"The Jungle" at Mixed Blood Theatre

One of the best things that theater can do is put a human face on an abstract political issue. That's what The Jungle does for the refugee crisis. Commissioned by London's National Theatre from Good Chance Theatre and premiering at the Young Vic in 2017, it's an immersive experience that tells the story of a refugee camp in Calais, France in 2015 known as The Jungle. Mixed Blood Theatre's production is the first since that original production, which moved to the West End, then Off-Broadway, then a few other US locations. It's a nearly three-hour play that flies by in what feels like half that time, telling the stories of so many different characters that feel like real people. A cast of 18 actors and two musicians fill the historic firehouse that is Mixed Blood Theatre, with perhaps the best use of this space I've seen. It felt like I was inside the camp, and I didn't want it to end. This is a truly special one-of-a-kind piece of theater that we're so lucky Mixed Blood is bringing to us. It's playing Tuesday through Sunday for the next two weeks and I highly recommend you spend a little time in The Jungle. With Mixed Blood's "radical hospitality" program you can attend the show for free, but if you're able, please pay whatever amount you can for the ticket to support important work like this.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "A Farewell to Armadillos"

Day: 4

Show: 16

Title: A Farewell to Armadillos

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Improv

By: NEPTUNE

Directed by: Christopher Kehoe

Location: Strike Theater

Summary: A clowning show with three clowns being clowns.

Highlights: I'll admit it, I have a slight fear of clowns. I think most reasonable people do. But there's nothing to fear from these clowns (although don't sit in the front row or on the aisle if, like me, you don't want to be pulled up on stage). Clowns Kaitlen Osburn, Mohamed Yabdri, and Neal Skoy do clown things as they go about their day on the job, cleaning or something. A non-clown (Autumn Sisson) interrupts to get her tape back, and ends up having a few adventures before she leaves. There are things happening with tape, and rope, and cleaning fluid. Plus spit takes and fart jokes, which are are never not funny. Not much happens in the show so that when it ended I thought, that was a short show. Nope, it was 55 minutes, it just flew by when caught up in the innocent, delightful charm of these silly (and very talented) clowns. One doesn't often get to experience clowns just being clowns, and this is a great opportunity to do so. Judging by the kids that were there past their bedtime (or mine anyway) on a Sunday night, this is one that could/should also be part of Family Fringe.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Sunrise at Midnight" by Taous Claire Khazem at Dreamland Arts

One of the things I most appreciate about theater is the opportunity to learn about cultures different from my own. Where else am I going to experience Algerian folktales? #TCTheater artist Taous Claire Khazem* has brought the folktales of her father's native land right here to St. Paul, and recruited some of her fellow artists to tell the stories in an inventive, engaging, and movement-filled way. Sunrise at Midnight can be seen for eight performances only at the charming and intimate Dreamland Arts, and the performance I attended was sold out (or very nearly), so act fast to catch this unique theater offering (info and tickets here).

Fringe Festival: "A Clown in Exile"

Day: 5

Show: 14

Title: A Clown in Exile

By: World Wide Clown

Created by: Mohamed Yabdri and Noah Bremer

Location: U of M Rarig Center Proscenium

Summary: One man (a clown) navigates the issue of travel, love, flight, home, and other facets of daily life.

Highlights: Clowning is one art form with which I am not very familiar. The Fringe Festival is a great place to experience those sorts of things, because the shows are short and sweet. While I'm still not sure clowning is my thing, it was an amusing show. Mohamed Yabdri is incredibly expressive, and even though he only speaks a few words, manages to convey a range of emotions and stories. The use of a coat on a hanger to represent his wife, the repeated motif of a paper airplane, and a suitcase full of props are clever. A little too much audience participation for my taste (maybe because I was one of the unlucky audience members chosen), but worth checking out if you're interested in the art of clowning.

Read more of my fringe fest reflections… 

… including my top 5 shows