Spandex - a new musical at Minnsky Theatre

In 1983 a movement began. While we are in June, the month of LGBTQ+ Pride, that is not the movement I am referring to. In 1983, the United States National Aerobics Championships was formed. By 1987 these championships were being aired on TV as the Crystal Light National Aerobic Championships. Aerobic exercise was a fad sweeping the nation...from gyms and studios (including The Firm here in Mpls), to home videos (thank you Jane Fonda), TV Shows (nod to Richard Simmons), and even film and music videos (who can forget Olivia Newton-John's "Physical"?) The Crystal Light National Aerobic Championships can be viewed on youtube, and for some reason has had thousands, and thousands of views. Is it the joy that was Alan Thicke (the host), or the great music to the opening number, or maybe just the sheer energy that is so visible and clear while watching these clips? Who knows? What I do know is that it inspired some people to create a wonderful show named "Spandex."

Spandex tells the story....well...the New Play Exchange has a great synopsis.

"Nothing can keep you down. No man. No woman. Not even a mulleted fitness instructor who feeds you diet pills, and tells you you’ll always be a loser because you once fell off a balance beam in qualifiers. In the shadow of the cold war, in a world of free market optimism, budding conference call technology, changing roles within the family and a material so full of possibility it could only be named an anagram for “expands,” one woman will face her past demons and learn to fly. She just has to do a few reps on the ground first. Lorraine Koplowski was the favorite to lead the U.S. in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, but something went wrong. Even though she now inspires others to burn it as an aerobics teacher, she’s never dared compete again, every year choosing to remain on the sidelines rather than compete in the great Crystal Light National Aerobics Olympics, hosted by Alan Thicke. Trip Allen, Lorraine's old Olympic training partner and marketer of the 5-minute miracle workout, is making sure she stays down. Enter Dov, Israeli fitness guru and someone who might restore to Lorraine the core strength she always knew she had. Will Lorraine succeed, or will Trip, who's always harbored "feelings" for Lorraine, keep her down with his retinue of diet pills and fear-based aerobics!"

Playing at Minnsky Theatre in Northeast Minneapolis, this show is everything you could want in a musical-comedy-spoof-parody-romance. The characters are over-the-top yet grounded in their truth. The music by Julian Blackmore is catchy. Each song is perfect for the moment, while the lyrics and melody are honest and yet also very set in the 1980's. The combination of these pieces create a very funny show (with at least one song that is almost direct parody), yet the show has so much heart in it. Daniel F. Levin (Book & Lyrics, Music) along with Annie Grunow (Book & Lyrics) have really taken these clips from youtube and created such an interesting and wild ride of a show. Even though I grew up in the 80's, I was not here in the US and so the whole aerobic movement passed me by. However the show is written so that you don't have to know the movement, or even like aerobics to enjoy the show. You will still find joy and humor in what is taking place on stage.

The actors who are on stage....wow. There is so much energy coming off of that stage. Every cast member is spot-on. There is the core cast, then a fantastic ensemble. Some of the cast members play multiple roles - each one clearly different from the other and as fully rounded as possible. Sims Lamason (Lorraine), Tony Larkin (Trip), Yvonne Freese (Linda), Zach Myers (Bob), Spencer Corona (Dov), and Alexander Hunt (Yuri) are the core. Each one has so much charm and a great sense of comedy, as well as some great singing voices. Rounding out the cast are Danelle Rivera, Samantha Lee Stolzfus, Jac Fatale, Nick Abbott, Marc Gill, Tommy Benson, Catherine Ashmore Bradley, Katie Taintor, Derick Joseph White, and Beverly Brainard Madison. Each of them play at least one character if not more. Each of them is fantastic. Finally there is an extended cast - Kathie Hamerski Borrell (a competitor in the 1987 Crystal Light Championships), Lisa Bendson, Michelle Trombetta, Killjoy Rider, Alan Tse, and the 1987 & 1988 Crystal Light Regional Champion from The Firm - Doug Melroe. This extended cast rotates through for a big portion of the second act.

The set is a simple and versatile set that utilizes the full space of the Theatre. The night I attended there were some technical glitches due to a recent storm that erased all the light cues. Despite that, the cast was energetic, handled what few glitches I saw quite easily and rolled with the punches. The show played Off-Broadway in 2013, and is having its Minneapolis debut at this time. It is a lot of fun, and it should be seen. So - get out of the heat and get over to Minnsky Theatre for a great night of laughter, music, headbands, and Spandex!

If you want a sneak peek (with tongue very much in cheek), check out these two links.

Spandex Trailer

Spandex Off-Broadway