Monday, August 10, 2026

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "A Confluence of Magical Arseholes"

Day:
4

Show: 14


Category: Comedy / Musical Theater / Original Music / Historical content

By: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Created by: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Location: Rarig Stoll Thrust

Summary: The bizarre true story of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, whose most famous member was the Irish poet William Butler Yeats.

Highlights: Leave it to Winding Sheet to find yet another weird story from history, and turn it into some very clever and inventive theater. Although a little sillier and goofier than their previous work (as on-stage director Amber Bjork says, it's a "boy show"), this show is a delight. The fourth-wall-breaking we're-putting-on-a-show spirit is as charming as ever, with Amber running around, breaking into the action, or watching with glee or frustration. After directing us to "the good seats" before the show, she enlists this troupe to tell the story, a story of "a supper club for dilettantes." They "try their best" at Irish accents to play Yeats (Mark Benzel), his rival the foul poet Aleister Crowley (Michael Rogers at his best rock star), the Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne (Boo Segersin), other members of the order (Dan Linden, Heather Bunch, Kristina Fjellman, and Megan Campbell Lagas), and Yeat's drinking buddies who served as the band (Derek Lee Miller, Sam Landman, and music director Joshua Schwantz). The loose plot involves a fight between Yeats and Crowley, and Yeats trying to get Maud to marry him (which she pleasantly rejects every time), but mostly it's just a whole lot of nonsense exploring this weird and ridiculous thing that really happened. There is original music, cleverly appropriate graphic Ts, and lots of golden things. It's a silly, fun, joyful, meta, hilarious, ridiculous, wonderful show.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.