Fringe Festival 2016: "Couple Fight II: Friends and Family"

Day: 6

Show: 28

Title: Couple Fight II: Friends and Family

Category: Comedy

By: Weggel-Reed Productions

Created by: Anna Weggel-Reed

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A return of last year's hilarious Couple Fight, with all new real-life fights between funny people who love each other.

Highlights: This is another simple premise that works. Fringe favorites reenact a real-life fight they had with a loved one - spouse, parent, friend, sister. Created by Anna Weggel-Reed, directed by Tom Reed, and written by the cast, it's the first Fringe show that brought me to tears of laughter. Sisters Angie Martin and Casey Haeg fight about nothing and everything, the way sisters do. Improv buddies Andy Hilbrands and Katy Kessler fight about (what else) the election. Lacey Zeiler fights with her 3-year-old daughter Lila (hilariously played by her husband John Zeiler) about bedtime. Married couple Rachael Davies and Andy Kraft fight about football, and who's more of a man. BFFs Sulia Altenberg and BriAnna M. Daniels fight about race (awkward!). Friends Anna Weggel-Reed and Richie McLarn fight about smoking on the U of M campus. And last but perhaps best, Emily Schmidt and her mother Pat reenact a scene at Target when Emily was a precocious 7-year-old. It's nicely put together with intro and ending scenes that include a snippet of all fights, and each scene is introduced like a boxing match (perfect for the in-the-round setting). And then little Lila shows up for the curtain call and steals the show.

Fringe Festival 2015: "Couple Fight"

Day: 9

Show: 43

Title: Couple Fight

Category: Comedy

By: Weggel-Reed Productions

Created by: Anna Weggel-Reed and Tom Reed

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: Six funny real-life couples reenact a funny real-life fight.

Highlights: What happens when two funny people get married, and then they fight? Judging by Couple Fight, it's hilarious, at least it is to those of us watching, and probably also to the couple once they move beyond the moment. Such is the simple premise of this show that features five married couples and one pair of BFFs. John and Lacey Zeiler fight about him faking a stroke in Vegas to help him win at poker, and not telling her about it beforehand so she could play along. On one of their first dates, Maggie and Marissa Sotos argue about whether a book is a hamburger or a hot dog (first of all, it's a book, second of all, it's obviously a hot dog). Emily Schmidt and Maureen Tubbs' disagreement about the rules of Pictionary turn a fun girls' night into a dramatic scene (I'm with Maureen on this one, you gotta have rules). Laura Zabel and Levi Weinhagen fight about whether Laura's suggestion for a sketch is funny (for the record - it is!). Lizzie Gardner gets mad at Bobby when he farts in the middle of a deep conversation. And finally, Anna Weggel-Reed gets upset that husband Tom (played convincingly by Adam Hummel because Tom was too busy directing) doesn't properly celebrate her on her birthday. The rest of us non-comedians only wish we could fight this funny!

"Happy Days" by Minneapolis Musical Theatre at New Century Theatre

In the space of 24 hours I traveled from 1960s Detroit to 1950s Milwaukee, separated by about 400 miles and 10 years, but worlds apart. Penumbra Theatre's Detroit '67 is a sobering look at the musical highs and violent lows of that time and place, while Minneapolis Musical Theatre's production of the musical adaptation of the TV classic Happy Days presents an idealized version of the past, where people can't imagine the price of gas going above 12 cents, the worst insult is "sit on it," and fights are settled with a pie in the face and a wedgie. As such, it's faithful to the beloved TV show that I, and many Americans, grew up with. Not surprising since it was written by the show's creator Garry Marshall, with songs by Paul Williams, who's written many hits for The Carpenters and others. While the plot's a bit thin (it is based on a sitcom, after all), the familiar characters are there with their signature catch phrases and the songs are catchy in that '50s style, resulting in a fun and frivolous evening of happy nostalgia theater.

In what amounts to an extended episode of Happy Days, our gang is facing a crisis when beloved diner hangout Arnold's is in danger of being bought out by a large corporation. Richie and Fonzie and friends come up with a couple of ideas to raise money to match the bid, including a dance contest and a wrestling match. (How they're supposed to raise thousands of dollars through this, I'm not entirely sure, but I'll go with it.) Fonzie's ex, the super cool motorcycle-riding Pinky, returns to judge the dance conflict, and tensions run high with unfinished business between them. Fonzie agrees to wrestle his nemeses the Mallachi brothers, despite a secret shameful weakness - he has a bum knee. (Fonzie's getting old? How disappointing.) It takes Richie longer than his usual 30 minutes to solve this problem, but in the end our gang comes out on top and continues living those happy days.

Highlights of the show include:

Pinky and the Fonz
(Quinn Shadko and John Zeiler,
photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp)

• The six-piece band just to the right of the stage sounds great playing these '50s pop tunes, both uptempo and ballad, as directed by Lori Maxwell.
• The large cast is talented and enthusiastic, bringing great energy to the show.
• Fonzie and Pinky are the most recognizable and specific characters. Quinn Shadko is a standout as Pinky. She always sounds lovely, but she also has Pinky's attitude, walk, and voice down pat - tough and smart on the outside, hiding a tender heart underneath. John Zeiler is her match as Fonzie, channeling Henry Winkler. Together they have a sweet and spicy chemistry as the central love story.
• As boy next door Richie, Eric Heimsoth has the red hair, earnestness, and likeability needed for the character. Richie and his pals Ralph Malph (an expressive Matthew Englund), Potsie (an appropriately reserved Andrew Newman), and Chachi (a charming Kory LaQuess Pullam) create some great doo-wappy four-part harmony.
• Lisa Denninger's Mrs. C and Briana Patnode's Joanie are a believable mother/daughter pair, and bring sweet harmony to the song "What I Dreamed Last Night."
• I don't know anything about motorcycles, but what looked to be an authentic vintage bike was rolled out onstage, rounding out the character of Fonzie.
• The musical is chock full of catch phrases, familiar to anyone who's watched the TV show: Richie's angry "bucko," Ralph Malph's gleeful "I still got it!," Chachi's admiring "waa waa waa," and of course, the Fonz with his "aaayyyy," "correctamundo," thumbs up, and signature comb movement.
• While the mostly empty set leaves something to be desired, the period costumes are fun and bright; the leather jackets, blue jeans, bobby socks, poodle skirts, and saddle shoes perfectly represent the era. If some of the girls' dresses look like bad prom dresses, perhaps that's appropriate. Pinky outshines the rest in her fabulous pink frocks, as she should.

While there are a couple of strange jokes that didn't land well (including one about Bill Gates, who was 4 years old in 1959), and the show goes a bit too far into camp territory at times, on the whole it's joyful homage to a beloved TV show and iconic characters. These Happy Days are yours and mine, and continue at the New Century Theatre through May 17.

the Dial Tones - Kory LaQuess Pullam as Chachi, Eric Heimsoth as Richie,
Andrew Newman as Potsie, and Matthew Englund as Ralph Malph
(photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp)

"The Underpants" at Theatre in the Round

A German farce adapted by legendary funny man Steve Martin and directed by our own funny woman Shanan Custer? Count me in! This combination promises much hilarity, and Theatre in the Round's production of The Underpants delivers solidly on that promise. This brisk 90 minutes of crazy hijinks that ensue after a woman's underpants fall to her ankles in public is actually quite a brilliant satire of societal gender norms and sexual mores of the time; Carl Sternheim's script was banned shortly after it premiered in 1910. The six-person cast is excellent in line delivery and physical flourishes. Shanan's zany and flustered yet real and grounded comedy style is all over this piece, and makes for a highly entertaining afternoon (or evening) at the theater.

Louise Maske is innocently watching the King's parade when, by some fluke, her underpants (or what we might today call bloomers) fall to her ankles. It causes quite a stir in the town, and her husband Theo much embarrassment. He's a respected clerk of the King, he can't have people looking at him and thinking about what's under his wife's skirt! Two men who saw the underpants incident are completely taken by it, and decide to rent a room in the Maske home. A gentleman poet by the name of Versati falls instantly in love, and Louise, with the help of upstairs neighbor Gertrude, decides to have an affair with him. Unfortunately he's more in love with love and poetry than he is with Louise. The sickly barber Cohen loves Louise too, and blissfully unaware Theo takes him under his wing, vowing to fatten him up and return him to health. When a stern and stooped older gentleman named Klinglehoff also wants to rent a room, Louise assumes he's after the same thing. Finally even the King stops by to pay a visit. The underpants have caused quite a stir in the Maskes' life.

Louise (Amy Pirkl) with her suitors
(photo by Richard Fleishman)

The show is perfectly cast, with each member bringing life to their character and the fast and funny dialogue: John T. Zeiler reveling in the selfish and sexist husband, Amy Pirkl charming and likeable as the bored wife looking for more, Jean Wolff stealing scenes as the nosy neighbor, Nic Delcambre polished and smooth as the flowerly and elegant Versati, David Schlosser adorably awkward as the nebbishy Cohen, and Eric Marinus Nelson with brief hilarious entrances as Klinglehoff. As usual, great use is made of the round stage space with seats on all sides, not a bad view among them. The floor is checkered with dingy red and white tiles (reminding me of the kitchen at my Grandpa's old farmhouse) spiraling to the center, with vintage kitchen equipment along one side and a few benches and chairs around the circle (set design by Gabriel Gomez).

The Underpants is the first show in Theatre in the Round's 63rd season (BTW they're the oldest theater company in town), and continues weekends through the end of the month. Check it out for a sharp, fun, witty, wacky romp.

Fringe Festival: "Mainly Me Productions' Our American Assassin; Or You Can't Handle the Booth"

Day: 3

Show: 9

Title: Mainly Me Productions' Our American Assassin; Or You Can't Handle the Booth

Category: Comedy

By: Malcolm & Jorge

Written by: Josh Carson

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A comedy about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln as told from the perspective of the actors in the play he was attending when he was shot, and their attempts to bring the assassin - a fellow actor! - to justice.

Highlights: Bottom line - this show is hilarious and you will laugh much and often. It's extremely tongue-in-cheek, with lots of jokes about actors and the theater profession. The show moves at such madcap speed that I'm certain I missed some of the jokes, and didn't quite follow all of the plot points. But don't think too hard, just go along for the ride, it's great fun. The cast is excellent, starting with the trio of actors - Josh Carson (who also wrote and directs the piece) as the not-so-humble actor, Shanan Custer as an actress at the end of her career who takes on one last great role, and Andy Kraft as the aspiring actor who impersonates Booth. Also great are John Zeiler as the theater owner's brother and several other characters, in a multitude of accents, and Lacey Zeiler playing such distinct characters that it's hard to believe they're played by the same person. Smart, clever, funny, with wonderfully exaggerated performances and physical gags, this is a fun one.