Review: THE REALISH HOUSEWIVES OF EDINA: A PARODY Puts a Laughable, Local Spin on Reality

I will admit it. I'm not an avid reality TV watcher and have never seen an entire episode of the Real Housewives of wherever. Part of an episode at the gym was about the extent of it for me. So I did not really know what to expect when I sat down to an evening of THE REALISH HOUSEWIVES OF EDINA: A PARODY at the New Century Theatre. This parody is brought to you by Hennepin Theatre Trust in a run until Nov. 15, 2015, so there's plenty of time to gather the gals and get out for a night on the town.

This version is like other recap episodes of various reality shows I have seen. Host Randy Bowen (Adan Varela) is the self-absorbed host who liquors up the ladies and encourages them to dish on each other in a talk-show format on a realistic looking talk-show set by Theresa Akers. The five housewives -- only one of which is actually married, apparently -- float in and out of scenes that have happened on the first season of the show and we're the in-studio audience. They do an effective job of keeping you in the moment and keeping up with the memories vs. current talk show material.

In a nutshell, this show is quite funny. Local references to Zumbrota, MY TALK 107.1 FM radio and the sight-gag (pictured here) of the girls holding a slice of cake a'la Edina's "cake eaters" will get a Minnesotan every time. We love nothing more than hearing about familiar things and being able to laugh about them! Planned or a happy coincidence, the "sixth wife" brought into the story from the audience happened to be local radio personality Bradley Traynor, who went along with the joke with aplomb. (It was media/opening night, so this may work better or worse depending on the night you attend - if your significant other is chosen, encourage him to play along, it's a hoot when you do.) Housewife Claudia-Louise, or C.L., as she preferred to be called, played by Quinn Shadko, was adept at the improv and playfulness of the interaction with "husband" Bradley, making for some of the funniest bits of the night.

Anna Hickey (as self-made business tycoon, Brooke), Katherine Kupiecki (a clear take-off on former congresswoman Michelle Bachmann as Gwen) and Karissa Lade (as neck model, Desiree) were all equally entertaining and humorous playing the kinds of women you could imagine you'd run into at the Lunds & Byerlys at 50th & France.

Kim Kivens stole the show in her role of Ravonka, a baroness with a vague European accent (which may or may not have been fake). The leader of the pack, she was both friend and foe to nearly everyone on stage and while her behavior could've offended most people, her charm and over-the-top attitude upstaged all with purpose, and kept us rolling throughout the show. She thinks that everything is about her; and she's right.

Written by Kate James and Tim Sniffen, both The Second City comedy writers/improvisers from Chicago, and directed by Matthew Miller, also a Chicagoland recruit, plan to tour this show in cities around the country after this Minneapolis world premiere. While I'm not sure if they mean the "Edina" version or if they'll do a re-write for other locales, these three clearly did their homework on what and who are in and out in the Minneapolis area as they hit the right notes with the local jabs; even the rehab center hidden in the Spoon & Cherry sculpture in Minneapolis.

A fun date-night or a girls' night out, this show will have you laughing and the 90 minutes will fly by. Arrive early if you want to include drinks as the bar line was quite long and the show started a tad late as a result. Either way, don't miss this fun, light-hearted poke at both TV reality and Edina hometown charm.

Tickets

Prices range from a "pay what you can" night on Oct. 5 to $34.50 most evenings. Shows are Thursday & Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Call 612-455-9501 or order online at www.hennepintheatretrust.org.

Video preview

Watch this clip for a taste of the cake the Edina ladies serve: https://youtu.be/xukt5ukPBXk

Photo

Cast of THE REALISH HOUSEWIVES OF EDINA, Photo by Eliesa Johnson, www.eliesajohnson.com

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