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Friday, August 9, 2019

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "Size"

Day: 7

Show: 22

Title: Size

Category: COMEDY / DANCE / DRAMA / ORIGINAL MUSIC / PHYSICAL THEATER / STORYTELLING

By: Somerville Productions

Created by:  Colleen Somerville and an array of writers and bodies.

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: Reflections, stories, sketches, and songs about the way society treats people of varying body size.

Highlights: This is a such beautiful show, and very relatable for anyone who has ever had issues with body image or food, which is pretty much every woman (and some men) who live in this country. The performers are all so honest and vulnerable in sharing their very personal stories about how they've felt shamed about their bodies at various times in their lives - in school, at work, in relationships. I thought it was going to be more about sizism in theater (which is definitely a conversation we need to having), but it was more universal than that (except for the horrible theater teacher that focused on students' looks, and Lauren Anderson's recurring story about how she was heckled onstage while performing). In a way that makes it more universal, because we've all had those moments of insecurity about our bodies. These poignant stories combined with moments of humor and music make this hour of truth-telling and affirmation of people of all shapes and sizes fly by.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.