"Nudge" at Open Eye Theatre

As part of their Guest Artist Series, Open Eye Theatre is hosting the long-form improv show Nudge once a month through December. I caught the show last night, before the #TCTheater season gets too busy. A small but enthusiastic crowd enjoyed one continuous story that played out in under an hour, completely made up on the spot. This talented troupe of some of our best improvisors (Tim Hellendrung, Katy Kessler, Taj Ruler, and Jen Scott performed last night, with Rita Boersma and/or Butch Roy joining them at some performances) created believable characters and situations that were funny, and awkward, and real. Since HUGE Theater closed last year, we need to go to different venues to see improv (including but not limited Strike Theater, Jungle Theater, and the Hive Collaborative), and Nudge is one that's definitely worth checking out in Open Eye's sweet intimate space in South Minneapolis. Their next show is October 20, followed by shows in November and December, with tickets just $12 in advance! Click here for all the details.

"Big Fish" at Lyric Arts

Lyric Arts is opening their exciting 2025-2026 season with yet another regional premiere musical - Big Fish, an adaptation of the 2003 Tim Burton film and 1998 novel. While the musical only ran for a few months on Broadway in 2013, earning zero Tony nominations, it seems to have sort of a cult following, and I can see why. It's a big-hearted feel-good story about parents and children, and what happens when children grow up and realize they don't know their parents as well as they thought they did. And there are a bunch of fantasy sequences that allow for fun little stories within the story. Lyric Arts has assembled a talented cast who are putting their whole hearts into the show, with some charming effects to create the fantasy sequences. See it on their Main Street Anoka stage now through September 28.

"Anyone Can Whistle" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at the Conn Theater

It's time to check another Stephen Sondheim musical off my list - the rarely done Anyone Can Whistle. For just six performances over two weekends, Minneapolis Musical Theatre (whose motto "rare musicals, well done" really applies here) is presenting a concert version of this musical that famously flopped when it premiered on Broadway in 1964. This is a smart way to do a lesser known and less successful work by one of the best composer/lyricists in musical theater history. For musicals that are hard to stage or challenging in other ways, a concert version still allows us to appreciate the music and get a gist of the story and characters, highlighting the good parts and jettisoning the bad. Anyone Can Whistle is a weird musical for sure, satirical and absurd in ways that work and ways that don't. But it's a lot of fun to watch in this concert version with a super talented (and mostly new-to-me) cast under the direction of Max Wojtanowicz, with a small but mighty on-stage band. If you're a Sondheim fan, don't miss your chance to see this rare and oddly charming show!

"The Mother" by Black Label Movement and Sod House Theater

My first show of the 2025-2026 #TCTheater season is a new work by two companies I've never seen before, and it set the bar pretty high for the season. Black Label Movement (a dance theater company) and Sod House Theater (specializing in site-specific theater) are combining forces on a music-dance-theater piece based on the 1906 Russian novel Mother by Maxim Gorky. This "punk rock dance musical" tells the story of striking workers in early 20th Century Russian in a way that feels modern and relevant. The intimate and immersive space at the historic Sokol Hall in St. Paul's West 7th neighborhood, a center for Czech and Slovak culture, makes you feel like you're part of the revolution, and the original music by Annie Enneking, who also plays the title role, is so inspiring. The Mother is a fusion of theater companies, artists, and art forms that really makes you feel the emotions of the story viscerally in a captivating 90 minutes. But it's playing for one weekend only - click here for info and tickets to the remaining shows (through Sunday).

"Pickup Truck Opera Volume 5: The Return of King Idomeneo" by Mixed Precipitation at Silverwood Park

It's time for one of my favorite #TCTheater summer traditions - Mixed Precipitation's Pickup Truck Opera! It's exactly what it sounds like - opera that operates out of a pickup truck. Well, sort of. Since the pandemic they've moved away from their "picnic operetta" with passed trays of food into this more portable show, driving all around the state in a 2011 Blue Ford pickup truck loaded with sets and props and instruments, bringing their unique brand of accessible and fun opera / pop music mashups to communities around Minnesota. In this year's Volume 5, they're mashing up Mozart's Idomeneo, about the aftermath of the Trojan War, with pop music from '50s and '60s. And they also modernize the story and make it more modern and relevant. The result is pure joy, and just an absolute delight to experience! As one audience member described it, "it's part opera, part silly play." If that sounds appealing to you, click here to find an outdoor location near you (continuing through September 14).

Reading of "The Antipodes" by Table/Read at Paikka

After two years at Boston University earning his MFA in Directing, #TCTheater artist Grant Sorenson is back in town and jumping right in making good things. He has plans for a new theater company (which will hopefully continue the great and interesting work of Arrow Theater), but for now, Grant has introduced a new and exciting monthly theater event - one-night-only readings of new plays, fittingly called Table/Read. That in itself is a really cool idea, but what makes this series truly unique is that the name of the play is not announced until the moment the reading begins. We always go into the theater knowing something about the work, even if it's just the title and playwright. But often the promotional materials, social media, and/or the program have information on what the play is about - a short plot summary, character descriptions, or even just the location and time period of the story. It's extremely rare to watch a performance and know absolutely nothing about what's going to happen. And that's exciting! The first monthly Table/Read did not disappoint, with an excellent choice of play read by a powerhouse cast of nine of #TCTheater's best actors that gave fully realized performances despite having just one zoom rehearsal. And it was preceded by drinks and conversation in the lovely courtyard outside Paikka, an event space in Vandalia Towers. But I won't get too attached to that; each reading will take place at a different non-traditional space. Follow Table/Read on Instagram or watch their website for details on the next monthly reading. And for artists - check out the artist nights, intended to be a place where artists can connect.

"Hypocralypse Now" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

From this spring's The World is Burning, So I Made S'Mores to their new show Hypocralypse Now, Brave New Workshop is bringing us smart, funny, topical comedy. The oldest comedy theater in the country is like Minnesota's SNL, and this show in particular is all about political humor (just take a look at the show image). But the show doesn't just skewer the current administration and its blatant hypocrisy (which for me is one of the most frustrating things about it), but also other people in positions of power, and the way we as citizens react to what's going on. As they say in the intro, be prepared to be offended, but at least in this situation we can all laugh at the world, each other, and ourselves. Because the great thing about this country is that we can make fun of the people in power without fear of censorship or retribution. Well, at least today we still can. So head to the Dudley Riggs Theatre in downtown Minneapolis to not forget your troubles, but laugh at them and commiserate with other humans sitting in a room together. Hypocralypse Now continues through November 1.

"Ghost Quartet" at Theatre Elision

This fall, Theatre Elision will bring us the regional premiere of the 12-time Tony nominated 2017 Broadway musical Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. But that's the time of the year they typically do composer/ lyricist/ playwright Dave Malloy's lesser known work Ghost Quartet. Not wanting to miss a year, they're presenting their 7th production for three nights only, featuring many past cast members, in what they're calling "the reunion." I've seen three of the six previous iterations, and I think this is the best one yet. Maybe it's because this non-linear song cycle interweaving many related stories and characters gets better with repeated viewings, maybe it's because the supersized cast makes the score sound even more gorgeous, maybe after seven productions Elision and these artists know this piece better and better. Or likely a combination of all of the above. If you've seen Ghost Quartet before, I recommend this reunion version as a way to deepen your experience. And if you've never seen it, this is a great introduction because it's really well done and feels like a welcoming and communal experience. But hurry, here are only two shows left - tonight (Friday) and tomorrow night! Click here for info and tickets.

"Come Back, Little Sheba" by Dark & Stormy Productions at Gremlin Theatre

Minnesota Fringe Festival is over, and the 2025-2026 #TCTheater season has not yet begun, which means it's time for another Dark & Stormy Production, a company that very smartly programs one of their unique offerings during this relatively quiet time. But this time, they're not serving us one of their usual dark comedies. The 1950 play Come Back, Little Sheba, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright William Inge, is all dark and no comedy. It's a tragic play that mostly makes me think about how women's choices were so limited in the past, and in many ways still are today (and becoming more so). But it's thoroughly engaging and full of captivating and complex characters, beautifully brought to life by the cast and creative team. See it at Gremlin Theatre through September 7.

"The Sound of Music" by Frosted Glass Creative

Seeing my sentimental favorite The Sound of Music (having grown up loving the movie, later playing clarinet in the pit orchestra for my high school production, and spending four months living in Salzburg in college) outdoors by the river in Stillwater was an absolute dream. Frosted Glass Creative had to cancel the first of only three performances due to a storm, but the delayed opening night was a success. Even though it was hot and buggy, and there were some sound issues in the challenging outdoor environment, with difficult sightlines at times, I loved every second of it. It's such a joyful story about following your dreams, connecting through music, and making difficult sacrifices to stand up for what's right. The large and talented cast and gorgeous full orchestra put so much heart into the show that even people floating by on the river could feel it. Stillwater's Zephyr Theatre premiered "Broadway on the Bridge" on this spot in the pandemic days, which sadly only lasted two years (Mamma Mia! and School of Rock) before they experienced financial difficulties and had to pause activities for a year or two. Former Zephyr Artistic Director Calyssa Hall is now with Frosted Glass (and directed this show) and began their "Broadway on the St. Croix" series last year, and it's such a great idea and a perfect spot for outdoor musicals - truly the prettiest stage in Minnesota. The second and final performance of The Sound of Music is tonight, but follow Frosted Glass for more theater opportunities along the beautiful St. Croix River.

UPDATE: Monday night performance added to make up for Friday's rainout - get tickets here!

"Ordinary Days" at St. Croix Festival Theatre

St. Croix Festival Theatre in St. Croix Falls Wisconsin is making it really hard for me not to cross state lines to see theater. Earlier this year I saw my first show there, the Kate Hamill-penned Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B, a modern, funny, and feminist adaptation of the classic detective stories. This weekend they're closing their three-week run of the rarely done musical Ordinary Days, which unfortunately opened during the Minnesota Fringe Festival so I was not able to see until the end of the run. It's a gorgeous gem of a musical, and they do a really lovely job with it. I saw Nautilus Music-Theater's Ivey Award-winning production of the show in 2013, just four years after its Off-Broadway premiere, and loved it, but to my knowledge no #TCTheater company has done it since. I will never understand why certain musicals are done over and over again but gems like this one are not done, even though this 90-minute musical with four performers and a keyboard is relatively easy to stage. So it was absolutely worth a short road trip to Wisconsin. But if you missed this show, their excellent season continues with An Iliad (a co-production with #TCTheater company Combustible Company, which will also be performed at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis), my favorite living playwright Lauren Gunderson's I and You (a play we haven't seen in #TCTheater yet, other than a virtual version during the pandemic), and concludes with Frosty: A Musical Adventure as their unique choice for the holidays. If St. Croix Festival Theatre continues to program plays and musicals I can't see in the Twin Cities, I'm going to keep making that beautiful drive across the river.

"Henry V" by Jackdonkey Productions at Theatre in the Round

Sixteen months ago, I had one of my best and most memorable days at the theater when I saw Guthrie Theater's production of the History Plays,  Shakespeare's Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V, all in one marathon day. One continuing story and one incredible cast of actors bringing it to life over three plays, for a total of 8+ hours of theater. The taglines for the three plays were: "a king becomes a man," "a man becomes a king," and "a king becomes a hero," respectively. But Jackdonkey Productions' new take on the finale of this trilogy, Henry V, brings a little different perspective to the story. Because in reality, war is much more complicated than that. There are no heroes, there are no winners, there's only death and destruction. This is a theme that is very relevant to what's going on in our world today, with wars, violence, and power-hungry leaders everywhere you turn. Jackdonkey brings this ancient story right into the present in this innovative production, playing at Theatre in the Round this weekend only (through August 18).

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: Wrap-Up and Favorites

The wonderful theatrical whirlwind that is the Minnesota Fringe Festival is over for another year, and I'm left with great memories of friends, fun, and theater, and also not a little exhaustion (I took an afternoon nap yesterday and then slept nine hours last night). I never cease to be amazed, impressed, and moved by the incredible talent in this festival, both local and touring artists. This year I saw 39 Fringe shows in 10 days, but technically I saw 42 shows within the 11 days of the festival, because I took the first day off to drive to Duluth and see Zeitgeist Theater's incredibly immersive and intimate production of my favorite musical RENT, and I took a few afternoons off to see a NEXT new works reading at Theater Latte Da and Artistry's fabulous production of the beloved classic Singin' in the Rain (continuing through August 31). But other than that, I saw a show in every timeslot that I could (not counting 10pm shows because #morningperson). And I did not see a bad show, in fact the majority of the shows I saw were excellent. Which makes narrowing my list of favorites down from 39 to something less than half of that a nearly impossible task. So here's a list of some (but not all) of the shows I loved at Minnesota Fringe this year. But Fringe is never really over; they continue activities and programming year-round, so be sure to follow them on social media and sign up for their email list (if you're not already). And most of the artists and companies in this festival do work all year round, so if you saw someone or something you really loved, check out what else they're doing this season. The 2025 Minnesota Fringe Festival is over, but #TCTheater never ends!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Wickie"

Day: 10

Show: 39

Title: The Wickie

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Physical Theater / Solo Show / Storytelling / Audience participation

By: Richie Whitehead

Created by: Richie Whitehead

Location: Barker Center

Summary: A physical theater clowning solo show about a lighthouse keeper and the search for his missing shoe.

Highlights: For my final Minnesota Fringe show, I went to see a show that was not on my schedule, but which so many people recommended. That final performance was sold out (or very nearly so), and later that night the show won an Artist Pick Golden Lanyard Award. Richie Whitehead, along with collaborators and directors Marc Frost and Salomé Mooij, has created something so charming and delightful, not even the interruption by someone trying to record the show on smart glasses could disrupt it (which Richie handled gracefully and totally in character). The show is a series of vignettes in the life of the lighthouse keeper, aka Wickie. The ocean has taken his shoe, and he wants it back. He has to climb 147 stairs to get to the top of the lighthouse to perform his duties, and it's exhausting. He communicates with his friends via Morse code. He goes looking for the grave of the first Wickie. In a gray wig and beard, Richie looks right at the audience, their impish facial expressions speaking to us as much as their words, inviting us into the story. With some clever audience participation, we feel like we're all in it together and a part of the story. Really great physical comedy, great use of props (including one tall ladder and a couple of buckets), bold lighting, and a bit of fourth-wall breaking make for a really fun, sweet, funny, and entertaining show for all ages. A show that has traveled to fringes around the world, The Wickie is deserving of all of the awards it has received, including "best strip tease dance scene" and "most outrageous fake accent."

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Big Secret"

Day: 10

Show: 38

Title: The Big Secret

Category: Storytelling / Political content / Religious content

By: Brad Lawrence

Created by: Brad Lawrence

Location: Rarig Arena

Summary: A solo storytelling piece about a big secret that Brad Lawrence has been keeping since he was 14, and why he's now sharing it with the world.

Highlights: This is a beautiful and moving story, masterfully told by NYC-based master storyteller Brad Lawrence. He weaves a mesmerizing tale about his traumatic childhood (including both familial and religious trauma), and finding connection with an older girl named Jessica in his church youth group. One night, over frozen custard, she tells him her shameful secret, that she's never shared with anyone. She makes him promise not to tell, and he doesn't, putting it in a box in the back of his mind that he never opens, even after her tragic murder five years later. But he has recently opened that box and looked at the secret with adult eyes, only to find that it wasn't shameful at all. Jessica was a child, taken advantage of by an adult, undeserved shame forced upon her by her religious upbringing. I won't share the secret in case you ever get the chance to see this show, because it's expertly revealed at the right time for the maximum impact. The important thing to know is that Brad is finally sharing Jessica's story in the hopes that those who hear it can let go of some of the shame in their own lives, and/or help create a world without shame for people who did nothing wrong.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Duluth: An Improvised Midwest Murder"

Day: 10

Show: 37

Title: Duluth: An Improvised Midwest Murder

Category: Comedy / Drama / Horror / Improv / Mystery / Audience participation

By: Duluth Improv

Created by: Avery Kiefer and Walter Mueller

Location: Rarig Xperimental

Summary: A story of murder in a Midwest town.

Highlights: Curiously, Duluth Improv is a troupe based in Chicago. And they finally brought the show home to Minnesota "where it belongs." They ask one audience member to volunteer info about their hometown; at the show I attended it was Madison Wisconsin, home of the Oscar Mayer Wiener plant (and Wienermobile). What started out as one murder in the plant, with a body shoved into the machinery, turned into a Mayer family crime drama, a workplace murder at The Archives, and a shootout in the parking lot. The cast (many of whom were subs when I saw the show so I don't have all their names) is great at improvising crazy crime scenarios and bizarre deaths, all while speaking in Midwest accents, and sometimes Russian-ish. Most of their shows were sold out or nearly sold out, because Minnesota Fringe loves Minnesota humor, improv, and murder, even when it's from Chicago.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Dice of Destiny: Neon City"

Day: 10

Show: 36

Title: Dice of Destiny: Neon City

Category: Comedy / Improv / Audience participation

By: The Bearded Company

Created by: The Bearded Company

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: The Bearded Co's trademark D&D style of improv applied to an '80s action movie.

Highlights: I saw the final show of what I believe was a continuing five-show saga. Anna Tobin and Maria Bartholdi play the main characters (even after so many Bearded shows I don't know D&D lingo), two crime fighters in the post-apocalyptic world of an '80s action movie. The rest of the cast (MJ Matheson, Tyler Mills, Joe Rapp, and Lucas Vonasek) play multiple characters, as our two heroes save the world in the weirdest way possible. As per usual, game master Allen Voigt calls the action, rolling the 20-sided die to see how strong each action will be, with Jack Barrett on keyboard and Dan Ruby on sound effects creating a soundscape. This group is a sure thing every year that they perform; they're experts at this long-form improv storytelling and always create a really funny story that also sort of makes sense. But you don't have to wait until next Fringe to see them; they are doing a couple of shows as part of Theatre in the Round's fantastic upcoming season. You can see them in November and May, the latter of which is running in rep with The Hobbit, so one can only hope these shows will be LOTR-themed (I may not be a D&D nerd, but I am a LOTR nerd).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Boxcutter Harmonica"

Day: 10

Show: 35

Title: Boxcutter Harmonica

Category: Mystery / Solo Show / Spoken Word / Storytelling

By: Paper Soul

Written by: J Merrill Motz

Location: Barker Center

Summary: A couple of historical detectives dig into mysteries surrounding artists in early 20th century New Orleans and Renaissance Italy.

Highlights: Since the Fringe is over, I'll spoil the joke that is at the crux of the show. This is not a two-hander starring #TCTheater artist J Merrill Motz and traveling fringe artist Martin Dockery. It's a solo show by Motz (rhymes with boats) in which he plays a version of himself playing a detective waiting for a version of Dockery who is supposed to play the other character in the show. But spoiler alert - he doesn't show. Motz, as Detective Black, continues on with the show, occasionally receiving texts and calls, and growing increasingly more frustrated. But the tale he's spinning, now on his own, is fascinating and more complex than I can relate here. Suffice it to say the detective tells stories about two pairs of artists, one in the shadow of the other. One part of each pair is tempted to make a deal with the devil in order to become a better and more famous artist, and their different decisions affect their lives. But by the end of the show we realize we're actually talking about three pairs of artists, as "Motz" has an existential artistic crisis of his own, and perhaps takes a third road. It's a very smartly written show, with a compelling performance by Motz and great use of props, including writing words on a large sketchpad and laying each sheet on the floor to form a literal crossroads. This show is an epic experience encompassing so many things, for which Motz received a staff pick Golden Lanyard Award for his unique use of tech and turning tropes on their head.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Death! A Musical"

Day: 10

Show: 34

Title: Death! A Musical

Category: Comedy / Musical Theater / Original Music / Kid friendly

By: Gabriel Shen | Twin Cities Youth Theatre

Created by: Gabriel Shen

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A musical about a 13-year old girl who dies and goes to the afterlife, written and performed by middle schoolers.

Highlights: This is the kind of show that makes adults wonder what they've been doing with their life, because soon-to-be 8th grader Gabriel Shen has written music, book, and lyrics (the latter two with Francis Shen) for a musical, which they also directed, play a role in, and operate the sound board for. Pretty impressive, and very promising for the future of #TCTheater. In the musical, Alana (an endearing Vivienne Steele) finds herself in the afterlife, and wants to return to life. She finds a clause in the fine print of the contract that says she can do just that if she completes seven random and pretty easy to accomplish tasks. So she does that, which results in the end of death. Sounds great, doesn't it? But these precocious kids remind us that what makes life so precious is that our time is limited, and "Life Without Death" is no life at all. Pretty profound stuff. All of the kids in nine-person cast are so talented and cute, and the onstage orchestra is also made up of talented young people, led by musical director and orchestrator Angela Steiner (because arranging their original score for a 10-piece orchestra is a big ask for a 7th grader, even a super talented one). It may sound trite, but children really are our future, and the future looks bright. Kudos to these young people for making adventurous art in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, for which they won the venue award (most tickets sold) thanks to their supportive families and community. 

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "An Exorcism, Don'tcha Know?"

Day: 9

Show: 33

Title: An Exorcism, Don'tcha Know?

Category: Comedy / Horror / Puppetry

By: New Endeavors

Created by: Andrew Rakerd

Location: Barker Center

Summary: The show description pretty much says it all: "Church Basement Ladies meets The Exorcist."

Highlights: I recently saw the original Church Basement Ladies for the first time, and the setup here is almost identical. There's a new pastor at the Lutheran Church in small town Minnesota, and the ladies holding an Easter fundraiser to raise money for a new furnace aren't sure what to think of him (he's "different"). And there's a young woman returned from school at "the U" in "the Cities," coming home different than when she left. And here's where this show diverges from CBL - she's possessed by a demon. A demon who is disappointed to find out he's been sent to torment not a Catholic Church, where they expect and know how to handle such things, but a Lutheran Church. The ladies (Angela Fox, Cayla Marie Wolpers, and Michelle Schwantes) and one husband (Mitch Kiecker) turn to Pastor Sal (Rob Ward) to help rid poor Regan (Emma Kessler) of the demon, but he's not sure what to do. One of the ladies has seen The Exorcist, and offers suggestions. But in the end, Minnesota Nice is the only thing that works to rid these Lutherans of the demon. Because it's not the Minnesota Fringe Festival without some Fargo accents and lutefisk jokes, and this show fills the bill nicely. The cast is great, particularly Emma with a blood curdling scream, her words echoed by Mike Dee as the demon, dressed all in black and shadowing her moves, creating a spooky otherworldly effect. This show is really fun and ridiculously funny, as I would expect from the team that brought us one of the most brilliantly stupid Fringe shows in my memory - 2017's The Buttslasher, and the 2019 sequel The Buttslasher: And Then There Were Buns. I'm still waiting for part 3, but in the meantime, you can catch the final performance of An Exorcism, Don'tcha Know? today (Sunday) at 1pm for some Minnesota humor mixed with a touch of horror.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Cabin Fever"

Day: 9

Show: 32

Title: Cabin Fever

Category: Comedy / Improv / Audience participation / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: Small Waves

Created by: Mikela Anderson, Naomi Brecht, and Katie & Della Christ

Location: Barker Center

Summary: The finale of a lesbian dating reality set in a cabin in the woods.

Highlights: I've never watched a reality dating show (except for the most recent locally filmed season of Love is Blind which I'm only halfway through), but it's a great premise for an improv show. Hosted by the drag queen Buttercream, the show is structured as a recap of the season, one-on-one dates with the bachelorette Ashleighy (Haley Methner) based on audience suggestions (skydiving, an improv show, being in a donkey costume, and jazzercize), the final "s'more" ceremony (instead of "rose," although there sadly were no actual s'mores), and of course the reality show confessionals. Within this structure, the cast (also including Mikela Anderson, Abigail Aune, Madison Lang, Misha Suarez, and Madison Wagner) improvises scenes and storylines, as ridiculous as "real" reality shows can be. On a set that's fairly elaborate by Fringe standards (designed by Della Christ), scenes take place in the living room setup on the right, with dates on the left, and a big sign surrounded by pine trees in the center. They've got one more show at 4pm today (Sunday).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club"

Day: 9

Show: 31

Title: The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Physical Theater / Kid friendly

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: An actor tries to learn how to fall down for his audition to be TV's new Captain Clumsy.

Highlights: There's really nothing funnier than watching the Comedy Suitcase guys throw their bodies around the theater (and audience) in the service of comedy. At least not in this Fringe Festival; this is the hardest I've laughed in these ten days. Why is it that people falling down is always so funny?! Somehow even more so when it's on purpose. The plot of the show is that Walter (Levi) is a struggling actor going on one last audition for a show he's not even really that into, he just thinks it'll be a good way into TV. The problem is, he doesn't know how to fall down (and Levi's slow hesitating descent to the ground is hilarious). At the audition he means an excellent faller, a Frenchman named Guy, whom he also encounters when his agent sends him to the Gentleman's Pratfall Club to learn the necessary skills. Joshua plays Guy, and Walter's friend, and an old man who is a king of the pratfall, with the chronic pain to prove it. No speeches of self-discovery allowed in this comedy, but maybe Walter is trying to find the joy and purpose in life again. But mostly, this show is a ton of physical comedy that induces tears of laughter, particularly with Joshua throwing himself down the stairs, rolling over the short wall into the audience, and budging past several rows of audience members. Although Levi pretending to fall but not quite fall down the stairs and around the stage is almost funnier. And then there are the (real) slaps, the trips, the getting tangled up in chairs. It's just good old-fashioned physical comedy that's funny in any era, for all ages.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Breakneck Twelfth Night"

Day: 9

Show: 30

Title: Breakneck Twelfth Night

Category: Drama / Musical Theater / Original Music / Physical Theater / Solo Show / Shakespearian elements

By: Timothy Mooney Repertory Theatre

Created by: Timothy Mooney

Location: Barker Center

Summary: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or What You Will, performed in one hour by one actor.

Highlights: Timothy Mooney is such a pro at this, and always impressive. The show truly is this familiar comedic play about a brother and sister separated by a shipwreck and mistaken for each other when the sister disguises herself as a man and woos the lady Olivia on behalf of the Duke, but at breakneck pace. And I don't think he really cuts out any plotlines, he just condenses everything. He walks us though the play scene by scene, summarizing some of the lines as exposition, but also speaking many of the lines as all of the different characters. He also provides some commentary, like the fact that Shakespeare always included male actors in drag, in particular this play with its double-drag, because women weren't allowed on the stage. And he fully performs each character, all distinct with different mannerisms and body carriage and style of speech, even singing the songs written into the script (this is the play that gave us the famous line, "if music be the food of love, play on"). He presents these 400+ year old classics so convincingly, so engagingly, so entertainingly, in this short time, that one wonders why Shakespeare ever needs to be more than an hour.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Against My Will"

Day: 9

Show: 29

Title: Against My Will

Category: Comedy / Drama / Solo Show / Spoken Word / Storytelling / Historical content / Political content / Shakespearian elements

By: Michael Quadrozzi

Created by: Michael Quadrozzi

Location: Rarig Xperimental

Summary: A solo storytelling show about overcoming childhood trauma.

Highlights: #TCTheater artists Michael Quadrozzi knocks it out of the park with his first solo storytelling show. It's so vulnerable, so beautiful, so moving. When he walks on stage and declares he has baggage to unpack, he's not talking about the backpack, duffel bag, and large roller suitcase he's lugging. Although he does literally unpack those bags, revealing family photos, childhood mementos, and other visual aids to his storytelling. But the real unpacking is of his childhood growing up on the East Coast with a narcissistic mother (and possibly other undiagnosed mental illnesses), a divorced dad he only saw on the weekends and who died suddenly when he was in college, and various stepparents and step/half siblings. With the help of words and drawings he writes on a large sketchpad, peeling of the pages one by one and laying them on the floor, he tells his well-written story in a way that's polished yet casual, as if he's sharing his deepest secrets with us, his new friends. And while the specifics of his story are unique to him, the themes of challenging families, grief, anxiety, and finding one's own way in the world, are universal. The best part of Fringe is when artists take their pain and turn it into art for all of us to cathartically share in, and this is a beautiful example of that.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Clown Funeral"

Day: 9

Show: 28

Title: Clown Funeral

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Improv / Original Music / Physical Theater / Audience participation

By: Octoberdandy Productions

Created by: Jen Scott, Levi Weinhagen, Chris Rodriguez, Mark Benzel

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: Like the title says, it's a funeral for a clown.

Highlights: You've never attended a funeral this fun. These four clowns - Jen Scott as pastor clown Mads, Levi Weinhagen as lawyer clown Affa David, Chris Rodriguez as silent clown Pablo, and Mark Benzel as sweet clown Mo - lead us through the funeral for their friend Bongo J. Sprinkles, and it's a delight. We're given a program, with parts to sing, and the structure includes the usual funereal things like reading of the will, sharing of memories, songs, and readings. There's even a coffin (built before our eyes) and a body. But it's all super silly, very playful, and somewhat improvised. The cast is very playful with each other and with the audience (in a non-threatening way), with lots of (old) pop culture references and double entendres. And if you need your Reverend Matt fix at this year's Fringe, this is the place to get it, as the good Reverend (aka Matthew Kessen) makes a brief appearance in a banana costume to talk about the funeral practices of ancient civilizations. After a lot of goofing around, when sweet sensitive Mo finally gets to pay tribute to his friend with a lovely little song, it's surprisingly poignant. This is a very funny show about a very serious thing - death - that somehow makes it less scary.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "What We Wore"

Day: 8

Show: 27

Title: What We Wore

Category: Comedy / Drama / Solo Show / Storytelling / Historical content

By: Ethan Nienaber/ GJ Media

Created by: Gabi Jones

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: A solo storytelling piece from a vintage clothing social media star that's about so much more than clothes.

Highlights: I went to this show for the vintage clothing, but I came away moved, inspired, and with tears in my eyes from Gabi Jones' epic storytelling that weaves together so many relevant topics. A Minnesota native with a theater degree from a California university now based in Illinois, she begins by distinguishing between her online persona @gabis_vintage, who's always perfect and polished, and herself, Gabi, who is a real human with issues and flaws just like the rest of us. This solo show is very well constructed (with direction by Ethan Nienaber) in a mix of "live videos" about a vintage piece (from her Grandma's extensive collection), like she posts on social media, combined with personal stories, photos and videos displayed on the back wall of the theater, quotes, and statistics. Behind every piece of clothing (hung on a rack and donned throughout the show) is a story, a history, and that's where the juicy stuff is. Gabi uses clothing to connect to her female ancestors, because as we know history mostly only talks about the men. She tells us stories of some of these women, and some from her own life (including an alcoholic mother and an abusive boyfriend), and talks about how as a theater student, and as a woman in this world, we're taught to look at ourselves through others' (men's) eyes instead of our own. She connects everything together with statistics (a girl after my own heart) and quotes from feminist books like The Feminine Mystique and The Second Sex (joking, after so much time online, do you all know how amazing books are?!). Sometimes when someone tries to cover so many topics (addiction, domestic abuse, the dangers of social media, the male gaze, sexual harassment, feminism) in a one-hour show, it can feel shallow or like things are getting short shrift. But that's not the case here; this show feels full and complete and satisfying. What We Wore is one of my surprise favorite shows of the festival. Her final show is today (Saturday) at 7 and it's very much worth the quick drive to Open Eye.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "This"

Day: 8

Show: 26

Title: This

Category: Comedy / Solo Show / Storytelling

By: Tim Uren

Created by: Tim Uren

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A solo storytelling show about life in the theater and comedy world.

Highlights: I found this show to be surprisingly lovely. It's fun to get insight into the world of an artist (it's not as glamorous as it appears), but even if you're not an artist, the show is full of relevant material about life: anxiety, addiction, relationships, careers, memories vs. experiences, existential dread. Tim has constructed the show as a series of chapters, walking us more or less chronologically through his life, in a very personable and engaging way. From his hit comedy show Look Ma No Pants in the shadow of the Scrimshaw brothers, to being fired from his dream job at Brave New Workshop, to designing board games (which, honestly, I didn't really get, not being a game person of the video or board variety). It's really about his love of theater, and our love of theater, and being present together in the same room in the very special way that theater requires. The title comes from the first word Tim spoke as a child, when he didn't know what he wanted, just "this" or "this" or "this." But he comes around to discovering that this, here, now, is the only thing we have. Tim's final show is this Sunday, and you can also see him with his theater company Ghoulish Delights or as a part of The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society which performs regularly at Crooners, information about both can be found here.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "A Sad Carousel 2: The Timely Death of Herschel Douscheburg"

Day: 8

Show: 25

Title: A Sad Carousel 2: The Timely Death of Herschel Douscheburg

Category: Comedy / Drama / Physical Theater

By: LandmanLand

Written by: Sam L. Landman

Location: Rarig Thrust

Summary: An insult comic wakes up after 15 years in a coma and finds that everything has changed.

Highlights: I did not see Sam Landman's 2010 Fringe show A Sad Carousel (my first year at Fringe was 2011), but that did not affect my enjoyment of this sequel at all. The premise of the story is very clear, and the 15-year time lapse sets up lots of jokes of things that are no longer (Joann Fabrics, HUGE Theater, The Iveys). To begin the show, Herschel Douscheburg (played by Sam) wakes up in the Tyler Michaels King Memorial Hospital, the first in a string of TMK jokes. In fact the self-referential #TCTheater jokes abound (including about theater bloggers!), with many pokes at Fringe itself (and even a recorded appearance by Fringe artist and employee Amber Bjork). Because Herschel decides to use Fringe as his comeback, with the help of his longtime agent (Peter Ooley) and despite the protest of the Gen Z "comedy kids" troupe (Mae Ryan, Riley Eckman, and Elle Hinds) that practices gentle and bland comedy. Eric Webster and Jane Froiland play many characters, the former in a bored lackadaisical manner and the latter in over-the-top old-timey voices, often referred to by Sam as Webster and Jane (she's equity!). There are tons of clever and funny props, some of which are only on stage for a minute (how do I get a subscription to Fringe Hunks Monthly?). Directed by Shanan Custer, the show is ridiculous and ridiculously funny, with a playful tone that allows for ad libbing, fourth-wall breaking, and playing with the audience. It's just a whole lot of fringey fun, that also reminds us of the importance of comedy in society, because people who can't laugh at themselves cannot be trusted. 

Final show today (Saturday) at 1!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Fangs and Bangs (and Sangs)"

Day: 7

Show: 24

Title: Fangs and Bangs (and Sangs)

Category: Comedy / Musical Theater / Storytelling / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: Special When Lit

Written by: Nissa Nordland

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: #TCTheater fave Nissa Nordland enlists some of her talented friends (different every night) to read some of the "sexy vampire tales" that she wrote as a teenager.

Highlights: Nissa has written a lot of shows for Fringe and the TC Horror Festival, and this is like her origin story. Turns out she has always been interested in writing sexy, scary stories, and she has her journals and a floppy disc full of stories to prove it! She's an endearing host as she explains the concept of the show and then gets vulnerable, reading her journal entries full of her innermost teenage thoughts. A slide show of yearbook photos, journal entries, and sketches support her storytelling. She sings a couple of late '90s / early aughts songs accompanied by musicians (Nicholas Nelson and Keith Hovis at the show I attended), but the highlight really is the reading of a vampire story about a redheaded teenaged vampire named Lennox and her romance with a vampire hunter named Noah. The story is continuous throughout the five shows, so you'll need to go back if you want to find out how things turn out. Reading the story on the night I attended were Amber Bjork, Derek Lee Miller, Brettina Davis, and Duck Washington, who came prepared for the steamy scenes. And the section of the story that I saw got pretty steamy! It's very funny watching these actors read Nissa's teenage dreams, but it's even more fun to watch her react with a combination of sheer delight and utter horror.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Kendra Plant Variety Hour: Good Things Edition! -with special guests-"

Day: 7

Show: 23

Title: The Kendra Plant Variety Hour:  Good Things Edition! -with special guests-

Category: Comedy / Dance / Original Music / Storytelling

By: Kendra Plant

Created by: the artists

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A variety show including storytelling, Japanese lion dance, singer/songwriter performance, and burlesque ballet.

Highlights: If the Minnesota Fringe Festival is a sampler platter of different kinds of performance, this show is a microcosm of that concept. Kendra Plant (who, full disclosure, is a friend and fellow member of The Twin Cities Theater Bloggers at her blog Artfully Engaging) has constructed a show around the idea of the artistic process itself. A longtime supporter of the arts, Kendra is trying something new as a first-time Fringe producer, stepping on stage for the first time in decades. She's a charming and disarming host as she walks us through her process of creating a show. The three guest artists (the same at every performance) include a little bit of everything, including some art you won't see anywhere else at the Fringe. TAM Edo Bayashi Ensemble performs a lion dance accompanied by drum and flute, really making the lion come to life in a way that may remind you of your favorite pet. Singer/songwriter Emily Boyajian (whose gorgeous and inspiring original opera Transition was a hit at last year's Fringe) sings two beautiful and poignant original songs about transition and being yourself. Last but not least, Jolie Meshbesher performs two dances, the first a more traditional ballet with aerial elements as she hangs off of a free-standing ballet bar, the second more modern and edgy as it turns into a burlesque ballet. If you're looking for a variety of art you won't see anywhere else at the Fringe, this is a great one to see. And it may just inspire you to try something new, get out of your comfort zone, learn a new skill, or collaborate with others to make some good things. We certainly need more of them in this world!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Grief, It's What's For Dinner"

Day: 7

Show: 22

Title: Grief, It's What's For Dinner

Category: Comedy / Drama / Puppetry

By: Aethem Theatre

Written by: Kayla Hambek

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: A funny and moving play about caregiving, loss, and finding your way through the difficulties of life with the help of friends.

Highlights: It's not the Minnesota Fringe Festival if I don't cry a few tears, so thanks to Kayla Hambek for letting me cross off that bingo square. She's written a really beautiful autobiographical show (she steps out of character at the end to tell us the real details) that's so relatable to anyone who's experienced loss or caring for an aging parent. She plays a character named Kate who (along with her dad) is caring for her mother who has early onset Alzheimer's, while also dealing with a neurodivergent sister. Her mother is still with them, but the daughters are mourning the mom they knew. She has a therapist and support group to help her through, and maybe even meets a boy. The small ensemble (Danielle Krivinchuk, Emma Paquette, Sher U-F, and Courtney Vonvett) plays everyone in Kate's life, most of them playing multiple very different roles. The use of hand puppets (to represent her inner self as a rainbow puppet, some of the support group members, and silly little musical numbers) adds a whimsy and charm to the story. Like the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine (a story about grief) go down. Grief is a sweet, funny, relatable, and moving show.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Our Zombie Town"

Day: 6

Show: 21

Title: Our Zombie Town

Category: Comedy / Horror / Literary adaptation / Political content / Shakespearian elements

By: Pat O'Brien

Created by: Richard Chin, Pat O'Brien, Larry Ripp and cast

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: One of the most classic works of the American stage, Thornton Wilder's Our Town, but with zombies (also an American classic).

Highlights: The show is very cleverly written (by Richard Chin) in the familiar conversational fourth-wall breaking style of Our Town, with Kurt Schulz as our narrator in a Fringe artist lanyard. The story begins with the surviving citizens of Grover's Corners (including the Webb and Gibbs families) living in an abandoned Walmart, fending off zombies (a familiar situation to fans of The Walking Dead). The daily sweet mundane daily life continues, including the Emily/George romance, as more and more people become (still semi conscious) zombies (an unfamiliar situation to TWD fans). When a cure becomes available, Emily has to make a decision to go back to the old busy life where everyone is preoccupied on their phones, or spend one last day with her love in a world that's all about eating brains together. Our Zombie Town is a mashup of a theater classic and a horror B-movie, complete with some fun cheesy effects and an impressive wood chipper, a clever idea well-executed by the team.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "That Which Is Green"

Day: 6

Show: 20

Title: That Which Is Green

Category: Comedy / Drama / LGBTQIA+ Content / Political content / Religious content

By: Michael Rogers

Created by: Michael Rogers

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: Two friends named Kevin walk into the woods to visit their favorite tree, only to find it has changed, or maybe it wasn't so great to begin with.

Highlights: This is a show about a tree that isn't really about a tree at all. Kevin (Michael Rogers) has a love/hate relationship with this "tree," but just can't quit it. Kevin (Alex Van Loh) supports his friend but is tired of the push and pull. The tree is dying, and Kevin #1 is devastated, but also wants to burn it down. They decide to spend the night by the tree to see if it's better in the morning, and we flash back to a couple of scenes from each of the Kevins' early experience with the "tree" accompanied by a parent, and meeting each other while singing a hymn in the "tree" service. They've been friends through everything, and though the "tree" is no longer serving them, it's hard to let go of the past and the traditions you were raised in. The show makes good use of the gorgeous Southern, as the Kevins walk up and down the aisles, the hymn harmonies ringing out beautiful and clear in the space, the stage empty except for the trunk of a tree with a neon green light in the center of it. This is a sweet and lovely little show about friendship, and faith, and questioning, and finding your way in the world.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Breach"

Day: 6

Show: 19

Title: Breach

Category: Comedy / Drama / Original Music / Physical Theater / Puppetry

By: Third Space Theater

Written by: Mariabella Sorini and Alex Church

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: On board a fishing vessel searching for crabs in the Bering Sea, a storm, family drama, and possibly mutiny wreak havoc.

Highlights: This is a thoroughly gripping story told in an hour that flies by and also somehow feels like an epic journey. It's well written with natural sounding dialogue, creating interesting and complex characters and setting up mysteries that pay off later in the show. Siblings Lennox (Stephanie Kahle) and Monroe (Em Adam Rosenberg) inherited the ship from their father, the former named Captain even though the latter is better at it. They and the rest of the crew (Isabel Estelle, Hannah Leatherbarrow, Mary Lofreddo, and Mariabella Sorini, great performances by all) perform the functions of their job (including gutting fish represented by water bottles), talk and joke, and have a wild night of drinking during a lightning storm. But things keep going wrong, and the tension builds in a wonderfully suspenseful way. Director Alex Church makes great use of the in-the-round space, with the cast climbing up and down the stairs, using various parts of the space as different parts of the ship. The lighting is spectacular, from bring lightning flashes to total darkness lit by flashlights. It's an immersive, visceral experience that makes you feel like you're on this doomed ship, and that's not a comfortable feeling. Simple but effective props and costumes, the occasional singing of sea shanties, beautiful movement to represent the waves and water, and one amazing crab puppet complete the experience.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

"Singin' in the Rain" at Artistry

I interrupt this all-fringe-all-the-time coverage to bring you news of a terrific new production of the classic-movie-musical-turned-stage-musical Singin' in the Rain at Artistry. The classic 1952 movie musical was written by legendary musical theater team Comden and Green, and adapted into a stage musical in 1983. It's a big old-fashioned musical with comedy, romance, dancing, and tons of familiar songs* (by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed). Artistry did the show 12 years ago (then known as Bloomington Civic Theatre), directed and choreographed by the late, great Michael Matthew Ferrell. I remember loving that production, and it's a treat to see this new production on that same stage. This time it's directed by Artistry's Artistic Director Kelly Foster Warder, who also co-choreographed with our fabulous Don Lockwood, Danny McHugh, a native Minnesotan who makes his very welcome return to #TCTheater after living and working in NYC for 16 years. In the interest of saving precious time to see more Fringe shows, I will give you a brief review and encourage you to buy your tickets to this fun, high energy, and endlessly entertaining show sooner rather than later - it's been selling so well they already added another week (continuing through the end of August).