Review: JOAN OF ARC FOR MISS TEEN QUEEN USA at Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

It’s not every day you see a French martyr with a sword and a sash trying to win Miss Teen Queen USA. Then again, it’s not every day you walk into a show like Joan of Arc for Miss Teen Queen USA. Produced by the consistently daring Melancholics Anonymous, this new Fringe comedy is as blasphemous as it is heartfelt, and it absolutely works.

In this gloriously unhinged reimagining of Joan of Arc’s divine mission, God doesn’t tell her to lead a French army—He tells her to win a rural South Dakota beauty pageant. With that premise alone, the show could coast on camp, but what’s most surprising is how deeply it invests in its characters, their relationships, and what it means to belong in a place that doesn’t quite know what to do with you.

Samantha Miller leads the charge as Joan, radiating earnest intensity with a wonderfully awkward grace. Miller manages to make Joan both saintly and socially stunted, a combination that’s as hilarious as it is moving. Kate Cosgrove, as Amber (Joan’s pageant rival), delivers one of the show’s sharpest performances—glossy and poised, but with real emotional teeth under the sequins.

Anneliese Garner returns to the stage as Abigail, and her performance is as polished as the costumes she helped design. She brings a grounded energy that balances the show’s more absurd elements, and yes, her pageant walk deserves its own standing ovation.

Timothy Kelly, Melancholics’ co-founder, plays Chad-Michael, the kind of pageant director you love to hate—somewhere between Simon Cowell and your ex–youth pastor. His comedic timing is razor-sharp, and his disdain for everyone around him is somehow both mean and magnetic.

Rounding out the cast is a tight ensemble that brings full commitment to the chaos. Bee Davis nearly steals the show in their dual role as Charlene and a gloriously unpredictable goose puppet. Claire Chenoweth, Meredith Enersen, and Carson Uthe give strong, stylized performances that never lose the heart underneath the parody.

Director Rachel Ropella keeps the action moving at a pace just shy of madness, which suits the tone perfectly. The staging is clean but intentionally chaotic, with clever use of props (shoutout to Mady Smith) and pageant choreography that walks the line between real and ridiculous, thanks to Aerin O’Malley’s playful and precise movement design.

The script (developed collectively by the Melancholics team) is stuffed with one-liners, fourth-wall breaks, and surprise moments of emotional vulnerability. It’s rare that a show can make you laugh out loud at a puppet goose one minute and get choked up about rural queer survival the next—but Joan of Arc for Miss Teen Queen USA sticks the landing.

At its core, this is a play about girls who don't fit, in places that don't know how to hold them. And yet, it's joyful. Campy, yes. Ridiculous, absolutely. But beneath the sequins and satire is a celebration of queer resilience, chosen family, and the courage to take up space—even if it’s on a pageant stage in South Dakota.

If you see one show at Fringe this year, make it this one. It’s a glittery, gloriously messy miracle. Joan of Arc came to win the crown—and she’s earned it.

Minneapolis / St. Paul Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL (Eagan Summer Theatre)

14% of votes

2. URINETOWN (Buffalo Community Theatre)

10.2% of votes

3. CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES (Rags to Rags Productions)

8.2% of votes

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