Yes, that was how thousands of 20th-century voyageurs saw her as they paddled and portaged their way across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northeasternmost Minnesota. For over a half-century, Molter could be found on an island in Knife Lake, sharing her homemade root beer with canoeists seeking a refreshing respite.
But that doesn’t begin to describe the last non-Indigenous resident of the Boundary Waters, a woman who ran a resort catering to those seeking the most rustic of fishing vacations. Hers is a tale of survival in harsh conditions, the embrace of a decidedly unconventional lifestyle, and a love story between a woman and a place.
Two years ago, playwright and actor Kim Schultz premiered “The Root Beer Lady” at St. Paul’s History Theatre, a one-woman show that allowed Molter to tell her own story and deliver some impassioned advocacy for the unique form of bonding with nature that the BWCA allows. It also proved a fascinating character sketch, a memoir in monologue about the 56-year adventure that was Molter’s entire adult life.
Now it’s back onstage and even better. With the help of director Jess Yates, Schultz is subtly drawing forth more vulnerability from this seemingly invulnerable woman of the woods, more convincingly sculpting the other key characters in Dorothy’s life, and making her fireside yarns even more engrossing.
Schultz has created a script and a characterization that engagingly traces the evolution of Molter’s relationship with the Boundary Waters. What starts as love at first sight when she arrives as a 23-year-old nursing student from Chicago gradually becomes a lifelong commitment during which a bond deepens between her and the animals of the forest and lakes, as well as with the humans closest to her.
And the latter is one of the key elements that makes this a more richly rewarding theatrical experience than the very good 2023 show. While Molter is both our protagonist and narrator, Schultz also convincingly fleshes out her father and sister, as well as the resort owner who takes Molter under his wing with a reassuring “alrighty then.”
But the scenes that strike deepest come when Molter reflects upon coming to terms with loneliness and the paths not taken. While you could say that fierce independence was a big part of Molter’s “brand,” this revised version of the play lays bare that this relative recluse was really a people person at heart even if she claims that “animals are better companions, truth be told.”
The action takes place on a Chelsea M. Warren set that evokes both the interior of Molter’s cabin and the shoreline outside. Leslie Ritenour’s projections and Chris Johnson’s lighting magically transform rugged staves of wood into a row of pines and their watery reflections, as well as barriers against creeping fog and blustery snow.
Throughout the Jack London-esque tales of battling the elements – such as when the snowshoe-clad Molter has to drag her ailing mentor across eight lakes on a toboggan and a loon assists her in finding her way home in a dense bank of fog – Schultz delivers a bravura performance that makes Molter a fascinating companion.
‘The Root Beer Lady’
When: Through Feb. 23
Where: History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul
Tickets: $69-$15, available at 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com
Capsule: A captivating look at the romance between a person and a place.
Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.
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