Minnesota Fringe Festival 2024: "5 Episodes of Minnesota Tonight; 4 Minnesota Fring3, it’s Minnesota 2Night’s 1st Time at Minnesota Fringe."

Day: 8

Show: 24

Title: 5 Episodes of Minnesota Tonight; 4 Minnesota Fring3, it’s Minnesota 2Night’s 1st Time at Minnesota Fringe.

Category: Comedy / Improv / Audience participation / LGBTQIA+ Content

By: Denzel Belin Presents

Created by: Minnesota Tonight

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A late night style show featuring stand up, sketch comedy, music, and interviews.

Highlights: This is a great idea for a show, and host Denzel Belin does periodically it throughout the year, but this was my first time seeing it. Unfortunately Denzel wasn't there the night I saw it, but fortunately guest hose Bailey Murphy was a delight, as was musical guest James Rone singing and playing guitar (who knew this great improviser was also a musician?!). Before the show started we had a warm up comedian, as you actually do at such shows. I didn't catch (or retain) her name, but she was fun and easy going and returned for a few bits throughout the show. The real show began with comedian Emily Bradley, also very funny, and then proceeded to Bailey's desk monologue. All the typical elements of a late night show are there - guest interview (esteemed Fringe artist Ariel Pinkerton), sketch comedy (by the funny and feminist troupe Smartmouth Comedy), banter, and bits. There's one final performance of this fun show on Sunday, and it'll be different from any of the previous shows. Follow Minnesota Tonight for news of shows post-Fringe.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "Director's Cut: Survivor"

Day: 9

Show: 28

Title: Director's Cut: Survivor

Category: COMEDY / IMPROV

By: Smartmouth Comedy

Written by: Kendra Yarke, Bailey Murphy, Christine Pietz, and Kelliann Kary,

Location: Rarig Center Arena

Summary: A partially scripted and partially improvised spoof of Survivor.

Highlights: This was my first time seeing a "Director's Cut" by Smartmouth Comedy, a female-driven comedy troupe. They do these shows throughout the year at the Phoenix, in which they act out a classic TV script, but with the director (Kelliann Kary) calling pause and asking for an improved scene. For Fringe, they wrote not one but five original scripts of Survivor: Boundary Waters, that began with eight contestants in the first show and ended with one winner in the last (which I attended). There are really two elements here - the Survivor spoof, which was great fun for fans of the show (as I am) - and the improvised scenes, well played by the cast (Jacob Fate as host Jeff with Adam Boutz, Bailey Murphy, Drue Knutson, Edd Jones, Kendra Yarke, Kerri O'Halloran, Mickaylee Shaughnessy, and Mitchell Tilges as the survivors). They have a lot of fun paying homage to and gently mocking a venerable TV franchise, which is fun for the audience too. I enjoyed the show so much I wish I could have seen the build-up over all five episodes, I mean performances. And I hope to catch a "Director's Cut" sometime (if they do any that aren't past my bedtime). Follow their Facebook page for info on future performances.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.