Minnesota Fringe Festival: "Five-Fifths of 9 to 5" at the Ritz Theater

Five-Fifths of 9 to 5 was everything I wanted, and everything that's good about Minnesota Fringe. The annual fundraiser for the 11-day August festival takes a popular movie, divides it into five parts, and gives each part to a different Fringe artist or company, who then perform their fifth in chronological order for the weirdest and most wonderful Frankenstein version of the movie you've ever seen. It's truly astounding how you can give five artists the same inspiration, and they will do five completely different things. And that's the great thing about our beloved Fringe, now in its 33rd year - artists are supported in making and presenting their own unique kind of art, and we audience members can sample a little of everything! For this year's Five-Fifths, Artistic Director Dawn Bentley gently bullied her staff into choosing the 1980 Jane Fonda/ Dolly Parton/ Lily Tomlin revenge comedy 9 to 5, and it was the perfect choice for 2026. Each one of the five theater companies, all of whom have performed at the Fringe in the past and will do so again this year, did something that was so totally them. It was truly a delightful smorgasbord of theater performance. Keep reading for a brief summary of the companies and what they did, and mark your calendar for this year's festival August 6-16. You can even buy your passes now, and watch social media for announcements of shows and schedule. See you at the Fringe!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Abortion Chronicles"

Day: 2

Show: 4

Title: The Abortion Chronicles

Category: Drama / Spoken Word / Storytelling / Historical content / Political content

By: Mermaid Productions

Created by: Ariel Pinkerton

Location: Rarig Arena

Summary: A collection of true abortion stories.

Highlights: I've seen this show twice before, once in the late Obama years, once shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned, but unfortunately it's never been more necessary, as women's rights are continually chipped away at, especially in the area of reproductive health care. The show is well constructed, centered around a clinic, with women coming in for consultations or abortions, escorted by a volunteer through the protestors outside. We hear stories from the clinic nurse (played by Christy Johnson) and the volunteer (Patti Gage), as well as the women (and a few men) who come through. Some of the stories are performed by the people who lived them, some by actors, and I honestly cannot tell which are which. All of them feel truthful, real, and raw. Every abortion story is different and specific, but also all the same. As they say in the show, "I'm pregnant and I can't be, the rest is window dressing." But that window dressing is complex and intricate and very human. Whether or not you've seen this show before, it's worth seeing to hear these stories. It may be one of the most important shows in the festival this year.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "A Monster Scientist and a Tattooed Anarchist Walk into a Bar"

Day: 4

Show: 12/13

Title: A Monster Scientist and a Tattooed Anarchist Walk into a Bar

Category: Comedy / Solo Show / Spoken Word / Storytelling / Historical content / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: Mermaid Productions

Created by: Rev. Matt and Ariel Pinkerton

Location: Comedy Corner - Underground

Summary: A double bill of Ariel Pinkerton's storytelling show Put a Needle in Me and Reverend Matt's Monster Science show, with a different topic at each performance.

Highlights: This independently produced show works a bit differently; it's actually two rotating shows, so you'll have to buy a ticket for each one separately. But it's worth it because both are great examples of what these two artists do so well. Ariel's new show (which premiered at Tuscon Fringe earlier this year) is the latest chapter in her very personal autobiographical storytelling career. While drawing from various periods in her life, this show mostly focuses on her most recent "mid-life crisis" involving a divorce, a pandemic, a new career direction, and a full back tattoo. Beautifully crafted and authentically delivered, as per usual, the show posits that maybe what people call a "mid-life crisis" is just reassessing where you are and what you want your life to be. Reverend Matt (aka Matthew Kessen) presents five different shows about various monster-themed topics. The one I happened to see was about evolution, which turned out to be a great (passive) choice. It wasn't just about evolution and the strange and interesting plants and animals that creates, but it's also about something called speculative evolution, which I didn't even know was a thing, but is quite remarkable. As per usual, Reverend Matt's presentation is thorough and detailed and wonderfully nerdy, complete with visual aids! I recommend seeing both shows back-to-back on Saturday or Sunday, and getting a bite to eat from The Corner Bar (which this intimate venue is below) between shows. Note: the Fringe website says you can order food and bring it downstairs, but some of the employees gave us different answers about that. Proceed at your own risk.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2020: "A Mermaid in Every Sea"

Location: Digital Hub (available anytime)

Length: 46 minutes

Title: A Mermaid in Every Sea

By: Mermaid Productions

Summary: Master storyteller and 21-year Fringe veteran Ariel Leaf tells five stories - four from previous shows plus one new one.

Highlights: It's really the simplest form of streaming theater - one person looking into the camera telling a story, without any props or sets or lighting tricks. If that sounds boring, it's not, at least not when the storyteller is Ariel Leaf. She's a captivating storyteller, telling tales from her life travelling abroad, past relationships, and her experience with drugs in the '90s. I also grew up in Minnesota around the same time as Ariel (although in the suburbs, not Minneapolis), and have also done a bit of traveling abroad, but her stories make me feel like I've led a boring and sheltered life. She's either led a very interesting life, or she knows how to spin a good yarn. I suspect it's a bit of both. This show is simple, straight-forward, and 100% engaging and entertaining.

Read all of my Nightly Fringe mini-reviews here.

Read all of my Digital Hub mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "Xena and Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy"

Day: 2

Show: 5

Title: Xena and Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / SCI-FI / POLITICAL CONTENT

By: Mermaid Productions

Directed by: Katy McEwan

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: Xena and Gabrielle (from the '90s TV cult hit series) are transported from ancient Greece to a modern day comic con.

Highlights: Confession: I've never seen Xena: Warrior Princess and don't know anything about it, so I probably only caught about half of the references. (I am a nerd, but only about a few specific things, including theater). But while Xena fans might get more out of this show than I did (and the audience certainly seemed to), you don't have to be a fan to relate to and enjoy this fun, fierce, feminist show. At the comic con, Xena and Gabrielle encounter sexism from men, as well as women cutting each other down, an issue that real live comic cons face (I've also never been to a con). But with the help of a little magic and music, we all learn to be better. And the speculation about the two characters' relationship is finally, satisfactorily, resolved. Producer Ariel Leaf and playwright Nissa Nordland Morgan are perfectly cast as Xena and Gabrielle and surrounded by a strong supporting cast, including Elora Riley and Katie Starks as two very different comic con women, Matthew Kessen, Nicholas Nelson, and Richard "Doc" Woods in the thankless roles of the jerky men, and Heather Meyer in a hilarious turn as.... well, I won't spoil it here. A must-see for comic con goers and fans of Xena: Warrior Princess (my friends at Minnesota Theater Love, fans of the series, loved it), but you don't have to be either to enjoy the show.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: Wrap-Up and Favorites

Well #TCTheater friends, we made it through another Minnesota Fringe Festival - 11 whirlwind days of theater, dance, comedy, clowning, storytelling, and so much more. I saw a total of 36 shows this year, which is actually my lowest total in the last 5 years, but I'm OK with that. At this point I'm getting better at choosing shows, so I feel like I saw 36 really good shows. And yes, there are many good or great shows I missed, but such is the nature of Fringe. I also noticed a very exciting trend this year, which is more shows by and about women. Of the 36 shows I saw, 20 were written (or co-written) by women, 19 were directed by women, 21 featured all or mostly female casts, and many dealt specifically with women's issues. This trend of more than half of shows being written and directed by women is one I would love to see continue throughout the theater season.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Have You Seen This Girl?"

Day: 6

Show: 22

Title: Have You Seen This Girl?

Category: Comedy / Drama / Improv

By: Mermaid Productions

Created by: Ariel Leaf

Location: Hard Times Cafe and the West Bank Neighborhood

Summary: Meeting behind the Hard Times Cafe, a group of about 20 walks through the West Bank neighborhood in search of a missing teenager.

Highlights: I love theater that gets the audience on their feet and outdoors (even if it is 90 degrees with 99% humidity), and this show does just that and makes you feel like you're on an adventure. Led by creator Ariel Leaf playing a character named Ariel Leaf, we walk through the West Bank area, University of Minnesota campus, and over to the river in search of Annie Parks. Ariel tells us that 16-year-old Annie has had a difficult life, including an abusive relationships, and ran away from home. Her parents didn't call the police, believing that she's in the West Bank neighborhood somewhere, and instead send this well-meaning group out to look for her so that they know she's safe. We stop and talk to people along the way, and at times I wasn't sure everyone was in on the act, that's how real it felt. As we walked along, Ariel also asked the audience about their experience in the neighborhood and if they've ever known anyone who left home, which brought up lots of interesting conversations. Because in addition to being a fun and novel way to tell a story, this play also deals with important and difficult issues about runaways, and whether sometimes it's better for them to be on the street if they have access to proper care, or whether being with their parents is always the best option. At the end of the play I had a thought that maybe "Ariel" (or Ariel) was Annie, and she was searching for her younger self, to tell her she's OK. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that often sells out because of the small group size, so plan ahead (and bring a cold drink).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.