St. Paul history and the fantastical world of King Boreas blend in the History Theatre’s new holiday show, “Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical.”
The original musical tells the story of St. Paul’s first Black municipal architect and the man behind the Highland Park Water Tower, Clarence “Cap” Wigington and his wife, Viola. The pair enter the magical legend behind the St. Paul Winter Carnival, for which Wigington was tasked with designing the celebration’s ice palaces.
Clarence “Cap” Wigington, photographed at the St. Paul City Architect’s office in 1940. Wigington was the first black person to serve as a municipal architect in the U.S. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society.
The carnival originally opened in 1886, and the Legend of Boreas Rex was written in 1937 by St. Paul businessman Frank Madden, to explain the magic of the event. It’s the story of King Boreas, Queen Aurora and the forces of winter and spring, as they battle for the season and the people of St. Paul.
Theirs is the fantastical world that the Wigingtons enter, in a Minnesotan “Wizard of Oz” story.
“I felt it would be wrong to tell the story as just a straightforward retelling of the founding in 1886,” said Keith Hovis, who wrote the show’s music. “The myth of King Boreas in the festival is so fun and weird and whimsical that the show should be fun and weird and whimsical too.”
Collaboration is at the heart of the production, as Hovis worked on the lyrics in partnership with book writer Rachel Teagle. Hovis wrote the musical elements of the show, while Teagle wrote spoken elements and also implemented feedback from the cast during rehearsals.
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“It’s been a long, ongoing process full of communication,” Teagle said. “Lots of meetings at Gingko’s for coffee in St. Paul.”
Despite his notable contributions to the St. Paul city skyline — he served as lead architect on more than 90 city projects, including schools, fire stations and park buildings — Wigington has become a relatively unknown figure in Minnesota history.
“I think it’s highly important and impactful for these stories to be told,” said actor Roland Hawkins II. “We’re all taught the same four or five civil rights leaders, and that’s pretty much all the contributions, especially African American or most minorities, know about what they gave to the greater society.”
Growing up in Roseville, Hawkins said he was unfamiliar with the story of Wigington. After pursuing the musical arts for a majority of his life, Hawkins found community in his time at the Des Moines Metro Opera, which featured a cast of predominantly Black opera singers.
“That’s something that living in the Midwest, I never get to see,” Hawkins said.
Now, Hawkins is portraying Wigington in the musical and is happy to bring his story to back to life.
“Knowing that there’s something that people use every day, something that isn’t ephemeral, like civil rights, but very tactile, like the Highland Park Water Tower or the Harriet Island Pavilion; things that people use, like schools, to help minds grow and cultivate. These are things that we have given to the community,” Hawkins said.
Outside of his architectural work, Wigington worked diligently to support and uplift St. Paul’s Black community.
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According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Wigington co-founded the Sterling Club, the United States’ oldest African American men’s club, and created the Home Guards of Minnesota in 1917, an all-Black militia formed after the Minnesota National Guard denied him entry during World War I due to segregation.
He was given the nickname “Cap,” after obtaining the rank of captain in the Home Guards.
“I think that this show really brings out him finding his freedom,” Hawkins said.
Director Laura Leffler described the musical as a celebration of Wigington’s long history of public service.
“Even today in 2025, many of his buildings still stand in St. Paul and are common landmarks that everybody still uses and sees every day,” Leffler said. “It’s a pretty outstanding legacy.”
‘Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical’
What: An exploration of the the story of St. Paul architect Clarence “Cap” Wigington and his wife, Viola
When: Through Dec. 21
Where: History Theatre, 30 East 10th St., St. Paul
Tickets: For ticketing and more information, visit historytheatre.com
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