Review on the fly:
#mnfringe show 24: Bay Creek: mesmerizing tale of family with a tradition of working on the wrong side of the law tangled up with a demonic force passed down from father to son thru generations; just who, or what, are the federal authorities interrogating? expertly crafted script, acting - 5 stars
Writer/performer Derek Lee Miller loves a good scary story. So in his solo show “Bay Creek” he’s crafted himself the perfect vehicle for telling such a tale. Devon Thompson (played by Miller) is in an interrogation room with a large audience of agents from a number of federal law enforcement agencies (we in the seating risers of the Barker Center serve as that audience). The voice of the primary interrogator (Rob Ward) is trying to ask Devon questions about the disappearance of his father Daniel, but he’s insisting on waiting for his lawyer. In the meantime, however, he’s happy to tell some other family stories.
“There’s no such thing as monsters, son. Just people, and the things they choose to do.”
And boy, does his family have some stories to tell. From his grandfather to his father to him, Devon’s family has spent many generations just on the other side of the law. (Not that you’ll find any evidence. Or bodies.). Liquor during Prohibition, other drugs of choice through the decades, Devon’s family has been skilled at transporting goods, banding their fellow smugglers together for protection, and not getting caught by the authorities. But there’s something else going on. People don’t die in their family, but they do disappear. As do their enemies. As do some of Devon’s friends.
“It’s like something was wearing him. Like a suit. And he looked at me.”
There’s also something not quite right about Devon. Early on, he says “No” to someone just over his left shoulder - except no one’s there. Periodically throughout his tale of intergenerational misdeeds and peril, just for a sentence or two, it seems like someone else, someone threatening, is talking *through* Devon. But then just as quickly Devon’s back, amiably telling his story to pass the time.
“What did you bring into my house?!”
Miller’s performance is fantastic, but just as impressive is the way he’s crafted the script for “Bay Creek.” It’s a supernatural mystery of sorts. And just like any good mystery, he lays out the clues, but he lets the audience slowly fill in the blanks for themselves. Sometimes in the course of his stories, the Devon of the past blacks out and loses time and wakes up in some other time or place. Or he’ll describe the conditions of a location that he doesn’t (or won’t let himself) understand, but the audience is piecing together just what it means, and it’s not good. Some darker force is haunting (stalking? using?) the men of this family to serve an addiction of its own.
“That guy who’s always standing right behind you. I don’t like him.”
“Bay Creek” is the best kind of horror (at least for me as an audience member). It’s not about blood or dismembered limbs. It’s a story that plays with your mind, creates a world and a cast of characters, even though there’s only one person on stage, and slowly takes you by the hand and leads you into the dark. Miller has crafted a devious little script, and he’s the perfect performer to act it out.
5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
You can find reviews of other shows in these links to my listings of 5 and 4.5 Star Shows (VERY Highly Recommended) and 4 and 3.5 Star Shows (Highly Recommended). Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival. And here's links to the 2026 versions of my pre-Fringe Top 10 list and Top 11 through 20 for the 2026 festival.
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