Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "The Wind Phone"

Day: 3

Show: 8

Title: The Wind Phone

Category: Drama / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: Broken Wing Productions

Directed by: Nicole Wilder

Location: Campbell Plaza (outdoors)

Summary: Several individuals visit a wind phone to talk to their deceased loved ones.

Highlights: Based on the real-life phenomenon of the wind phone which began in Japan, the show explores themes of grief, loss, and healing. Four people visit the wind phone in a park in Minneapolis (not hard to imagine since that's where we are, the natural amphitheater set in a park on the U of M campus), with the park's caretaker Lana (Sheree Froelich) there to give advice, disinfect the phone between visits, and just chat. We meet MaryAnne (Boo Segersin) who needs to talk to her mentor with a problematic history, Carter (Anthony Sisler-Neuman) who visits annually to talk to his husband, and exes Peggy (Kira Pontiff) and Alice (Megan Kim) who are mourning the loss of Peggy's mother and their relationship. The show (co-created by Callie Aho and Sheree Froelich and written by Sheree) is basically a series of monologues, well delivered by the cast. Each story of grief is different but all are moving, and the show is not without moments of lightness and humor. The setting is perfect, and the cast can be heard despite fighting against ambient sounds of wind or passers by. They use the large performance space well, which contains both permanent sculptures and the set pieces and props for the show (designed by Andrew Lester). I love an outdoor show at Fringe, and this one fits the bill well. Get there early to sit in one of the comfy camp chairs, or sit on one of the two cement arcs.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "When You Hear the Chime"

Day: 4

Show: 17

Title: When You Hear the Chime

Category: COMEDY / DANCE / DRAMA / MUSICAL THEATER / STORYTELLING / LITERARY ADAPTATION

By: Alchemy Arts

Created by: Nichole Carey and Andrew Lester

Location: Southern Theater

Summary:  Two children playing in an attic tell each other stories.

Highlights: These two grown-ups (husband and wife team Nichole Carey and Andrew Lester) embody children at play in the most delightful way. Sick of playing hide and seek, the girl makes up a new game, in which they tell each other their favorite stories using the boy's recently deceased grandmother's clothes and props. Rumpelstiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, Alice in Wonderland, and The Hobbit all come to life in a playful way as they try to one up each other, sometimes breaking out of character to go over the rules (no swears!). Things get a little serious when the girl talks about her mom and brother fighting, and the boy confesses his sadness at the death of his grandmother. They vow to always be friends, and to always play. Andew, a dancer, imbues every movement with grace, building to a gorgeous dance number. Nichole, a singer, has one lovely song. With a few charming props and set pieces, it's like playing dress-up and make-believe, for grown-ups. A sweet show that reminds us of the importance of telling stories (and isn't that what Fringe is all about?).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Drowning Girls" by Freshwater Theatre at the Crane Theater

Three victims of an early 20th Century English serial killer have their say in the haunting play The Drowning Girls, receiving its regional premiere with Freshwater Theatre. Based on a book about this true story, The Drowning Girls examines the life of these three women, their hopes in marrying a seemingly charming man, and the dire consequences when it's revealed he's a con man and serial marryer/murderer, after their money only. The play is ingeniously staged with three onstage bathtubs, shower-heads periodically pouring water into them, the three hardy actors working in water and wet clothes for the entire 75-minute show (which probably explains why the theater was toasty warm, a nice treat on a cold late winter day). The short run closes this weekend - just two remaining performances; click here for more info on how to see this fascinating, gripping, and well executed story.

"Myron Johnson's Nutcracker (not so) Suite" by James Sewell Ballet at the Cowles Center

A few weeks ago, the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers were invited to a backstage tour of the Cowles Center, new home of Myron Johnson's 30-year holiday* tradition that is Nutcracker (not so) Suite, and to have a chat with one of the show's stars (and one of my favorite #TCTheater artists) Bradley Greenwald. You can read all about that fun event here, but even more fun - I finally saw the show! I had seen it two years ago, the first year it was performed by James Sewell Ballet, but Myron changes it up every year to keep it fresh, so while I knew what to expect, it was in some ways a whole new show. In all incarnations of the show, Mama Flo is the only one who speaks, and everyone else expresses themselves beautifully through movement. But this year, since Mama is played by Bradley Greenwald, she also sings. This Nutcracker diverges quite a bit from the original, but it's festive and fun and a great way to ring out 2017 with the final four performances this week Wednesday through Saturday.