Review: FOSHAY A NEW MUSICAL at Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

If you live in the Twin Cities, you probably know the Foshay Tower. You may have walked past it, taken pictures of it, or simply recognized it as one of those Minneapolis landmarks that has always been there. What you might not know is just how dramatic the story behind it really is.

Foshay! You Know the Tower — Now Hear the Story, written by Kevin and Lynn Bowen, tells the story of Wilbur Foshay and his incredible rise and fall during one of the most turbulent periods in American history.

Foshay was enormously successful during the 1920s. He made his fortune during the booming economy and eventually decided to put his name on one of the most ambitious buildings Minneapolis had ever seen. The Foshay Tower opened with a massive three-day celebration over Labor Day weekend in 1929.

Then everything changed.

The stock market crashed shortly afterward, Foshay's company went bankrupt and the man who had seemed to have everything suddenly had very little left. That part of the story is fascinating on its own, but the musical is really interested in what happens to Foshay after his fortune disappears.

That's where the show becomes more than just a story about a building or a businessman.

Landon Hudson plays Wilbur Foshay and gives the character plenty of confidence and ambition early in the show. Watching that confidence change as Foshay's circumstances fall apart gives the story its emotional center. Hudson is supported by Elisheva Scheuer, Michael Chapman, Jessica Peters and Samm Nordstrom, who take on several different roles throughout the production.

The music and choreography help keep the story moving, which is important because there is a lot of history to get through in a one-hour Fringe show. Chantalle Falconer serves as music director and pianist, and Lily Truebenbach choreographs the production.

You can tell that the original show had more time to tell this story. The Fringe version has been shortened from a two-hour production, and there are moments when the story moves pretty quickly. There are people and events that I would have liked to spend more time with. At the same time, the shortened format keeps the production moving and gives the audience a surprisingly complete picture of Foshay's rise and fall.

What I appreciated most was learning the story behind something I thought I already knew.

The Foshay Tower is so recognizable that it can be easy to forget that it represents a very specific moment in Minneapolis history and was the product of one man's enormous ambition. The fact that Foshay opened it at the absolute height of his success, only to have his financial world collapse almost immediately afterward, makes the story almost stranger than fiction.

There is also something relatable about the second half of Foshay's story. Losing everything forces him to reconsider what actually matters. The show doesn't just leave him as the wealthy businessman who built a famous tower. It follows his attempt to rebuild his life after the thing he believed defined him was gone.

Foshay! You Know the Tower — Now Hear the Story is a good reminder that there can be much more to a familiar place than we realize. If you've ever looked at the Foshay Tower and wondered about the story behind it, this musical gives you a chance to learn about the man, the ambition and the spectacular rise and fall that made the building part of Minneapolis history.

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