan Silvestri, lyrics by Alanis Morissette collaborator Glen Ballard and a book by Bob Gale, co-writer of the original trilogy. It opened in London’s West End in 2021 and won the best new musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards. It opened on Broadway last summer. Through Sept. 22: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; $149-$50; hennepinarts.org.

‘Moya’

Opens Sept. 12: South African troupe Zip Zap Circus’ jugglers and unicycle dancers will offer a pulsating acrobatic performance set against the Cape Town skyline, complete with South African pop music. Through Oct. 20; Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis; $78-$15; 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org.

‘The Lehman Trilogy’

Opens Sept. 14: In 1844, Heyum Lehmann arrives in New York from Bavaria. After changing his name to Henry Lehman, he and his brothers start a fabric business that evolves over generations to become a powerful international finance firm. It’s based on the true story of the Lehman family and their business, which collapsed in 2008. The production won five Tony Awards including best play. Through Oct. 13: Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Minneapolis; $83-$29; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.

‘Scotland, PA’

Opens Sept. 18: Based on the 2001 black comedy crime film that itself is a modernized retelling of “Macbeth,” this regional premiere is set in ‘70s small-town Pennsylvania, where Mac and Pat are burger joint employees with ambition. It ran Off-Broadway in 2019. Through Oct. 20; Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. N.E., Minneapolis: $94-$35; 612-339-3003 or latteda.org.

‘Behind the Sun’

Opens Sept. 21: Stanley Kipper and Laura Drake wrote this play about a Black man who finds the house of his dreams. The problem is that it’s 1956 and the home lies inside a redlined district in an all-white neighborhood. He comes up with a plan to purchase the house that will either land him in jail or help change the future for his family and for all of Minneapolis. It’s based on Kipper’s own experiences. Through Oct. 13; History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul; $64-$25; 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com.

‘Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations’

Opens Oct. 8: Based on the story of the famed Motown act the Temptations, “Ain’t Too Proud” uses nearly 30 songs from the band (and some other Motown acts), including “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “Ball of Confusion” and the title track. It earned 11 Tony nominations and one win for best choreography. Through Oct. 13: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; $130-$45; 651-224-4222 or ordway.org.

‘Drawing Lessons’

Opens Oct. 8: Blending the stage and screen, this show — a world premiere, co-commissioned by CTC and Ma-Yi Theater Company in New York — follows a Korean-American manhwa graphic novelist striving to find her true artistic voice. The theater recommends this show for middle-grade students and up. Through Nov. 10; Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis; $58-$15; 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org.

‘Holmes/Poirot’

Opens Oct. 9: This world premiere co-written by Twin Cities playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and actor Steve Hendrickson tells a “tale of intrigue, international politics, wine and murder” involving Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Through Nov. 3; Park Square Theatre, 20 W. Seventh Place, St. Paul; $60-$25; 651-291-7005 or parksquaretheatre.org.

‘All the Devils Are Here’

Opens Oct. 12: After a successful six-month Off-Broadway run, actor Patrick Page brings his one-man show to the Guthrie. In it, he examines Shakespeare’s greatest villains — Richard III, Lady Macbeth and Claudius among them — “while exploring how each villain is a window into the depths of the human heart.” Through Nov. 17: Guthrie Theater, 818 S. Second St., Minneapolis; $83-$29; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.

‘Some Like it Hot’

Opens Oct. 15: The second Broadway adaptation of the 1959 film that starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon opened in 2022 and ran for a year. It earned 13 Tony nominations and won four, including best leading actor in a musical for J. Harrison Ghee, the first time a nonbinary performer was up for the award. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman — the duo behind “Hairspray,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “Smash” — wrote the music and lyrics, which Deadline called “truly fine” and compared favorably to the work of Cole Porter. Through Oct. 20: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; $145-$40; hennepinarts.org.

‘In Honor of Jean-Michel Basquiat’

Opens Oct. 17: Obie Award-winning actor, playwright and director Roger Guenveur Smith returns to Penumbra with an intimate one-man show honoring his friend and collaborator Jean-Michel Basquiat. Weaving personal stories and historical anecdotes with his improvisational performance style, Guenveur Smith explores the legacy of one of the most defining artists of the 20th century and his enduring impact. Through Oct. 27; Penumbra Theatre Company, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul; $45-$20; 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org.

‘Just for Us’

Opens Oct. 26: Comedian Alex Edelman debuted “Just for Us” in 2018 and it was nominated for the best show award at the Edinburgh Fringe. He revived it in 2023 and it went on to win a special Tony Award for exemplary debut. The show tells the comic tale of how he once ended up at a white supremacist meeting after being trolled by Nazis on social media. Through Nov. 10: Highland Park Community Center, 1978 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul; $105-$72 (three-show season ticket); 651-647-4315 or sixpointstheater.org.

‘Les Miserables’

Opens Nov. 19: One of the world’s best-known and biggest musicals, “Les Miserables” has been running in London since 1985 and enjoys the status as the sixth-longest-running Broadway show in history. The adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel won eight Tony Awards, including best musical, book of a musical, original score and direction. Through Dec. 1: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; $179-$40; hennepinarts.org.

‘I Am Betty’

Opens Nov. 23: Created by an ad agency for General Mills in 1921, the fictional character of Betty Crocker became a radio and television personality, a letter-writing confidante and a relatable icon for multiple generations. Cristina Luzarraga (book, lyrics) and Denise Prosek (music, lyrics) use the persona to examine the lives of women and society throughout the past 100 years. The History Theatre debuted the show last year. In a Pioneer Press review, Rob Hubbard called it “a tremendously entertaining whirlwind tour of American women’s changing roles over the course of Betty Crocker’s first 100 years, 1921 to 2021.” Through Dec. 29; History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul; $82-$30; 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com.

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