In “Jewelry Power Elite,” a Minnesota Comedy Performer Reflects on the Magic and Joy of Decoration

Photo by Montana Scheff

At the small Dudley Riggs Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, home of Brave New Workshop, Lauren Anderson has put together her first one-person show to exhibit her extensive jewelry collection.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Jewelry Power Elite, since the show’s synopsis didn’t give too much away, but I was absolutely delighted to find that the show’s conceptual simplicity—a woman talking about her life through her jewelry—is a feature and not a bug. Anderson’s big personality, her evocative storytelling style, and of course her particularly unique collection of brooches, necklaces, and bracelets are what make the experience.

Lauren Anderson in Jewelry Power Elite. Photo by Alex Clark

Anderson begins her show with O Fortuna blaring as she delivers a monologue ominously speculating on what the first human to ever wear jewelry may have been thinking. As she says, jewelry is not, in a primal sense, something we need to live. We wear it because we like to, or as an expression of status, identity, or personal belief. Jewelry can, in extreme circumstances, be a means of survival (which she touches on), but in and of itself, it cannot feed or clothe us. Its value is usually purely aesthetic.

The title Jewelry Power Elite refers Anderson’s self-classification in the jewelry-lover hierarchy. It is the highest tier of jewelry enthusiasm, characterized by having a large collection of jewelry, wearing jewelry every day, and a love of jewelry being integral to one’s personality. Anderson obviously came to the show decked out in jewelry, including bangles and an array of spider and beetle brooches, but she also mentioned how at the height of the pandemic, when she wouldn’t leave the house or even get out of her pajamas, she would still wear at least one bracelet every day, just because it was important to her. She identifies a few other people who she considers to be JPEs, including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who used brooches to express good will, dissent, and support for relevant causes.

The brooch Madeleine Albright wore for her second meeting with Saddam Hussein in 1997, which Anderson cites as an inspiration. Madeleine Albright Collection

One tier below a JPE is a Jewelry Joe, a classification Anderson’s mother coined to describe herself. Anderson also considers her grandmother, from whom she inherited a large collection of necklaces, to have been a Jewelry Joe. In addition to the importance of these women in her life, she takes the time to discuss her father’s influence on her interests and values.

Anderson’s father had wanted to become an actor and began studying theater in college, but after failing a class, he was left with virtually no choice but to join the military. To avoid the draft during the Vietnam War, he joined the US Navy, where the only personalized part of his uniform was his dog tags, a piece of functional jewelry intended to help identify soldiers killed in action. He made it home from Vietnam, bringing his dog tags with him, and Anderson has held on to them, even wearing them on occasion when performing.

Throughout Jewelry Power Elite, she shares stories of how she has used jewelry at different times in her life to connect with peers, comfort loved ones going through tough times, protest, and manifest positive feelings for herself. One of the first stories tells of how she learned in fifth grade that jewelry—in this case, jelly bracelets—could be used as social currency, a realization that helped her gain confidence and stand up to her bullies.

Photo by Alex Clark

Lauren Anderson has the perfect personality to make this show work: friendly and positive but not afraid to discuss difficult topics, and engaging directly with the audience at a couple points. At the same time, she stressed the importance of whimsy—“the courage,” as the show’s synopsis says, “rise above the mundane.” In response to an audience interaction at the opening performance on July 24, she emphasized that you don’t need an occasion to wear jewelry: “You are the occasion.”

While Hennepin Arts classifies Jewelry Power Elite as a comedy performance, it is really so much more than that. It is very funny, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also educational, heartfelt, beautifully passionate, and a call to action, and you really have to see it to fully appreciate it.

Jewelry Power Elite has two more performances at the Dudley Riggs Theatre, on July 31 and August 1, 2026. It runs around two hours with a 15-minute intermission. You can find more information and book tickets on the Hennepin Arts website.