If you can’t wait for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, which starts in less than two weeks, get a preview of what’s to come by seeing a remount of one of last year’s hits Jewelry Power Elite. But it’s not just a remount. Lauren Anderson (the longest reigning cast-member of Brave New Workshop) has expanded her first solo show, adding a brand new second act that allows for some fun (voluntary) audience participation, and more importantly, allows Lauren to reflect on Operation Metro Surge, and the way she uses jewelry, and comedy, to support the soldiers fighting the good fight (like Bob Hope on a USO tour). There are three more performances of Jewelry Power Elite in the ground floor space of Dudley Riggs Theatre, home to the longest running comedy theater in the country, Brave New Workshop (Battle of the Improv All-Stars playing now through August 8, The Algorithm is Gonna Get You opening August 13). Operated by Hennepin Arts, they’ve been using this space more lately, including hosting my favorite improv show Family Dinner over the holiday season, and my second favorite improv show Off Book, which performed a few weeks ago and will hopefully be back. If you’re in need of a laugh, check out all of the options for Comedy on Hennepin, beginning with the hilarious, personal, relatable Jewelry Power Elite.
The first act of the show is pretty close to what I remember from the Fringe last year (except with a slide show of reference photos replacing the camera, which is only used for live jewelry show-and-tell). Here’s what I wrote then:
“I love jewelry, but Lauren Anderson really loves jewelry. She’s turned it into a way of life, and crowned herself “Jewelry Power Elite.” In this very funny and personal show, she talks about the history of jewelry itself, along with the origins of her love for jewelry (those ’80s jelly bracelets, and a grandmother with an extensive jewelry collection that she inherited) and the way it’s helped her in various phases of her life. She talks about her connection to her dad through their love of theater, and holding onto his dog tags from his Vietnam service to give her confidence. She talks about how putting on her grandmother’s beads connects her to that relationship and her childhood. In the show-and-tell portion of the show, Lauren shares her five favorite animals and what they represent to her, and shows us a small portion of this animal-themed jewelry. She uses visual aids in the form of what looks like an overhead projector but is actually a camera projected on the wall, where she displays historical photos and actual jewelry pieces.”
After a brief intermission, Lauren comes back with a brand new Act II, which begins with a bit of audience participation, because Lauren loves to talk about jewelry, and admire (and play with) other people’s jewelry. She asks for audience volunteers to share where they rank on the jewelry love scale (I consider myself an “Enthusiast,” level 5 of 7, topped only by the “Jewelry Joe,” and of course, the highest echelon “Jewelry Power Elite”). So wear your favorite, or most outrageous, or most meaningful piece of jewelry to the show, and share it with the rest of the audience. This section of the show turns it from a solo storytelling show into more of a communal experience.
Finally, the show turns serious, as Lauren talks about her experience this January and February, living in a neighborhood that was subjected to daily ICE raids, one block away from where Renée Good was murdered. She talks about being afraid to protest (as someone who watched from the suburbs, terrified for our cities, I can relate), but finding the courage to go out and support her neighbors. All while wearing jewelry that gives her courage, and also makes a statement. A statement for peace (doves), defiance (a fist that flips the bird), or humor (frogs, because “fascists famously can’t process humor”).
As I wrote last year: “Lauren is a born entertainer, and it’s no surprise that she’s very funny and personable in her first solo show. It’s well constructed to take us through a series of stories from her life, and the different ways that jewelry can make you feel special, give you confidence, remind you who you are, or connect you with something bigger. I’ll never look at a bracelet the same way again.”
