New Minneapolis play ‘Sweet Revenge’ brings murder mystery to a Native family’s doorstep

Twin Cities stages and parks are making room for stories about Native, Hmong and Lao communities this weekend. Catch the world premiere of Minneapolis writer Marcie Rendon’s “Sweet Revenge” at Red Eye Theater, celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a weekend of arts, sports and food trucks in Maplewood, or head to St. Paul’s East Side for the first Hmong Lao Heritage Festival. A Native spin on murder mystery It took 22 years for Minneapolis playwright Marcie Rendon to get “Sweet Revenge” right. For years, the play sat in her drawer as a stubborn story about an inner-city Native American family living just a door away from an ice cream truck serial killer. Rendon knew the pieces were there, but the story wouldn’t click. Then, while attending a writing retreat to work on another manuscript, a new character walked onto the page and sat down at the table. “Granny Josephine appeared,” Rendon said. “Once that happened, the whole story solidified.” In the play, Gr