Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "Kind Of Funny But Also A Little Sad"

Day: 6

Show: 19

Title: Kind Of Funny But Also A Little Sad

Category: Comedy

By: The Importance Of Being Fotis

Created by: Rita Boersma and Mike Fotis and Heather Meyer

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A sketch comedy about friendship and the joys and worries of life.

Highlights: Kind of funny but also a little sad is my favorite genre. I saw this show at Strike last year and liked it so much I wanted to see it again in this Fringe iteration. Rita Boersma and Mike Fotis are two of the most familiar and funny Fringe performers (as is Heather Meyer, the director who makes a cameo). In this piece they explore their friendship, which is sometimes awkward and argumentative, but in the end sweet and supportive. The straight-forward comedy sketches turn meta when one or both of them break out to comment on what they're doing, or chide the other for what they're not doing. Topics explored include the fear of death, changing family relationships, and existential crises. They make great use of the in-the-round space, including making fun of it. This show is sweet, funny, silly, relatable, and just a little bit sad.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Kind of Funny But Also A Little Sad" at Strike Theater

A few weeks ago I brought you my adventures at HUGE Theater, your home for comedy in Uptown. Today I bring you a report from Strike Theater, your home for comedy in Northeast Minneapolis, a neighborhood closer to (my) home and easier to get to and park in (unless it happens to be Art-A-Whirl, then it's almost as miserable as Uptown). Strike has been open for a few years as a Fringe venue but just opened as a full-time comedy venue last fall. Founded by Allison Broeren, Mike Fotis, and Joe Bozic (whom you might know from the Minnesota Fringe Festival), they are "dedicated to Twin Cities sketch comedy, storytelling, and spoken word," and they offer an array of comedy performances and classes. Last night I attended the final performance (sorry) of Kind of Funny But Also A Little Sad, but check out their show calendar and class schedule for what's next at Strike.