"There may have been a bit of necromancy"

Image by Whittney A. Streeter

I was able to kick off Halloween -- truly the greatest time of the year -- with Black Death: The Musical, which merged real-life terrors (the plague that nearly destroyed Europe in the 14th century) and some drawn from the imagination of show creator Susan Woehrle (an army of undead raised by an alchemist's spell).

The songs are pretty cool, too.

Set in France during the first outbreak of the plague in the 1340s, Black Death: The Musical offers a kaleidoscope of horrors as bodies pile up in the countryside. Doctor Guy de Chauliac knows that there are some simple solutions (like regular bathing), but needs the assistance of Pope Clement VI to convince the masses.

On the road he meets up with Sister Julianna, who also knows that the piles of dead bodies aren't good. As most of the priests have also died from the plague, she has a solution: let the nuns perform last rites so the bodies can be buried at last.

Those plot strands are based in history. The third has more than a bit of Mary Shelley in it. The alchemist Nicodemus watches his son Morvyd succumb. Nicodemus has access to an ancient spell that can bring the dead back to life, but what comes back isn't exactly the same as before.

Woehrle's script is grotesque and darkly funny, and the company relishes heading into those dark places. Rodolfo Nieto, in particular, relishes every moment in his dual role as the libertine Pope and the studious alchemist.

Musically, Scott Keever merges ancient styles with a contemporary twang that adds to the show's unsettled vibe.

Black Death: The Musical only runs over the weekend, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. Visit online for more information.

If you are looking for additional horrors this weekend, the fifth Twin Cities Horror Festival kicks off tonight at the Southern. A diverse cast of creators, from the over-the-top terrors of Dangerous Productions to off-kilter creations of Four Humors, provides a mini-Fringe Festival of more than a dozen productions. Visit online for more information.

Photo by Hilary Roberts

This final show isn't scary, though maybe the trip to Bloomington may give city dwellers hives. The little-seen musical The Baker's Wife is running at Artistry. The plot is fairly simple: a new baker comes to an isolated, tiny French village. The older man has a young wife, who catches the eye of one of the young lads.

When those two run off, the baker descends into despair and stops making bread. The desperate villagers put aside their differences to get the couple back together.

Even though it features songs by Godspell/Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, The Baker's Wife has never really caught any traction. Joseph Stein's book, which spins its wheels around the same never-evolving conflicts, may have something to do with that.

Once you get past that, the musical has some wonderful romantic (and not so romantic) songs. There are terrific performances from the cast, led by the always wonderful Bradley Greenwald as the loser-at-love baker.

The Baker's Wife runs through Nov. 12. More information here.