Revving up the Rockin' East Side

St. Paul's East Side has not been a hotbed of theater activity, but a new show just opened there that caught our attention because of some of the names attached. That, plus the flat-out odd venue: the St. Paul Eagles Club on Maria Avenue.

Bryan Bevell is directing "The Grand National," a first play by Twin Cities attorney/writer Duke Geelan, with a title inspired by the 1980s Buick muscle car.

The play explores a young man's depression, along with "themes of friendship, loss, love and faith through a fascinating mix of realistic vignettes, live classical guitar and unsettling dream sequences."

Normally, that would have us fleeing for the west metro, but Bevell is a director who has done excellent, if too infrequent, work in the Twin Cities in the past six years.

The New Mexico native spent much of the 1990s in San Diego at a small theater called the Fritz. When he arrived in the Twin Cities, he lunched with Bain Boehlke of the Jungle Theater and caught a big break when Boehlke said he wanted Bevell to direct the Jungle's "Lobby Hero" by Kenneth Lonergan, which opened in February 2003. Star Tribune critic Rohan Preston heralded the production as "the first unqualified hit of the new year."

Another great Bevell-directed play was "Gangster No. 1," the tense, profane British crime drama that ran at the Playwrights' Center in 2006. The Star Tribune's Graydon Royce cited the play as a "brutal monument to nihilism," brought to life "with unflinching brutality."

"I'm a stay-at-home dad with two young kids, so I do projects occasionally," said Bevell, who also has directed shows at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, Bedlam, Starting Gate ("True West") and Intermedia Arts.

Why this play? The playwright was a friend, and Bevell put together a reading of the script as a favor.

"I was struck by the power of the reading," Bevell said. "It's a conventional story told in a really interesting way. The Eagles were interested in expanding their repertoire of productions, so I said 'Let's do it.'"

After some workshopping at the Playwrights' Center, "The Grand National" was polished to a higher gloss, Bevell said. He and the entity known as ESC managed to attract a cast with surprising heft for such a smallish production. Actors on board include Nathan Christopher, who was so good in "Lobby Hero," and Gus Lynch, menacing as all get-out in "Gangster No. 1." Also appearing are Joel Liestman, Emily Logan Dooley and Cherri Macht.

Throw in live classical guitar, courtesy of the University of St. Thomas Guitar Studies Program, and you have something with enough stellar ingredients to warrant attention, even if it requires a longer-than-usual car trip.

Claude Peck • 612-673-7977