"The Dolls of New Albion" streaming from Feral Theatre Company

Intrepid young #TCTheater company Feral Theatre seems to have figured out this pandemic theater thing. Maybe because they've only been around since 2019, they were able to be more flexible and adaptable to the new world, since they had barely established themselves in the old world. In the last year, they've produced a series of podcast play readings, had several entries in the 2020 Virtual Minnesota Fringe Festival, and presented a live virtual production of The Awakening of Spring from various locations. Now they're bringing us the regional premiere The Dolls of New Albion, which seems to be somewhat of a cult hit musical, especially in the UK. In fact, this is only the third US production. It's a great piece; it reminds me of the kind of obscure musical gems that Theatre Elision and Minneapolis Musical Theatre often do. And it lends itself well to this time, in that although this production features a nine-person cast, most scenes only involve a few of them. They're able to practice social distancing on stage, wearing masks if there are multiple people on stage (even singing through masks), or removing their mask if they're alone on stage. Because that's right, this show is performed live, with all of the performers together, at Elision Playhouse. I can only hope/assume that they are following protocols backstage as well, but from this end, they appear to be doing everything right. That is: live theater almost as we remember it, with safety protocols in place for the performers, and with the audience tuning in from the safety of their own homes.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2020: "The Bathtub Play"

Location: Digital Hub (available on certain days)

Length: 33 minutes

Title: The Bathtub Play

By: The Feral Theatre Company

Summary: A woman with a broken foot is stuck in a bathtub.

Highlights: This is a sweet, funny, endearing, and very human little play. Written by Becky McLaughlin and starring Erin Gassner, it's one long monologue (it appears to be one long take but there might be a subtle cut or two). Our heroine recently got out of the hospital with a broken foot, and decided to take a bath. Except that now she can't get out. Worse, her "Elena" (generic "Alexa") is having trouble connecting to the internet so she can't call anyone for help. She starts talking to Elena, confessing things from her childhood, and the real reason she was up in that tree that she fell from. She talks about her new boyfriend, her insecurities, her hopes, in a way that makes her likable and relatable. It left me with a smile on my face.

Read all of my Nightly Fringe mini-reviews here.

Read all of my Digital Hub mini-reviews here.