BlueSky post: MN Fringe show #9: Jon Bennett: American’t - everything I want to talk about would also kind of be a spoiler so I’ll just say this solo show is perfectly crafted, full of surprises, and extremely funny, even better than his last one (more later, when I’ve figured out how not to spoil it) 5 stars
Since I saw Jon Bennett’s last show, “Fire in the Meth Lab,” at the tale end of Fringe 2022, suffering from a bit of Fringe fatigue and without time to write a proper review, I figured I’d catch him this time toward the beginning of the festival (his second performance opening weekend) while I was still fresh and stood a chance to write the review I’m writing right this very moment. I didn’t have the chance to go into much detail about Bennett’s previous show, and I need to step lightly here in order not to spoil the great many surprises that are in store for “American’t.”
“It’s thick. You can taste the passive aggression sometimes.”
The larger outline of “American’t” is the story of what happens to a touring artist in 2020 when the world shuts down and he can no longer tour. Not only that, but for a while he can’t even go home because Australia’s shut down is more extreme (and effective) than the one in America. This is also a meditation on the notion of “home” because at the beginning of the story he’s been touring for so many years that he doesn’t really have a home to return to, other than his childhood home. The stage is his home, and when the stage shuts down, he’s left adrift.
“I love Eugene” (Oregon)
He’s also cut off from plans to visit an artist friend’s new daughter, though Jon and the kid keep in touch via her father through videos and voice messages. The enforced reunion with his family in Australia is also enlightening about the notion of home. And just like many other folks, Jon gets accidentally quarantined for a much longer visit with a new woman in his life that either of them had planned. Bennett’s encounters with immigration and customs officers are also no cheerier on visits after the first blush of the pandemic than they were during (this is pre-2024 election, too, so… that’s a bit disheartening). This is where the show takes a bit of a dark turn, but the absurdity of our government does keep the laughs coming in spite of it all.
“Artist, one of the Top 5 Non-Essential Jobs”
The thing that takes “American’t” to the next level of storytelling, though, is that there really are no random jokes. There are no throwaway anecdotes. Everything, and I mean everything, comes back around. No ones life is that tidy, but Jon Bennett knows how to cleave away all the extraneous bits of life that he’s certainly living, and just tell the parts of the story that form a straight line from beginning to end. It is, however, a nearly invisible straight line. The audience never gets ahead of him. At least I didn’t, and I’ve seen a few of these things now over the years. I’ve even seen one of this artist’s shows before. Bennett knows how to construct a story in such a way that it all fits together, but in ways you wouldn’t expect, because life has a way of sneaking up on us all. Every now and then I’d get an inkling, like “Oh, well they must have stayed friends, otherwise it’s a bit of a dick move to use that person’s instagram posts in his show.” But I remained pleasantly clueless, just enjoying the joking riffs as they occurred, not thinking they were all slowly adding up to something.
“I’m the Judge Judy and executioner!”
It’s nice that Jon Bennett keeps coming back to our Fringe, but it’s even nicer to know that he has a home off stage at last, and that’s as close to a spoiler as I’ll let myself get. “American’t” closes Sunday when the Fringe does, so you’ve still got a couple of shots at this laugh machine and sneaky storyteller if you’re in the mood for that kind of ride. It’s a good one.
5 stars - Very Highly Recommended
Here’s some handy links to coverage of 5 Star and 4.5 Star Shows I've Seen (VERY Highly Recommend), 4 Star and 3.5 Star Shows I've Seen (Highly Recommended), Other Shows I've Seen (3 Stars or Less), as well as my Fringe Top 10, Top 11 to 20 and Returning Favorites lists for this year, and all the coverage of this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.
As I’m sure many artists are, I find myself struggling with the idea of
just “taking time off” (what a luxury) and submerging myself in a whole
lot of theater for 11 days while the world is on fire so… I’m going to
put some phrases and links down here (and at the end of each post going
forward) and if you find yourself compelled to explore one or more of
them, so much the better. There’s a lot going on, and it can be easy to
get overwhelmed and tune out, but as Congresswoman Sarah McBride
recently said, “If everybody shows a little courage, nobody needs to be a
hero.” I freely admit this list and these links are hardly
exhaustive. It's just something to get started. Do what you can, where
you can, however you can. Let’s help one another get through this.
Contacting your elected officials about the issues that matter to you (and protesting as necessary)
Starvation in the Gaza Strip
Immigration raids around the United States
Ukraine fighting off invasion by Russia
Trans rights
Climate change action
Housing shortage and the unhoused
Reproductive Rights
Voting rights, and running for office
The courts, from the Supreme Court on down to the local level
Don’t forget to laugh - even gallows humor is still humor
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