2025 Twin Cities Horror Festival at the Crane Theater

The leaves are turning and the weather is finally cooler, which means it's time for the 14th Twin Cities Horror Festival! And even though October is notoriously the busiest month in #TCTheater, I managed to carve out a couple of days to see almost half of this year's 14 shows in the 15-day festival. I'm not in general a fan of horror or even Halloween (except for the candy), but I am a fan of the talented artists behind these shows, whom you will know from the Minnesota Fringe Festival or other theaters around town. In fact, TCHF is like a mini-Fringe, except that all of the less-than-an-hour shows are all horror-themed and presented in one venue, which makes scheduling easier. For full coverage of the festival, please visit fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers and horror fanatics The Stages of MN and Minnesota Theater Love. For my reviews, scroll down. I saw three very strong shows yesterday, with a few more scheduled for this week, so check back. You can find the full schedule of events and show details here, with the festival continuing through October 30.

Update October 26: I've added reviews of the shows I saw yesterday, bringing my total up to six. All of them are great, so either I chose well, or it's a strong year at TCHF. You still have a few more days to catch some great shows!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "Pants on Fire"

Day: 7

Show: 23

Title: Pants on Fire

Category: Improv

By: The Project Factory

Created by: Sarah Broude

Location: HUGE Theater

Summary: A game show in which two teams try to guess if the story someone is telling is a weird truth, or an elaborate lie.

Highlights: What a great idea for a show. If you've heard of "two truths and a lie," it's like that, but each participant only has one chance at a story, with the opposing team guessing if it's true or a lie. It's a nuanced game, in which the storyteller not only has to tell the (possibly made-up story), but make the others believe it's true when it's a lie, or vice versa. And the even trickier thing is that sometimes part of the story is true, but not all of it. The evening is hosted by Sarah Broude, with help from Music Director Chris Perricelli and a delightfully bored assistant (whose name I didn't catch), throwing snacks at the guests, changing outfits frequently, and giving occasional side eye. Each performance has different guests, all pulled from our talented comedy/improv scene. I went (not coincidentally) to the show that featured the Four Humors: Ryan Lear, Brant Miller, Matt Spring, and newest Humor Allison Vincent. This group never fails to crack me up, and this was no exception; in fact I think it's the hardest I've laughed at Fringe this year. They were split into teams with captains Dale Peterson and Katie Kaufmann (who I gather are at every show), and each one got to tell a story, from getting kicked out of a Bozo the Clown show, to being part of a pregnancy reveal gone wrong, to childhood pranks. Watching these six weave a tale on the fly, and the others respond to it and ask questions, is sheer joy and hilarity. Highlights of the evening include watching Matt mime milking a cow, Brant reenact a Santa Experience, and hearing Ryan recite all the books of the Bible, after making us think he couldn't (but of course he can). The point system is a bit suspect, with math and word problems thrown in arbitrarily, but it's all in good fun. Great fun actually.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

"Rasputin" by Four Humors Theater

Other than their participation in last year's Minnesota Fringe Festival Five-Fifths fundraiser, I haven't seen a Four Humors Theater production since before the pandemic. Which is way too long to go without seeing their uniquely clever and ridiculous original work, often adaptations of literature or history. They debuted a new work at Twin Cities Horror Festival last fall, but I missed it, so I'm happy they're remounting Rasputin at Open Eye Theatre so I could see the show my fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers raved about. It's just as smart and silly and hilarious as expected, with a bit more blood than usual for their shows. As a bonus, I caught one of two encore performances of their 2013 Minnesota Fringe hit Lolita, which made for a pretty great double-billing. They have a pretty loyal following, and lots of buzz from TCHF, so some shows in their short two-week run are already selling out. You can see Rasputin through May 18, with one final performance of Lolita following the Saturday night closing performance.

Minnesota Fringe Festival: "Five-Fifths of Back to the Future" at the Cowles Center

My favorite kick-off event for my favorite theater festival is back! I can't recall if the Minnesota Fringe Festival did their annual Five-Fifths fundraiser last spring (and they certainly didn't do it the two years before that), but if they did I didn't go. I attended this delightfully fringey event in which five Fringe companies interpret one-fifth of a popular movie the five years prior to the pandemic (which resulted in one entirely virtual Fringe and one mostly virtual Fringe, before they returned to a fully in-person festival last fall). This year they once again picked one of my favorite movies from my youth - Back to the Future. I hadn't seen it in a while so I re-watched it yesterday, which is unnecessary because there's a plot summary in the program. And anyway, it's not really about the movie, it's about seeing what five different groups of artists do with the same prompt. The results are wildly different and ridiculously creative - just like the Fringe Festival is. Mark your calendars for August 3-13, and prepare to get adventurous!

"Twin Cities Horror Festival" at the Southern Theater

The 8th annual Twin Cities Horror Festival concludes today, and surprisingly this was only my 2nd time attending. Or maybe not surprisingly; unlike my friends at Minnesota Theater Love, who love all things horror and TCHF, horror is not my thing, and Halloween is just another day to go to the theater and an excuse to buy half price candy the next day. But after spending the day at the Southern Theater yesterday, I realized that TCHF is just like a mini Minnesota Fringe Festival (drawing from the same pool of artists, with a similar structure), except that everything is a little spookier. Like Fringe it's a well run festival, but unlike Fringe you don't have to race between venues. You can just park yourself at the Southern for a few hours or a whole day. The festival concludes today with six shows, including two of the below five fantastic shows that I saw yesterday, so use that extra hour you gained to see some fun and spooky theater.

"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.

"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Four Humors at the Southern Theater

"Why would Four Humors do The Importance of Being Earnest? We acknowledge what is happening in the world right now, and we do not believe in running from our problems. However, we do believe taking a break from our problems is a very healthy thing. There is a theory that when we laugh, our mind is cleared and we are able to see our problems with fresh eyes. We hope this production will achieve this renewal and allow all of us to leave the Southern Theater with our heads held high, ready to tackle our challenges with renewed vigor and purpose. The act of art alone is worth fighting for. We hope you come play with us today, so we can continue our work tomorrow." I wholeheartedly agree with this statement by Four Humors, and their perfectly delightful production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest definitely meets this goal. In this classic play, subtitled "a trivial comedy for serious people," Wilde brilliantly satirizes the high society of Victorian England in this absurd comedy of mistaken identities, and the consistently funny theater troupe that is Four Humors is the perfect company to bring us a good laugh in these... unusual times.

Twin Cities Horror Festival at the Southern Theater

This is the fifth year of the Twin Cities Horror Festival at the Southern Theater (or so I gather from their TCHFV acronym, unless V stands for Vampires). TCHF is an 11-day festival of theater, film, music, and dance in the horror genre. Not being a fan of this particular genre (I haven't celebrated Halloween since elementary school, and avoid scary movies and TV shows), I've never attended before and didn't think it was something that would interest me. But my friends at Minnesota Theater Love are big fans, so they convinced me to give it a try this year. The structure and schedule is similar to the Minnesota Fringe Festival (hour-long shows with half hour breaks in between), but unlike the Fringe, TCHF happens right in the middle of the busy theater season, so I was only able to spare one day. I picked two companies that I was familiar with, and happily neither show was particularly gory. Below are a few thoughts about each show. I'm still not convinced this is the event for me (much like sadness, I don't do horror), especially with so many other theater choices right now. But it's a fun alternative to the usual theater scene, and if you're a fan of the horror genre, you should definitely check it out.

"The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha" by Four Humors at the Guthrie Theater

When the ingenious gentlemen of Four Humors apply their unique, clever, and hilarious storytelling style to a classic such as The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, it's a thing not to be missed. And even though I've experienced many such unique adaptations by Four Humors, as well as original work, last night's world premiere opening night still gave me something unexpected. As the play points out, everyone knows Don Quixote, even if you're never read the book or heard the name Miguel de Cervantes (as for myself, I've only seen the musical adaptation Man of La Mancha, natch). Four Humors tells the classic story about honor, chivalry, and madness in a unique way using puppetry projection (and thereby possibly inventing a new art form?) and by making Cervantes a character in the play, allowing the characters to step outside the story and comment on it. I believe this is Four Humors' debut at the Guthrie, which will no doubt expose a new audience to their often accomplished mission "to create art that celebrates the humor, stupidity, and beauty of our world by letting the artist connect with the audience in a vulnerable and honest way."

"We Gotta Cheer Up Gary" by Four Humors at the Southern Theater

Are you feeling a little down? Need to be cheered up? Let the trained cheerologists of Four Humors lead you through your one-on-one (or one-on-many) cheersultation! I know they always make me feel better! Now you can sign up for one of their intimate sessions held behind the arch at the gorgeous Southern Theater, where cheerologists Jason Ballweber (silent Gary), Mike Fotis (angry Gary), Ryan Lear (accident-prone Gary), and Dario Tangelson (the Gary in charge) will lead you and 40-some other Garys through a series of jokes, magic tricks, improv, and physical comedy that is sure to leave you cheerier than you were one hour before. All this can be yours for a low price, or free as part of Southern Theater's ARTshare program. With everything that's going on in the world, couldn't we all use a little cheering up?

Fringe Festival: "Four Humors Does Every Show in the Fringe"

Day: 8

Show: 31

Title: Four Humors Does Every Show in the Fringe

Category: Comedy

By: Four Humors

Created by: Four Humors

Location: New Century Theatre

Summary: Rather than creating an original piece as Fringe faves Four Humors usually do, they're improving a different show every night based on the title and description of another Fringe show chosen at random.

Highlights: I'd watch these guys do anything (these guys being Ryan Lear, Brant Miller, Nick Ryan, and Matt Spring). And when you go see this show, that's pretty much what you can expect - anything. A big show was made of the random drawing of the numbered ping pong balls (numbered shows listed in the program - no cheating), and the lucky winner was Fish Stories. Somehow guest performer Tim Hellendrung heard "the one that got away" and immediately thought - Katie Holmes. So these fish stories included a grocery store meet-cute, a wish-granting time-traveling poorly mimed fish, a fight scene between said fish and Tom Cruise, and an escape to post-apocalyptic Canada. In between shows Tim read some "audience reviews" of the show, which was a hilarious spoof on what these reviews sometimes are. This show is silly and fun and inventive, and it's a joy to watch these guys work. And I'm not alone in that opinion - this show is the best-selling show at New Century, with an encore performance tonight at 8:30.

Fringe Festival: "Four Humors' Lolita: A Three Man Show"

Day: 3

Show: 8

Title: Four Humors' Lolita: A Three Man Show

By: Fat Bottom Jones Productions

Created by: Four Humors Theater

Location: Illusion Theater

Summary: A typically Four Humors adaptation of the 1962 Stanley Kubrick movie Lolita, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov, with three men playing the titular 12-year-old girl, the middle-aged British professor who's obsessed with her, and every other character.

Highlights: This is a brilliant and hilarious adaptation of this crazy story (which I've never previously seen or read). The three actors throw themselves into their roles wholeheartedly, Brant Miller as the precocious 12-year-old girl (see photo above), Ryan Lear as the professor with the breathy English accent, who also serves as the narrator of the story, and Matt Spring stealing every scene as many different characters. They occasionally break out of the story to comment on it, the funniest when Brant realizes what the story is really about, which leads to a long discussion about whether Lolita is "filth," or whether, "as artists, don't we have an obligation to follow the story wherever it takes us, as long as it gives us more information about what it means to be human?" The staging is simple, just two folding chairs with spotlights creating shadows on the back wall, and the choice of music is spot-on, including such songs as "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Young Girl," "Go Away Little Girl," and "Suspicious Minds." Bottom line: Four Humors' Lolita is a must-see, it's just fantastic.

Read more of my fringe fest reflections…

… including my top 5 shows

Fringe Festival 2012: Candide

Day: 1

Show: 4

Title: Candide

By: Four Humors Theater

Written by: Nick Ryan

Location: Rarig Thrust

Summary: A fast-paced and farcical adaptation of the 18th Century novel Candide by Voltaire. The title of each scene is announced before it begins as quick changes occur during blackouts, and as the play progresses, the scenes get shorter, faster, and more absurd.

Highlights: I'm not familiar with the source material, and I have to admit, I wasn't quite sure what to make of this one at first. But once I realized that it's a farce, and let go of any attempts at logic or rationality, it grew on me and I quite enjoyed it. It's worth seeing this show for the cast alone; Anna Hickey, Matt Spring, Ryan Lear, and Christian Bardin create many wacky and memorable characters throughout the short play (I particularly loved Christian Bardin's silly, funny, and poignant little song as the old woman who's seen too much in her life). Brant Miller is the one constant as the affable title character. It's an absurd, funny, entertaining romp.

Read more of my fringe fest reflections...

"The Extraordinary Terms of Ordinary Life" by Four Humors Theater at the Loring Theater

The Extraordinary Terms of Ordinary Life is a wacky, off-beat comedy, which seems fairly typical of Four Humors Theater.  The other Four Humors show I've seen is the new original rock musical The Age of Wordsworth - the life and words of William Wordsworth set to rock music.  This show really is nothing like that, but they are similar in that both are pieces created from unique and original ideas that really evoke a sense of time and place.

The time and place of The Extraordinary Terms of Ordinary Life is a life insurance company in Manhattan in 1929, just before the crash.  The play was written by Ryan Lear (who also directs), inspired by some old life insurance training manuals he found at a garage sale.  A band playing jazz standards of the time helps set the mood, and the Loring Theater is a perfect venue - it's an old vaudeville theater built in the 1920s.  The set pieces are cartoonish skyscrapers, with a nifty backdrop of the skyline of NYC.  The whole thing put together almost feels like watching a silent film from the era, with exaggerated facial expressions and gestures and broad physical comedy.

John Davidson (the adorable Andy Rocco Kraft who's adept at the physical comedy) moves from a small town to the big city in response to an ad from the "Good Old Life Insurance Company."  Naive and enthusiastic, he believes he could be "the man."  He's immediately hired by the head of the company (Alisa Mattson, who also plays his wife, who it turns out is really the one in charge).  The experienced salesman Frank Engles (the fast talking Ryan Nelson) takes Johnny under his wing and teaches him how to sell to anyone.  Johnny soon becomes a big success, and falls in love with the sweet girl in Accounts Receivable, Mary Southworth (Rachel Petri), who has dreams of becoming a salesman like her father.  Rounding out the cast are Kat Wodtke as a creepy old man who eats paper, and the clowns Garret Vollmer, Mark Rehani, and Jon Mac Cole playing multiple roles (and harmonizing on the company theme song).

The Extraordinary Terms of Ordinary Life is a wacky, fun, at times inexplicable look at a time when the economy was booming, until it all fell apart.  Sound familiar?  Only in this world we learn that the reason the economy tanks is because the bankers are storing up gold to feed to angry demons to keep them from eating the entire human race.  Huh?  Oh well, it's about as good of a reason as any others I've heard!

Things aren't always what they seem.

"The Age of Wordsworth" by Four Humors Theater at the Southern Theater

Four Humors Theater's original new rock musical The Age of Wordsworth is bizarre and super cool.  Even though rock music isn't really my thing, I'm a huge fan of the genre of the rock musical, which began with HAIR in 1967 and continued through my favorite musical RENT in 1996, on through to some of my favorite recent musicals such as Spring Awakening and Next to Normal.  But the show that The Age of Wordsworth most brought to mind is last year's fabulous new Broadway musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.  Both shows reimagine a historical figure, mixing fact and legend with great rock music and a spirited young cast.  And like when I saw BBAJ last October, I was intrigued by the title character and had to go home and google him to find out more about his life, and find out how much of what I saw is true.

The spacious and gorgeous space at The Southern Theater is set up with a square of artificial grass on the right-hand side of the stage, filled with instruments and musical equipment.  That's where the cast performs the musical numbers, interspersed with stories about Wordsworth which are acted out on the rest of the stage.  The actors take turns playing the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth and other historical characters, such as his friends Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (author of Frankenstein) and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (inventor of the concept of suspension of disbelief).  From being haunted by one of his own creations, to waiting for 20 years on the French border to see his wife and child, to being lost at sea, to his wedding, the stories are funny, touching, and a little bit crazy.  The wedding story takes the form of a drunken best man's speech, and the actor giving the speech is so convincing as a drunk that for a moment I was afraid he really was ill!

Most of the musical numbers are based on poems by Wordsworth or his contemporaries, with additional lyrics by Nicholas Jacobson-Larson, who also composed the music with help from the ensemble.  According to the creator and director of the show, Jason Ballweber, the show is centered around Wordsworth's poem "We Are Seven," which is one of the songs.  Some of the songs are sad and haunting, others are loud and rockin.  Just before the doors opened for seating (I was there early because, annoyingly, my ticket said 7:30 when the show really started at 8), Jason spoke a few words about the show, which ended with "please take ear plugs if you wish."  I didn't, and I survived just fine.

I'd like to point out my favorites in the cast, but since the playbill does not include photos or a cast of characters, I don't know who is who.  So I'll just list them all and say they're all talented and energetic young actors and musicians, many of whom graduated from the Univeristy of Minnesota's theater program or are currently students there: Ben Desbois, Ryan Lear, Alisa Mattson, Brant Miller, Tyler Olsen, Rachel Petrie, Mark Rehani, Toby Rust, and Matt Spring.

Most of the theater that I see is fairly conventional, but I'm trying to branch out, which is why I purchased a season package at the Southern Theater.  In addition to dance, music, and film, the Southern hosts smaller theater companies doing new, original, avant-garde work.  So far, I like what I see, and I love the creativity and outside-the-box thinking that continues to advance theater in a forward direction.  (And since I really love the image on the playbill, but the effect is somewhat lost in black and white, I'm repeating it here.  The imagery of flowers plays an important and lovely role at the end of the show.)