Here’s a list of the best shows I’ve seen in this year’s festival - 5 and 4-1/2 star shows, Very Highly Recommended (alphabetical by show title)
5-Star Shows
After The End#mnfringe show 35: After The End: Scot Froelich as the last person on earth makes a plea to his (imaginary) audience to appreciate the folks around you while you can, and really talk to them about what matters; well-plotted dystopian scifi with acoustic guitar, humor and deep humanity - 5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Apologies for the Late Reply#mnfringe show 45 - Apologies for the Late Reply: thank goodness we can still count on Ben San Del's shrewdly observed stand-up comedy about life in these troubling times; he makes the case for gathering together, being present, even when everything around you is completely unmanageable - 5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Bay Creek
#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
Full review here
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Bury The Leads #mnfringe show 22: Bury The Leads: top tier improv from Sam Landman and Nissa Nordland as 2 striving supporting actors who never get the lead roles but keep on fighting; their strong friendship the thing that keeps them going despite the daily indignities; funny, sweet, yearning, human - 5 stars
Full review here
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
The Choose Your Own Adventures of Turtle Boy #mnfringe show 21: The Choose Your Own Adventures of Turtle Boy: perfect family fare; puppeteer and marionette Turtle Boy engage audience multiple times to steer the plot, and volunteer for cemetery and fight training scenes; charming, silly, nimble improv; whole audience very into it - 5 stars
Full review here
My Top 20 List write-up on this show
Don't Be Scared #mnfringe show 19: Don’t Be Scared: deeply strange/funny in all the best ways; 2 German clowns as zombie business professionals with singing, dancing, acrobatic presentation for the audience on confronting fears and beating back the darkness; best use of Rarig X space (and crowd work) - 5 stars
Full review here
My Top 20 List write-up on this show
Doozy
#mnfringe show 13: Doozy: Destiny Davison and collaborators keep topping themselves each new show; live action cartoon/puppetry in black and white; goofy time loop revenge plot on Dolly by abandoned imaginary friend Doozy, who talks by harmonica; packed with whimsical cardboard creations - 5 stars
Full review here
My Returning Favorite write-up on this show
FAST Death of a Salesman #mnfringe show 33: FAST Death of a Salesman: classic play hilariously torn into tiny pieces by college professor trying to reach his screen-addicted nephew employing a cast of misfits to (somehow) turn theater into something relevant by making it all the things it's not; comedy meltdown - 5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Hell on Wheels: The Winter Strike of 1934#mnfringe show 34: Hell on Wheels: The Winter Strike of 1934 - stirring theatrical slice of Minneapolis union history, cleverly written and staged; modern physical theater work alongside period detail, and music, all perfectly blended together; tough assignment but they nail it - 5 stars
My Fringe Top 20 write-up on this show
Is That Why? #mnfringe show 36: Is That Why?: Ari Hoptman has a dizzying array of language facts and anecdotes in his brain, and with the help of an audience member picking cue cards at random goes on a 55 minute comedic "lecture" off the top of his head; dazzling and very entertaining to watch - 5 stars
My Fringe Top 10 List write-up on this show
Latin Papi #mnfringe show 4: Latin Papi: beauty, grace, athleticism, sensuality of
the human body on full display in this playful, flirty, often funny
dance showcase from Gabriel Mata and Armani Rey Colon; saving one last
punch for the end, of course; it's not hot in here, it's them; treat
yourself - 5 stars
#mnfringe show 40: Latin Papi: 2nd viewing (their closing performance); dance show just as beautiful, sexy and fun as when I saw it back on day 1 of the Fringe; bonus, didn't need to take notes this time, could just sit and watch Armani Rey Colon and Gabriel Mata do their thing - still 5 stars
Full review here
Returning Favorite write-up on this show here.
Maxxeapolis Goes To Hell
#mnfringe show 16: Maxxeapolis Goes To Hell: clever premise “amuse the devil and maybe he’ll let you out of hell”; quick-witted, varied, oddball comedy sketches; funny songs; gifted ensemble; actually made me laugh out loud, which is rare - 5 stars
Full review here
My Top 10 List write-up on this show
1 Hour Left To Live
#mnfringe show 12: 1 Hour Left To Live: 1 puppet on its deathbed, surrounded by a team of fellow (human) improvisers, creating a wacky non-linear rapid fire tour thru the puppet's life (and afterlife) with a little stand-up comedy right in the middle; inspired lunacy tied to a rocket - 5 stars
Full review here
My Top 10 List write-up on this show
Quadrilogy: A Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza!
#mnfinge show 27: Quadrilogy: A Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza! - sharply executed game show format pitting 4 eager audience members against each other in elimination rounds (memory, Lego, lightning round) til 1 is victorious (but all get prizes); great fun for a good cause - 5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
The Quiet Piggy
#mnfringe show 14: The Quiet Piggy: colorful, cathartic, pissed off Powerpoint presentation augmented by music and a fat, pig-nosed clown in a bad wig repeatedly killed and swept off stage like trash; preaching to the choir with humor, heart and righteous anger; good to exhale, de-stress - 5 stars
Full review here
My Top 20 List write-up on this show
A Real Piece of Work #mnfringe show 32: A Real Piece of Work: impressive work by all involved (direction, script, acting ensemble of 10); characters well-balanced in terms of getting their moment, just enough depth not to be stereotypes, just silly enough to make great comedy out of ill-fated Hamlet attempt - 5 stars
My Fringe Top 20 write-up on this show
A Revolution Highly Favorable #mnfringe show 11: A Revolution Highly Favorable: 1st of 5 completely
different shows, bringing to life the words of people who lived thru
birthing the USA 250 years ago, with a big wink toward the situations
and sensibilities we're living with today; smart, funny, mind-boggling -
5 stars
Full review here
My Returning Favorite write-up on this show
The Shape of Home#mnfringe show 49 - The Shape of Home: dancer/choreographer Rituparna Rana creates a charming, graceful showcase of Indian dance which is also a thoughtful meditation on the idea of home; narrative elements just as compelling as the dance; felt bad the crowd was small, deserves to be seen - 5 stars
Small Minded
#mnfringe show 1 - Small Minded - brilliant mix of clowning, comedy, singing and serious acting, backed by impressive production values that entertains at the same time it lets the audience sit with the discomfort of exoticizing/laughing at little people performing for their amusement - 5 stars
Full review here
Returning Favorite write-up on this show here.
Sound and Noise and Bodies #mnfringe show 3: Sound and Noise and Bodies: still trying to wrap my brain around this must see show from Jen Scott; remarkable writing; gentle jovial delivery of life events and insights that are often devastating; original ukulele song lyrics with equal punch; the message, "humans, am I right?" - 5 stars
Full review here
Returning Favorite write-up on this show here
Stories from the Trauma Dump#mnfringe show 46 - Stories from the Trauma Dump: Jena Young hosts a murderer's row of top notch storytellers, all with comedic takes on mental health - Allison Broeren, Rev. Matt Kessen, Ariel Pinkerton, Rian Vellichor, Duck Washington; my broken brain feels better already - 5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
This Body This Fruit#mnfringe show 9: This Body, This Fruit: Davi Gray delivers poems like a conversation (granted, with better turns of phrase :) unfolding explorations of identity, gender and self in amusing, tender and thought-provoking ways; luxuriate in language for an hour, it's very refreshing - 5 stars
Full review here
My Top 20 List write-up on this show
Too Fat To Run #mnfringe show 15: Too Fat To Run: friend recommendation, so glad I took it; Eileen Tull is an amazing performer with a solo show that's just as funny as it is inspiring, battling other people's perceptions and her own, pushing herself to do the Chicago marathon, unpacking how she got here - 5 stars
Vintage Tunes, Modern Gal#mnfringe show 18: Vintage Tunes, Modern Gal: Plucky Rosenthal and her trusty ukulele, hilarious original songs and relentless (but fun) audience engagement spins a tale of trying to connect with others, however awkwardly (and aren't we all?); high energy, goofy, occasionally even sweet - 5 stars
My Top 10 List write-up on this show
Witness Loudly#mnfringe show 17: Witness Loudly: storyteller Kyle Dekker puts his work as a constitutional observer into the larger context of MN’s response to ICE occupation earlier this year (and still ongoing); compelling, justifiably angry but also hopeful and funny; 1st draft of history - 5 stars
Full review here
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
4.5 Star Shows
Buckeroohaiku's Reverse Armando#mnfringe show 30: Buckeroohaiku’s Reverse Armando: Kate Button's storytelling refracted tonight thru the improv comedy lens of The Mess; stories this time more a collection of random parenting anecdotes, so the improv was equally random but both still quite good, funny and entertaining - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Cyrano
#mnfringe show 42: Cyrano: SO close to queer joy it's heartbreaking; way too much material for 1 hr even with talented cast zipping thru beautiful witty language at high speed; cut supporting cast, focus on triangle, maybe consider radical idea of happy ending? still, as is, great work - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorite write-up on this show
The Importance of Being Eternal#mnfringe show 48 - The Importance of Being Eternal: extremely campy, very queer vampire infusion into Oscar Wilde's comedy of manners which unexpectedly works, even with a healthy dose of Twilight in the mix; acting, hissing, goth, fangs all at 150%; great fun at lightning fast speed - 4.5 stars
My Fringe Top 10 List write-up on this show
The Importance of Living#mnfringe show 26: The Importance of Living: fascinating duet of two (actual) murderers from different times in history sharing tales of their misdeeds (and alibis) (how? why?); charming sociopathic performances from Pinkerton and Uren; script is clever, cagey and unsettling - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
The Label Maker#mnfringe show 37: The Label Maker: storyteller Jena Young has been through it, to put it mildly; key stories from her personal/mental health journey highlight the challenge of getting the right diagnosis when symptoms are hard to catch and can apply to a number of different conditions - 4.5 stars
My Fringe Top 10 List write-up on this show
Pistachio's Playhouse
#mnfringe show 29: Pistachio’s Playhouse: unexpectedly short show (30 min) but every minute was fun, colorful and weird with LOTS of surprises; manic kids show host melts down when tragedy strikes; set, costumes, puppets, sound FX all wildly, delightfully over the top/meta; more, please! - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Silent Movie
#mnfringe show 39: Silent Movie: improvisers spin 3 wheels, 1 for genre, 1 for plot, 1 for ensemble member who will "star" in movie made from scratch on stage; no words, just brilliant on the spot orchestral soundtrack coming out of a keyboard; "shot" changes; delightfully inventive - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorite write-up on this show
Socks and Shoes and Coats
#mnfringe show 41: Socks and Shoes and Coats: under the radar suggestion, very glad I went; unique new musical, 2 singing actors as new parents; baby/child/other characters are supertitles "voiced" by musical instruments; fascinating experiment with a lot of potential, humor and heart - 4.5 stars
Stage Presents #mnfringe show 2 - Stage Presents - Wells Farnham takes the stage and
doesn't let it go for 3 manic comedic stories that are real stemwinders
and a 4th that is *so* close to sticking the landing; challenging
himself on several fronts and upping his game in the process; great fun -
4.5 stars
Full review here
Top 10 List write-up here (#1)
Tech#mnfringe show 10: Tech: catnip concept for theater people, myself included; stakes are very low, but damn it's fun to see all these gifted improvisers conjure up a set of people and scenes from a fake play and just watch them cook, creating a whole world out of next to nothing - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorites write-up on this show
Who Am I, Again?
#mfringe show 5: Who Am I, Again? - compelling solo show offering insight into life after traumatic brain injury, presented by a survivor, sharing both his own story and those of others he’s encountered in his recovery journey; his teenage dream of being an artist happening after all - 4.5 stars
My Top 10 List write-up on this show
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.
