A decade after retiring from acting, Annie Enneking makes a tremendous return to the stage in the title role of “Mother: A Punk Rock Dance Musical.”
She also wrote the score for the production, which is a collaboration between Sod House Theater and Black Label Movement. Adapted from Maxim Gorky’s 1906 novel, “Mother” embraces the proletariat message of its source material with catchy tunes and an inventive dance-theater vocabulary.
Enneking is a firestorm as Palagea, a formerly abused mother who becomes radicalized by her son’s agitator friends and rises as a labor leader in pre-Revolutionary Russia.
Her stage presence is so commanding that it sometimes seems to be in a one-person show, especially in large group scenes where her charisma overshadows the cast. A strong actor, expressive singer, and capable mover, Enneking carries the audience fully through her character’s transformation.
The production is onstage through Sunday at Sokol Hall at the Czech & Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota, a venue that has hosted theatrical productions and social events since 1887. The hall features a stage adorned with scenic artist Victor Hubal’s historic backdrops from the early 20th century, where the band is set up, and a balcony used for a few scenes.
Most of the action unfolds on the main floor, with audience members seated on two sides facing each other, the performance space running down the center.
The set is spare but effective. A large wooden table becomes the key prop, raised, leapt onto, and repurposed to create shifts in height and perspective. A handful of chairs serve in equally inventive ways, contributing to the production’s resourceful design.
Choreography by Black Label’s Carl Flink provides texture rather than dominance, underscoring the narrative with movement. The ensemble often functions as a chorus, shifting in unison through different formations.
