"On the Razzle!" at Park Square Theatre

When British playwright Tom Stoppard died last fall at the age of 88, the only bright side was the hope that theaters would be inspired to produce more of his work. That hope is beginning to be realized, with Park Square Theatre's production of Stoppard's 1981 comedy farce On the Razzle! to open their 51st season. Despite being a Stoppard fan (Arcadia is my favorite play), I had never heard of this one. Park Square's Artistic Director Stephen DiMenna, who also directs, chose it because "of all his plays, this is perhaps the most luscious comic farce of them all." Turns out it's based on the same play as Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker (the 19th Century Austrian play Einen Jux will er sich machen), which was in turn the inspiration for the musical Hello Dolly! It's a familiar story told in an even more comedic way, with lots of clever wordplay as one would expect from Stoppard, although this is the frothiest play of his I've seen. This 13-person cast is full of #TCTheater powerhouses, as well as some young and upcoming talent, and the design is positively gorgeous. Go On the Razzle! with Park Square Theater in the Historic Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul now through October 25.

"Into the Burrow: A Peter Rabbit Tale" at Mixed Blood Theatre

A new original musical based on a classic children's book is not what I would have expected from Mixed Blood Theatre to begin their new season. Their last two shows were The Jungle, set in a refugee camp in France, and The Ally, about the Israeli/Palestine conflict. Both shows were decidedly not for children, and even for adults were intense and dark, but beautifully done. But Mark Valdez, who took over as Artistic Director from founder Jack Reuler a few years ago, was inspired to write this new musical during the pandemic, and inspired to bring it to the Twin Cities this year, which has seen so much conflict and terror, that also has affected our children. Into the Burrow is a sequel of sorts to the beloved Peter Rabbit books, and takes place one year after his father... was baked into a pie. It's about grief, loss, community, resilience, healing, and working together to make a better world. It's told in a way that appeals to children, but this adult found it very moving as well. There are a handful of public performances on weekends through October 18, with daily 10am matinees for school groups. You can find info on how to bring your school to the show here, or just go yourself and experience this sweet feel-good musical with a fantastic mostly local cast.

"Murder on the Nile" by Frosted Glass Creative on the Stillwater Riverboats

Frosted Glass Creative often performs in Stillwater or other parts East, including outdoor musicals along the St. Croix River. So why not perform ON the river?! And Agatha Christie's Murder on the Nile (her own adaptation of her novel Death on the Nile) is the perfect choice for this floating theatrical experience. The entire play takes place on a riverboat, and we're actually on a riverboat - it doesn't get much more site-specific than that. Murder on the Nile is a typical Christie play full of eccentric characters, many of them suspicious, a clever detective (of sorts), and a surprise ending that makes perfect sense as it clicks into place. Seating is limited on the main floor of the Jubilee II (buffet dinner and cash bar upstairs, as with an open deck above), so most performances have already sold out. But there are a few tickets remaining for the final performance in Stillwater on October 18, as well as the following weekend in St. Paul on the Padelford Riverboats. It would be a fun murder mystery play in any location, but the site-specific setting makes it even better. But please remember, if you're seeing theater on a boat, it's still the theater, not a night out at a bar with friends, and you should act accordingly!

"A Star Full of Skies: The Values Play Experience" by Wonderlust Productions at the O'Shaughnessy's Frey Theater

Wonderlust Productions has a unique theater model. They make theater for the community, with the community, by the community, and that community varies with every show. The spend a couple of years interviewing people and creating an original piece of theater that strives to convey their experience, whether it's caregivers, or the incarcerated, or people who work in our state government. The community this time is, well, all of us, and the topic is as simple and as complex as our values. This is an extremely timely and relevant piece of theater, at a time that feels more divided than ever, when people's values seem so vastly different from each other. But can we find common ground among our values? How do we convey our values to others? How to we put those values in action building a neighborhood, a community, a country? These are the ideas that A Star Full of Skies grapples with, in a really playful and engaging way. Because this is an "experience," the audience gets to participate in the storytelling (but not in a threatening or burdensome way). Read on to find out how, and click here to get your tickets to this unique theatrical experience before it closes next weekend.

"The Hired Man" by Theatre Pro Rata at the Crane Theater

This fall, Theatre Pro Rata is bringing us a new play by local playwright/ actor/ improvisor Heather Meyer that feels like a modern Sam Shepard play, with some Greek tragedy and a little bit of soap opera mixed in. It's gorgeously designed to evoke that Western feel, well directed and acted, and cleverly scripted. It's the kind of play I wish I had time to see again, because all of the clues for the big twist are right there, if you know what you're looking for. The Hired Man continues through October 10 at the Crane Theater in NE Minneapolis, which has recently taken possession of the gorgeous red velvet seats from our dear departed Jungle Theater, for extra comfort and nostalgia.

"Wife of a Salesman" by Girl Friday Productions at Gremlin Theatre

A decade or so ago, Girl Friday Productions' performance model was one show every two years, focusing on large-cast American classics, and it was always worth waiting for. Then the pandemic happened, and a change in Artistic Director, to shake things up a little. But now they're back, three years since their last show, and hopefully will move into a regular cadence moving forward. Because while the model might have changed a little - their current show is the new play Wife of a Salesman with just a four-person cast - it's still worth the wait. Perhaps their new niche is new plays that examine classic plays (their last one was Aaron Posner's Life Sucks, very loosely based on Chekhov's Uncle Vanya). This Wife is a fantastic commentary not just on Arthur Miller's American tragedy Death of a Salesman, but on gender roles and women's rights in the last century, and in this one. The short run concludes next weekend, so get yourself to Gremlin Theatre to avoid missing another rare gem by Girl Friday Productions! If you don't, you may have to wait another 2-3 years for the next one. 

"The Great Gatsby" at Theatre in the Round

To celebrate their 75th season, Theatre in the Round has chosen plays and musicals with a Minnesota connection. First up: an adaptation of Minnesota writer F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby by playwright Simon Levy, that premiered at the Guthrie Theater twenty years ago. I re-read the novel this summer, after seeing the Broadway tour of the musical adaptation earlier this year, which didn't feel true to the novel, so I was ready for this more faithful adaptation. The beautiful and tragic story plays out in about two hours (including intermission), and portrays the darkness of capitalism, materialism, classism, and the failure of the American Dream, as well as the glitz and glamour of the roaring '20s. The Great Gatsby continues for one more weekend at the oldest theater in Minneapolis, followed by an exciting slate of Minnesota stories and/or stories by Minnesota artists.

"Come Back" at Lakeshore Players Theatre

Due to a very busy September in #TCTheater, and a long weekend at American Players Theatre, I wasn't able to see Lakeshore Players Theatre's production of the dramedy Come Back until closing weekend, and all the remaining performances are sold out. That's bad news for you, because it's a beautiful play about grief and loss and undying friendship, with a fantastic cast and gorgeous design in Lakeshore's intimate black box space. Written by Milwaukee-based playwright Neil Haven, it premiered a little over ten years ago and has finally made its way to the Twin Cities (after a production at Commonweal in Lanesboro five years ago). It's funny and sad, irreverent and moving.

"Head Over Heels" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at LUSH

Rare musicals. Well done. Minneapolis Musical Theatre lives by these words, and we benefit from it. They're only doing two shows this season, but both are regional premieres that you're unlikely to see anywhere else. They'll be doing the musical adaptation of Jane Eyre next spring, but first up is the 2018 Broadway musical Head over Heels. I didn't see it on Broadway, but after seeing MMT's production it feels like the kind of thing that is better suited to smaller stages. In particular, it seems perfectly suited to the stage at LUSH Lounge & Theater, where it feels more like a raucous concert than a civilized night at the theater. And that's a good thing in this case. I'm not sure why anyone would think to set a 16th Century work of literature to the music of the 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go's, but there have been worse ideas in this history of music-theater. The show is pure joy and silliness and fun, with a sweet ending that imagines a world beyond gender conventions, where everyone is free to be who they are and love who they love. And what's not to love about that? Only six performances remain on specific dates and times through October 10, click here to see the schedule and purchase tickets.

"Indecent" by Theater Latte Da at the Ritz Theater

Theater Latte Da is known for their musicals, but about once a season they do a play, with music added. They open their new season with a play that already has music as an important part of it, the 2017 Broadway play Indecent, which received its first post-Broadway production at the Guthrie Theater in 2018. Ingeniously written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, the play tells the story of a play, the history of the world around it, and the interaction of the two. It's about so many things, among them the depiction of a lesbian romance on stage in the early 20th Century, the role of theater in the world, the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust, and the resulting decline of a language and a culture because of it.* These themes are even more relevant today than when the play premiered, with censorship, anti-Semitism, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and anti-immigrant sentiment on the rise. In just under two hours of uninterrupted music-theater, Indecent so beautifully tells this story and evokes a range of emotions. It's so affecting, and devastating, and inspiring, the kind of thoughtful, thought-provoking, insightful, and entertaining music-theater we have come to expect from Theater Latte Da (continuing through October 18).

"Waiting for Godot" at the Guthrie Theater

Where do we go from here? On.

The Guthrie's first production of Samuel Beckett's classic Waiting for Godot since the year I was born (which was a long time ago), and Artistic Director's Joseph Haj's first time directing it, comes at the perfect time. Written as a reflection on the devastation of WWII, it speaks to the idea of waiting. For what? Anything. For things to get better, for things to get worse, for salvation. As cast member Jimmy Keiffer explained in a post-show discussion, absurdism is the idea that life has no meaning, so what do we do to give it meaning? What seems on the surface a silly and ridiculous little play at some point becomes exquisitely profound, with the "giving birth astride of a grave" of it all. And it's somehow oddly hopeful, despite the existential angst. In the face of destruction or disaster, the only thing we can do is go on. 

American Players Theatre 2026

As my 4th visit to American Players Theatre approached (with my fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers - Minnesota Theater Love and Ernest Goes to the Theatre), I anxiously checked the weather multiple times a day. Half of our six scheduled shows were outdoors, and it was supposed to be the rainiest weekend of the summer. But weather can change, and APT doesn't cancel for mere rain; it has to be heavy rain or storms. It ended up working out beautifully, as things sometimes do. Both of our Friday shows went on as scheduled, with just some passing rain, and only the Saturday matinee was cancelled due to storms, which was better than I hoped. That's the risk you take when you do theater outdoors, but the benefits far outweigh the risks of inclement weather. Because when the elements of Nature interact with the play, be they blaring sunshine or steady rain or a sky full of stars, it's magic. I learned this year that watching Shakespeare in the rain is a magical experience; yes it's cold and damp, but everyone is cold and damp together - the actors with their wet hair sticking to their faces and their costumes dotted with rain, the audience draped in ponchos and clutching hot chocolate from concessions. We're all in it together no matter what happens, participating in this experience of collective imagination that we call theater. This is how they did it back in Shakespeare's time, which maybe is why so many of his plays reference Nature directly or indirectly (both rained-on shows had lines about rain, which we all laughed at together). You can still experience the magic this year for the next few weeks, or start making your plans for the best theater vacay in the Midwest in 2027; the season opens in June, with the 2027 lineup of plays to be announced later this fall.

"Merrily We Roll Along" at Lyric Arts

Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along, with book by George Furth, was a flop when it premiered on Broadway in 1981, and only played 60 total performances (most of them previews). It went through many rounds and decades of revisions, until it landed back on Broadway more than 40 years later and won four Tony Awards, including best revival of a musical in 2024. A few years before that, our own Theater Latte Da had done a gorgeous production, which was my introduction to the piece. I love it (and understand it) more each time I see it, with its unique backwards storytelling style. Now, to open their new season, Lyric Arts is bringing us the first #TCTheater production post-Broadway revival, and I'm happy to declare, "It's a Hit!" You wouldn't know it from the small audience on a rainy Wednesday night, but that's sure to change once word gets out about this fantastic local cast and this great Sondheim score played by a live band, telling a story of friendship and regret, and the way our story is made up of small choices that ultimately add up to life. Find out how this story ends, or begins, at Lyric Arts in Anoka through October 4.

"Ball: A Musical Tribute To My Lost Testicle" at Artistry

Multi-talented #TCTheater artist Max Wojtanowicz's solo musical Ball: A Musical Tribute to My Lost Testicle was my favorite show of the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival, because it was so funny and poignant, so raw and emotional, so cleverly and smartly put together. At the time, Max was just about six months removed from a diagnosis of stage 3 testicular cancer, and started writing the show during treatment, with help from director and frequent collaborator Nikki Swoboda, and composers Andrew Cooke, Michael Gruber, and Jason Hansen. He toured the show for a couple of years after that, and even brought it back to the Southern in 2018, before performing at a festival in NYC. And now, ten years cancer free, Max is performing the show for two short weekends at Artistry. It's still just about an hour long, still set in 2016, but with a few tweaks to make it make sense today. If anything, the show has gotten better with time and perspective; Max is still able to tap back into the emotions of the moment, but with perhaps more clarity or insight looking back on it. There are only five performances left, so if you're looking for a great solo show that is personal and universal, and very well written and performed, Ball is it!

"Fancy Dancer" at History Theatre

In 2023, Larissa FastHorse became the first Native woman to have a play produced on Broadway with The Thanksgiving Play. But before that, she was a professional ballerina. The story of how this half Native, half White woman from a small town in South Dakota went on this unlikely trajectory is a fascinating one, which she tells herself in her solo play Fancy Dancer, receiving its second production right here at History Theatre in St. Paul (it was originally commissioned by Children's Theatre Company, and after several rounds of workshopping premiered in Seattle last year). Fancy Dancer feels like one of those great Fringe solo storytelling shows in which an artist tells you their life story in a way that is engaging, relatable, moving, and entertaining. Larissa is an incredible storyteller, whether through dancing, or writing, or performing in this show. While this play is unusual for the History Theater in that it wasn't commissioned and developed here, it absolutely fits the model of telling true stories from history (albeit fairly recent history), primarily in the Midwest. Minnesota has its own tragic history with the Lakota people, and this play is not about that, but it is about the Lakota community and one Lakota woman who overcame hardships to follow her dream of being a professional ballet dancer, which is no easy dream for anyone to accomplish. It's a story that'll make you laugh and cry and feel all the feelings in between! See it at History Theatre in downtown St. Paul now through October 4.

"Bull in a China Shop" by Fortune's Fool Theatre at the Hive Collaborative

Bull in a China Shop, now receiving its #TCTheater premiere with Fortune's Fool Theatre, tells the story of an early 20th Century president of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, the first women's college in the country. As an alum of College of St. Benedict, the first women's college west of the Mississippi, it's an interesting look at the history of higher education for women. But it's not just about that, it's the true story of two women in a long term committed relationship at a time when that wasn't accepted or talked about. 38 years fly by in less than 90 minutes of short scenes between these two women and other women at the college, depicting a complicated, intense, loving relationship. In what seems to be a new trend with Fortune's Fool, the show is free to attend (donations gladly accepted), and as always there are snacks at the Hive, so there's really no reason not to go see it! Continuing through September 27.

"Come From Away" at Phipps Center for the Arts

My 8th time seeing Come From Away, the 3rd time in as many months, and it still gets me. Maybe even more so this time, because I saw it on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a date and a tragedy that some of us are old enough to never forget, even if we wanted to. But as they say, Come From Away is not a 9/11 musical, it's a 9/12 musical, celebrating the good people of Gander, Newfoundland who welcomed in 7000 strangers to their town of 9000, when the US airspace was suddenly closed to any incoming flights, and treated them like family. Just one example of the many acts of kindness and outpourings of humanity that always follow tragedies like 9/11. For this production, I crossed state lines for my first visit to Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI, and was impressed by what I found across the river. Not just a theater or a performance space, but a true center for the arts with art galleries, classes, and more. The people of Hudson are lucky to have the Phipps, and I'm glad I finally made it there. And the Phipps is lucky and/or smart to have gotten to produce Come From Away, the most produced play of the 2025-2026 season, at this time. If you haven't tired of the show yet (I could never, it's a practically perfect musical), or somehow missed it this year, check out Phipps' beautiful production of this moving (and surprisingly funny) story, with the largest cast I've seen, before it closes on September 27 (Come From Away will also be playing at Ashland Productions in October, GREAT Theatre in St. Cloud this winter, and Lakeshore Players Theatre next spring).

"Mothership" at Penumbra Theatre

All I knew about Penumbra's world premiere new play Mothership before seeing it was that it was some kind of future dystopia story. I was prepared for something dark and depressing (maybe I've seen too much of The Walking Dead universe), but it wasn't that at all. From the beginning, there is comedy and lightness in the script and in the performances. And yes, it deals with dark themes, but with a hopeful and even joyful resolution, when a group of strangers come together to save Blackness, creativity, and the world. In these days when it seems like there's nothing but grim news and serious concerns about the future on all fronts, it's a refreshing reimagining of that story - in which the worst happens, but humanity prevails. Take a ride on the Mothership at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood now through October 4.

"Nina Simone: Four Women" at Pillsbury House Theatre

Nina Simone: Four Women premiered at Park Square Theatre in March of 2016 to great acclaim. It won a couple of Twin Cities Theater Blogger Awards, and was remounted the following year, when the world was a much different place than it was the previous year. It's now ten years after this play premiered, and the idea of arts as advocacy, which Nina Simone is such a great example of, is even more vital today. Rather than tell Nina's entire life story, playwright Christina Ham focuses this play on one moment in her life, when she wrote her first Civil Rights song, and pivoted from being just a singer of pretty songs, to using her voice to advocate for change. Pillsbury House + Theatre's new production reunites the director of the original production, former PHT Artistic Director Faye M. Price, the music director Sanford Moore, and three of the original four cast members. It's an inspirational story that reminds us that we all have a voice, and that art is, was, and always will be political. Don't miss the chance to see this powerful and moving locally created play with music, even more relevant now than when it premiered (continuing through September 27).

"Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help" and "The Spitfire Grill" at Commonweal Theatre Company

Commonweal Theatre Company is in their 38th year of producing professional theater in Southern Minnesota; I've been a Twin Cities Theater Blogger for 16 years, and I can't believe it took me this long to visit them. The Commonweal is located in Lanesboro, a town known for the Root River State Trail, B&Bs, and great theater. They have a five-show season that runs from April through December, with shows overlapping so it is possible to see two shows in one visit, which is what I did. I made the beautiful 2-hour drive on a rainy Saturday morning, saw two shows that day (during which the clouds cleared), had some good food and drinks, did a little shopping, and stayed at a lovely B&B just down the street. This may have been my first visit but it will not be my last; I will be adding The Commonweal to my annual theater vacay list, which includes Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona (June-July), the Tony-winning American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI (June-October, I'm making my 4th visit in a few weeks), and occasional trips to Duluth Playhouse and/or Zeitgeist (Urinetown in November!). There are obviously a ton of great theater options in the Twin Cities, but theater is everywhere, and people in rural areas or outstate cities deserve great theater too, in fact it's vital to a thriving community. "Commonweal" means "the public welfare," and this theater truly feels like it is for the public welfare, and an important part of the community. For us non-locals, it's really fun to experience theater in other locations, explore other areas in the Midwest, and make a vacation out of it. One of the two shows I saw closes this week, but the other continues through the end of October, with another play opening in September, plus a holiday show that is one of my favorites, so there's still time to visit Lanesboro and enjoy everything the area has to offer, including great theater, this late summer/fall/winter.

"Tales of Hoffman" by Mixed Precipitation at Silverwood Park

I've been sitting outside watching Mixed Precipitation's unique, playful, modern opera / pop music mashups for over ten years now, and it's one of my favorite #TCTheater summer traditions. Their "picnic operetta" transformed into a "pickup truck opera" during the pandemic, a tradition that's still going strong. It appears they've retired the old blue Ford, and are using a red Chevy Colorodo this season, which will take them to 11 counties in Minnesota before their season ends on September 13. They've got plenty of performances in the Twin Cities, as well as several points south, so bring a chair or a blanket, pack a snack, and go enjoy some outdoor public art in a park near you.

"Wait Until Dark" by Dark and Stormy Productions at Gremlin Theatre

Minnesota Fringe is over and the new #TCTheater season has not yet begun, leaving a gap that we have come to count on Dark and Stormy Productions to fill. They came through again this year with a show that is literally dark, the 1966 Frederick Knott play Wait Until Dark. The previous two productions I've seen have used prolific local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation, but this one uses the original script (which was adapted into a 1967 film starring Audrey Hepburn). It's a gripping thriller with an unlikely heroine - a blind woman who uses her heightened other senses to outsmart a bunch of criminals to protect herself and her husband. As always with Dark and Stormy, this production features a talented cast, tight direction, and importantly for this show, a detailed design that pitches us unto total darkness and makes us feel like we're in that terrifying apartment. Wait Until Dark is playing at Gremlin Theatre through September 13, but you might want to see it before or during Labor Day Weekend, because after that the #TCTheater season comes in like a lion.

"The Algorithm is Gonna Get You" by Brave New Workshop at the Dudley Riggs Theatre

It's been way too long since I've been to the longest running comedy theater in America - our very own Brave New Workshop, currently performing at the Dudley Riggs Theatre (named after BNW's founder) on Hennepin Avenue, operated by Hennepin Arts. Specifically, I haven't been there since last year for their annual holiday show (not counting a couple of shows I saw in the first floor theater, which HA also uses for comedy programming). But I made up for it by attending opening night of their brand new show, The Algorithm is Gonna Get You, which is one of their best in recent years. The way that it taps into, and exploits, and makes fun of the way that we're addicted to our phones and the effects of AI on... everything, is very clever. And, as always, hilarious. I literally laughed until I cried. So if you're in need of a live in-person laugh with other humans in a room together, put down your phone for a couple hours and get more Brave New Workshop in your algorithm (playing weekends through November 7).

National Tour of "Dirty Dancing: The Musical" at the Ordway Center

One of the most beloved movies of all time (at least to those of us of a certain generation) is back on stage and LIVE! Eleanor Bergstein's stage adaptation of her hit 1987 movie Dirty Dancing is opening a brand new North American tour right here at the Ordway in St. Paul. What used to be known as Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage (and stopped at the Orpheum across the river in 2014) has been revamped with an all new creative team under director Lonny Price, and a new name: Dirty Dancing: The Musical. "The classic story on stage" is a more appropriate subtitle (and is still being used in the UK), but Americans love musicals, so Dirty Dancing: The Musical it is! Despite the fact that technically this is not a musical, it's a play with music, and in this case that's a very good thing. Meaning, they didn't turn this iconic story into a muuuuusical by writing new songs for the characters to sing to each other, it's really just the movie we love recreated live on stage with fantastically talented dancers, singers, actors, and musicians. If you love Dirty Dancing, as so many of us do, it's an absolute thrill to hear this iconic soundtrack played and sung live and watch the iconic dance moves, as this love story we know and love so well plays out exactly as we expect. It's a comfort, and a joy. And it's here for a nice long run, through September 6, so head to lovely downtown St. Paul, eat in one of the many restaurants (I love Ruam Mit), maybe even stay overnight at one of the downtown hotels (I recommend the charming boutique hotel Celeste, in an old convent), and have the time of your life. But please buy your tickets only from the Ordway's official site, not from any third-party vendor (which could be a scam).

"Ghost Quartet" by Theatre Elision at the Overlook at Fort Snelling

Minnesota Fringe may be over, but adventurous art continues! For their 8th production of the Dave Malloy song cycle Ghost Quartet, Theatre Elision is moving outdoors, telling this fun and sometimes spooky ghost story under the sky and stars. This is my 5th time seeing this show (including last year's all-star cast reunion), and I like it better every time. Rather than one straight-forward narrative, the songs weave together four stories that intersect and overlap in what could be confusing ways if you think about it too much. But it's such a great example of storytelling and world-building through song, and adding the element of Nature only makes it better. But they only have 4 more performances, and all are free (although they request that you register, and happily accept donations). Head to the historic Fort Snelling, a site that has plenty dark history and ghosts (as music director Harrison Ford noted in his pre-show speech), for some music-theater magic. And make plans to continue on the Dave Malloy journey with Theatre Elision - they've got three more of his shows on the schedule, including a remount of the sold out Great Comet, and two regional premieres!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: Wrap-Up and Favorites

The 33rd annual Minnesota Fringe Festival, my 16th, flew by in a whirlwind of shows, friends, snacks in place of meals, parking, cold brew, traipsing across Cedar-Riverside, getting tokens, giving tokens, and standing in lines. I saw 39 shows this year and there are probably as many more I wish I could have seen, but such is life, and such is Fringe. It's not possible to see every show, but I saw some great ones, which I've listed below. Don't forget to follow Minnesota Fringe for their events and programming throughout the year, and follow your favorite Fringe artists to see what else they're up to. The 2026-2027 #TCTheater season is full of plenty of adventurous art, it's just usually longer than an hour and not all located in the same place.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Empty Nest"

Day: 10

Show: 39

Title: Empty Nest

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Improv / Physical Theater / Spoken Word / Storytelling

By: Zabel Weinhagen

Created by: Laura Zabel and Levi Weinhagen

Location: Rarig Stoll Thrust

Summary: A comedy show with heart about the experience of sending your child off into the world.

Highlights: This show was on my must-see list, but because of the quirks of the Fringe schedule, it was the last one I saw in the festival. It turned out to be the perfect way to end what was a fantastic Fringe, just a fun, easy, pleasant kind of show that deals with big themes in an honest but light-hearted way. The show is framed with a parody of Waiting for Godot, in which two parents wait for their child to text or call them. Then Levi and Laura turn back into their charming, personable, relatable selves, and perform a half dozen or so sketches or vignetts. They tell us about their ten biggest mistakes in raising their daughter (all hilarious and relatively harmless), they talk about new activities they've discovered together, they wordlessly show us the challenges of getting a good night's sleep, and even renew their vows with the help of the audience. Each of them has a storytelling monologue, Laura's about peri-menopause, Levi's about his relationship with his father, expanding the subject matter beyond just parenthood and into life stuff. Funny, relatable, insightful, silly, with some physical humor, just what I expected from this duo.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story"

Day: 10

Show: 38

Title: Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story

Category: Drama / Musical Theater / Original Music / Historical content

By: TROMPE L'OEIL

Written by: Kevin Bowen & Lynn Bow

Location: Rarig Stoll Thrust

Summary: A musical about the man behind the Foshay Tower, the tallest building in Minneapolis for over 40 years.

Highlights: The Foshay Tower is a fixture in the Minneapolis skyline, but I've never thought about where the name came from, or even if there was a person behind it. As we learn in this new musical (which premiered as a full-length musical at Open Window Theatre in 2023), Wilbur Burton Foshay was a businessman with big dreams. If you're thinking maybe he's similar to another businessman who like to see his name in big letters on buildings, he's not. He took pride in paying his workers fairly, and insisted that his tower (modeled on the Washington Monument) be built with 100% union labor, despite the fact that Minneapolis was "not a union town." This condensed version of the original musical somehow fits 19 songs into an hour (although a half dozen of them are instrumentals or reprises), and tells the full arc of Foshay's rise to the top, and his fall when the stock market crashes shortly after his tower opens, landing him in jail for mail fraud (he's pardoned decades later). It understandably feels like things wrap up too quickly, and I hope to see the full-length version sometime (it feels like the kind of show that would work well at History Theatre and benefit from their process). The songs are catchy and clever, expressing the emotions of the story and characters well. The two lead actors, Landon Hudson and Elisheva Scheuer as Mr. and Mrs. Foshay, give fantastic performances, with great support from Michael Chapman, Jessica Peters, and Samm Nordstrom as multiple characters. With simple set and costumes that evoke the period, this feels like a nice sampler of a promising musical that I hope to see more of.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "FAST Death of a Salesman"

Day: 10

Show: 37

Title: FAST Death of a Salesman

Category: 

By: alleged Theatre Company

Created by: alleged Theatre Company

Location: Rarig Stoll Thrust

Summary: An important theater director is desperate to impress his 10-year-old nephew, so he leads a group of theater students through Arthur Miller's classic at a pace kids are used to.

Highlights: In typically meta fashion, Alleged does theater about doing theater. While the idea of getting more young people engaged in theater is one worth exploring, this show is not that. Instead it shows what goes wrong when you try to make theater for a short-attention-span youth. Dr. Duke Didier is a serious director (you can tell because he wears a beret), but what he wants more than anything is the approval of his nephew Braden, who used to love going to the theater, but now will not look up from his device (played I think by an audience member). So he directs a bunch of theater students (and one carnival barker auctioneer, because he can speak fast) to do Death of a Salesman fast, first by acting to a recorded track of the original dialogue sped up, for a ridiculous breakneck Salesman. When that doesn't work, he asks the students' advice, so they try a superhero Salesman, a comedy roast Salesman, a "brain rot" Salesman (I'm so old that went completely over my head). And then finally, at his wit's end, he himself performs some sort of absurd one-man Salesman. His students tell him he should just make the kind of theater he likes for people who like that sort of theater, and let Braden watch whatever kind of theater/entertainment he likes that other people make. What a novel idea; maybe if you make the art you're inspire to make, the right audience will find it, even if that's not your nephew. Written and directed by Jake Mierva, with Jeremy Motz as Dr. Didier and J. McIntyre Godwin, Kait Johnson, Laura Berger, Sarah Halverson, and Steph Callaghan playing the cast playing the Salesman roles, this show is a wild and meta ride.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Machinal"

Day: 10

Show: 36

Title: Machinal

Category: Dance / Drama / Mystery / Physical Theater / Literary adaptation / Political content

By: Combustible Company

Directed by: Renee Hatton

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A 60-minute adaptation of the 1928 play Machinal, about a woman caught in the machine of life.

Highlights: This is a brutal look at the drudgeries of life, work, parenthood, and marriage, and the limitations of women's choices, written almost a hundred years ago but still very relevant today. I saw Clevername Theatre's production of this play a couple years ago, and this shortened version covers the full story of a woman who marries her boss, and then kills him. In fact, I think one hour of this brutal and absurdist story is enough, it's heavy and dark, but beautifully done. As per usual with Combustible, it's visually stunning, using precise movements to represent the machine of work, with silver hoops and silver metal chairs as set pieces creating a consistent look. A hoop hanging on a trapeze rack is used in a couple of scenes to beautiful effect. They also use music well, with some lovely and haunting a capella moments, and appropriately chosen songs of the period like "O Death" and "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair." The talented young cast is comprised of U of M students or recent grads, Anna Pladson as the woman with ensemble members Alvaro Araque, Ella Eastman-Kiesow, Ella Hendrickson, Gavin Wells, Lily Jones, Matthew Wilhelm, Michael DiPrima, Nitalia Michelle, and Vincent Strunk. It's a dark and ugly story, beautifully and powerfully told. And although Fringe is over, they have three more performances this weekend at St. Croix Festival Theatre in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Muskie"

Day: 10

Show: 35

Title: Muskie

Category: Comedy / Horror / Puppetry

By: New Endeavors

Created by: New Endeavors

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A parody of the 1975 film Jaws, set in Garrison, MN, on the shores of Lake Mille Lacs.

Highlights: I saw the Jaws musical parody Chum! on the first day of the Fringe, so it seemed only fitting that I see the Minnesota comedy parody Muskie on the last day. From the people who brought us last year's An Exorcism, Doncha Know and the beloved (by me) Buttslasher series, this show is exactly what you think it is - a sincerely campy and very Minnesotan version of the classic movie (that I still haven't seen, but probably should after seeing two parodies of it). When people start mysteriously disappearing in the lake in violent ways just before fishing opener, the mayor doesn't want to cancel the fishing contest because of all the business it brings into the town. The Sheriff is concerned, especially when her brother, a disgraced former champion fisherman, comes back to town and tells everyone that it's a giant Muskie that's causing the disturbance. Eventually the group goes out on the water to try to catch the beast, personified by a beautiful and scary giant puppet (designed by Thalia Kostman and Marc Berg). Written by Andrew Rakerd, directed by Andrew Rosdail, and with a cast that includes Alyssa Fraser, Cayla Marie Wolpers, George Smith, Glen L. Dawson, Henry Lantto, Laura Erchul, Maija Dahlberg, Matt Saxe, and Michelle Schwantes, it's a very fun and fringey parody.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Leave Room for Jesus"

Day: 10

Show: 34

Title: Leave Room for Jesus

Category: Comedy / Improv / Musical Theater / Audience participation / LGBTQIA+ Content / Political content / Religious content

By: Hannah Wydeven

Directed by: Hannah Wydeven

Location: Barker Center

Summary: An evangelist revival show featuring songs, testimonies, and inspiration from Pastor Marla.

Highlights: This show was a bigger energy boost on my final six-show day than the cold brew I was drinking! It was a late add to my schedule based on several recommendations, and I'm so glad I saw it. As one of the Shrieking Harpies, Hannah Wydeven is an expert at musical improv, and in this show applies it to this wildly entertaining character. Dressed in a purple sparkly gown, with big hair and big glasses, Pastor Marla is a stereotypical TV evangelist. She walks through the audience talking to people to get song suggestions (what's something you're struggling with? what advice do I always give!), which she turns into little musical gems that sounds like fully formed songs (except ridiculous). She was joined by a rotating cast of performers over the five shows, and I'm not exactly sure who performed at the one I saw (except for fellow Harpie Lizzie Gardner as one of three backup angel singers, along with Anna Weggel). She had a fantastic keyboard player who improvised right along with her, an actor playing her sullen teenager who literally did nothing but watch Friends on an iPad and try to hide inside her sweatshirt, and two followers planted in the audience, who came up to give testimony, sing a song, or be baptized. By the end we're all converted to the church of Marla, and we're even treated to a visit from Jesus himself (Will Schroeder). It's a fun, joyful, rousing kind of show, the perfect choice for the first show on the last day.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "The Importance of Being Eternal"

Day: 9

Show: 33

Title: The Importance of Being Eternal

Category: Comedy / Literary adaptation

By:  Little Apple Theatre Company

Directed by: Paul Willis Jr.

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: Oscar Wilde's most well-known play The Importance of Being Earnest, reimagined in the vampire world.

Highlights: Just a few weeks ago, I saw the debut of new #TCTheater company Little Apple Theatre with a charming and clever production of The Importance of Being Earnest, seen through a queer lens. Now they're back with their Fringe debut that takes that version, and adds vampires! You don't need to have seen the first production to enjoy this one, but it certainly adds another layer of fun. Many of the team of artists from the first production return for this one, including three of the five cast members. How do you do a three-act play in less than an hour? Like this: cutting out a few incidental characters, trimming some scenes, but still conveying the major plot points of the three acts. Although altered, because BFFs/lovers Algie and Jack are vampires, as is Aunt Bracknell and her daughter Gwendolin, and Jack's ward Cecily is a goth girl who wants to be turned. They've changed the names of the characters in this version of the play to names familiar from vampire stories, from Nosferatu to Interview with a Vampire to Twilight, and added in some vampiric references. The Algie, Lady Bracknell (her Dracknell/Dracula), and Gwendolyn characters are all played by the same actors as the first production (Adam Rider, Tinka, and Grace Barnstead), in performances that are similar but campier, and vampires. Joining the cast are Ian Olson as Jack and Victoria Jones (set designer for the previous production) as Cecily, and all are delightfully over-the-top and bloodthirsty. On its own, this is a very fun and very fringey take on a classic comedy, but viewed with the previous production is an even more impressive double-shot of original and clever adaptation.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Who We Are: Stories from the Surge"

Day: 9

Show: 32

Title: Who We Are: Stories from the Surge

Category: Storytelling / Historical content / Political content

By: Three Second Memory

Created by: Bruce D. Manning

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: Stories from Operation Metro Surge, based on interviews and testimony from people who lived it.

Highlights: There are (unsurprisingly) several shows in this year's Minnesota Fringe that are directly about, or reference, Operation Metro Surge, as artists react to the violence and terror on our streets for several months over the winter. But this is the only one I've seen that compiles the voices from dozens of people who lived it. Witnesses, lawyers, immigrants, neighbors, it presents a full and intimate picture. Co-writers Bruce Manning (who was in Uprising Theatre's production of the docuplay The Laramie Project, to which this piece bears a resemblance) and David Hellstrom, have constructed a compelling story out of dozens of interviews, interweaving the stories in a way that tells a cohesive story. A cast of 13 reads the words of the real people, some of them with great emotionality that makes us feel they are those people. They're dressed in black, with a prop or costume piece that hints at the character. In a particularly moving part of the piece, they place white shoes around the stage as they talk about someone who was taken, representing the ICE Ghost Shoes Project, which has placed these white shoes as art displays around the city in locations where people who were taken. I'd never heard of this project, but it instantly reminded me of the shoe memorial on the Danube River in Budapest which I visited last fall, and it turns out was an inspiration for this project. Seeing all these empty shoes, in both art installations and in this show, is very sobering and brings the victims to life in a tangible way. Stories from the Surge is an affecting and effective way to share the real stories of what happened on our streets some six months ago, and which continues around the country in small and big ways.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Too Fat To Run"

Day: 9

Show: 31

Title: Too Fat To Run

Category: Comedy / Physical Theater / Solo Show / Storytelling

By: Fat Theatre Project

Created by: Eileen Tull

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: A solo storytelling show by Chicago-based artist Eileen Tull about running a marathon, despite the world telling her she's too fat to run.

Highlights: While I don't identify as fat, I definitely identify as a runner who doesn't have a typical runner's body, who runs slower than is "cool," and who has found a lot of self-confidence and self-worth through running. After running nearly 70 races over the last 25 years, including 7 marathons and 28 half marathons, I firmly believe that anyone who runs is a runner. Being a back-of-the-pack runner, I've seen runners of all ages, shapes, sizes, body types, races, genders, and running gaits. No matter what you look like, no matter how fast (or slow) you run, we're all runners, which Eileen beautifully expresses in this show. She speaks in a very conversational and informal way, as if this is the first time she's telling this story, hesitating and backtracking, which is very endearing and instantly get us on her side. Dressed in workout gear, she paces and runs around the tiny stage at Open Eye, stretching and doing exercises, giving the show a sense of movement. Eileen tells us that grew up in a large athletic family, and while she was always active, she also always had issues with food and body image. She got into running as a "healthy obsession" to replace drinking, and even ran a few half marathons before she was sidelined by an injury. Then one day in the early post-COVID years, she decided to run a marathon, and spent nearly a year preparing and training for it. She took exercise and stretching classes, she found a running group (the running community is incredibly supportive), and she ran. And ran. And ran. Despite the cruel and thoughtless comments from strangers and people she knew. She made it to marathon day, and she accomplished her goal. Not, as she tells us, to prove anything to anyone, but to prove something to herself. I found Eileen's story very relatable and moving (#fringetears), but you don't have to be fat or a runner to relate to her story. It's a story of perseverance and determination, about loving yourself and your body enough to do hard things even, or especially, when people tell you that you can't. Go runners!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Too Much of a Good Thing"

Day: 9

Show: 30

Title: Too Much of a Good Thing

Category: Comedy / Drama / Musical Theater / Solo Show

By: RAR Entertainment

Created by: Rachel Redleaf

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: A solo storytelling show by TV and film actor Rachel Redleaf about her relationship with her large breasts and decision to have reduction surgery.

Highlights: Rachel is very funny and honest in this very personal show. With humor, funny voices, cute cartoon video illustrations, and a Wizard of Oz theme, she tells us stories about being obsessed with breasts all her life, even before she had them. It was all she wanted as a child, but it eventually became a "careful what you wish for" kind of thing as her breasts started growing in high school, and didn't stop until she reached a bra size of 40H, through college, breakups, and weight gain. As an actor, and in relationships with men, she began to feel like no one could see her beyond her large breasts. She tells the story in a very cute way, giving a funny voice to each of her breasts, who sometimes talk to her, and imagining characters in her story as characters from the Wizard of Oz (when she finally found the right surgeon who listened to her and what she wanted, she was like Glinda the Good). This is very honest, funny, silly, relatable look at being a woman living under the male gaze, and loving yourself and your body enough to know when to say goodbye to some of it.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Is That Why?"

Day: 9

Show: 29

Title: Is That Why?

Category: Comedy / Solo Show / Spoken Word / Storytelling

By: Ari Hoptman

Created by: Ari Hoptman

Location: American School of Storytelling

Summary: A solo show about the origins of words, from your favorite professor Ari Hoptman.

Highlights: If you love words and languages, you'll love this show (and you can still see it today at 1!). Based on a series of large flashcards drawn randomly by an audience member, Ari shares short (3 minutes or so) stories about the origins of words and the relation of various languages, using no notes, but occasional visual aids. The handout (professors love handouts) shows a map that connects Germanic, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit languages via their common ancestor, "the Indo-European Machine." I love words, and I love nerds (i.e., people who are passionate about a specific subject), and Ari is charmingly obsessed with this sort of thing, and his enthusiasm for the subject and simple way of explaining things (with some pop culture references thrown in) make this a very entertaining and educational show. The history of language is the history of humanity, and this show is good nerdy fun.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "1 Hour Left to Live: A One Puppet Show by That Felt Good"

Day: 8

Show: 28

Title: 1 Hour Left to Live: A One Puppet Show by That Felt Good

Category: Comedy / Improv / Musical Theater / Original Music / Puppetry / Storytelling / Audience participation / LGBTQIA+ Content / Religious content

By: Sockpop

Directed by: Phoebe Bottoms and Matt Olson

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A puppet named Pal has one hour left to live tells his life story to a priest in the form of improvised scenes.

Highlights: I don't think I've ever seen puppet improv before, and it's pretty adorable. But also weird and funny. The furry pale blue puppet Pal is puppeteered by Jim Hensen Co. trained Pheobe Bottoms, and expresses an amazing array of emotions, making him very human-like and endearing. On his deathbed, Pal tells his life story to a priest (Victor Gonzalez), which we see play out in improvised scenes based on a few audience prompts, telling us about his childhood and failed relationships (performed by improvisors Eric Heiberg, James Moore, Philip Simondet, Meg Trowbridge, Zelia Gonzales, Chris Rodriguez, Steph Callaghan, and Patrick McIntyre). There's also a stand-up set, I'm not sure why, but the guest stand-up at the performance I attended, Jamie Carbone, was very funny. Finally, after Pal breathes his last puppet breath, the audience votes on where he goes next, and the sadistic audience voted for hell. So then we got to follow Pal into hell, with more improvised scenes and some of the characters from his life coming back. It's a unique premise for an improv show, and a fun twist. Last show Saturday at 7, and That Felt Good also performs Friday nights at Bryant Lake Bowl.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You."

Day: 8

Show: 27

Title: I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You.

Category: Comedy / Solo Show / Audience participation

By: Jake Mierva

Written by: Jake Mierva

Location: Rarig Stoll Thrust

Summary: A solo show about a man who thinks he's been chosen to save the world from Galactus, in the absence of the Fantastic Four.

Highlights: I don't read comic books or watch comic book movies, so I didn't really get the comic references, but that didn't matter. What on the surface is a silly and ridiculous show about superheroes and villains, is really a serious exploration of childhood trauma and mental illness. This character (Norman? Norrin?) claims to have seen Galactus five times in his life, all associated with a moment of trauma. He repeatedly insists that he's not crazy, that Galactus threatening the planet and him being the only one who can save us is real. But really, this is his brain's way of dealing with childhood trauma and feelings of loneliness and abandonment. Jake gives a fearless performance, barreling through the script in a stream-of-consciousness kind of way while slathering himself with what I hope is non-toxic silver body paint, as he becomes the Silver Surfer (which apparently is an actual superhero). We've learned from TCHF that when there's a tarp on stage there will be blood, and now we know that a giant silver tarp covering the Rarig thrust stage means there will be silver paint splatter. Fans of Marvel Comics will appreciate all the superhero talk, millennials will enjoy the 90s/2000s references (Avatar: The Last Airbender and Saved by the Bell), and everyone can relate to family drama (and trauma), feeling like you're not enough, and wanting some control over the uncertainties of life. This is an impressive first solo show by Jake Mierva of Alleged Theatre, with direction by Alleged's J. McIntyre Godwin, and lighting and sound design by Eric Wigham (with some great sound effects, and the recorded voice of Galactus). Last show today at 1!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.