Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Hamluke"

Day: 5

Show: 16

Title: Hamluke

Category: Comedy / Drama / Puppetry / Kid friendly / Literary adaptation / Shakespearian elements

By: Nightfall Productions

Written by: Brad Erickson

Location: Rarig Thrust

Summary: The story of Shakespeare's Hamlet as told with the characters from Star Wars.

Highlights: Like The Book of Morder, this is a mashup that really makes sense and is cleverly done (written and directed by Brad Erickson, who also plays a few minor roles). But unlike The Book of Mordor, I'm really only familiar with half of this mashup. I've definitely seen Hamlet on stage more often than I've seen Star Wars movies or shows. I may have missed some of the references (there were several times when everyone laughed and I didn't know why), but I still enjoyed it and could appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into the character pairings (Darthius = Darth Vader + Claudius, Opheleia = Ophelia + Leia, Landocrantz = Lando + Rosencrantz, etc.) and coalescing of plot points. The lines feel like Shakespeare, including all the Hamlet greatest hits, but with Star Wars words and references thrown in. The cast is fantastic, with lots of familiar faces including but not limited to: Dylan Rugh, so beautifully earnest as Hamluke that I'd love to see him play Hamlet, except I'm afraid some of the Star Wars words would slip in, so similar, yet different, are the lines; Duck Washington as Darthius with the iconic breathing; Jay Melchior as the cocky Laersolo (casting Han Solo as Leia's brother making the flirting a bit weird); and Clarence Wethern as multiple characters include Polyodius with the cutest Yoda puppet in an Elizabethan costume. A soundscape of live music played by two musicians on various stringed and other instruments really adds to the storytelling and make it feel more special. The whole thing is so thoughtfully and cleverly created, including props and set pieces, much of which I probably didn't even catch. But even if you're not a Star Wars (or Shakespeare) person, it's a really fun and well done show.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "Visitation"

Day: 3

Show: 9

Title: Visitation

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / SPOKEN WORD

By: DangerVision Productions

Directed by: Amber Danger Johnson

Location: Crane Theater

Summary: A series of short plays about grief, framed by a visitation in a funeral home

Highlights: The play opens at a visitation (or wake), the most awkward of reception lines. As the widow steels herself to be able to speak, a funeral director (played by Clarence Wethern) talks about grief, what it is and what it isn't. What follows are five short plays (all accompanied by projected imagery) that range from funny to mystical to sad, brought to life by the ensemble (Ben Tallen, Charles Numrich, Karen Bair, Sophie Javna, and Victoria Pyan). Laura Buchholz's exploration of people's fascination with the details of death, Gemma Irish's profound treatise on the meaning of life itself, Rachel Teagle's story of a complicated mother/daughter relationship, Sam Landman's moving tribute to his best friend, and Tyler Mills' poetic journey through grief are tied together by Heather Meyer's funny/sad "interludes" delivered by the funeral director. I came prepared to cry, but laughed more than I expected, while still being moved by the varied expressions of the experience of grief, an inescapable part of being human.

"The price of love is loss, but still we pay, we love anyway."
- Next to Normal

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2016: "Mead Hall"

Day: 6

Show: 29

Title: Mead Hall

Category: Comedy

By: Tedious Brief Productions

Created by: Greer, Tallen, and Watson-Jones

Location: U of M Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: A meta-Fringe mash-up of the oldest story in Western literature, Beowulf, and the 1989 Patrick Swayze movie Roadhouse.

Highlights: This isn't your ordinary mash-up, in which two seemingly different stories are combined into one. This one is told in a very meta-Fringe way, with actors playing versions of themselves doing a Fringe show. Or rather shows, as due to a mix-up, two different productions show up in the same place at the same time - a very literary and nerdy one-man show/lecture about Beowulf, and a musical adaptation of Roadhouse (on roller skates!). At first the two groups argue and take turns telling their story, but eventually they come to realize that their stories have several parallels (thanks, Joseph Campbell and the hero cycle) and work together to conclude the two stories that have now become one. The cast is great as both heightened versions of themselves, and the overblown characters (Clarence Wethern as the Beowulf guy, the Roadhouse cast consisting of Kayla Dvorak, Brandon Ewald, Delta Rae Giordano, David Schlosser, Noë Tallen, and a late and shirtless Derek Meyer as the Patrick Swayze character). The structure of the show allows the creators (director Carin Bratlie Wethern, writers Aaron Greer, Ben Tallen, and Brian Watson-Jones) to poke fun at the Fringe itself (including a list of ridiculous Fringe titles that are no more ridiculous than real Fringe titles), while still producing a very fringey show. To be enjoyed by lovers of classical literature, bad '80s movies, and the Fringe. I can't wait for the sequel next year!

Fringe Festival 2015: "The Consolation"

Day: 3

Show: 9

Title: The Consolation

Category: Drama

By: Ethel-Ready! Productions

Written by: Ari Hoptman

Location: U of M Rarig Center Arena

Summary: The story of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann on trial in Israel is told along with the Milgram experiment that tested just what people would do when ordered.

Highlights: Friends, this one is intense. The Consolation is not your typical fun and frivolous Fringe show. The story of a Nazi war criminal on trial may not be new, but it's beautifully and succinctly told in this thought-provoking play that lays bare all of the complexities involved and leaves the viewer with an unsettled feeling. Eichmann is at times infuriating and at times sympathetic, thanks in part to a brilliant performance by David Mann. Scenes of the trial in front of an unforgiving judge (Jim Pounds) are interspersed with scenes talking to an unnamed visitor (Jennifer Blagen) who seems to be trying to understand how one can be driven to do such horrific things, which Eichmann tries to explain was just a bureaucratic job to him (seen in flashbacks with his assistant, played by Clarence Wethern), despite the fact that millions died as the result of his paperwork and meetings. And then there's the experiment. Dr. Milgram (Edwin Strout) asks the subject (Robb Krueger) to deliver increasingly greater shocks to a person in another room, and even though he's disturbed by the pain he's inflicting on this stranger, he continues. The play is well constructed by playwright Ari Hoptman, with scenes and timelines intersecting and flowing into one another. Clear direction by Jean Wolff and great performances by the cast bring this story to life in a disturbing way. The Consolation is a heavy drama, beautifully done, that makes one think not just about the crimes at hand, but the complicated idea of following orders vs. following your conscience.

"Death Tax" at Pillsbury House Theatre

In a world with an aging baby boomer population and advances in medicine that see people living longer than ever before, the new play Death Tax is a timely look at the elderly and how we treat them. It's a fitting choice for Pillsbury House Theatre, which often produces timely and relevant work that connects to the larger community around them. In just five short scenes (nicely spelled out for us by playwright Lucas Hnath), with four actors typically in two-person scenes, and an extremely sparse set, this play brings up many issues around this topic but, like any good play, doesn't provide easy answers. Rather it provides much food for thought and conversation.

Tina and the daughter
(Regina Marie Williams and
Tracey Maloney, photo by Keri Pickett)

The playwright has written short introductions to the play and each scene, delivered by Regina Marie Williams. She tells us that this is a play with five scenes, and gives a brief description of the setting and characters, including her own, a Haitian nurse named Tina. The setting is a nursing home, where Tina cares for a wealthy woman named Maxine (Wendy Lehr, presiding over the first and last scenes and creating a full and complex character without ever leaving the bed). Maxine does not have a good relationship with her only daughter, to put it mildly, and suspects that she's paying Tina to speed her death along so that she can receive the full inheritance without paying the penalty of the new estate taxes in effect after the first of the year. Despite Tina’s reassurances, Maxine insists that this is what's happening, and offers Tina a great deal of money to keep her alive. Tina needs the money for a custody battle to bring her son back from Haiti, so she accepts, and enlists the help of her boss and ex Todd (Clarence Wethern). When Maxine’s daughter (Tracey Maloney) comes to visit, she tells a different story about her relationship with her mother. Things get complicated, Tina and Todd argue over the plan, but we never get to find out how it turned out. The last scene fast forwards twenty years; Maxine is still there, but her money has run out and the tables have turned.

Todd and Tina (Clarence Wethern
and Regina Marie Williams,
photo by Keri Pickett)

None of these characters is completely likeable, but all are relatable in some way. In particular, I found Tina to be an extremely sympathetic character, I wanted her to succeed in getting her son back and building a life for the two of them. I don't blame her for taking the money; if you desperately needed money for your family and someone offered you two hundred thousand dollars, would you turn it down? In this play, as too often in real life, money is power, and these characters either have money and power or they don't, and do questionable things to hold on to them or achieve them.

Tina cares for Maxine
(Regina Marie Williams and
Wendy Lehr, photo by Keri Pickett)

Director Hayley Finn sets a great tone and pace for her excellent cast, in a play with dialogue that sounds natural, the way real people talk. John Francis Bueche's set is completely bare and colorless, the theater was even a bit chilly so that it felt like a cold and sterile institution. Blank gray walls center on a bed with neutral bedding; the only other furniture on stage is a desk on the left with a few papers.

One of the uniquely great things about Pillsbury House is that their post-show discussions include a community group that deals directly with the issues discussed in the play. For this play they're partnering with ArtSage, which brings art to senior citizens (see also Alive & Kickin'). They're also presenting workshops about heath care directives and estate planning, things no one wants to think about in relation to themselves or their family, yet it's vital that we do so (see Pillsbury House's website for more info).

Death Tax is a smart, funny, thought-provoking, well-written and well-acted play. It continues at Pillsbury House Theatre in South Minneapolis through April 4. If you've never been there, it's definitely work checking them out to see what they're all about. In addition to producing great theater, Pillsbury House also serves as a community resource center (for more info on this and other theater venues around town, check out my Venues page).

Fringe Festival: "What You Will" and "Twelfth Night"

Day: 9

Show: 33 and 36

Title: What You Will and Twelfth Night

Category: Comedy

By: Renegade Play-Reading Company and Rough Magic Performance Company

Adapted by: Catherine Johnson Justice

Location: Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night split into two shows, one focusing on the separated and disguised twins Viola and Sebastian, the other on the supporting characters.

Highlights: I was thinking this would be a Hamlet/Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead kind of pairing, but rather it's really just Shakespeare's original, only split in two by subject matter. It's a fun idea, and well executed by director Terry Hempleman (who also appears as the Duke in one of the two shows) and the excellent large cast. I saw What You Will first, which tells of the shenanigans of the members of the lady Olivia's (Alayne Hopkins) household, including a delightfully dopey Sam Bardwell as Sir Andrew, the always entertaining E.J. Subkoviak as Sir Toby, a mischievous Katie Kaufman as Maria, and Sasha Andreev with some strong monologues as Malvolio, going from proud to ridiculous to pitiable. The second hour tells the main story of Twelfth Night, with Catherine Johnson Justice and Clarence Wethern as the twins getting mixed up in the wooing of Olivia by the Duke. The two stories are tied together by Emily Zimmer's ukulele-playing fool. It's a clever idea and a fun way to view Shakespeare in a new way, performed by great actors.

Fringe Festival: "I Make No Promises, But Someone's Probably Going to Die"

Day: 7

Show: 19

Title: I Make No Promises, But Someone's Probably Going to Die

By: Trusty Paper Ship

Written by: Annie Scott Riley

Location: Illusion Theater

Summary: A dark comedy about people waiting to commit suicide by being looked at by the "Giant Eyeball."

Highlights: The tight six-person cast does justice to a smartly written dark comedy that takes place in a world that's very like ours, but just slightly off. A world where people looking to end their lives (and presumably start over in the next one) go to visit the "Giant Eyeball" (not to be confused with the "Grasping Lotus," who makes people into "Omniscient Yogis"). A world where there's an audience watching (us), but only some people know it. A world where an odd and strict warden watches over the proceedings, and everyone has a spiritual adviser. It's in this world that Brianna (Joanna Harmon) meets Adam (Clarence Wethern), and begins to rethink her decision, despite her awful therapist (John Middleton). Bottom line: smart, funny, well-written and well-acted.

Read more of my fringe fest reflections…

… including my top 5 shows

"The Pride" by Pillsbury House Theatre

I didn't know much about The Pride before I saw it.  I had seen a Pillsbury House Theatre production at the Guthrie this summer (In the Red and Brown Water) and was impressed by the play and the theater's commitment to the community.  I wanted to see something in their theater (at Chicago and 35th Street in Minneapolis), and I'd watch Tracey Maloney in anything, so I went to see The Pride.  I was blown away.  It's a great play with an important message, at times painful to watch, uniquely constructed in two different time periods, with brilliant acting by all four cast members.

The two interconnected stories feature three characters in two time periods in London: 1958 and 2008.  They're sort of the same characters (they have the same names in both time periods), but they're fundamentally different, maybe because of the culture they're living in.  With each scene the action switches from one time period to the other.  Even though the set doesn't change (except for the opening and closing of doors on a bookcase), it's obvious which time period we're in by the clothing and the way the actors carry themselves.  It's amazing to watch these actors create two such distinct and fully realized characters (not to mention the super quick costume changes).  Even their accents and way of speaking are different between the two time periods.  There's a delightful array of British accents, like watching a great show on BBCA.

Our three main characters are two gay men and a woman, and the triangle takes different forms in the two time periods due to the social norms of the time.  In 1958, Sylvia (Tracey Maloney) is married to Philip (Matt Guidry), but something is off in their marriage.  They seem happy on the surface, but Sylvia is desperate to have a child because she's afraid of being alone with Philip for the rest of their lives.  She introduces her husband to her co-worker Oliver (Clarence Wethern), suspecting, but also dreading, that they might have something in common.  They feel an instant attraction to each other, which Philip unsuccessfully tries to ignore.  They have a brief but intense affair until Philip ends it, in what may be the most realistically and painfully violent scene I've ever seen on stage.  It's a tragic exploration of what happens when people aren't allowed to live their own truth.

Fast forward to 2008 when times are different.  Philip and Oliver have been together for a year and a half, but Oliver repeatedly cheats on Philip, and Philip has finally left him.  Sylvia is Oliver's best friend who introduced the two men.  Oliver is miserable without Philip and wants him back, and Sylvia reluctantly helps him as they all prepare for London's Pride parade (hence the title).  This story is more hopeful than the earlier one.  In the second act the apartment set changes from Syliva and Phillip's 1958 flat and Oliver's 2008 home to Syliva's 2008 flat.  On prominent display is one of those photo series that spell out a word with photos of things that resemble letters, and this one spells "HOPE."  The play ends with 1958 Sylvia repeating Oliver's earlier words, that one day "it will be all right."  We're not quite at the place of total equality and acceptance of all people, but as The Pride illustrates, 2008 is closer to it than 1958.

It's an interesting juxtaposition between the two sets of characters.  In 1958 Oliver is the one who is sure of and confident in who he is, while Philip is doing everything he can to deny it and live by the standards of the day.  In 2008 Philip seems to have it all together, even a career that he loves instead of the job that the 1958 Philip is stuck in.  Oliver is the one who doesn't know how to get what he wants, and is his own worst enemy.  As I said before all of the actors do an amazing job creating their different-yet-similar characters.  Clarence Wethern is particularly impressive in his portrayal of the strong but vulnerable 1958 Oliver, and the lovable rogue of 2008, whom you can't help but root for despite his frequent mistakes.  In addition to the three main characters, three completely different secondary characters are played by Paul de Cordova, two of which are scene stealers.

The Pride, directed by Co-Artistic Director Noël Raymond, runs through October 16 at the Pillsbury House Theatre.  It's not an easy play to watch, but well worth the effort.