The Root Beer Lady - History Theatre

Oh my word what an absolutely charming show. The Root Beer Lady is playing at the History Theatre. It is an 80 min, no intermission, one-person show telling the story of Dorothy Mollter and the life she created for herself in Northern Minnesota. The show is set up as a flashback as Dorothy (played by Kim Schultz) tells about her first trip to Knife Lake in 1930 or so, and then how she moved up to live there by herself in 1934. The play, written by Kim Schultz and directed by Addie Gorlin-Han, provides a well rounded story that clearly is about Dorothy, but also provides social and historical context as to why it was so shocking for a woman to do what she did. Here is an unmarried woman, in 1934, leaving her family in Chicago and moving to the Isle of Pines up past Ely in what is now the Boundary Waters. She lived there, helping run a resort during the summer, and surviving the winter with the owner of the resort. It is a fascinating story and told so well.

The stage is a thrust stage, with an open cabin design on the right side, and the left is somewhat open. There are two tall trees on each side of the stage, a rough fence across the back, and a few other details to give the audience a clear idea of where parts of the story are located, but also leaving it open to some imagination. Across the back of the stage is a very large screen which shows some gorgeous images of sunsets, and skies, and winter storms. Schultz plays Dorothy, but also a few other characters - each with very distinctive movements and vocal choices. There is a small screen up at the top of the trees on the left side of the stage on which is projected some of the headlines written about Molter as her life progresses. This includes the infamous headline from the 1952 Saturday Evening Post calling her the "Loneliest Woman in America." 

I have never been to the Boundary Waters, let alone done any sort of canoeing or camping up there and yet I thought the show was fantastic. I gave a sense of the community that Molter created for herself, as well as the respect and care she showed for the land and water around her. If you have any personal history of enjoying Northern Minnesota, I am sure that this show is for you.