Blended Harmony - History Theatre

Photo: Rich Ryan

There are so many theatre's here in the Twin Cities, from community theatre to the Guthrie, you could see something new probably every night of the week. I saw a new work at the History Theatre. While younger I was not always a fan of the History Theatre, I have come to a place to really appreciate the unique stories that they tell. Stories about Minnesota history that are often overlooked, or intimate stories of one unique person. Their new work, in conjunction with Theater Mu, is named Blended Harmony, The Kim Loo Sisters. The book and lyrics are by Jessica Huang, while the music is by Jacinth Greywoode, directed by Lily Tung Crystal, and choreographed by Rush Benson. The story was inspired by a book by Leslie Li, the daughter of one of the Kim Loo sisters.

So, who are are the Kim Loo sisters? They were a sister group, from Minneapolis, who were sometimes known as the Chinese Andrew Sisters. That is reductive, of course, because they were Chinese-Polish Americans, getting their big break on Broadway in 1938 in the George White Scandals (competition of the Ziegfield Follies). According to the show, it was during the Scandals that one of the sisters left because she wasn't comfortable with what she was being asked to do. Just to note, as this is a historical work, you will come across some words, and attitudes that were prominent in that time period, but are not appropriate currently. One of those is "Orientalism" which, in this small example, is when the Kim Loo sisters are asked to strongly play up what George White considers to be the Chinese aspect of who they are, and are relegated to the background because of it. Because of this, the oldest sister leaves, and the other three continue to work and sing. Blended Harmony tells the story of how they got to Broadway and the Scandals, and what happens to them when they become a trio instead of a quartet.

Photo: Rich Ryan

Now, because it is history, there is a set story and ending. Sometimes in putting a historical story on stage, you have to be faithful to the story and not necessarily as faithful to the theatrical experience. This work has a very good balance of telling an interesting and fascinating story, while also providing a really entertaining theatrical experience. The production looks and sounds great, with some incredible visuals. There is a lot of music in this work - some songs are songs the sisters are performing, while others are songs the characters are singing. While I didn't feel that every song was necessary, the performances and the songs themselves were wonderful. The sisters Jenée (Kelsey Angel Baehrens), Sophie (Suzie Juul), Maggie (Morgan Kempton), and Bubbles (Audrey Mojica) were fantastic. The harmonies and the vocals were so great! Along with that, there was a true sense of sisterhood on stage. Jenée and Bubbles both have solo numbers, (The Ones in the Dark, and Worship Me respectively) while Sophie and Maggie provide support through out. Ann Michels plays Mama and sounds great on her numbers as well. The other stand-out is Ethan Yaheen-Moy Chan who plays love interest Youlin. He has an amazing song named Gold and his voice is golden. 

Photo: Rich Ryan

There is one character that I felt got too much attention, and this is super tricky to write about. One of the characters in the show, and one of the people who worked with the Kim Loo Sisters when they were starting out on Broadway in the Scandals was Ann Miller. How do you cast and write songs for an icon like Ann Miller? In this work, she has two solo numbers, and takes the lead in a group number. Audrey Parker (playing Ann Miller) is a great performer, and great singer. The big group number at the end of Act One was fantastic, with some really good tap dancing in it. Personally I think that number would have been perfect as the only number for Miller. The other two songs would have worked as dialogue. On the flip side, that would have taken away the chances for us to see Parker perform. She was stunning as Miller and a joy to watch. 

There is a lot of music in this piece - 13 songs in Act One, and 11 in Act Two. The songs that the Kim Loo Sisters perform fell into the Swing style, and sounded great. A few songs were a bit more edgy, and they still told us more about the characters, or pushed the story along. The ballads are really heartwarming and lush, even with a small jazz quartet backing. The lyrics are very good, and fully support the story being told, while also adding clever word play. The final song, for example, has a theme of reharmonizing. Initially it comes across to mean figuring out how to update and make changes in your life. By the end of the song though, it is evident that it also means re-harmonizing, harmonizing again as a group, or a family, truly creating a blended harmony. The voices are great, the performances are fantastic, and the show provides entertainment while also delving into some difficult historical experience that resonate, and are probably still experienced today. Theatre Mu, and History Theatre bring together their skill sets (the Asian American experience, and History) and truly create a blended, harmonic, exciting new show.