‘Mni Sota Mystery Box’ serves up burlesque, drag and soul for an all-Indigenous cabaret in St. Paul

Twin Cities artists of color are leaving everything on the stage this weekend. At the Fitzgerald Theater, a cast of Hmong actors and singers will bring audiences back to 1960s Laos, while three artists get experimental at the Pillsbury House and Theatre for the annual Naked Stages series. 

At St. Paul’s Amsterdam Bar and Hall, the second annual “Mni Sota Mystery Box” brings Indigenous drag performers, burlesque artists, poets and musicians together on one stage.

Flight through Hmong history

Austin Ly’s “Lee Lue The Musical” tells the story of a village teacher who became one of the first Hmong pilots recruited to fly combat missions during the Secret War in Laos. 

The musical follows Lee Lue’s journey through war and the mass exodus that sent thousands of people fleeing across the Mekong River into Thailand before eventually resettling in the United States. 

The musical began as a high school production at the Hmong American Peace Academy in Wisconsin. It premiered in Milwaukee in September as a reworked, Broadway-style production and comes to St. Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater this weekend. 

Turning clay into sound

Long before synthesizers, drum kits and electric guitars, musicians in West Africa were making instruments from clay. This weekend, ceramics artist Sayge Carroll will put her own spin on the practice at Pillsbury House and Theatre’s Naked Stages series. 

In “What Remains,” Carroll will sing original songs and play handmade clay instruments, including flutes, udu drums and percussion pieces. 

The program also features dancers J.H. Shuǐ Xiān and Carol Trindade. Shuǐ Xiān uses improvisational dance to explore mental health, while Trindade combines contemporary dance and butoh to examine the illusion of masks and what happens when people let them go. 

What’s inside the ‘Mni Sota Mystery Box’?

Drag, burlesque, poetry, soul music and powwow dancing are all on the bill Saturday at St. Paul’s Amsterdam Bar and Hall for the second annual “Mni Sota Mystery Box.” 

The all-Indigenous cabaret, created by Silvestrey P’orantes, will give local artists a chance to show audiences what they can do when they aren’t limited to one art form or one kind of story. 

“Sometimes we’re pigeonholed into trauma porn or that we’re just these ‘sad Indians,’” P’orantes said. “But we’re really funny too. We’re sexy and cool and hot and weird.”

P’orantes knows what it means to work across creative disciplines. Their work spans drag, theater and poetry. Last year, they starred in Teatro del Pueblo’s production of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and appeared in the Minnesota-based short film “The Boom.” They are now developing two plays, one about climate change and another about grief in queer relationships.

“I wear so many hats as an artist,” P’orantes said. “I know other Indigenous artists doing the same, so I wanted to just give them a chance to show that.” 

After last November’s debut drew a positive response from performers, vendors and audiences, P’orantes decided to bring the show back for a second year.

This year’s mystery box includes Afro-Indigenous soul singer Obsidian James, who will perform songs from his debut album “Impact,” alongside singers Charli Fool Bear and Laura Hugo, who will share songs from her new EP, “Where We Go to Grieve.” 

The evening also features drag performances by Aragidi, Alegria D’Cirque, Trevvy B and Cravin’ Catastrophe; burlesque from Bibi Chiquita and Vivi Diamante; powwow dancing by Josie Hoffman; and sets by poet Wakaya Wells and rapper Isavela Lopez. 

Attendees can also browse an Indigenous vendor market and take part in a silent auction benefiting the Indigenous People’s Task Force. 

“When I was starting out in theater, drag and poetry, it was other Native artists who helped platform me,” P’orantes said. “I can only do my diligence and help give that back.”

READ MORE

‘Mni Sota Mystery Box’ serves up burlesque, drag and soul for an all-Indigenous cabaret in St. Paul

From Kao Kalia Yang to Queer & Funny Improv: Three Twin Cities arts events to explore this weekend

Somali Museum turns 13 as zombies and a Day of the Dead festival take over the Twin Cities