Differing reactions await 'Wellstone!' play

A long-ago idea for a play about Paul Wellstone and the powerline controversy ended up being a play mostly about the late U.S. senator.

People still talk about the memorial service that turned political. Passions ran so high when Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife, Sheila, died in 2002 in a pre-election plane crash that an evening dedicated to his memory soured in the minds of many who felt left out when the chant went up, "We will win, we will win!"

That is the conundrum with the Wellstones. They were not timid about their beliefs and they inspired followers to agitate, to confront and to fight for what they considered right. That vigorous style stuck in the craw of partisans on the other side. Righteous indignation seemed sanctimonious to this faction; outrage came off as harping. It's all how you slice your politics.

Into this minefield has stepped playwright Mark Rosenwinkel, who has written "Wellstone!" with music and lyrics by composer Larry Long. It opens this week at the History Theatre in St. Paul with Kris Nelson as the feisty college professor-cum-politician and Amy McDonald as Sheila.

(snip)

It's perhaps safe to say that Sen. Coleman might wince at his portrayal in the play, although Rosenwinkel insists he tried to use lines that Coleman actually said or were used in his campaign literature.

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