Fringe Festival 2017: "On the Exhale"

Day: 2

Show: 7

Title: On the Exhale

Category: Drama

By: Market Garden Theatre

Written by: Martin Zimmerman

Location: U of M Rarig Center Xperimental

Summary: A one-woman show about a single mother dealing with the loss of her child to gun violence.

Highlights: Jane Froiland gives a powerful and devastating performance as a college professor and single mother who has it all together until her son is the victim of a mass shooting at his school. It's difficult but enlightening to go through this woman's journey with her as she deals with the overwhelming loss in unconventional ways. Jane delivers one long monologue, pacing the empty space at the X, miming some of the actions of the scenes she's describing, and letting us feel the swell of painful emotions. This piece puts you squarely in the shoes of a grieving parent and victim of gun violence, and it's not a comfortable place to be.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: "ODD MAN OUT"

Day: 2

Show: 6

Title: ODD MAN OUT

Category: Drama

By: Underdog Theatre

Created by: Kory LaQuess Pullam

Location: U of M Rarig Center Arena

Summary: An intense drama about an African American family in Texas dealing with grief, infidelity, drugs, and coming out.

Highlights: If you're looking for a powerful and affecting drama at the Fringe this year - ODD MAN OUT is it. The Twin Cities Theater Bloggers chose Kory LaQuess Pullam as our favorite new artist last year, and he continues to remind us why and reaffirm our choice. As playwright and director, he's constructed a compelling story with complex characters that unfolds in under an hour, with an ending that left me wishing for an Act II to continue to explore this family and their issues as they relate to issues in society at large. Our main character is gay college freshman James (Malick Ceesay), whose complicated relationship with his father (LaMont Ridgell) is revealed in a couple of flashbacks. The main action takes place around the funeral of James' grandfather, and everyone in the family is dealing with something. James' uncle Charlie (Kennie Cotton) is avoiding child support and sleeping on his brother's couch. James' father cheats on his mother (Charla Marie Bailey), and his sister (Am'Ber Montgomery) sells drugs and isn't ashamed of it. And grandma (CiCi Cooper) is just trying to hold it all together. Add in James bringing his boyfriend home to meet the family for the first time and you have a situation ripe with conflict. And conflict there is. This excellent cast of actors mostly unknown to me all give powerful performances that brought me right into the story and made it feel almost painfully real.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: "Spec"

Day: 2

Show: 5

Title: Spec

Category: Something Different

By: Ben San Del Presents

Created by: Ben San Del

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A one-person storytelling show in the genre of speculative fiction, "narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements."

Highlights: If you've seen Ben at the Fringe before, you know he's a great storyteller - natural and funny. The stories he tells for this particular show are really interesting - funny or disturbing or poignant. Topics include high robots, a man binging Netflix on his couch defending his lifestyle to his ancestors, a supernatural encounter in the woods, a cemetery in which pushing a button on a headstone allows you to hear the deceased's thoughts, and a world in which the only jobs not replaced by robots are slam poet and stand-up comedian. In short, Spec is a series of smart, thought-provoking, compelling stories about the world we live in or may at some point live in.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: "It Can't Happen Here"

Day: 1

Show: 4

Title: It Can't Happen Here

Category: Drama

By: Sinclair Lewis Productions

Directed by: Bryan Bevell

Location: Ritz Theater Studio

Summary: An adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' 1935 novel about populist president Buzz Windrip who turns American into a dictatorship after being elected.

Highlights: If you didn't know this was a novel about the rise of fascism in the '30s, you would swear it was written today. The ideals on both sides are eerily similar to what we hear in today's rhetoric. Highlights in the large cast (all of whom donated their time, with proceeds being donated to the ACLU) include Charles Numrich as the journalist who fights the good fight, Kit Bix (who also wrote this adaptation) as his colleague, and Meagan Kedrowski as the charming yet sinister dictator. To be honest, as a morning person I had a difficult time processing all of this at 10 pm, so make sure you're well-rested and alert before you try to tackle this heavy piece. Note that the Ritz studio is a small space, and it was nearly full at 10 pm on the first day of the Fringe, so watch the website for sell-out risk.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: "Rumpus"

Day: 1

Show: 3

Title: Rumpus

Category: Dance

By: Mike's Brass

Choreographed by: Lori Ledoux

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: A music/dance/poetry show inspired by one of my (and many people's) favorite children's book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

Highlights: Let the wild rumpus start! This show is pure delight, combining a brass quintet performing everything from classics to pop tunes, Maurice Sendak's funny and poignant story, and charming and inventive dancing performed by the eight-person ensemble (including the adorable young David Pelletier Guire, who looks like he stepped right off the pages of the book). Ensemble members Derek Meyer and Noë Tallen take turns reading passages from the book, as well as other poetry related to the themes of the book, followed by music and dance which perfectly expresses those words. Fun for all ages and sure to put a smile on your face.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: "Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant: A New Musical"

Day: 1

Show: 2

Title: Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant: A New Musical

Category: Musical

By: Devious Mechanics

Written by: Keith Hovis

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: In search of something, a woman returns to her small town home and decides to finally continue an interrupted junior talent pageant from 20 years ago.

Highlights: This is another fun, fringey musical from the brilliant (and perhaps slightly warped) mind of Keith Hovis (see also Teenage Misery and Shakespeare Apocalypse). This one centers around the residents of a small town in Jefferson County, Iowa, and the late-20s former classmates who reunite to reenact the junior talent pageant they participated in 20 years ago, cut short due to a tragic accident. Frannie (Kelly Houlehan) had some success in "the Cities," and now finds herself living with her dad in the town where she grew up, where the first male pageant competitor Liam (Ryan London Levin), past his prime jock Travis (Zach Garcia), and spoiled little rich girl (and reigning champion) Val (Leslie Vincent) still live. In a Keith Hovis musical, we know there will be fun, catchy, clever tunes, dark humor, and blood, and this show fulfills all of those expectations. With fantastically broad and fully committed performances by the cast, a good time was had by all (note: unlike my first Fringe show, this one is decidedly not family-friendly!).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: "Intermediate Physical Comedy for Advanced Beginners"

Day: 1

Show: 1

Title: Intermediate Physical Comedy for Advanced Beginners

Category: Comedy

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Joshua Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen

Location: U of M Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: A series of lessons on physical comedy performed by two masters of the genre, with no words spoken.

Highlights: Family-friendly and funny, this show was a perfect start to my Fringe. Creator/performers Joshua Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen go through a series of ten lessons, spelled out on a chalkboard, to demonstrate various facets of physical comedy. Food props, a drone, an over-sized inflatable raft, and the performers' bodies all are used in the service of comedy. Expertly performed, Levi and Joshua make it look easy, and we in the audience get to enjoy the fruits of their pain. The silent action is accompanied by Marc Doty on the keyboard (because otherwise the silence could get awkward, as it does in one lesson), who also gets to be part of the show. I wrote in my must-see list that this show is a no-brainer, and it is. A sure bet at the Fringe that is just pure joy, laughter, silliness, and a bit of awkwardness in the best way.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Children and Art" - A Cabaret Performance by the Cast of the Guthrie's "Sunday in the Park with George" at Lush

In what was essentially a very special episode of "Musical Mondays," the sublime cast of the Guthrie's Sunday in the Park with George (now playing through August 20) gathered at Lush on Monday night for a cabaret performance. Hosted by cast member Max Wojtanowicz (who also co-hosts the usual "Musical Mondays at Hell's Kitchen" on the first Monday of every month), the theme was "Children and Art," and the proceeds of the night went to an organization called Project Success. Partnering with the Guthrie and other theaters in town, Project Success provides support and activities (including theater and the arts) for young people in order to "motivate and inspire them to dream about the future, help them take steps to get there, and give them the tools the need to achieve their goals." A worthy cause, and a wonderful celebration of music.

"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at Artistry

When I heard Artistry was opening their 2017-2018 season with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, I thought, "Why?" Why are they doing this frequently produced show now, and why do I need to see it again when I've seen it so many times (the Chanhassen alone did it seven times in three years, or was it the other way around?). But I did go, and I'm thrilled that I did because this is a Joseph and a Joseph unlike any I've ever seen before. The familiar score and story are seen through a new and different lens. Direction, choreography, staging, set, costumes, music, casting, and performance all contribute to the most inventive production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat I've ever seen. It's pretty far out, and if you're an Andrew Lloyd Webber traditionalist, you may not be pleased. But I dug it. Read on to find out why I did, and why you might too.

"H.M.S. Pinafore" by Mounds View Community Theatre at Irondale High School

Friends, support your local community theater! In the beautifully rich theater community that is #TCTheater, there is a ton of great work being done in high schools, community centers, churches, and other locations around the Twin Cities metro area. Most of which I don't get to see because I'm too busy seeing work by the 70+ professional theater companies. But lucky for me, my local community theater is Mounds View Community Theatre, which does a musical every summer. And lucky for all of us, the director of this year's selection, the delightfully silly Gilbert and Sullivan operetta H.M.S. Pinafore, is one of the Twin Cities' best director/choreographers Joe Chvala. I saw the show on their closing weekend and was absolutely delighted by it from start to finish. Joe Chvala's energetic and dynamic choreography combined with this amazingly talented and hard-working cast of "amateur" performers and designers, not to mention all the behind the scenes volunteers, adds up a whole lotta joy and rapture for this audience member.

"Native Gardens" at the Guthrie Theater

"I think comedy is disarming. I mean literally. You let down your armor so you can laugh. And if you laugh, you're taking things in. I want people who disagree to watch this play and be able to laugh at themselves." Mission accomplished. The new play Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías (from whom this quote comes), now playing on the Guthrie proscenium stage, accomplishes this and more. Through the lens of neighbors disagreeing about a fence, she exposes our many prejudices, fears, and defenses. Everyone in the audience can recognize themselves and the prejudices they harbor, or the ones they've faced, and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. The two couples in the play are on opposite sides of many issues, but through this dispute they eventually come to realize that despite their differences they both want the same thing - a nice yard to live in and friendly neighbors.

"Anything Goes" at Lyric Arts

There are a lot of great #TCTheater summer musicals this year (many of whom responded to my #Ham4All challenge - watch all the videos here): the Ordway's fan-freakin-tastic Jesus Christ Superstar, the gorgeous Sunday in the Park with George at the Guthrie, the recently closed infectious new musical Fly by Night at the Jungle, Old Log Theatre's better-than-Broadway Ghost the Musical, History Theatre's third run of the smash hit Glensheen, and the super fun Grease continuing at the Chanhassen through the fall. Here's another one to add to the list (especially for those of you who live on the north side of town) - Lyric Art's ebullient production of the Cole Porter classic Anything Goes. A wonderful cast, that catchy and familiar score, hijinks and humor galore, and tap dancing! It runs through August 6 so if you can get tickets (Lyric Arts' musicals sell well), I recommend a visit to lovely Anoka to see this great summer musical. Just one question remains - can they #Ham4All?