Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Kendra Plant Variety Hour: Good Things Edition! -with special guests-"

Day: 7

Show: 23

Title: The Kendra Plant Variety Hour:  Good Things Edition! -with special guests-

Category: Comedy / Dance / Original Music / Storytelling

By: Kendra Plant

Created by: the artists

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A variety show including storytelling, Japanese lion dance, singer/songwriter performance, and burlesque ballet.

Highlights: If the Minnesota Fringe Festival is a sampler platter of different kinds of performance, this show is a microcosm of that concept. Kendra Plant (who, full disclosure, is a friend and fellow member of The Twin Cities Theater Bloggers at her blog Artfully Engaging) has constructed a show around the idea of the artistic process itself. A longtime supporter of the arts, Kendra is trying something new as a first-time Fringe producer, stepping on stage for the first time in decades. She's a charming and disarming host as she walks us through her process of creating a show. The three guest artists (the same at every performance) include a little bit of everything, including some art you won't see anywhere else at the Fringe. TAM Edo Bayashi Ensemble performs a lion dance accompanied by drum and flute, really making the lion come to life in a way that may remind you of your favorite pet. Singer/songwriter Emily Boyajian (whose gorgeous and inspiring original opera Transition was a hit at last year's Fringe) sings two beautiful and poignant original songs about transition and being yourself. Last but not least, Jolie Meshbesher performs two dances, the first a more traditional ballet with aerial elements as she hangs off of a free-standing ballet bar, the second more modern and edgy as it turns into a burlesque ballet. If you're looking for a variety of art you won't see anywhere else at the Fringe, this is a great one to see. And it may just inspire you to try something new, get out of your comfort zone, learn a new skill, or collaborate with others to make some good things. We certainly need more of them in this world!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "Our Zombie Town"

Day: 6

Show: 21

Title: Our Zombie Town

Category: Comedy / Horror / Literary adaptation / Political content / Shakespearian elements

By: Pat O'Brien

Created by: Richard Chin, Pat O'Brien, Larry Ripp and cast

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: One of the most classic works of the American stage, Thornton Wilder's Our Town, but with zombies (also an American classic).

Highlights: The show is very cleverly written (by Richard Chin) in the familiar conversational fourth-wall breaking style of Our Town, with Kurt Schulz as our narrator in a Fringe artist lanyard. The story begins with the surviving citizens of Grover's Corners (including the Webb and Gibbs families) living in an abandoned Walmart, fending off zombies (a familiar situation to fans of The Walking Dead). The daily sweet mundane daily life continues, including the Emily/George romance, as more and more people become (still semi conscious) zombies (an unfamiliar situation to TWD fans). When a cure becomes available, Emily has to make a decision to go back to the old busy life where everyone is preoccupied on their phones, or spend one last day with her love in a world that's all about eating brains together. Our Zombie Town is a mashup of a theater classic and a horror B-movie, complete with some fun cheesy effects and an impressive wood chipper, a clever idea well-executed by the team.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

"The Ally" at Mixed Blood Theatre

For the second mainstage production as Artistic Director of Mixed Blood Theatre, and the first he's directing, Mark Valdez choose a new play by Itamar Moses (whom I know primarily for writing the books of the musicals The Band's Visit and The Children's Theatre's stage adaptation of An American Tail). The Ally debuted at The Public Theater in NYC earlier this year, and now it's here in Minneapolis - a smart choice of a brilliantly written play, artfully executed by Mark, the creative team, and this terrific cast. The Ally is a must-see, and the kind of theater we need right now. It delves into one of the most contentious issues of our time, the Israeli/Palestine conflict, and brings the kind of nuance and humanity to it that seems to be missing in a lot of the debates, arguments, and accusations surrounding it right now. I don't know the solution to this decades, even centuries long problem, and the play doesn't offer one either. But what it does do is provide a place for thoughtful, informed, respectful discourse about it. Not that the characters are always respectful; the play is tough to watch at times as some real pain and righteous anger are on display. But through these characters we're able to explore, process, and maybe come to some new understandings about the conflicts in our lives.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "That Woman - The Monologue Show"

Day: 9

Show: 31

Title: That Woman - The Monologue Show

Category: Drama / Historical content / Political content

By: Tennessee Playwrights Studio

Created by: Molly Breen & Angela Gimlin

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: Monologues by six women involved with President John F. Kennedy, including his wife Jackie.

Highlights: I finished my 2024 Fringe-going on a high note. We've all heard about JFK's infidelity, but have we heard the women's stories? In this show, five (alleged) mistresses get the chance to tell their story in monologue form, each one introduced by Jackie (Emma Bucknam), who gets the last word, and asks us not to define her by the short time in her life when she was Mrs. Kennedy. We also get to hear from German spy Ellen Rometch (Emma Kessler), who vows to take her secret to her grave; Mimi Alford (Molly Breen), a White House intern who had an 18-month affair with the President and kept it secret for 40 years; burlesque performer Blaze Starr (Haley McCormick-Jenkins) who had a brief encounter with the President, and other powerful men; Mary Pinchot Meyer (Alison Anderson), the ex-wife of a CIA agent who enjoyed having the President's ear (and paid the price for it); and Judith Exner (Simone Reno), the first woman to come out as a mistress of JFK. All of the monologues are well written and well delivered by the cast, sitting in the single chair on stage or walking around the stage. A great concept for a show, well executed, with a final performance today at 4.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves"

Day: 9

Show: 28

Title: Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves

Category: Drama / Musical Theater / Opera / LGBTQIA+ Content / Political content

By: Emily Boyajian

Created by: Emily Boyajian

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: An orchestral and choral concert interspersed with dramatic scenes around the theme of transgender people becoming themselves.

Highlights: I wouldn't call this show a musical, rather a concert with dramatic scenes. It begins with two transgender people sitting at their computers, getting ready to post on Facebook coming out as transgender. They discuss their fears and hopes, and we follow them through the aftermath, with both the good and bad things that result. In between scenes the two performers step up to microphones holding a book of music, and sing along to the 11-piece orchestra. Emily Boyajian created the show and wrote all the music, and it's really beautifully written and performed. Songs are hopeful, or angry, or brave, uplifting. As Emily said at the end of the show, it's not just an inspiring story of trans journeys, but also an encouragement for all of us to be our authentic selves and not try to fit into any kind of binary. It can't help but remind me of the recent idiotic comments about the Olympic boxer who doesn't look or act or sound like some people think a woman should look or act or sound, and therefore she must be a man. People are complicated and don't fit into neat either/ors, and this show introduces us to two people who have taken a much more difficult journey than most of us can imagine just to be who they are. And they sing about it beautifully and expressively, accompanied by what is by far the largest orchestra (really the only orchestra) I've seen at Fringe. Musically gorgeous, and with an inspiring, uplifting, and necessary message.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

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.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "The Camp Out"

Day: 3/9

Show: 9/27

Title: The Camp Out

Category: Comedy / Drama / Improv / Physical Theater

By: Mike Fotis Productions

Created by: Mike Fotis, Rita Boersma, Tim Hellendrung, Nels Lennes, Heather Meyer, Danna Sheridan

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: An improvised story of six friends who go on a campout to remember a deceased friend.

Highlights: Long-form is my favorite kind of improv, and this show is an example of why. Over the course of about an hour we watch these relationships develop in front of our eyes (although I'm not sure if characters and plots points are improvised and different every time, or just the conversation around them). And these six improvisors (Mike Fotis, Rita Boersma, Tim Hellendrung, Nels Lennes, Heather Meyer, and Danna Sheridan) are some of the best. The show starts with a couple actually setting up a tent on stage, which is a drama in and of itself! Friends start arriving, and we start to gather what everyone's relationships are. In the show I saw, the friends are there to honor their friend who died a year or so ago, and secrets (relationships, pregnancies) are revealed. It's so much fun to watch this group just be these people, talking and joking and snacking. It feels so real, like eavesdropping. When real life thunder was heard from outside the theater, they incorporated it into the show, starting to prepare for the rain. It's a well-done, smooth, and very funny improvised dramedy.

Update: I had an open slot in my schedule so I saw this one again, and it was completely different! Same performers, same concept of saying goodbye to a deceased friend (reading a letter from a family member and spreading their ashes in the park), but the characters and relationships were completely different. No surprise revelations, just being together and grieving. I cried from laughter, and a little bit at the real emotions.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington" at Mixed Blood Theatre

It's been almost two years since Mixed Blood Theatre produced a mainstage play; The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington is the first play since the departure of founding Artistic Director Jack Reuler, the first under new Artistic Director Mark Valdez. To which I say: welcome back Mixed Blood! This kind of risk-taking envelope-pushing social commentary, with a focus on accessibility and diversity of voices and stories, is much needed in our community. While their last play, an original called imagine a u.s. without racism, was an inspirational fairy tale that encouraged audiences to do just that, The Trial (as I'll refer to it) is a brutal look at the racism upon which this country was built. Specifically through "the mother of America," Martha Washington. Written by James Ijames, recent Pulitzer Prize winner and Tony nominee for his play Fat Ham, The Trial is an ingenious mix of storytelling styles, using fantasy, music, and pop culture in this wild exploration of history and present. The cast and creative team do an incredible job of navigating this tricky script and challenging themes, for a wholly successful, entertaining, and thought-provoking work. See it in the old brick firehouse that is Mixed Blood Theatre in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis now through the end of the month.

"Cabaret" by Theatre 55 at Mixed Blood Theatre

Cabaret is one of my favorite musicals. I've seen it on stage many times, but it's been almost ten years since I saw a production of it, so it's beyond time to see it again. As usual, Theatre 55 brings a whole new perspective to the beloved and familiar piece by populating the world with people age 55 and better. These performers have lived through, if not the rise of Nazism in 1930s Berlin (that would be Theater 95), then many difficult, tumultuous, divisive times in this country and around the world. Facing another contentious and vitally important election cycle, 2024 is the perfect time to bring back Kander and Ebb's brilliant musical, that lures you in with a funny, sexy, gorgeous show, and then punches you in the gut with the ugly reality of what hate, fear, and bigotry can do. I interviewed Director Richard Hitchler and star Prudence Johnson on an episode of Twin Cities Theater Chat, and it was a pleasure to talk about the meaning of this piece, as well as Theater 55's important work of fighting agism and "enriching the lives of elders as artists, audiences, and lifelong learners." This especially poignant but still super fun Cabaret has only six performances left, several of which are sold out, so don't snooze on getting tickets, or you may be left sitting alone in your room instead of going to the cabaret, where everything is beautiful.

"Mariology" by Critical Mass Performance Group at Mixed Blood Theatre

For their first full production since the retirement of founding Artistic Director Jack Reuler a year and a half ago, Mixed Blood Theatre, now under the leadership of Mark Valdez, is bringing us the work of the L.A.-based theater company Critical Mass Performance Group. Mariology is a surreal, absurdist, high concept exploration of the idea of the Virgin Mary in religion and culture. To be honest, it's a little too weird for me; I need at least a little bit of realism to connect to a play (which I didn't get until the final scene). But it is an interesting concept, with thoughtful design and consistent performances in this surreal style. You can see it for yourself at Mixed Blood now through November 12 (all tickets pay-what-you-can, beginning at $0).

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "Pearl and Eugene: One Last Shtick"

Day: 8

Show: 30

Title: Pearl and Eugene: One Last Shtick

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / MUSICAL THEATER / ORIGINAL MUSIC

By: Clucklesworth Productions

Written by: Avi Aharoni and Donald C. Hart

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A formerly successful comedy/music duo does one last show to try to save the Jewish retirement home in which they live.

Highlights: It doesn't get much better than Robert Dorfman and Nancy Marvy doing shtick, in fact I could've used more of it! They play lifelong friends Eugene and Pearl, who successfully performed together until Pearl quit to get married and raise her daughter. They both ended up at the same retirement home, performing at the annual talent show, and when a developer threatens to buy the property and kick everyone out, they decide to perform at a fundraiser concert. They're interviewed by a local journalist (Robb Krueger, who also wrote the original music), whom the home's proprietor (Avi Aharoni) warns them not to trust. So when the reporter publishes an article revealing some dirt from their past, it threatens their relationship and the performance. There's a lot of drama and some betrayal, but the true joy of this show is when Nancy and Robert perform as Pearl and Eugene. They feel like good old friends, and they're highly entertaining and hilarious when performing all of the shtick, puns, and double entendres. It's corny but in the best way. The final performance is on Sunday, so you have one more chance to catch this delightfully shticky show.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "The Duet"

Day: 8

Show: 29

Title: The Duet

Category: COMEDY / DRAMA / MUSICAL THEATER / ORIGINAL MUSIC

By: ThickWater

Created by: Ryan Blix & Nicole Weber

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A country duo married couple has seen their success fade, and the offer of a solo contract causes conflict between them.

Highlights: This is a sweet and funny show, with co-writers and performers Ryan Blix and Nicole Weber creating a believable relationship and lovely harmonies (the two original songs they sing sound like country hits). They're dressed in stage ready Western wear, then change into casual Western in their dressing room, where the entire play takes place in real time. The show begins with Stella and Leo performing their big hit "Lucky Coin," based on Leo's habit of letting fate decide big decisions by flipping a coin (and explaining the inclusion of the '90s country hit "Heads Carolina, Tails California" in the fab pre-show soundtrack). But soon the Grand Ole Opry makes way for Slimey's Bar as their star fades. When Stella is offered a solo contract by the label and is told that if she doesn't take it they'll be dropped, the two begin to realize that they want different things. Stella wants the success and stability they once had; Leo is just happy to be with her, even while performing in dive bars. They reminisce about when they first met, and when they got married (with flashbacks), and think about what their life could be life. It's a believable portrait of a musical and personal relationship. Will love win out, or will it succumb to the demands of success in the music industry? You have one more chance to see it and find out.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "The Definition of Loss"

Day: 8

Show: 28

Title: The Definition of Loss

Category: DRAMA / PHYSICAL THEATER / STORYTELLING / AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

By: Ashen Armor Productions

Written by: Ash Kaun

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre,

Summary: An exploration of grief using dance, movement, and theater.

Highlights: This is a beautifully artistic show, one that's not linear and doesn't spell everything out for you. Which is to say I wasn't always sure what was going on, when we were, or who was who, but that's not a bad thing. Playwright/director Ash Kaun's mother died when she was just 14, and this is her very personal and raw story. She also performs in the show, as both her 14-year-old self, and her adult self, getting through those early days without her mother, and later, after living half of her life without her. The ghost of her mother is there with her (played by Mallory Lewis with real emotion), encouraging her, and trying to help her through it. A shadow of herself at the age her mother died, or maybe even younger (Kyra Scanlan in a non-verbal but physically expressive performance), is also there, mostly hiding, eventually interacting in a beautiful mirrored dance (choreographed by Kyra). This is a lyrical and lovely portrait of one person's journey through and with grief.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Roommate" by Prime Productions at Mixed Blood Theatre

"PRIME Productions seeks to explore, illuminate and support women over fifty and their stories through the creative voice of performance." I say huzzah to that! And to the return of PRIME and their celebration of women in their prime, who are often overlooked in entertainment and in life. Their first post-pandemic-intermission production is the two-hander The Roommate written by Playwrights' Center affiliated writer Jen Silverman, and it's a gem. In this dark comedy that the website describes as "Breaking Bad meets Grace and Frankie," to which I would add a little bit of Good Girls, two very different women find themselves living together, and learn things from each other, whether it's how to commit crimes or how to open up to a friend (click here for info and tickets). 

"imagine a u.s. without racism" at Mixed Blood Theatre Company

Mixed Blood Theatre Company returns to indoor performance in their Minneapolis firehouse home for the final show under the leadership of founder Jack Reuler - the necessary new play imagine a u.s. without racism. What a thing to imagine, indeed, and what a perfect time to imagine it - coming out of a global pandemic and racial reckoning, a time when we're reassessing how we do everything and looking for ways to do it better. Playwright and director Seema Sueko interviewed 100 people across the U.S. with the simple and complex prompt "imagine a u.s. without racism," and has woven the responses into an 80-minute play that's both a cohesive and engaging story about this diverse group of characters, and a call to action to "create a just neighborhood."

"Man of God" by Theater Mu at Mixed Blood Theatre

It's so exciting to continue to welcome #TCTheater companies back to the stage after the very long extended intermission of 2020-2021. Today's edition: Theater Mu, who are finally presenting the dark comedy Man of God, their first onstage production since Peerless in February of 2020. Man of God was originally scheduled to close out their 2020-2021 season, which included the fantastic virtual full production Today is My Birthday. Now the star of that show, Katie Bradley, is making her directorial debut on this new play by Anna Ouyang Moench about a Korean-American Christian youth group on a mission to Bangkok who discover Pastor isn't who they think he is. It's a brutal look at sexual abuse, harassment, and living under the male gaze, which is especially relevant in a time when hate crimes against Asian Americans, particularly women, are on the rise. See this funny, entertaining, thought-provoking, heart-breaking play through March 6 at Mixed Blood Theatre (click here for details).

"Brujería for Beginners" by 20% Theatre Company and Lightning Rod at Mixed Blood Theatre

Amongst the theater companies recently lost to the pandemic (and other reasons) are Theatre Unbound (featuring female-identifying artists and stories), Uprising Theatre Company (transgender and gender nonconforming artists and stories), and now 20% Theatre Company (all of the above). The rest of #TCTheater really needs to step up to make sure that these stories continue to be told, and that women and members of the LGBTQ+ community are given a seat at the table. One new company that will be taking up the mantle is Lightning Rod, "a transgender-led, majority BIPOC organism, dedicated to legacy, development and opportunities for queer and trans artists," which is partnering with 20% Theatre's on their 50th and final show. Brujería for Beginners opened at Mixed Blood Theatre last night and it was a bittersweet event, full of celebration as well as sober finality. The family dramedy, with a magical twist, is a sweet and charming show, and the energy in the firehouse was palpable.

"The Most Beautiful Home... Maybe" by Mixed Blood Theatre Company at Springboard for the Arts

Mixed Blood Theatre's second production of their 2021-2022 season, The Most Beautiful Home... Maybe, delivers an important message about the housing crisis in an unconventional performance style. The audience participation was too much for this extreme introvert; it just makes me uncomfortable and further distances me from the subject matter, as opposed to drawing me in with non-participatory storytelling. But for those who don't mind some pretty significant audience participation, it might be a good way to start imagining a better world in the future, where everyone has safe affordable housing.

"Animate" by Mixed Blood Theatre at the Como Zoo

photo by Rich Ryan

Earlier this year, Jack Reuler announced his retirement as Artistic Director of Mixed Blood Theatre, a company he founded in 1976. Mixed Blood has truly become a model of inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility in theater, amplifying often unheard voices on stage and off, and making sure everyone is able to be in the audience with its Radical Hospitality program. But before he retires, Jack is directing another incredible site-specific piece. The new play Animate, written by Ken LaZebnik, is an immersive ambulatory play at the Como Zoo that is, of course, about a zoo. Specifically about the ethics of zoos, accepting donations from wealthy people of questionable character, and "does the good of the many supersede the good of the individual," human or animal. It's an impressive logistical feat, features a ton of #TCTheater talent, and asks some big questions without providing easy answers. In fact, the audience is asked to provide their own answers to the big questions of the show. Unfortunately, the entire (free) run is sold out, but stay tuned in case more dates are added (click here for details).

"The Song of Summer" at Mixed Blood Theatre

After a pretty intense 2018-2019 season of plays that included Is God Is, the trilogy Prescient Harbingers, Roe, and Autonomy, Mixed Blood Theatre is beginning their 2019-2020 season with something a little lighter. Playwrights' Center Affiliated Writer Lauren Yee (whose work has been seen in #TCTheater most recently in the Guthrie's production of The Great Leap) brings us a sweet and fun play that's almost a rom-com. The Song of Summer is not without substance, dealing with relationships, pop culture, and celebrity, but the story at its heart is one we've seen many times before. But it's told in a unique framework with an appealing cast, so it's a story I'm happy to watch. It's OK for theater to be light and sweet and fun, even at Mixed Blood, especially when this well written, directed, and acted.