Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "A Murder on the Great Grimpen Mire Express"

Day: 9

Show: 26

Title: A Murder on the Great Grimpen Mire Express

Category: Comedy / Mystery / Literary adaptation

By: Fearless Comedy Productions

Created by: Tim Wick & Jami Newstrom

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A mashup of two of the most beloved mystery stories: Murder on the Orient Express and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Highlights: This is a very funny, clever, well-written show. Putting two of English literature's favorite detectives (Poirot and Holmes) together* is a fun idea, and the show plays on the idiosyncrasies of both characters. Like in Orient Express, Belgian (not French!) detective Hercule Poirot is traveling by train when he happens upon a woman - a Baskerville heir - who's afraid someone is trying to murder her. She has enlisted the services of famous detective Sherlock Holmes, setting up a bit of a rivalry between the two detectives. But Holmes isn't actually on the train, he's sent his trusty assistant Watson. Ms. Baskerville tells the two men her story (with some fun feminist commentary on the damsel in distress trope). Poirot interviews everyone on the train, and of course solves the mystery. The set quickly and cleverly transforms from the sleeping cabins to the dining car and back again. Everyone in the cast is great, particularly Edwin Strout as the mustachioed detective, Angela Fox as the slightly amnesiac Ms. Baskerville, and Dawn Krosnowski stealing scenes as multiple characters (who all come together in the end). Their final performance is today, the final day of Fringe, so you still have time to see this fun, clever, well executed mashup.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

*For more Holmes/Poirot fan fiction, go see Park Square Theatre's return this after a couple dark years with the original play Holmes Poirot by Jeffrey Hatcher and Steve Hendrickson.

"Caucasian-Aggressive Pandas and Other Mulatto Tales" by Chameleon Theatre Circle and Fearless Comedy Productions at Bloomington Center for the Arts

Duck Washington's funny, engaging, personal, and very honest sketch comedy show about being biracial in America has traveled a long road to its current home in Bloomington. Caucasian-Aggressive Pandas and Other Mulatto Tales began as a Fearless Comedy show at Bryant Lake Bowl, and then had a successful run a the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Chameleon Theatre Circle originally planned to include the show as part of their 2016-2017 season, but the Ames Center in Burnsville, their then home, refused to allow the show to be produced there for fear that some might find the word mulatto offensive. To make a long story short (you can read more about it here), Chameleon left the Ames Center because they objected to artistic censorship, and Caucasian-Aggressive Pandas is currently being presented at the Bloomington Center for the Arts (the home of Artistry) as the final show in their nomadic 2017-2018 season. That's a whole lot of preamble for what is a very funny, insightful, and necessary show about race relations in America, which can only be improved by acknowledging it and talking about it, and maybe laughing about it too in a safe space like this. Oh, the irony!

Fringe Festival 2016: "And To Think That I Saw It At 221B Baker's Street"

Day: 5

Show: 23

Title: And To Think That I Saw It At 221B Baker's Street

Category: Comedy

By: Rooftop Theatre Company

Created by: John Newstrom and Tim Wick

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A brilliantly funny mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Seuss.

Highlights: I know, it sounds weird. Everyone's favorite rhyming children's author combined with one of the most beloved literary characters of all time? But it works beautifully well. And in a fun twist - Sherlock Holmes is a woman (it's about time)! In typical Holmsian style, Dr. Watson (Samuel Poppen) narrates a case as the brilliant Ms. Holmes (Dawn Krosnowski) solves it effortlessly. Their client in this particular case is none other than The Cat in the Hat, who is searching for his missing Things. A trip to Whoville is in order, where Holmes and Watson meet several other Dr. Seuss characters, from a Lorax to Cindy Lou Who (hilariously protrayed by Lana Rosario, Jason Kruger, Roseah Germ, and Tim Jopek with multiple costume changes). Of course Ms. Holmes' nemesis Moriarty (Edwin Strout) is behind the disappearance of the Things, and of course she saves the day. Creators John Newstrom (director) and Tim Wick (writer) have managed to successfully combine these two beloved franchises in a way that's sure to please fans of either one, as well as people who enjoy clever comedy.