Matthew Lopez is America’s hottest playwright. He launched a seismic eruption in the theatrical world with his 2018 creation, “The Inheritance,” a seven-hour stage epic focused upon the evolution of gay culture in America and the AIDS crisis’ role in it. The ambitious project won every major award for a new play in both New York and London, and Lopez has followed it up with an acclaimed script for a 2022 musical adaptation of the film comedy, “Some Like It Hot.”

For the newest production on its proscenium stage, the Guthrie Theater has reached back to an earlier Lopez play, 2011’s “Somewhere,” a work that – while possessing much charm – nevertheless bears the marks of an author still trying to find his voice.

It’s what’s known as a kitchen-sink drama, in which family issues are hashed out within the claustrophobic confines of a conflict-filled home. And Lopez obeys most of the conventions of the form, save for one imaginative twist: The characters periodically break into dance numbers that hint at the liberation they seek.

While those interludes are engaging, I came away from director Joseph Haj’s staging of “Somewhere” feeling that there needs to be more passion in this tale of a family full of urban dreamers struggling to find their way into show business and out of poverty. It never achieves the naturalism necessary to make its realistic exchanges absorbing, nor the abandon that would give flight to its fantastical dance sequences.

We’re taken to 1959 Manhattan and the household of a Puerto Rican family that’s simply mad about musical theater. Mom is a Broadway usher, her oldest a dancer who played a small role in “The King and I” as a child, his sister studying dance and youngest brother taking acting lessons. While their musician patriarch is on the road, the eldest sibling has become the clear-eyed voice of discipline in the household who struggles with the strain of their hand-to-mouth life.

Yet it’s a family driven by dreams, and some hope arrives when an adopted brother who’s since fled the nest becomes an assistant to choreographer and director Jerome Robbins during his work on the stage and film versions of the musical, “West Side Story.” Could this story rooted in conflicts between street gangs of Puerto Rican and European descent prove a conduit for their ambitions?

While leaning on Robbins’ style for its dance interludes – kudos to choreographer Maija Garcia for deftly capturing his movement vocabulary and the performers for so ably executing it – the script’s structure seems more an homage to Tennessee Williams.

Mother Inez is as devoted to her delusions as a typical Williams heroine, and Maggie Bofill makes her quite engaging when she launches into one of Lopez’s humorous stream-of-consciousness monologues. But Preston Perez plays eldest brother Alejandro too close to the vest, keeping his inner life obscured, even holding too much in reserve during his inevitable act-two explosion. Yet it’s a demanding role, as it also requires spotlight-seizing dance skills, and Perez gracefully delivers on that account.

It feels odd to say that a show would be well-served by being both more realistic and more fantastical, but “Somewhere” probably would, as it’s driven by the friction between heartwarming dreams and harsh realities, and more palpable passion would help raise the emotional stakes for both the characters and audiences.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

‘Somewhere’

When: Through Feb. 1

Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $94-$18, available at 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org

Capsule: A promising premise could use more passion to take flight.

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On Thursday, Wild defenseman Carson Lambos made his NHL debut in Columbus, logged 10 minutes of ice time and was honored by his teammates in the postgame locker room with the “redwood” hat given to the team’s player of the game.

By Friday afternoon, Lambos was headed back to Iowa, sent down by general manager Bill Guerin — a sure sign that good news was coming on the team’s health report.

So on Saturday, before the Wild hit the ice versus the Oilers, when the home team announced the activation of defensemen Jonas Brodin and Jake Middleton and forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Mats Zuccarello from injured reserve, it was as good as getting early presents for a team heading into perhaps the most daunting 48 hours of the season to date.

It wasn’t all good news. The team also placed defenseman Zach Bogosian on injured reserve and defenseman Daemon Hunt remains unavailable, but after putting together a six-game winning streak while playing with a patched-together lineup, the extra available bodies were certainly welcomed.

On Friday, Wild coach John Hynes had a sense the bulk of the seven players missing when they beat the Blue Jackets would at least try to make a go of things versus Edmonton.

“Obviously we’ve had guys out, and those guys are really pushing and excited to try to be able to get back in,” Hynes said. “Credit to the guys who have been in the lineup when other guys have been out. We’ve played the way we need to play, and everyone’s contributed.”

Indeed, when warmups started Saturday afternoon, five of the seven players missing in Columbus on Thursday – Brodin, Middleton, Hinostroza, Zuccarello and forward Marcus Johansson – were on the ice, much to the delight of the crowd, which was already in a festive mood. Johansson, who had missed the previous two games with a lower body injury, tested Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard less than 15 seconds into the game

The good health meant Ben Jones, who had played in 14 of 17 games in the past month, was also sent to Iowa, while Tyler Pitlick and Matt Kiersted — who played in Columbus — were healthy scratches Saturday. But Hynes said the ice time those extras logged in the Wild’s on-ice system while the team was an injury mess could pay important dividends later in the season, when more injuries invariably are part of the picture.

“If you get players back in your lineup, that mentality doesn’t change. You want it to make the team stronger,” Hynes said. “If we get some players back into the lineup, then is slots things differently. But the way we play and the commitment level we play with, that’s the difference between winning and losing.”

Briefly

For a dozen seasons, from their start as a NHL expansion team until 2013, the Wild and Oilers were division rivals, playing in the old Northwest Division with Colorado, Calgary and Vancouver. Most notably, this led to many late nights for Wild fans, with Minnesota serving as the only Central Time Zone team, and all of their divisional road games starting an hour or two later than normal. And despite Edmonton making a run to the Stanley Cup Final in that era, the Wild generally had the Oilers’ number on the ice. Entering Saturday’s game, Minnesota had 64 wins, and 31 road wins, all-time versus Edmonton, which is the most versus any NHL opponent.

NEW YORK — At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public.

The missing files, which were available Friday and no longer accessible by Saturday, included images of paintings depicting nude women, and one showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Trump, alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Justice Department did not say why the files were removed or whether their disappearance was intentional. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Online, the unexplained missing files fueled speculation about what was taken down and why the public was not notified, compounding long-standing intrigue about Epstein and the powerful figures who surrounded him. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee pointed to the missing image featuring a Trump photo in a post on X, writing: “What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public.”

The episode deepened concerns that had already emerged from the Justice Department’s much-anticipated document release. The tens of thousands of pages made public offered little new insight into Epstein’s crimes or the prosecutorial decisions that allowed him to avoid serious federal charges for years, while omitting some of the most closely watched materials, including FBI interviews with victims and internal Justice Department memos on charging decisions.

Scant new insight in the initial disclosures

Some of the most consequential records expected about Epstein are nowhere to be found in the Justice Department’s initial disclosures, which span tens of thousands of pages.

Missing are FBI interviews with survivors and internal Justice Department memos examining charging decisions — records that could have helped explain how investigators viewed the case and why Epstein was allowed in 2008 to plead guilty to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge.

The gaps go further.

The records, required to be released under a recent law passed by Congress, hardly reference several powerful figures long associated with Epstein, including Britain’s former Prince Andrew, renewing questions about who was scrutinized, who was not, and how much the disclosures truly advance public accountability

Among the fresh nuggets: insight into the Justice Department’s decision to abandon an investigation into Epstein in the 2000s, which enabled him to plead guilty to that state-level charge, and a previously unseen 1996 complaint accusing Epstein of stealing photographs of children.

The releases so far have been heavy on images of Epstein’s homes in New York City and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with some photos of celebrities and politicians.

There was a series of never-before-seen photos of former President Bill Clinton but fleetingly few of Trump. Both have been associated with Epstein, but both have since disowned those friendships. Neither has been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and there was no indication the photos played a role in the criminal cases brought against him.

Despite a Friday deadline set by Congress to make everything public, the Justice Department said it plans to release records on a rolling basis. It blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring survivors’ names and other identifying information. The department has not given any notice when more records might arrive.

That approach angered some Epstein accusers and members of Congress who fought to pass the law forced the department to act. Instead of marking the end of a yearslong battle for transparency, the document release Friday was merely the beginning of an indefinite wait for a complete picture of Epstein’s crimes and the steps taken to investigate them.

“I feel like again the DOJ, the justice system is failing us,” said Marina Lacerda, who alleges Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York City mansion when she was 14.

Many of the long-anticipated records were redacted or lacked context

Federal prosecutors in New York brought sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail after his arrest.

The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages records in the department’s possession. In one example, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Manhattan federal prosecutors had more than 3.6 million records from sex trafficking investigations into Epstein and Maxwell, though many duplicated material already turned over by the FBI.

Many of the records released so far had been made public in court filings, congressional releases or freedom of information requests, though, for the first time, they were all in one place and available for the public to search for free.

Ones that were new were often lacking necessary context or heavily blacked out. A 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY,” likely from one of the federal sex trafficking investigations that led to the charges against Epstein in 2019 or Maxwell in 2021, was entirely blacked out.

Trump’s Republican allies seized on the Clinton images, including photos of the Democrat with singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. There were also photos of Epstein with actors Chris Tucker and Kevin Spacey, and even Epstein with TV newscaster Walter Cronkite. But none of the photos had captions and was no explanation given for why any of them were together.

The meatiest records released so far showed that federal prosecutors had what appeared to be a strong case against Epstein in 2007 yet never charged him.

Transcripts of grand jury proceedings, released publicly for the first time, included testimony from FBI agents who described interviews they had with several girls and young women who described being paid to perform sex acts for Epstein. The youngest was 14 and in ninth grade.

One had told investigators about being sexually assaulted by Epstein when she initially resisted his advances during a massage.

Another, then 21, testified before the grand jury about how Epstein had hired her when she was 16 to perform a sexual massage and how she had gone on to recruit other girls to do the same.

“For every girl that I brought to the table he would give me $200,” she said. They were mostly people she knew from high school, she said. “I also told them that if they are under age, just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”

The documents also contain a transcript of an interview Justice Department lawyers did more than a decade later with the U.S. attorney who oversaw the case, Alexander Acosta, about his ultimate decision not to bring federal charges.

Acosta, who was labor secretary during Trump’s first term, cited concerns about whether a jury would believe Epstein’s accusers.

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What’s inside the released files on Jeffrey Epstein

He also said the Justice Department might have been more reluctant to make a federal prosecution out of a case that straddled the legal border between sex trafficking and soliciting prostitution, something more commonly handled by state prosecutors.

“I’m not saying it was the right view,” Acosta added. He also said that the public today would likely view the survivors differently.

“There’s been a lot of changes in victim shaming,” Acosta said.

Jennifer Freeman, an attorney representing Epstein accuser Maria Farmer, on Saturday said her client feels vindicated after the document release. Farmer sought for years documents backing up her claim that Epstein and Maxwell were in possession of child sexual abuse images.

“It’s a triumph and a tragedy,” she said. “It looks like the government did absolutely nothing. Horrible things have happened and if they investigated in even the smallest way, they could have stopped him.”

Associated Press journalists Ali Swenson, Christopher L. Keller, Kristin M. Hall, Aaron Kessler and Mike Catalini contributed to this report.

With reports of immigrants detained and pop-up protests across the Twin Cities, some suburban police departments are taking the initiative to explain the roles they play — and do not play — in federal immigration operations.

St. Paul and Minneapolis both passed separation ordinances years ago, spelling out that local employees, including police, are not in the business of enforcing federal immigration law.

After Immigration and Customs Enforcement made the Twin Cities the focus of its Operation Metro Surge this month, several suburbs shared statements to address their own policies.

Their message: City-appointed officers will not be involved with ICE operations unless the arrest involves someone accused of crimes in their jurisdictions. They’re emphasizing that no community member, whether a citizen or not, should be afraid to call 911 or cooperate with local investigations.

Operation Metro Surge

ICE’s stepped-up enforcement operations in Minnesota began on Dec. 1, with reportedly at least 100 federal officers from out of state.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release last Friday that ICE agents had arrested more than 400 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota since the operation began.

According to DHS, the operation targets “criminal illegal aliens” with prior convictions for serious crimes such as sexual assault, domestic violence and gang affiliation, as well as individuals with final deportation orders.

Although DHS has not released a complete list of those arrested, the agency has said they’ve included “pedophiles, rapists and violent thugs” who were “allowed to roam Minnesota’s streets thanks to sanctuary policies.”

While initially focused on Minneapolis and St. Paul, the operation has expanded into suburbs such as Burnsville, Brooklyn Park and Chanhassen, according to media reports.

Burnsville incident

State Sen. Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, said she was “horrified” by reports that masked agents have detained the parents of young children, leaving them without the care of their parents.

Port was referring to a Dec. 6 case that made the news involving the arrests of two parents at a Burnsville home. ICE agents left behind a 7-year-old to be cared for by others, KARE-TV reported.

“I am horrified at the recent actions by federal law enforcement agents in Burnsville and across Minnesota,” Port said in a statement. “The videos of masked federal agents aiming guns at crowds and forcing their way into homes are scenes from a dystopia. This is no way to make our communities safe.”

The city of Burnsville said in a statement that it is actively monitoring federal immigration activity in the city.

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“Burnsville Police do not engage in federal immigration enforcement and are typically not notified of federal operations,” the statement reads. “Burnsville police officers enforce only state and local laws. Burnsville Police do not check someone’s immigration status. Our role is to keep everyone in our community safe.”

The statement continued that residents and community members should never hesitate to call 911, regardless of their immigration status. It also stated that officers may respond to gatherings or related protests that occur “to ensure safety for everyone present.”

Other cities have issued statements in response to ICE activity or citizen concerns. What follows is a sampling of east metro statements.

Woodbury statement

Woodbury community members have reported concerns about recent ICE activity in the city, according to Public Safety Director and Police Chief Jason Posel.

“Woodbury Public Safety was not aware of this activity and does not proactively work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” the department said in a statement. “We do not inquire about immigration status, nor do we enforce federal immigration law. Our goal is for everyone to feel safe interacting with our officers and comfortable calling 911 in an emergency.”

The statement went on to express that the city understands ICE activity can create stress among community members, especially immigrants, and that Woodbury is “committed to being a welcoming and inclusive community.”

“To our Somali residents and all members of our immigrant communities: you are valued, and your safety and well-being remain a priority,” the statement continued.

Stillwater statement

Stillwater officials issued a statement Wednesday afternoon on social media after citizens at Tuesday’s city council meeting asked them to address the potential for ICE activity in the city.

“Recent federal immigration enforcement activity in our region has understandably caused fear and uncertainty for some members of our community, particularly among our immigrant neighbors,” city officials said in the statement. “We want to share some important information and provide reassurance.”

Police officers do not enforce federal immigration law, the post states. Federal immigration enforcement decisions are made at the federal level and are outside the city’s control, according to the post.

Stillwater police officers do not ask about immigration status and do not conduct immigration enforcement, the post states. “We want everyone to feel safe calling 911, reporting a crime, or asking for help in an emergency,” according to the statement.

The Stillwater Police Department does not detain a person solely based on federal civil immigration violations, and the Stillwater City Council is not considering a cooperative agreement with ICE, according to the post.

“Should federal enforcement activity occur in Stillwater, the city’s priority would be the safety of everyone involved, maintaining calm, and reducing the risk of harm,” the post states. “Local police would be present only to support de-escalation and public safety.”

Rosemount statement

The city of Rosemount shared in a statement that it is committed to “protecting and serving all of our residents. Regardless of how long you’ve called Rosemount home.”

The Rosemount Police Department stated that they enforce state and local laws, not federal laws.

“If federal immigration enforcement were to arrive in Rosemount, our officers would not play an active role,” the city said in a statement. “However, they may respond to ensure physical safety near the scene, including the safety of neighbors or spectators.”

Rosemount officers will not ask about the immigration status of community members, or provide information “to anyone attempting to identify an immigration violation, or detain a person solely for a federal immigration violation,” the statement said.

Residents are encouraged to contact law enforcement as necessary, regardless of their immigration status.

Attorney general opinion

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The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office also has weighed in with a recent opinion concerning 287(g) agreements, which are agreements that state and local governments can enter into with ICE authorizing state or local law enforcement officers to perform certain immigration duties.

According to the attorney general’s office, county sheriffs are not able to enter into 287(g) agreements themselves; the authority to enter into 287(g) agreements rests with the county board of commissioners rather than with sheriffs.

Sheriffs also may not detain immigrants “solely on the basis of a civil ICE detainer request if state law does not otherwise authorize law enforcement to detain them.”