Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Narate Keys - An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani)

[Last but not least in my blog entries on returnees from previous pre-Fringe Top 20 lists, here’s one from last year’s list, back again…]

An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani)

Description: 
An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) is a musical that explores Khmer culture during the Angkorian era, where King Jayavarman VII (1181–1218) reigned with queen Jayarajadevi, Indradevi as his consort.
Venue - Southern Theater
Content Warnings - Flashing Lights
Genre and Content - Comedy, Dance (Classical, Global, Modern), Musical Theater, Original Music, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Historical Content, Kid Friendly, Religious Content
Ages 2 to 6 and Up

Thankfully the More Information tab on their show page helps to make up for my lack of knowledge of Khmer culture:

“My name is Narate Keys (playwright/producer) and I am a Khmer (pron. “khuh-MAI”) playwright from Cambodia. The Khmer are the largest ethnic group in the country of Cambodia. I am producing a musical called an Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani), which I started to write and develop in 2025. An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) is a historical fiction story set during the twelfth century where King Jayavarman VII finish building the Angkor Wat. There will be original songs composed by Simmi Nelson, choreographed by Lexi Wolfgram, and directed by Abraham Vue. 
 
This production is important to share the history of the Angkorian people in our Khmer community. With a population of over 100,000 Southeast Asian in Minnesota is home to one of the largest and most thriving Southeast Asian diaspora communities in the nation. We are honored to share a story to enrich our underserved community including the Hmong, Khmer, Lao and Viet diaspora communities on reclaiming language through theatre, collective storytelling working with arts markers and  with our actors, singer, producer amongst many others to bring this musical into fruition. 
 
An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani), the musical is a passion project. I dreamt of writing about the Angkorian Kingdom and sharing the abundance of storytelling of the Khmer people. In 2013 I began thinking about going back to my homeland, Cambodia. My vision came true when I landed in Phnom Penh in 2015. After visiting Angkor Wat and exploring Siem Reap, I began my research and wrote my first musical, Apsara. I'm happy to produce another musical called an Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani). It's a family collaboration with all the cast and crews ranging from ages 5 to 46.   
 
An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) is for all ages to enjoy.”

Last year’s production, “Aspara, the Musical” was also set in 12th century Khmer (with a modern day framing plot line surrounding it, and spirits crossing back and forth - I think, to be honest it was sometimes hard to tell what was going on).  My review on the fly at the time was:

“lightly confusing show set mostly in 12th century kingdom of Khmer but constructed and sounding like a 21st century Disney musical, which didn't seem to serve the story, the subject or the culture it was trying to convey; cast doing their best; 3 stars”

I’m assuming they learned a lot from their first outing, and this go-round will have the benefit of having been through the whole Fringe process last year.

If you’re interested in something unique, another musical from this group about a different culture in a different time will definitely be that.  There’s a cast of over a dozen, and many of the actors are kids this year.  So that’ll be a change of pace even from last year’s production.
 

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? 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 as we ramp up toward the start of the Fringe on August 6th.  

 

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Lady Z Productions - Underserved: Recipes for Resilience

So, just yesterday I discovered this one has been transformed quite suddenly into a completely different show.

When I first pulled show information off the Fringe website and began my research for the upcoming festival, Lady Z was presenting “The Queerest Midwest Bake-off: A Murder Mystery.”  In scrolling the show listings you may recall its image of a coroner’s outline of a now removed human corpse on the ground, but drawn in sugary frosting instead of chalk.

This was a show with a different playwright, and a cast of a half dozen people.

Not sure exactly when the change happened, but it only manifested itself yesterday when I was checking in to do a bit more research ahead of jotting down this very blog post.

Now it’s

Underserved: Recipes for Resilience

Description
A baker racing against the clock to finish one final bake discovers that the most important ingredients aren't flour and butter—they're the stories that people refuse to let disappear.
Venue - Rarig Xperimental
Content Warnings - Adult Language
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA+ Content
Ages 16 and Up

Creator (and driver behind all of Lady Z’s productions) Maureen Bourgeois, is now the only person listed on the Cast and Crew page.

So… I guess it’s a one person show she wrote and is performing now?  The synopsis only mentions a single character, though they may also be manifesting the voices of others.

Precious little information on the show page other than that, but it’s not surprising given the last minute nature of the change.

I’m sure there’s a story here I’m not privy to, but kudos for pushing ahead despite setbacks just days before the festival opens.  (Recipes for resilience, indeed.)

At least they’re in the Rarig complex, which a large part of the audience for the West Bank venues passes through on a regular basis, so they stand a better chance of being seen despite the sudden shift in plans.

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? 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 as we ramp up toward the start of the Fringe on August 6th.  

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Trompe L’Oeil - Foshay! You Know The Tower – Now Hear The Story

[Because I’m a completionist, or at least am often plagued with completionist tendencies, and because the shows don’t start for another five hours yet but my Fringe vacation has already begun - at least day job-wise - and I have some time, let’s knock out these last three artists who were on previous pre-Fringe Top 20 lists and have returned again for this year’s festival.  Starting with the one I just saw a preview for last night…]

Foshay!  You Know The Tower – Now Hear The Story

Description: 
As of 1929 Wilbur Foshay was one of the richest men in the US, but the Great Depression had other plans for him. A well-loved 2023 musical that's the true story of a man who lost everything, but found himself.
Venue - Rarig Thrust
Content Warnings - None
Genre and Content - Drama, Musical Theater, Original Music, Historical Content
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

The press packet materials offer a bit more context to those of us who aren’t up on our Minneapolis/Foshay history:

“Wilbur B. Foshay was the poster child for the twenties and thirties. During the Roaring Twenties, he capitalized on a decade’s long bull-run stock market to catapult himself to lofty financial heights. At the opening of the Foshay Tower in 1929, he was at the apex of his career. Fate, however, and the Great Depression had other plans for him. When his company filed for bankruptcy, he learned his troubles were just beginning. At the lowest point in his life, Wilbur gained strength to turn his life around, and discovered by losing everything he thought was important, he was able to find himself.”

According to the Minnesota Historical Society, Foshay had a three-day grand opening celebration when his tower was completed, and then only two months later the stock market crashed.  There’s not just one but two court trials, plus some jail time before Wilbur and his partner in business (crime?) are later freed by one president and later pardoned by another.

So it’s a rags to riches and back to rags story.  

According to the More Information tab on their show page:

“For the 2026 season, we will be remounting Foshay! in a 60-minute Minnesota Fringe Festival format. The show will present 19 of the original 31 songs first featured in the 2023 World Premiere full-length production.”

If each of those songs is a minute long, that’s a third of the run time.  If they’re each three minutes long, that IS the run time.

So expected a lot of music and singing and dancing.

They’ve told the story once before in its expanded version, so they’ve had some time to fine-tune it in front of audiences, and also they probably know best how to shave the whole thing down to fit in the Fringe.

The preview was pretty impressive. The two leads, or at least the central couple of Wilbur and Leota (Landon Hudson and Elisheva Scheuer), have big, professionally trained voices.  Hudson in particular was belting his heart out, which is good, because the preview venue is also where they’re going to be performing and Rarig Thrust is a big space to fill with your voice.  The song was clever and the lyrics were fun (not always true in a Fringe musical, so that was most welcome).

Your mileage may vary in terms of how much you relate to the protagonist being a guy who got rich buying up utility companies that other people still ran for him.  But even in this one scene, it’s clear the musical is trying to get you to empathize with the guy, and he’s hardly the first problematic “hero” of a musical.

I do have to hand it to the folks of Trompe L’Oeil - they’re constantly pushing themselves to create new plays and musicals, often with a basis in historical fact, and get them up on their feet on stage for people to see whenever the Fringe lottery ping pong balls roll their way (with an uninterrupted streak between 2013 and 2019, and then again every year since 2024). They use the Fringe as the platform it was designed to be, an incubator for new works of theater.

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? 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 as we ramp up toward the start of the Fringe on August 6th.  

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites from Years Past

Here's a list of links to all the posts about returning favorites in the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival (alphabetical by show title):

After the End - One T Productions (Scot Froelich, Sheree Froelich)

Following a devastating global pandemic, Jeff is left to fend for himself. Twelve years later, he’s built a farm, a solar array, and – to pass the time - a hobby of playing guitar for the audience in his head. 

 

Apologies for the Late Reply - Ben San Del

Stand-up comedy about salvaging sanity in our age of crazy presented by four-time Minnesota Fringe encore winning producer and Acme Comedy Co.'s Funniest Person in the Twin Cities title holder Ben San Del. 

 

 

Bay Creek - Derek Lee Miller

Four generations of smugglers from the river bottoms of Pike County, IL deal with their legacy of violence and crime, and the terrifying entity they accidentally smuggled over the veil from the other side.

 

 

 

Be Not Afraid - Third Space Theater (Alex Church)

2012. A struggling farm in a northwestern North Dakota town transformed by the oil boom is given a warning. A savior is coming.

 

 

Buckeroohaiku's Reverse Armando - Button Productions (Ryan Klima)

True stories. Masterful improvisation. Kate Button spills the stories, while the Twin Cities top improvisors weave them into comedy gold! Brace yourself for an evening of raw, unfiltered hilarity!

 

 

Bury The Leads - Special When Lit (Nissa Nordland, Sam Landman)

Meet Clyde & Faye, two character actors navigating an industry of auditions, rejections, bit parts and false starts. Sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, it's improv so grounded, it seems scripted.

 

 

Casa Bde-Maka-Ska - Snikt! Bamf! Thwip!

Everyone comes to Rick's. Even in the middle of a hostile occupation. Even in a world where lovers who have been torn apart by circumstance can bond over some well chosen Prince music. 

 

 

A Confluence of Magical Arseholes - The Winding Sheet Outfit 

The feckin' story and singy-song of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. There be the famous supper club for some bored c*nts and dilettantes, and this be that time W. B. Yeats kicked Aleister Crowley's arse. 

 

 

 

Cyrano - Small Waves

A queer heroic comedy in five acts. The story you never knew you already know, like you've never seen it before. An adaptation of Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac."

 

 

 

 

 

Doozy - Dolly Who (Destiny Davison)

A good friend never forgets. Too bad, Dolly did. But no worries, it's her day off! No agenda, no script, no work...and all the time in the world for a little sweet, sweet revenge.

 

 

 

An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) - Narate Keys

An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) is a musical that explores Khmer culture during the Angkorian era, where King Jayavarman VII (1181–1218) reigned with queen Jayarajadevi, Indradevi as his consort. 

 

Empty Nest - Zabel Weinhagen 

Through a mix of sharp stories, absurd sketches, and knowing winks at the audience, Empty Nest dives into life’s big transitions — aging, shifting identities, long-term partnership — and finds the humor in the awkward, poignant, and downright ridiculous moments along the way. 

FAST Death of a Salesman - an alleged Theatre Company (Jake Mierva)

Dr. Duke Didier is putting on a production of Death of a Salesman, in order to prove to his nephew that the play is still relevant in 2026. Too bad his nephew, Braedyn, couldn't give a shit. 

 

 

Fighting Unicorns - Angela Fox Productions

A girl and her unicorn sidekick go on a hero’s journey through a fantastical world of puppets to find her lost story. A powerful show about healing and moving forward. Adventure, wonder, humor, heart. Part of the Social Butterfly Project. 120 min 

 

Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story - Trompe L'Oeil 

As of 1929 Wilbur Foshay was one of the richest men in the US, but the Great Depression had other plans for him. A well-loved 2023 musical that's the true story of a man who lost everything, but found himself. 

 

 

Glengarry Glen Elvis - Michael Shaeffer

Elvis Presley stirs up trouble at an unscrupulous real-estate agency. Jumpsuits jitter and F-bombs fly as a post-Vegas career suddenly involves the temptations of grand theft and a fever for the rock 'n' roll. 

 

 

I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You - Jake Mierva

Galactus has chosen Earth as his next target. But don't worry. I will stop him. I will save you all. I will become The Silver Surfer.

 

 

I'm Afraid, I Have To Leave - Joking Apart Theater

Time to leave, but your hosts have other plans. Sinister agenda? Hostage situation? Or just another visit with your folks? Minnesota Goodbye meets The Twilight Zone. Grab a snickerdoodle, it might be your last! 

 

 

 The Importance of Living - Mermaid Productions (Ariel Pinkerton, Tim Uren)

Samuel and Louise really know how to live; no morals, no regrets, no limits, no future. It's the night before their reckoning day and they've come to crack a bottle of wine, swap tales, and have a little fun.

 

 

Improvised Love Is Blind: Minnesota Fringe Edition - DallaDanna Productions

The improvised version of the hit Netflix dating show, Love Is Blind. All of the fun. None of the toxicity. 

 

 

 

Latin Papi - CuerpoxCuerpo - Gabriel Mata

Latin Papi is a bold, playful, and provocative contemporary dance performance blending sensual movement, voice, humor, and theatrical flair created by Armani Rey Colón and Gabriel Mata of CuerpoxCuerpo.

 

 

The Local Music Scene - JimJam Media (Philip Simondet)

Improv inspired by local music. Local musicians perform original songs live. Between songs the Local Music Scene cast improvise scenes inspired by the lyrics. LOCAL MUSIC; improvised SCENEs

   

 M - The World Crime League

A massive manhunt is underway in Berlin. Police have spent months searching for a prolific serial killer with no success. As fear and suspicion spread, the city’s criminal underground decides to take matters into their own hands and hunt the murderer themselves in this new adaptation of Fritz Lang’s classic film noir "M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder." 

  

 

More Better Stories - American School of Storytelling

Storytellers Jon Carlson, Vianna Isbister, Bernadine Joselyn, Hank Roubicek - each tell three times, and Erin Ferdinand, Kory May, Christopher Nelson, Laura Packer, and Anne Wiborg do "one off's" with stories for adults.

 

 

Muskie - New Endeavors

It's Fishing Opener on Lake Mille Lacs, but some of the residents of Garrison, Minnesota have started disappearing. Could it be the work of the terrifying, mythical Muskie? Find out in this Minnesota-based parody of "Jaws." 

 

 

Quadrilogy, a Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza! (Mahmoud Hakima)

A game show in three rounds with audience participation. Answer questions, build Lego, have fun, win prizes! A different theme every night. Artist proceeds go to benefit the Sabathani Community Center.

 

 

A Revolution Highly Favorable - Maximum Verbosity - phillip andrew bennett low

On the 250th anniversary of American Independence, listen to the words of those who were there! Adapting for the first time 18th-century combat medic, historian, and POW David Ramsay, this fully AI-illustrated show features a different collection of readings each night.

 

Road Trip! - Chris Davis

Too expensive to go on a road trip? Then join two improv comedians as they take a ROAD TRIP without ever leaving the theater! You don’t need to pitch in for gas, just pitch in suggestions for destinations and leave the “driving” and comedy to them. Where will there journey take them? That’s for you to know and us to find out!

Silent Movie! - The Improv Movement Project (Mark Benzel, Sean Dillon, Victoria Pyan)

What happens when you get a group of physical improvisers to make a movie – but without the sets, lights, costumes, props, crew, dialogue . . . or movie. A new genre-smashing cinematic epic each performance.

Small Minded - Tyler West

When Tyler was a little boy he wanted to grow up and be a clown. Come to find out it was a lot harder to achieve the former, than the latter. 'Small Minded' features magic, juggling, clowning, and much more! Is being a dwarf clown REALLY half the size, but double the fun? Or is Tyler West just Small Minded? Either way, this show features juggling, magic, Shakespeare, story-telling, and some Ha-Ha's! from the heart.

 

So Bright, The Night - Hey Rube!

So Bright the Night is a hard-boiled historical drama about the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930's. A woman boards a train in hopes to rescue her husband from deportation or worse. History is repeating itself. 

 

Soap Prov: Show of 10,000 Secrets (Jex Arzayus, Mahmoud Hakima)

An improvised soap opera inspired by audience suggestions. Our cast will create a show filled with your favorite soap opera tropes: steamy affairs, family betrayals, love triangles, seduction, and so much more!

 

Sound and Noise and Bodies - Octoberdandy Productions (Jen Scott)

Fringe veteran Jen Scott presents a one-person storytelling show, a music-show, a bit of a clown show, all about being human and maybe being heard.

 

 

the statue of liberty is nora in a doll's house by henrik ibsen - SUPERMOON (Caleb Matthew Byers, Claudia Errickson, Mads Plonski, Michael Torsch

The Statue of Liberty prepares for and performs Nora in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. This performance is about doors, lies, and the morphed American definition/concept of liberty. It's an Americana kaleidoscopic ritual praying for a miracle.

 

Stories from the Trauma Dump (Jex Arzayus, Allison Broeren, Shanan Custer, Mahmoud Hakima, Rev. Matt Kessen, Nissa Nordland, Ariel Pinkerton, Duck Washington)

A collective storytelling show featuring local artists sharing humorous tales around mental health. Personal or fantastical, these stories aim to share experience and possibly find catharsis through comedy.

 

Tapeze: a la seconde - Twin Cities Trapeze

An joyful spectacle where every step defies gravity. A circus of rhythm and movement - join us where tap dancing meets the sky. 

 

 

Tech - Mike Fotis

This year's Fringe show opens tomorrow. The props are assembled. The actors have memorized (most of) their lines. The director has blocked the show. There’s only one thing left to do…TECH THE SHOW.

 

 

 

Underserved: Recipes for Resistance - Lady Z Productions

A baker racing against the clock to finish one final bake discovers that the most important ingredients aren't flour and butter—they're the stories that people refuse to let disappear. 

 

 

Watership Down - Melancholics Anonymous

Digger. Listener. Runner. A small band of rabbits embark on a perilous journey to find a new home in this adventurous folk musical adaption of the classic children’s novel. 

 

 

Witness Loudly - Kyle B. Dekker

Operation Metro Surge pitted armed ICE agents against the residents of Minnesota. Kyle B. Dekker recreates a live rapid response call on stage based on his own experiences as a constitutional observer, also  discussing the impact of the event on him and his neighbors. 

And here's links to the 2026 versions of my pre-Fringe Top 10 list and Top 11 through 20 for the 2026 festival as we ramp up toward the start of the Fringe on August 6th.  

Fringe 2026 - Top 11 to 20

Here's a list of links to the full write-ups on each of my pre-Fringe Top 11 to 20 list for the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival:

11 - The Quiet Piggy - Dawn Bentley

Minnesota Fringe Executive Director and theatre virgin Dawn Bentley makes her first (and only?) fringe show. A personal, political, and playful storytelling experience fantasizing about how IT finally happens. 

 

 

 

12 - Maniac - Todd Sullivan

A solo clown show loosely inspired by history's most intelligent serial killer — blending masks, movement, lo-fi origami, and absurd logic into a lunatic tribunal of comedy, tenderness, and chaos. 

 

 

13 - Don't Be Scared - Band Practice

Two zombified post-war corporate professionals attempt to run a workshop with the audience on how to face your fears. Outside, the darkness is creeping in threatening to end the show and maybe their friendship. 

 

 

14 - A Real Piece of Work - Moral of the Story

When a bumbling community theater group rehearses for their production of Hamlet, one actor tries to help them get their act together. This ensemble comedy is a love letter to community theater. 

 

  

 

15 - Pistachio's Playhouse - Samuel Karie

When the host of the beloved children’s show Pistachio’s Playhouse experiences a sudden tragedy, she has to try and keep the Playhouse from closing while maintaining her sanity in front of an impressionable audience. 

 

 

16 - The Choose Your Own Adventures of Turtle Boy - Tiger Love Studios LLC

A one-person puppet show with call and response/audience participation. The bashful but rowdy Turtle Boy leads you through an action movie of your own making. John Wick meets Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Karate Kid meets Mr. Rogers.

 

17 - That Was Shakespeare: A Revue - The Redmond Players (aka Technically Thespians)

Connie thinks Shakespeare belongs in the past. Her uncle Ford knows better. A whirlwind tour through comedy, tragedy, and romance reveals the Bard's words may be closer to home than she thinks. 

 

 

18 - Therapist Zero - be-Creative (Brian Leonard)

Therapist Zero is a darkly funny solo show about a father trying to help his brilliant but struggling daughter, only to run headfirst into a maze of psychiatrists, broken systems, and his own past. 

 

 

 

19 - Hell on Wheels: The Winter Strike of 1934 - Local 574

The true story of the families and truckers in Minneapolis who organized in order to survive the Great Depression. This first strike of 1934 led to the transformation of the North Star State. 

 

 

20 -  This Body, This Fruit - Davi Gray

This Body, This Fruit is a solo performance in 3 acts: a narrative journey built from poetry bringing the audience into, through, & out of the rage, sorrow, despair, revelation, awakening, & joy of transness.

 

 

And here's a list to similar posts with links to the Top 10 entries on this year's list, as well as a post with links to all the blog posts on returning favorites coming back to this year's festival.