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Saturday, August 1, 2020

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2020: "Fallen from the Toy Box"

Location: Digital Hub (available anytime)

Length: 60 minutes

Title: Fallen from the Toy Box

By: The Fourth Wall

Summary: Three classically trained musicians perform songs on their instruments, combined with movement and stories of childhood.

Highlights: Boston-based The Fourth Wall is one of my all-time Fringe favorites. I saw a variation of their show Fruit Flies Like a Banana four years in a row, and I will watch them perform anywhere and any way I can. Even a streaming video on my tablet. Truth be told, I often have a hard time staying engaged watching streaming or recorded theater, but that is not a problem here. Fallen from the Toy Box (recorded last year at IndyFringe) is a thoroughly engaging 60 minutes that fly by. This show is the same general concept as Fruit Flies - classical or modern compositions performed by that classic trio of flute (Hilary Abigana), trombone (C. Neil Parsons), and various percussive instruments (Greg Jukes), all while performing movement/dance/acrobatics. But this show has a theme of childhood, invoking a feeling of nostalgia. The three performers take turns telling sweet, funny, poignant stories from their childhood to tie the pieces together. Some of the pieces I've seen before in previous shows, some were new to me, and all are creative, innovative, surprising, and delightful. Highlights include the performers recreating drawings from children, Hilary playing the flute while dancing on pointe, and the always thrilling boomwhacker piece. Fallen from the Toy Box is a must-see of the Virtual Fringe, and also mark your calendar for their live show on August 8. I have no idea how they're going to do what they do live and virtual during a pandemic, but I can't wait to find out.

Read all of my Nightly Fringe mini-reviews here.

Read all of my Digital Hub mini-reviews here.