Beacons of Magic that is Live Theater!

What a welcome sight! Last evening, for the first time in recent memory, the marquees at three of Minneapolis' historic theaters were lit up and active! The Orpheum Theater has FROZEN; The Pantages had AL FRANKEN kicking off a comedy tour and The State has ALTON BROWN LIVE coming next week.

My friend Jon Hayenga drove up from Rochester last evening and we rendezvoused at The Pantages to see Al Franken. The former MN senator was a hoot, poking fun at several of his former senate colleagues throughout the evening, doing wickedly accurate imitations of Bernie Sanders and Mitch McConnell. He saved his most pointed barbs for Ted Cruz, the most disliked member of the Senate and "the biggest dick" in Congress.

At the top of the show, Al brought his wife Frannie to the stage. Last evening was the couple's 46th anniversary. They were married in 1975 after Al was hired as a writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL).

It was especially fun to look over my shoulder to watch Sen Amy Klobuchar and her husband react to some of Franken's material. (They were in the row behind Jon and me about six seats down.)

Prior to attending the show, I visited the lobby of The State Theater for Covid screening; I presented my vaccination card for verification and was given a yellow wrist band. Masks were required at all times inside The Pantages. Security was present as you walked through a screening machine entering the theater.

A word of caution - even if it's a rainy day, don't bring a large umbrella to the theater! Jon had one in his possession and there was no place for him to leave it. He had to trudge back to his car several blocks away to secure it. It was a bit annoying; but, as an usher explained to me while Jon was gone, an umbrella such as Jon's had been used as a weapon at another venue and was now on the list of banned items.

I don't think I'd want to be an usher for events right now. As my friend and neighbor Clare, who was ushering last night, told me, ushers in Minneapolis are now hired by a company in NYC rather than managed locally. (One of Clare's colleagues told me the list of new security and health protocols is lengthy; some of the rules are onerous but necessary and audience members aren't always gracious in following them.)

Regardless, it was delightful to be back in a seat in a theater on Hennepin Ave. seeing a live performance! Thanks to Jon for the invitation to see Al Franken and to my neighbor Mary Brady for taking care of Bella while I was at the show! Join me in celebrating the return of active marquee lights, beacons of the magic that is live theater.

ps ... This post on Live Journal contains photos.