Medora Musical celebrates 60 years with fresh flair and familiar heart
Originally Published by Dickinson Press on June 6, 2025
Blending bold new storytelling with beloved traditions, this year’s show charms crowds while sparking conversation about identity, heritage, and what it means to represent North Dakota.
MEDORA, N.D. — With an ambitious blend of parodies and keen commentary on the history of the Badlands, the rip-roaring opening night of the 60th Medora Musical struck a confident balance between entertaining the crowd and educating newcomers. Led by a friendly yet fiercely competitive host duo, the cast’s playful approach to familiar aspects and new dimensions of the decades-old show had the rapt attention of the audience.
“This show means so much to so many people,” said Felicity Jemo, who plays “Winnie,” the fun-loving outdoorsy host. “There’s nothing like the energy of this amphitheater when it’s full, and the responsibility of carrying on this tradition is something I really feel the weight of. It’s an honor.”
“Some nights, I still wake up and I see your ghost, oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for” are bold lyrics for a playwright to splice into a musical that hops between centuries and continents. This year’s script even includes a narrative voiceover from the show’s late founders Harold and Sheila Schafer — and answers, on stage, the honest question of who lived in the Badlands before settler families and opportunists arrived. Even more auspicious, the score fuses Taylor Swift’s You Belong with Me, Bryan Adams’ Summer of ‘69 and a parody of The Devil Went Down to Georgia that relays fiddle licks and six decades of Medora history at lightning speed.
“We really liked last year’s show when they started dividing up the dancing and singing more,” said two attendees. Members of the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, the couple said they typically attend each opening night and Fourth of July and thought the changes “leveled up the professionalism” of the show.
Not everyone was so impressed, though.
“This is North Dakota like I’ve never seen it before, and I’ve lived here most of my life,” quipped one attendee on their elevator journey back to the parking lot. “The cast is so talented, but the musical doesn’t represent who we actually are. There aren’t even this many chaps per capita in Montana at the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale.”
True to Harold Schafer’s famous declaration that the show has something for everyone, including “the kids,” this year’s chance for children in the audience to join the cast on stage added a note of inclusivity. The song the children got to perform with the cast — while a rendition of a familiar tune — includes American Sign Language phrases. Schafer’s words are a tough promise to keep for an institution that welcomed over 111,000 visitors last year, but Quinn Beasley, the variety act for the opening night, had the crowd roaring with laughter over his unique blend of knife juggling, unicycle riding and off-beat comedy.
As always, the musical incorporated faith and patriotism by recognizing the contributions of veterans in the audience and heartfelt harmonies during How Great Thou Art before wrapping up with a blast of fireworks. Nostalgic fans of the musical will likely be thrilled to know this year’s iteration includes both clogging and yodeling along with the iconic North Dakota medley arranged in a fresh style.
“They’ve found their niche and they’re doing an incredible piece of outreach showing off our great little spot in the United States,” said Bailey White, the artist who won this year’s Medora Masterpiece competition, before going on to describe her admiration for the Foundation’s commitment to evolution.
That commitment to growth couldn’t be more evident than in the intricate parking arrangements outside the musical’s welcome center — precariously balancing the construction traffic headed to the site of the future Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library next door. Below the hill, NDDOT is in the midst of building a roundabout to assist with the increased traffic anticipated with next year’s library opening. Each of those visitors to the library may attend the musical — an opportunity that also poses a challenge for this show that likely influences many newcomers’ first impressions of the state.
“This is our year of construction,” said Destiny Meyer, a communications specialist at the Foundation.
And the magic of Medora? Whether it’s the serendipity of sunshine breaking out just in time after a thunderstorm or the tireless efforts of the stage crew who mop up the rain, it’s still real enough to give the audience chills during the closing numbers. No parody during the show captured the behind-the-scenes cooperation at the core of the musical’s success more than We Built Medora with Heart and Soul.
That magic, according to Karen and Bob, a couple from Chicago who made their second trip out west to see the musical this year after a friend introduced them to the show, is what makes the trip worth it.
“A show like this could only happen here,” the couple said. “It’s the place and especially the people here who make it possible.”
Tickets and more information about the show can be found at www.medora.com .