Anzhelina & Karina

Music by Keith Benson
Bob Derus, Marienne Kreitlow, Mike Nilles, Bill Kelm, Eric Heltemes, Brenda Varda
🟡 Public Reading

Two Russian cousins, separated as children, reunite in the turbulent Lower East Side of New York City in 1919. Against a backdrop of labor unrest, the Spanish flu, and anarchist violence, Anzhelina & Karina is ultimately about the impossibility of returning to who we were — and the painful beauty of becoming who we are. Written by NMTE member Keith Benson, the musical had its first public reading in September 2025.

Timeline

📰 News ✍️ Blog

Member Spotlight: Keith Benson on Anzhelina & Karina

March 22, 2026

NMTE’s first member spotlight — a conversation between Charlie Betz and Keith Benson about the development of Keith’s original musical, set against...

🎭 Event 📰 News

Anzhelina & Karina — Reading

September 21, 2025 · Center for Performing Arts, Minneapolis

NMTE member Keith Benson presented his original musical Anzhelina & Karina in a free public reading — a heart-warming story of two Russian cous...