Mary's Wedding Stephen Massicotte  | Jungle Theater - 2009  | Photos: Michal Daniel

Love and war at the Jungle           - Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Joel Sass’ eye and ear are as unfailing as ever, bringing a cinematic quality to a play that strikes with genuine emotional heft...Romantic, poetic, and full of sweet charm...”

Acting is poetry in Wedding          - Aisle Say - Twin Cities

“The latest Jungle Theater production is yet another tour de force.  There is something quite mystical about how much energy this company is able to generate in its plays... Mary’s Wedding is a perfect example...a story about remembering and forgetting, about dreams and nightmares, and ultimately, about love.  Director Joel Sass infuses the old-fashioned story of love during war with a modern vibe without compromising its classic qualities...  The flawless arrangement of music, movement, sound and lighting bestows a magical aspect upon the play....”

A place for dreaming          - HowWasTheShow.com

“The Jungle stage is made into a place for dreaming: a large bed in the middle of an overgrown farmyard, a ramshackle barn door and a star-swept sky beyond, an old wooden beam that serves as a horse...Even by the sky-high standards of the Jungle, this play is gorgeously rendered.  Joel Sass, who directed as well as designed the set and costumes, vividly creates the play’s locales...His two actors, Sam Bardwell and Alayne Hopkins, give their work a roughhewn presence and a sweetness that serves the story very well.  Different as their two characters are, they connect, loving each other with a purity and a passion of which only the young are capable.  Beautiful!”

WWI romance gorgeously rendered      - Lavender Magazine

“Stephen Massicotte’s soulfully imaginative WWI romance has some of the most lyrical stage movement you will ever see.  No exaggeration!  As star-crossed lovers, Alayne Hopkins and Sam Bardwell explode with passion.  Hopkins also shines in a brusque crossgender turn as Sergeant Flowerdew... The show is directed exquisitely by Joel Sass, who also designed the amazing set.  Carl Flink’s choreography, Sean Healy’s soundscape, and Barry Browning’s lighting elicit a luminously spiritual quality...”