Garrison Keillor at the Crystal Theatre

By Quinn Illi 

CRYSTAL FALLS – On the evening of June 29, the Crystal Theatre welcomed Garrison Keillor to the stage.

Keillor hosted the radio broadcast A Prairie Home Companion for over 40 years on National Public Radio, consisting of comedy sketches, poetry, music and more. He is also a prolific author, having written over 30 books. 

The show was advertised as being “packed with humor and song,” and demonstrating the beauty of growing old, as well as performing a favorite segment of his broadcast “News from Lake Wobegon.” This was quickly proven to be true when Keillor began the show with a song that made the audience laugh within the first minute on stage. 

He was then able to rapidly gather audience participation for a number of classic songs such as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and “God Bless America.” This then led into the bulk of the show which consisted of humorous storytelling with numerous references to some of the various denominations of Christianity, such as the Lutheran and Methodist Churches. 

It was during this segment that he introduced the audience to some raunchy humor, and while it may have been unexpected due to a radio broadcast’s family-friendly nature, it was well-received and continued to garner laughter throughout the show.

Through some of this storytelling he was also able to convey a message of acceptance and togetherness by relaying how his fictional town of Lake Wobegon had hired a lesbian pastor saying: “...Even though there was something different about her, they didn’t care. They loved her, and they grew to love her as a person, before they discovered that she was gay… …From the love of an individual can come a change of attitude and a broadening of acceptance.”

Following these stories, Keillor was joined by vocalist Prudence Johnson and pianist Dan Chouinard to perform a number of songs by the likes of the Grateful Dead and their contemporaries. He also seemed to enjoy the music such that he decided to forgo an intermission to lead the audience in more singing.

Keillor also addressed more somber topics such as drinking, the changing of times, and losing friends as one gets older — all while maintaining his characteristic cheer and light attitude. He ended the show with suggestive tales of his first love, Lulie Christensen, and their time together in the tenth grade.

Keillor and Company performed a show that paid homage to his past work with the NPR while still offering a fresh and unique experience to fans within the local and surrounding area community, all on the beautiful stage at the Crystal Theatre.