"Bart and Arnie" by Melancholics Anonymous at The Hive Collaborative

Adam Szymkowicz's play Bart and Arnie is a sweet, odd, funny, and relatable little play about friendship and existential angst. Using familiar characters from most of our childhoods, he explores ideas of mental health, relationships, careers, and just the difficulties of getting through the day. Melancholics Anonymous' production, now playing at The Hive Collaborative, is super sweet and genuine, and will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling. Their work is sometimes a little dark, a little weird (they're making their debut at Twin Cities Horror Festival this fall, which seems like it's a long time coming), but this one is dark only in the sense of dark thoughts that we all have, and weird in the most charming way. It's playing through May 18 only, so head to The Hive for some nostalgic fun.

"Silent Sky" at Theatre in the Round

One of America's most produced playwrights of recent years, Lauren Gunderson is known for writing plays about women in history and/or science that are modern, feminist, funny, and moving. Silent Sky is one of her most popular - it's now receiving it's third #TCTheater production (I love it, but I'd also love to see The Half-Life of Marie Curie, or Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, or any and all of her other plays). Silent Sky features little known astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who figured out a way to measure the universe, laying the foundation for more well-known (male) scientists like Edwin Hubble. In Gunderson's hands, Henrietta is a very real and relatable woman, who wants to do work that matters, and maybe also have a little fun along the way. With a strong five-person cast and elegantly simple design, Theatre in the Round's Silent Sky is entertaining and inspirational. Who knew science could be so dramatic and emotional?! (Lauren Gunderson, that's who.)

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "Tales from the Fiefdom"

Day: 6

Show: 22

Title: Tales from the Fiefdom

Category: COMEDY / MUSICAL THEATER / ORIGINAL MUSIC

By: Gnarly Bard Theater Company

Written by: Bubba Holly & Louie Opatz

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A very fringey musical about people in the Middle Ages, just trying not to die.

Highlights: If you're looking for a fun, silly, fringey musical with catchy and clever songs that are well-sung by a talented and committed cast, look no further. With songs like "Come to the Apothecary," "I'm Not a Witch," "I Don't Wanna Sh#t in a Bucket Anymore," "The Pleasant Peasant," and "Sir Lance-a-little," how can it not be fun? The seven-person cast (Madison Fairbanks, Bubba Holly, Ryan Huxford, Megan Kim, Clare Rollinger, Haley Sisler-Neuman, and Nicole Wilder) sings unmiked to a recorded track with songs of varying styles of pop music - Country-Western, Beach Boys, doo wop, and more (or at least that's what I heard). The topics sung about are very bleak - the plague, the burning of women as witches, and constant warfare and violence - but the music is so happy! The cast performs cute and fun choreography wearing Renn Fest-esque costumes, and set pieces include the apothecary's shop, where much of the action takes place, a stake for burning at, and a charming DIY fire. It's really a delight and everything you want in a Fringe musical. 

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.