Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and The Chicks… Doesn’t this sound like an awesome lineup? What if I told you, though, that this was a part of a folk music cabaret? These are just some of the artists whose music was performed by the talented students in the Stage 2 production “Folk It Up” this past weekend. “Folk It Up” invites the audience into a fictitious bar called The Spotted Trout where bar patrons perform pieces of folk music. Some of the music was not traditional folk, like the artists I mentioned earlier, but the roots of all the songs and the emotions they exuded were still tied to folk. The details of the props, such as posters for music events, crates with vinyl records, tables with flower vases or a deck of cards, and a bar where the cast got real glasses of water to drink after their performances made it seem like I was looking into a real bar.

When it came to the performances, I was very impressed. Everyone did an amazing job with their great singing and instrument playing abilities, along with what appeared to be organic chemistry and interactions with each other. A special shoutout to director Ryan Armstrong for playing backup instruments, such as the guitar, banjo and accordion, for multiple songs. Some of the duos or trios that performed felt like they could have been real music groups that play together on a regular basis. Some of the performances even got the audience involved by clapping or stomping along. Even the cast would interact or make gestures towards the audience that made us feel like we were also patrons in this fictitious bar. There were also songs that included the cast dancing around and doing fun choreography with each other that added to the excitement of the performance

My favorite part of the show is when the cast sang John Denver’s “Poems and Prayers and Promises.” As each performer got a chance to sing individual parts of the song, video compilations from their real life played in the background, capturing moments in their lives that are important to them. It was a real intimate moment in the show, and even some of the performers got emotional when they sang. All I have to say is, if The Spotted Trout was a real bar with these performances, I would frequent it often. “Folk It Up" is probably one of my favorite productions put on by Stage 2 and has set the bar high for this season's performances. I look forward to their next show, “Eurydice,” running Nov. 8 through Nov. 10. For more information about Stage 2, visit stage2duluth.com or follow them on Instagram.