Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Right, Wrong or Bomb! A Dating Musical"

Day: 5

Show: 17

Title: Right, Wrong or Bomb! A Dating Musical

Category: Comedy / Dance / Musical Theater

By: Backyard to Broadway Productions

Created by: Rosie Sauvageu Nestingen, Shannon McDonald, and Brittany Shrimpton

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: An original musical about life and dating in the social media age.

Highlights: I saw this musical when it premiered a few years ago, and while I thought it had promise, I did have a few issues with it. The main character (Jill) seemed to be only focused on finding a man. But for whatever reason, I enjoyed it much more this time around. About the premiere I wrote: "It feels like a small-scale musical, in a good way, and with a little trimming would work great as a short and sweet 90-minute-no-intermission show." Creators Rosie Sauvageu Nestingen (music and lyrics) and Shannon McDonald and Brittany Shrimpton (book) have done just that, only 60 minutes. Maybe it was being forced to make cuts, or the fact that director of both versions Shanan Custer also co-wrote Not Fair, My Lady! which takes a very real look at women in musical theater, but this version feels more like a focus on Jill and all her relationships, including her female friends and her mother (who in this version is less of an unpleasant stereotype of a "cougar"), and a study of not just relationships but life in the social media age. The cast (Anna Larranaga, Delanie Wiedrich, Per Nestingen, Rachel Austin, Teri Parker Brown, and Thomas Matthes) is all new and all great, the songs are fun and clever, and there are a few cute winks at the audience. Sometimes less is more, and editing makes things better. This version of A Dating Musical seems fresh, tight, funny, relatable, and just right.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Rocket Man" by Theatre Pro Rata at the Crane Theater

Friends, this one gave me all the feels. Theatre Pro Rata's production of Steven Dietz's play Rocket Man checked all the boxes for me. It's a little odd and unpredictable, and explores the ideas of family, science, faith, regrets, time, and life itself. And the truly wonderful and natural five-person cast, under director Stuart Gates, along with the deceptively simple design, bring it to life beautifully. But it's one of those plays I'm not quite sure how to write about. I don't want to spoil what happens, because half the fun of the play is figuring that out as it goes along. I'll try to give you a taste of it, and then if you're curious, you can go see the rest for yourself.

Fringe Festival: "Kafka Nuts"

Day: 8

Show: 28

Title: Kafka Nuts

Category: Comedy

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Scrimshaw and Weinhagen

Location: Illusion Theater

Summary: A screwball comedy in the vein of the Marx brothers, incorporating the philosophy of Kafka.

Highlights: This show is a rapid-fire succession of puns and physical comedy. Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen are a couple of attorneys attempting to help poor pantsless Zeppo (Joe Bozic) when he's arrested for some nameless crime. There's a chase scene, a trial, a metamorphosis (into a mime), musical interludes (by the fabulous Rachel Austin), and lots and lots of puns followed by pointed looks at the audience. What else is there to say? It's great fun, good old-fashioned comedy, well performed by the cast (which also includes Kelvin Hatle as judge, priest, cop, etc.).

Fringe Festival: "Elysium Blues"

Day: 6

Show: 17

Title: Elysium Blues

By: The Barkada Theater Project

Created by: Jessica Huang

Location: U of M Rarig Center Xperimental

Summary: This modern retelling of the Greek myth about Orpheus following his love Eurydice into the underworld uses blues music to add to the story.

Highlights: This is a really cool piece, very captivating and transporting, so that leaving the theater feels a bit jarring. We're all familiar with the story - Orpheus' wife Eurydice dies so he follows her to the underworld to bring her back. But this adaptation focuses more on Eurydice and why she left in the first place - turns out Orpheus is a controlling abusive jerk. He comes into the underworld and takes over, tying up Persephone, queen of the underworld, who wants her people to forget the past (by drinking a green elixir) and be happy. But slowly, memory comes back and Eurydice makes a choice. It's kind of trippy but the music is fantastic! And the cast is great - Eric Mayson plays Orpheus as a rock star, with voice and guitar-playing skills to match; Rachel Austin has a strong and expressive bluesy voice as Eurydice; Rebecca Wall is a regal and sympathetic Persephone; and the ensemble supports them well musically and theatrically (directed by Ricardo Vazquez). Bottom line: a fascinating and successful exploration using music to shed new light on one of the oldest stories in the world. I wish I could buy the soundtrack.

Read more of my fringe fest reflections…

… including my top 5 shows