2026 Audience Reviews

Company: Local 574
Show: HELL ON WHEELS: The Winter Strike of 1934
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

A surprise

This show was very well written, produced, and performed. I was a little astonished to see such a professional show but it compared favorably with the last Guthrie production I saw. The story and script were clean and polished, the acting had a lot of life in it, and the transitions and ensemble movements were tight and well-rehearsed. The dialogue between characters was a little bit modern but I thought it was a great choice, making these characters and their plight in the depression more accessible and relatable without being too anachronistic. I was originally a little judgy about two male characters (troubadours) starting the show while a female character looked on approvingly but there was such thoughtful treatment of the roles of women in the rest of the play that I was mollified. My only criticism is that the ending was not as polished or as satisfying as the rest of the script, which is hardly surprising considering that the writer is actually working on a longer form show with all of the 1934 strikes. Certainly, the very last line of the show brought tears to my eyes as I thought about all that Minnesotans had just done to protect families like mine in the ICE occupation. Apparently it's a legacy from 1934. I am grateful.