Minneapolis/St. Paul — The Guthrie Theater’s Artistic Director Joseph Haj announced the theater will present Kevin Kling’s celebrated holiday show, “Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log,” on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. on the Wurtele Thrust Stage.
Kevin Kling returns to the Guthrie in his celebrated one-man show “Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log.” Best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” and his storytelling stage shows, Kling delivers hilarious, often tender stories, delighting audiences around the country. Kling spins hilarious yarns of family traditions and holiday merriment with “Yule Log.” Wry tales of Midwestern Americana, both old and new, take surprising turns from the bizarre to the insightful. “Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log” features the Brass Messengers, Simone Perrin and Dan Chouinard.
Kling’s plays and adaptations have been performed around the world. As a playwright, he has penned “21A,” “Home and Away,” “Fear and Loving in Minneapolis,” “The Ice Fishing Play and Lloyd’s Prayer” in addition to his co-adaptations of Carlo Goldoni’s “The Venetian Twins” and “The Canterbury Tales” for the Guthrie. In 2005, the Guthrie launched an eight-week regional tour of Kling’s “Freezing Paradise: An Evening with Kevin Kling,” which visited more than 20 Minnesota communities and performed in Iowa, Michigan, and North and South Dakota.
Kling’s first book, “The Dog Says How,” brought readers into his world of the skewed and significantly mundane. The following “Kevin Kling’s Holiday Inn” was a romp through a year of holidays and a lifetime of gathering material. Kling has written two children’s books, “Big Little Brother” and “Big Little Mother,” and his latest book, “On Stage With Kevin Kling,” contains the full texts from three of his popular stage pieces.
Kling grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1979 with a B.A. in Theatre. His storytelling started when a friend from the now-defunct Brass Tacks Theatre asked him to perform his stories. Since then, he has been awarded numerous arts grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Bush Foundation, Jerome Foundation and others.
Kling will sign books and CDs, available for purchase at guthriestore.com, on Level One after the performance. Single tickets are $28 ($23 for students and seniors) and on sale now through the Box Office
