Why Should I See Your Show? 'Psst!' vs. 'Emilie'

Time for another "Why Should I See Your Show?" This is the weekly feature where we ask representatives from two Minnesota productions to make the case for their show as the weekend's best bet. This time around we showcase a play with extra-artsy roots alongside one with a more scientific grounding (Also, we pit one of the week’s shortest titles against one of the longest). Actress Billie Jo Konze speaks up for Off-Leash Area’s Psst! at Cowles Center while Theatre Pro Rata Marketing Manager Ben Tallen defends Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight at St. Catherine University. BILLIE JO KONZE FOR PSST! Of all the shows going on this weekend, why should I see yours? Three possible responses to this question: 1. Because how often do you see shows based on obscure Norwegian graphic novels and inspired by the movie Metropolis and the Orpheus myth that also contain a giant spinning wedding cake, stilt walking, ragtime, and cartoon animal masks? 2. Because we have 500 seats to fill. 3. Because it won an Ivey Award at the inaugural Iveys in 2005! Will I laugh? Absolutely – there are a lot of ridiculously goofy scenes – Betty Boop? Vaudeville? Stilts! Will I cry? Most definitely. The show's got a lot of crazy surreal moments, but the story itself is essentially about finding, falling, and losing the one you love. How can I convince my theater-hating friend to come see this show? Tell them "You’ve never seen anything like this, ever!” Or, you could tell them it's a graphic novel come to life onstage. Comic books are geeky-cool now. BEN TALLEN FOR EMILIE: LA MARQUISE DU CHATELET DEFENDS HER LIFE TONIGHT Of all the shows going on this weekend, why should I see yours? It's a beautifully touching story with a lot of humor. And Shanan Custer is amazing in the title role: courageous, funny, passionate, and tragic. Often all at once. The entire cast is awesome, actually. Will I laugh? Did I mention Shanan Custer was in it? Will I cry? Are you a human being or at least a robot who's been programmed to feel emotions? How can I convince my theater-hating friend to come see this show? Tell them it's not even performed in a theater! Also, there's lots of sexy kissing. Also also, if your friend has any interest at all in science there's some fascinating tidbits about how Emilie got us from Newton to Einstein without it being "a play about science." Finally, it's just a beautiful show that you don't need to have ever seen a play before or taken a science class to enjoy.