Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "The Womyn's Mysteries"

Day: 3

Show: 8

Title: The Womyn's Mysteries

Category: Drama / Physical Theater / Storytelling

By: See-Saw Theater Lab

Directed by: Chava Curland

Location: Minnsky Theatre

Summary: An ensemble created piece telling the stories of the women in the Bible.

Highlights: Using music, movement, scarves, and stories, this diverse and talented 8-womyn ensemble (Erika Kunk, Gina Sauer, Jex Arzayus, Jody Bee, Kate Kennedy, Katherine Engel, Samantha Joy Singh, and Vinecia Coleman) tells stories from the Bible you may have heard before, but not quite like this. The piece is arranged in four parts (the beginning, matriarchs, warriors, and lovers or harlots), and the ensemble members take turns narrating and acting out scenes. They make these ancient women seem modern and relatable. There's also a bit of fourth-wall breaking, when someone will call cut in a questionable scene and the cast will proceed to discuss the story they're telling. There are also scenes in which they truthfully speak their own personal fears and wants. It's a beautiful thing to see a group of womyn on stage supporting each other in telling their stories and the stories of womyn in history and mythology, and how that history and mythology has shaped where we are today. A timely and timeless piece.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Eddie Poe"

Day: 2

Show: 7

Title: Eddie Poe

Category: Comedy / Drama / Horror

By: The Coldharts

Created by: Katie Hartman & Nick Ryan

Location: Ritz Theater Mainstage

Summary: An innovative retelling of young Edgar Allen Poe as he falls in love, goes off to University, and begins a life of drinking, gambling, and swindling (aka diddling).

Highlights: Everyone raved about The Coldharts Edgar Allen at past Fringe and TC Horror fests, so I decided to check them out. This is the second in an as yet unfinished trilogy and covers young Eddie's teen years (a quick look at Wikipedia confirms much of the facts). Nick Ryan plays Eddie as a somber emo teen, while Katie Hartman exhibits a frenetic energy as a number of other characters, a nice balance. They use music (banjo, ukulele, and voice) to help tell the story, with quirky and catchy songs. The rest of the audience found it funnier than I did; not to say I didn't enjoy it, but I found it to be more of a sweet, sad, and sometimes amusing play rather than a laugh out loud comedy. Perhaps it's the audience laughter that caused them to go over their allotted time, cutting them off before the ending (Fringe doesn't mess around with the schedule). Or maybe it was the playful banter with the audience, or moments that are held to great effect. The period costumes (by Marge Ryan) are great and help to establish character(s), and they do some cool things with lighting including a stunning shadow card-playing scene. They also make great use of the space at the Ritz, going out into the audience (I recommend sitting in the back section if you don't want to crane your head around to watch them). Eddie Poe casts a haunting spell, one that I was rudely awakened from. If you see it, please tell me how it ends.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "A Part of Me"

Day: 2

Show: 6

Title: A Part of Me

Category: Drama / Musical Theater / Original Music

By: Imagined Theatre

Created by: Julie Ana Rayne and Phil Darg

Location: Southern Theater

Summary: Two patients waiting for an organ donation meet in a transitional care facility.

Highlights: This sweet and lovely story of friendship in difficult times caused me to shed my first #fringetears of the festival. The patients, musician Sean and teenager Jimmy, connect over their shared situation (waiting for a liver and kidney transplant, respectively) and their love of music. Sean teaches Jimmy to play the guitar, begrudgingly allowed by understandably overprotective mother Rita. Caregivers nurse Cate and administrator Liz try to make their lives as comfortable as possible, but the situation is dire for both of them if they don't get a transplant soon. I don't want to tell you too much of what happens, but suffice it to say connections are made and lives are changed. The songs are on the whole lovely and melodic, with poignant or funny lyrics. Dan Piering's Sean accompanies many of the songs on guitar (an instrument he's as adept at as his usual cello), with additional accompaniment on keyboard played by, I'm going to assume, composer and lyricist Julie Ana Rayne. Dan, Abilene Olson as Rita, and Rachel Schmidt do most of the singing, and beautifully so. Katie Consumas is natural and believable as one of those angels on earth, a nurse, and young Logan Schuneman is adorable as Jimmy. Amidst the zaniness that is most of Minnesota Fringe, it's a rare treat to experience a moving drama such as this.

If you're interested in becoming an organ donor, visit www.organdonor.gov.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Our Best Life"

Day: 2

Show: 5

Title: Our Best Life

Category: Comedy

By: Custer and Schmidt

Created by: Shanan Custer and Emily Schmidt

Location: Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: #TCTheater's favorite funny woman Shanan Custer's accidental first solo show.

Highlights: Funny friends Emily Schmidt and Shanan Custer make a great comedy team; I've seen them several times at Bryant-Lake Bowl and elsewhere. But when Emily, who lives in LA, gets The Job at Netflix, what's a friend to do but go on herself? That's exactly what Shanan did, and she's a natural at entertaining the crowd. She's so smart and funny, and her disarming style makes the audience feel like you're trading stories with a girlfriend who's way funnier than you. Whether covering topics as weighty as Minnesota's complicated history, or as light as what her neighbors are actually posting on NextDoor, she's relatable and insightful and hilarious. Other topics include dissatisfaction with a Starucks menu change (written by Emily), a terrifyingly funny flight, a frustrated Christmas letter, a Carol Burnett-esque "ask me a question" segment, and a final number that is Everything: silly and joyful and fun. Even though some of the sketches may be familiar if you've seen Shanan and/or Emily before, they're still fresh and funny; Shanan delivers them as if for the first time. Shanan Custer is a Minnesota Fringe treasure (she's involved in five shows this year) and you would be silly not to see her as often as you can. Warning: this show will make your face hurt from smiling and laughing for an hour.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Korean Drama Addict's Guide to Losing Your Virginity" by Theater Mu at Park Square Theatre

I interrupt this all-Fringe-all-the-time coverage to bring you news of Theater Mu's world premiere play The Korean Drama Addict's Guide to Losing Your Virginity, which opened last night. During Fringe. But the good news is they kindly let me attend a preview, and the run extends past Fringe you you still have time to check it out.

A romantic comedy about a rich Asian man and a hard-working Asian American woman featuring an all Asian cast. No, I'm not talking about the soon-to-be smash hit movie Crazy Rich Asians, I'm talking about a world premiere new play written by a local Hmong playwright and featuring a charming 10-person local cast. Theater Mu's The Korean Drama Addict's Guide to Losing Your Virginity, written by May Lee-Yang, is a sweet, funny, fantastical story about love, friendship, and the melodrama of life.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "What To Do In Case Of Dinosaur Attack"

Day: 1

Show: 4

Title: What To Do In Case Of Dinosaur Attack

Category: Comedy / Sci-Fi / Storytelling

By: Monster Science Productions

Created by: Reverend Matt's Monster Science

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: Reverend Matt (aka Matt Kessen) brings his popular sci-fi/comedy/science series to the Fringe.

Highlights: For 50 minutes, a guy stands on a stage and talks about dinosaurs. And it's awesome. Reverend Matt's obvious passion for the subject, his vast knowledge of both the scientific and fictional sides of the topic, and his droll delivery make this an entertaining show for dinosaur lovers and newbies alike. The entire show is set up as Dos and Don'ts for if you ever find yourself being attacked by a dinosaur (It could happen. No it couldn't.), some hilarious, some sensible, some goofy. He also delves into specific types of dinosaurs and each one's strengths and weaknesses. The accompanying slide show includes scientific facts and drawings, as well as dinosaur representation in movies, cartoons, books, and TV shows. Dressed in a suit, reading from a book, and wielding a remote for the slide show (which really should be a pipe or a pair of glasses), Reverend Matt is a wonderful guide through the weird (and true, but not always true) world of dinosaurs.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Gunfighting: An American Story"

Day: 1

Show: 3

Title: Gunfighting: An American Story

Category: Storytelling

By: Hero Props

Created by: Seán McArdle

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A well-researched presentation on the history of gun rights and regulations in America from a props designer and stage gun safety instructor.

Highlights: This is a conversation we need to have, that we've needed to have for years, decades even, that we need to have even more every day. Seán approaches the problem of gun violence from the perspective of someone who grew up with guns and has made a career working with prop guns and teaching proper safety. His belief that people handling real guns should have as much safety training as those handling prop guns, the suicide of an uncle, and the courage of the Parkland students inspired him to do this show, even though he's usually backstage. With the help of a slide show (historic photographs, film clips, quotes, and pop culture references) he leads us through his personal history with guns both real and fake, the proper procedure for handling guns onstage, and a very brief history of gun legislation, and provides some very reasonable suggestions for how all sides of this debate can come together, find common ground, and enact sensible legislation that will save lives while not infringing on anyone's constitutional rights (step one: don't buy what the NRA is selling). If you're looking for fun escapist Fringe, this is not it, but if you're looking for an interesting perspective on one of the biggest public safety issues of our time, you've found it. Recommended reading: Gunfight by Adam Winkler. Recommended organization: Everytown.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist or, Ocean's 'Eh'T?: A Musical"

Day: 1

Show: 2

Title: The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist or, Ocean's 'Eh'T?: A Musical

Category: Comedy / Musical Theater / Original Music

By: Literally Entertainment

Created by: Literally Entertainment Productions

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A musical spoof of the real life event in which $18 million worth of maple syrup was stolen in Canada.

Highlights: If you've seen any of their past shows, you know what to expect from Literally Entertainment (music and lyrics by Kyle DeGoey, book and direction by Travis Carpenter). Funny and clever songs, a silly and fun story, and enthusiastic performances by the winning cast. This one also features a good old fashioned heist and plenty of Canadian humor (they're so polite, they drink beer, they wear plaid, they speak in funny accents). While the lengthy plot explanation at the end of the show is a bit confusing and goes by too fast to make sense, it's a fun and very fringey musical. And there's a moose! Oh Canada, we love you (and we kind of wish we were you).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Not Fair, My Lady"

Day: 1

Show: 1

Title: Not Fair, My Lady!

Category: Comedy / Musical Theater

By: Colleen Somerville Productions

Created by: Shanan Custer, Anita Ruth, Colleen Somerville

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A series of vignettes and songs about the portrayal of women in the American musical theater canon, as well as the role of women in creating theater.

Highlights: My first show of the 2018 Minnesota Fringe will no doubt stand as one of my favorites of the fest. Written by talented #TCTheater artists Shanan Custer and Colleen Sommerville, with musical arrangements by Anita Ruth, it's funny, smart, and insightful. The impetus for the show is the misogynist old shows that are being revived on Broadway* this year in the midst of the #MeToo movement, but really there are so many "classics" in which women's roles are limited and stereotypical, a fact that's startlingly obvious in a couple of montages of snippets from a wide variety of musicals new and, well, mostly old. There are also a couple of familiar songs with new lyrics that talk about the problem, and also about what it's like to be a women working in musical theater, particularly women of color, and women who are bigger than size 2 or older than 25. A fabulous and diverse cast of seven talented women (Colleen Somerville, Courtney Miner, Falicia Nichole, Kecia Beth Stimmler Rehkamp, Marcie Panian, Rue Norman, and Suzie Juul) beautifully perform the funny and insightful songs and sketches, and also speak about their own experiences in a meaningful way. I couldn't love this show more and it couldn't come at a better time. Women can write musicals too!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.


*I saw the revival of Carousel on Broadway this spring and it's stunning. Yes that line is awful, but as they say on Crazy Ex Girlfriend, the situation is a little more nuanced than that. And I recently saw Guys and Dolls on stage and watched the movie, and am flabbergasted that the Guthrie chose it as their 2019 summer musical. The entire premise of the musical rests on archaic gender stereotypes. Really, Guthrie?!

"The Legend of Georgia McBride" at the Guthrie Theater

Reminiscent of La Cage aux Folles and Kinky Boots, but with a spirit and humor all its own, The Legend of Georgia McBride is a drag show with a beautiful message of finding one's identity and embracing those you love as they discover their identity. What it doesn't resemble so much is playwright Matthew Lopez's other work seen recently on #TCTheater stages, the intense Civil War drama The Whipping Man, a beautiful and heart-breaking play done by Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company last year. Which just goes to show the range of the playwright, although I think it's safe to say that Georgia McBride is the more personal work. Similar to the protagonist Casey, he found himself in a drag club in Florida, although the details of the story are different. Georgia McBride is a really fun show, and you also may learn a bit about drag performance, and rethink some stereotypes about the real people behind all the glitz and glamour of the show.

"Mamma Mia" at the Ordway Center

Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware that there's a new Mamma Mia! movie, a sequel to the 2008 smash hit movie adaptation of the smash hit jukebox musical (which ran for 14 years on Broadway and 19 years and counting in the West End) featuring the music of '70s pop sensation ABBA (phew, that's a lot of derivatives). But are you also aware that there is a brand new local production of the stage musical playing at St. Paul's Ordway Center for the Performing Arts for just three weeks? If you're thinking to yourself, "why should I spend more money to go see it live at the theater when I can just go to the movie, or watch it in my living room in a few months?" keep reading, because I will tell you why. What it boils down to is that firstly, live entertainment is always better than anything recorded could be, and secondly, this production is fantastically fun and surprisingly moving, performed by a mostly local and all fabulous cast. If you enjoyed either of the Mamma Mia! movies, you do not want to miss this one-of-a-kind LIVE Mamma Mia! experience! But hurry, unlike movies that last forever, you only have until August 5 to see this.

2018 Minnesota Fringe Festival Must-See List

Well #TCTheater friends, it's late July, and we all know what that means! My theater schedule has been quieting down lately for the summer lull that precedes the wonderful craziness that is Minnesota Fringe Festival. Soon I'll be attending multiple shows per day, writing between shows, skipping meals and snacking whenever I can, and experiencing all the weird and wonderful theater that Fringe has to offer. There are a few new things to experience this year (including Family Fringe, and an option to purchase either individual show tickets or day passes), but significantly fewer shows than in past years. This will be my 8th Fringe Festival, and as long as I've been attending, shows have numbered around 170. But with the elimination of Uptown venues this year (which, to be honest, I'm relieved about because getting to and parking in Uptown is only getting more difficult), there are a total of 138 shows, including the 6 Family Fringe shows. But that's still plenty to choose from, and way more than one person can see (somewhere around 56, I'm a little confused with the new features this year). My goal this year is a reasonable 30-40, because it's nice to take an hour off to, you know, eat a meal, or even a full day off to regroup mid-festival. We'll see how it shakes out once I complete my sudoku puzzle of a schedule, but first - the following shows are must-sees in my book (presented in alphabetical order):