Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Fangs and Bangs (and Sangs)"

Day: 7

Show: 24

Title: Fangs and Bangs (and Sangs)

Category: Comedy / Musical Theater / Storytelling / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: Special When Lit

Written by: Nissa Nordland

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: #TCTheater fave Nissa Nordland enlists some of her talented friends (different every night) to read some of the "sexy vampire tales" that she wrote as a teenager.

Highlights: Nissa has written a lot of shows for Fringe and the TC Horror Festival, and this is like her origin story. Turns out she has always been interested in writing sexy, scary stories, and she has her journals and a floppy disc full of stories to prove it! She's an endearing host as she explains the concept of the show and then gets vulnerable, reading her journal entries full of her innermost teenage thoughts. A slide show of yearbook photos, journal entries, and sketches support her storytelling. She sings a couple of late '90s / early aughts songs accompanied by musicians (Nicholas Nelson and Keith Hovis at the show I attended), but the highlight really is the reading of a vampire story about a redheaded teenaged vampire named Lennox and her romance with a vampire hunter named Noah. The story is continuous throughout the five shows, so you'll need to go back if you want to find out how things turn out. Reading the story on the night I attended were Amber Bjork, Derek Lee Miller, Brettina Davis, and Duck Washington, who came prepared for the steamy scenes. And the section of the story that I saw got pretty steamy! It's very funny watching these actors read Nissa's teenage dreams, but it's even more fun to watch her react with a combination of sheer delight and utter horror.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Spirit Moves You To Color The Unseen"

Day: 1

Show: 1

Title: The Spirit Moves You To Color The Unseen

Category: Drama / Original Music / Physical Theater / Historical content / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Created by: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Location: Rarig Thrust

Summary: An exploration of the work, life, and philosophy of late 19th / early 20th Century Swedish artist Himla af Klint.

Highlights: I believe in the work! Of The Winding Sheet Outfit (one of my Fringe faves of the last 8 or so years), and now of Himla af Klint. You can be excused if you've never heard of her (I hadn't either), turns out the art world wasn't that kind to women (shocker). But through this lovely, haunting, engrossing piece, we find out that Hilma was maybe, probably, the pioneer artist in non-objective abstract art, not Kandinsky as history tells us. In their usual fourth-wall-breaking, music- and movement-infused way, TWSO brings us on a journey through art, friendship, theosophy, spiritualism, and perseverance. Director Amber Bjork plays the director, appearing in black, speaking cues into a microphone, calling the action, and sometimes stepping in to explain things directly to the audience. Boo Segersin is a genuine and believable Hilma, with Heather Meyer, Kayla Dvorak, Peytie McCandless, and Megan Campbell Lagas as her four friends, forming a group of artists and spiritualists known as "the five." They're dressed in period blouses and gauzy skirts in dusty pastels, sometimes donning paint shirts, performing repeated movement that is lovely and mystical. These woman, and in particular Hilma, believed their work was bringing "the spirit" or "the message" into the world, which was more important than any individual artist. We sometimes see "the spirit" in the person of Kristina Fjellman, wearing a costume like something out of Mardi Gras (designed by Mandi Johnson). Derek Lee Miller provides a soundscape for the story, with live and recorded music, or maybe looping, or other musical magic coming from the pit. Projections on the wall, drop cloths spread on the floor, and other props and set pieces help with the storytelling in this very detailed, thoughtful, and cohesive piece. This is another of TWSO's pieces that take a little known person (usually woman) from history, and bring them to life in a beautiful way, making us wonder why they aren't more well known. 

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

"Red and the Mother Wild" by Transatlantic Love Affair and Illusion Theater at Center for the Performing Arts

This spring, Transatlantic Love Affair is back at Illusion Theater, the artistic partner of this Minnesota Fringe-born physical theater company for a decade and a half. TLA typically debuts new original pieces at Fringe, and then in the next year or two continues to develop and expand the show into a 75-ish minute piece produced by and staged at Illusion. This year, they're remounting/revisiting their 2011 Fringe hit Red Resurrected, which I first saw in 2013 in the expanded Illusion Theater version. Retitled Red and the Mother Wild and with some additional content/themes added, it's still an exquisitely lovely and achingly beautiful piece, as all of TLA's work is. It's essentially a coming of age story of a young orphan girl who finds her purpose in the supposedly dangerous woods, told without any props or set pieces (or shoes), but simply using the voices, bodies, and souls of the talented seven-person cast. Experience the magic that is TLA at Center for the Performing Arts in Uptown through April 12.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "5x5"

Day: 8

Show: 25

Title: 5x5

Category: Physical / Theater / Historical content / Literary adaptation / Non-verbal

By: Transatlantic Love Affair

Created by: The Ensemble

Location: Open Eye Theatre

Summary: A tréteau style performance, in which five actors tell five stories within the space of a five-foot by five-foot square.

Highlights: What is tréteau? I still don't really know, but judging by this show it's incredible. TLA began at MN Fringe some 14 years ago, and I've loved them since my first transformative experience with them at the 2012 Fringe. Their shows are always gorgeous and moving, as they create the entire world of the show with just their bodies, voices, and souls. But they've given themselves an extra challenge this year - performing inside a 5x5 square taped out on the floor of the Open Eye's already tiny stage. This limitation has only made the work better and more creative. Directed by Amber Bjork (who always makes everything better), the five performers (Mark Benzel, Christina Castro, Peyton McCandless, Derek Lee Miller, and Allison Vincent) tell five stories, each performer somewhat taking the lead but all participating in the storytelling. And it very much feels like storytelling. Between stories they banter with each other in a fun and playful way, calling each other by their names, commenting on what just happened or is about to happen. The five short stories are mostly familiar, and each more delightful than the last, encompassing humor, adventure, tragedy, and romance. We are treated to the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Shakespeare's classic tale of unchecked ambition Macbeth, Nosferatu done as a silent movie, a whirlwind version of the dinosaur movie Jurassic Park, and the lovely and tragic legend of Popo and Izta from Mexico. The five actors work together so well, just seamlessly and beautifully telling these stories in barely enough space to breathe much less move freely. It reminded me very much of Live Action Set (with whom Mark has frequently performed), my first physical theater love, who often did things like this (watch their LOTR in 8 minutes). I'm not sure what else to say other than this is unsurprisingly my favorite show of the Fringe this year - a clever and unique concept perfectly executed with so much heart, charm, and humor. Their final performance is on Saturday. Online sales are sold out, but if you want to see it, get there super early to snag one of the 25% of seats held for walk-up sales.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "The Banana Wars"

Day: 4

Show: 10

Title: The Banana Wars

Category: Solo Show / Storytelling

By: The Miller Conspiracy

Written by: Derek Lee Miller

Location: Phoenix Theater

Summary: A remount of one of my favorite shows from the 2017 Fringe, this is a fascinating deep dive into the Banana Wars, that's really about so much more (militarism, capitalism, globalism, oh my!).

Highlights: This show is the reason the Fringe Festival exists. Most shows - dance, sketch comedy, drama, musicals, even clowning - have another performance home. But where else can someone give an hour-long history lesson about the banana that manages to also comment on the US military through history to today? What Derek Lee Miller has done here is, simply put, brilliant. It's like if John Oliver were to do a piece on the so-called Banana Wars, and at the beginning you think, "why is he talking about the Banana Wars?" And at the end you think, "OMG why isn't everyone talking about the Banana Wars?! Smedley Butler, people, Smedley Butler!!" Using a series of silent film placards, Derek walks us through these small, brutal wars (which I won't even begin to explain here, just go see the show), interspersed with personal remembrances, all to paint an ugly picture of greed and power. Smedley Butler, by the way, that guy with the funny name you've never heard of, was the most decorated Marine in history who at the end of his life spoke out against the US military. Like a speeding freight train, Derek barrels through history at a breakneck head-spinning fast-talking pace that makes 60 minutes feel like 10. This show probably won't make you feel good about the world or about being an American, but like a good John Oliver piece, it'll make you glad you know about the Banana Wars. And you'll never look at a banana the same way again.*

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

*Highlights borrowed from what I wrote about the 2017 production.

2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival Must-See List

The most adventurous 11 days in the #TCTheater year is almost upon us! The Minnesota Fringe Festival runs August 1 through 11, with about 100 shows playing at 9 Fringe venues (plus some additional venues for independently produced shows). This will be my 14th consecutive year attending MN Fringe (if you count the all-virtual 2020 festival and the 2021 hybrid), so I have a pretty good idea of how to go about this. But if you're new to fringing, don't worry, it's easy! The MN Fringe website has everything you need to know, including details about all of the shows, info for how to get to the venues, and ticketing info. Bookmark this, and refer to it as needed. I also have a few tips at the bottom of this post. But first, and without further ado, my annual Minnesota Fringe Festival Must-See List.

"These Old Shoes" by Transatlantic Love Affair at Illusion Theater

I didn't realize how much I've missed Transatlantic Love Affair until I saw their remount of These Old Shoes last weekend, one of my favorite shows of theirs. There's simply no one like them. An ensemble of seven people plus one musician creates an entire rich world using only their bodies, voices, and souls. It's simply exquisite. With origins in the Minnesota Fringe Festival (like many of our great small companies), TLA is a physical theater company that often adapts fairy tales or myths with their unique brand of storytelling. But this show, their first in three years, is an original story about a man moving into a retirement community, which allows for an exploration of aging, memory, relationships, and loss. It premiered at the 2013 Fringe Festival and was produced by Illusion theater in 2015, when it won Twin Cities Theater Blogger Awards for Favorite Play and Favorite Actor in a Play (Derek Lee Miller). I've always loved this show, but having spent some time in a nursing home recently, it was particularly resonant for me this time. It's heart-breakingly beautiful, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. See it at Illusion Theater in their new home in the Center for Performing Arts in South Minneapolis, Wednesdays through Sundays for the next two weeks only.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2022: "Årsgång: What You Follow Follows You"

Day: 4

Show: 15

Title: Årsgång: What You Follow Follows You

Category: DRAMA / HORROR / ORIGINAL MUSIC / PHYSICAL THEATER / HISTORICAL CONTENT

By: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Created by: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A beautifully haunting and hauntingly beautiful tale of a young girl in Sweden and her encounters with the supernatural.

Highlights: Over the last several years, The Winding Sheet Outfit has become my number one Minnesota Fringe company, and this show is a prime example why. No matter the (usually historical) topic they choose, the show is always beautifully and thoughtfully designed, scripted, and performed, in a way that casts an absolute spell over the audience. Here we have the story of Lajla (a childlike and empathetic Kayla Dvorak Feld), who loses all of her family in a plague and has to move in with the pastor and his wife. She misses her family desperately, and is accompanied by the spirit of a deceased friend (the always delightful Boo Segersin), thereby keeping a connection with the other side. The Årsgång in the title refers to a legendary Swedish practice of seeing the future by going for a walk in the woods on the longest night of the year, which Lajla experiences as she tries to straddle both worlds. The cast (also including Matthew Kessen, Derek Lee Miller, Kristina Fjellman, and Megan Campbell Lagas) earnestly and believably brings this story to life, both as humans and animals. The story is accompanied by lovely music played live by Amber Bjork and Joshua Swantz, mostly off stage but still a vital part of the show. The only set pieces in the intimate in-the-round space (TRP has become my favorite Fringe venue) are slender bare birch trees, and animal half-masks made of birch or some other natural material (both designed by Derek Lee Miller), and cast is dressed in simple period appropriate clothing of muted colors. All elements of this piece come together with such beauty, grace, and purpose to tell a cohesive and compelling story. I would love to see them remount this show in December as it definitely evokes that still winter feeling. Leaving the spell of this show to walk out into a cold, crisp, dark winter's eve would be a thrilling experience. Until then we'll just have to imagine the snow and the cold.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2021: "The Darger Project aka The Darger Project"

Day: 3

Show: 5

Performance Type: Virtual

Location: Streaming Anytime

Length: 45 minutes

Title: The Darger Project aka The Darger Project

By: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Summary: Using the reclusive artist Henry Darger as a jumping off point, Fringe darlings The Winding Sheet Outfit give us a glimpse behind their process and what it's like to be an artist in isolation.

Highlights: The website warns us that this show is not about Henry Darger, and director Amber Bjork warns us in the piece that it's not even a show. What it is is a fascinating look inside the company that brought us The Memory Box of the Sisters Fox, You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear, et al., and how they create their collaborative works, often based on historical figures or artists, and often breaking the fourth wall. It starts with an introduction of the ensemble (Amber along with André Johnson, Jr., Boo Segersin, Derek Lee Miller, Kayla Dvorak Feld, Kristina Fjellman, and Megan Campbell Lagas), recorded in each of their homes (whilst holding a creepy doll). We also see some of their the zoom rehearsal/collaborations, as well as footage of the cast in character (dressed in baby doll dresses and bloomers) in what would have been the Henry Darger show, illustrating some of the conversations. Each cast member talks about Darger, how they can relate him (including a list of what things they collect), and what this pandemic has been like as artist who is unable to make art in the way they normally do. The piece is both very well constructed in an organized fashion to tell a story, and raw, unrehearsed, and vulnerable. It's insightful and silly, a lovely look at one of my favorite Fringe companies.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"After the Fires" by Transatlantic Love Affair at Illusion Theater

Transatlantic Love Affair is a unique #TCTheater company. Unique in their process (ensemble created work rather than a set script, although other companies in town do that too), unique in their execution (they create the entire world of the play with their bodies and voices only, without the use of sets or props), and unique in the feeling evoked by their work (indescribable). They often reintrepret fairy tales or classic stories that we all know, but sometimes create new fairy tales as well. Their latest work After the Fires, playing at Illusion Theater through February 22, is an example of the latter. It's an original story that feels like an old story, a story of courage, adventure, nature, and community.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear"

Day: 3

Show: 8

Title: You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear

Category: COMEDY / ORIGINAL MUSIC / PHYSICAL THEATER / HISTORICAL CONTENT / LITERARY ADAPTATION

By: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Created by: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Location: Crane Theater

Summary: The long form of the title says it best - "The Life and Death of Edward Lear: Poet, Illustrator, Composer, and Melancholy Hypochondriac or What is a Rungible Spoon: An Absurdist Eulogy and Existential Crisis on the Stage"

Highlights: This is my favorite show of the festival so far. It's everything I want from Fringe, from theater really. It's funny and quirky, original, educational, includes music and poetry, is very cleverly constructed in a meta sort of way, and somehow manages to capture the fleeting beauty of life in a way that made me cry my first #fringetears of this year's festival. Director Amber Bjork introduces the show, the actors, and the subject, like an exasperated teacher trying to keep her students - the cast (including Boo Segersin, Dan Linden, Kayla Dvorak, Kristina Fjellman, and Sam Landman) and stage manager (Andre Johnson Jr) - in line. I'd never heard of Edward Lear but now I want to know more about this 19th Century English poet and painter. The amiable cast takes us through skits, limericks, songs, and reenactments of moments, places, and people in Edward's life. Derek Lee Miller plays Eddie, only speaking words that he wrote - often whimsical or silly, sometimes heart-breakingly poignant. The other cast members play people in his life and stories, with plenty of moments to break out and play in an almost unrelated, but very charming, way. Images of Edward, his paintings and drawings, and text from his writings or notes about the show punctuate the storytelling. The light-hearted show takes a turn I wasn't expecting when Amber breaks out of the story for the titular existential crisis, comforted by Derek (a moment so sweet and intimate I almost felt like I should turn away) and the cast, who then continue on with the beautifully sad part of Edward's life. This show has everything, and the ending is indescribably beautiful. The limerick on the show handout says it best:

There once was a man who drew parrots,
And wrote many poems of merit.
We'll look in his mirror,
And find life is dearer,
Existence so sweet none can bear it.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Last Days of Commodus" by Four Humors Theatre at Strike Theater

Four Humors Theatre brings their thoughtfully ridiculous interpretation of history and/or literature to the Roman Emperor Commodus, a by all accounts horrible ruler who brought an end to the era known as "Pax Romana" - no more peace and stability for Rome under this egotistical tyrant. Playwright and company member Matt Spring sets the story as a play-within-a-play, which allows for commentary and exposition around the story that's being told, breaking down all the complicated history into a palatable 90-minute story. It's the type of zany fun I've come to expect from Four Humors, perhaps with a bit of social and political commentary if you look past the silliness. The Last Days of Commodus continues through next weekend only at Strike Theatre in Northeast Minneapolis.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Blood Nocturne"

Day: 10

Show: 36

Title: Blood Nocturne

Category: Drama / Horror / Musical Theater

By: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Written by: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A retelling of the history/legend of Erzsébet Báthory, a Hungarian countess accused of murdering dozens (or even hundreds) of young women and girls in the early 17th Century.

Highlights: I had never heard of Erzsébet, but a quick read of her Wikepedia page reveals a horrifying tale of torture, mutilation, and murder. The Winding Sheet Outfit tells us Erzsébet's story from her point of view, as a powerful woman manipulated and falsely accused, although perhaps not totally innocent. The ensemble tells the story in a non-linear fashion, with charming and creepy original music. They often break the fourth wall, calling each other by their actual name when someone goes too far or suggests something not in line with the story they're telling. This device puts the audience at ease and reminds us it's just one interpretation of a story that can never fully be known. But it's a story that has much to tell us about gender, power, justice, and violence. Emily Dussault gives a strong and empathetic performance as Erzsébet, while the rest of the talented ensemble (Amber Bjork, Boo Segersin, Derek Lee Miller, Joshua Swantz, and Kayla Dvorak) play her helpers, friends, enemies, and alleged victims. Dressed in period clothing and playing period instruments, they work well together as an ensemble, using movement, music, and physical theater to create the world of Erzsébet against the perfect background of the Southern Theater. After seeing the play I'm not sure what to think about Erzsébet, but I know the situation is a little more nuanced and complex than what history usually describes.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Privateer" by Transatlantic Love Affair at Illusion Theater

Introducing opening night of Transatlantic Love Affair's newest creation The Privateer, TLA company member and first-time director Derek Lee Miller humbly said, you don't want to hear me lecture about pirates for an hour and a half. As someone who quite enjoyed listening to him lecture about bananas for an hour this summer, I most certainly do want to listen to Derek Lee Miller lecture about pirates! Because it would be sure to be fascinating and educational and delightfully nerdy. But even better than a lecture, this excellent company tells a story about pirates through movement, words, and music. TLA fans are sure to love this new, exciting, dangerous tale. And if you haven't seen TLA before, what are you waiting for?!

Fringe Festival 2017: Mid-Festival Favorites

We're halfway through the 11-day, 15-venue, 167-show Minnesota Fringe Festival. I've seen 25 shows, with another 20-some on the schedule for the next five days. Here are a few of my favorites so far. I haven't seen everything on my must-see list yet, so be sure to check that out for more recommendations. And you can read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

There are five days left of Fringe - so get out there and see some shows! Full schedule, venue, and ticketing information can be found on the Fringe's handy dandy website.

My favorite 2017 Minnesota Fringe shows so far, in alphabetical order (click on the title for full show information):

Fringe Festival 2017: "The Banana Wars"

Day: 4

Show: 19

Title: The Banana Wars

Category: Something Different

By: The Miller Conspiracy

Written by: Derek Lee Miller

Location: Strike Theater

Summary: A history lesson about the world's most popular fruit, the banana, and the wars that the US fought in the Caribbean because of it.

Highlights: This show is the reason the Fringe Festival exists. Most shows - dance, sketch comedy, drama, musicals, even clowning - have another performance home. But where else can someone give an hour-long history lesson about the banana that manages to also comment on the US military through history to today? What Derek Lee Miller has done here is, simply put, brilliant. It's like if John Oliver were to do a piece on the so-called Banana Wars, and at the beginning you think, "why is he talking about the Banana Wars?" And at the end you think, "OMG why isn't everyone talking about the Banana Wars?! Smedley Butler, people, Smedley Butler!!" Using a series of silent film placards, Derek walks us through these small, brutal wars (which I won't even begin to explain here, just go see the show), interspersed with personal remembrances, all to paint an ugly picture of greed and power. Smedley Butler, by the way, that guy with the funny name you've never heard of, was the most decorated Marine in history who at the end of his life spoke out against the US military. Like a speeding freight train, Derek barrels through history at a breakneck head-spinning fast-talking pace that makes 60 minutes feel like 10. This show probably won't make you feel good about the world or about being an American, but like a good John Oliver piece, it'll make you glad you know about the Banana Wars. And you'll never look at a banana the same way again.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Big Money" by Sandbox Theatre at Park Square Theatre

In 1984, a man named Michael Larson won over $100,000 on the game show Press Your Luck. A career con man, he accomplished this by studying every episode of the show and figuring out the pattern in the game of chance at the center of the show. Sandbox Theatre has chosen this stranger-than-fiction true story as the subject of their latest new work. In addition to recreating the infamous episode of Press Your Luck (available on youtube) in all its cheesy '80s game show glory, they explore Michael's personal life and the things he sacrificed in his endless pursuit of the perfect get-rich-quick scheme. The result is a funny, sad, inventive, and fascinating look at genius wasted.

"105 Proof; or, the Killing of Mack 'The Silencer' Klein" by Transatlantic Love Affair at Illusion Theater

Since being mesmerized by Ash Land at the 2012 Minnesota Fringe Festival, I've been a loyal follower of Transatlantic Love Affair, the physical theater troupe that casts a spell and weaves a dream by using nothing but their bodies, voices, hearts, and souls to tell stories. Their subjects are typically very loose retellings of fairy or folk tales (Cinderella in Ash Land, Little Red Riding Hood in Red Resurrected, the legend of the Selkie in The Ballad of the Pale Fisherman), but recently they've developed original stories including the memory play These Old Shoes and the modern-day love story emilie/eurydice. Most of their shows premiere at the Fringe, but thanks to their partnership with Illusion Theater, they, and we the audience, often get a chance to revisit the stories in a slightly expanded version. Such is the case with 105 Proof; or, the Killing of Mack "The Silencer" Klein, which debuted at the 2015 Fringe. 105 Proof is another original story, but one with a decidedly different tone than their other work. The tale of a small town boy who becomes a Chicago mobster in the Prohibition era is darker, grittier, more suspenseful, and also funnier than their usual dreamy tales. But what's not different is the way the cast (most of whom were in the original production) and live musical soundtrack create an entire world of the imagination that feels real and all-encompassing.

"600 Years" by Sandbox Theatre at the Southern Theater

Confession: I, like millions of people, love The Walking Dead. I'm fascinated with the idea of people working together to build a new society out of nothing. But what I don't love, and what I'm becoming increasingly disheartened by, is how in their version of the post apocalyptic world (zombies, natural disaster, it doesn't really matter what caused the end of the world as we know it), people turn on each other instead of working together to combat the very real enemies and dangers in the new world. Sandbox Theatre has envisioned a different version of the post apocalyptic world using their unique ensemble created, devised theater method. This world, where women called Seekers run between villages to create connections (they're kind of like the new internet) and all humanity works towards a common goal, is a much more hopeful world than that of The Walking Dead, and one I would much prefer to live in.

Fringe Festival 2016: "Know Your B-Movie Actors"

Day: 1

Show: 3

Title: Know Your B-Movie Actors

Category: Comedy

By: The Miller Conspiracy

Written by: Derek Lee Miller

Location: HUGE Theater

Summary: B-move buff Derek Lee Miller talks about the lives of some of his favorite B-movie actors and what makes them relevant today. Different actors are featured at every show, along with a different special guest bartender

Highlights: If you're familiar with Derek's weekly News and Notes column on Minnesota Playlist, you know that his writing is clever, funny, and insightful. He uses that same voice to talk about '50s B-movies, B-movie actors, and the strange land that was (and is) Hollywood. The night I attended featured "badass babes" Beverly Garland (known for playing tough, no-nonsense women in movies and later on TV), Pam Grier (star of such blacksploitation films as Coffy and Foxy Brown, and still a working actor today), and Tura Satana (an exotic dancer and exploitation film actor who dated and dumped both Elvis and Sinatra). With details both tragic and inspiring, Derek speaks with passion, frustration, and appreciation for B-movies and the way they (particularly producer/director Roger Corman) have influenced movies and popular culture, even through today. The show is funny, entertaining, and educational. Oh, and guest bartender Adelin Phelps very nearly stole the show away from Derek with her facial expressions and occasional utterances alone. This show is different every night, and if I didn't have 50+ other shows to see, I'd go see it again!