Single White Fringe Geek: August 2022

Monday, August 15, 2022

2022 Fringe Review - The Witchy World of Luna Muse - A Fabulous Drag Ambassador - 5 Stars

“I went to college for theater and this cross-dressing gig is all I got.”

Synopsis: Something wicked this way comes! Twin cities drag entertainer Luna Muse makes her one-woman show debut in this whimsical and kooky theatrical experience. Fantasy and reality collide as our host is tasked with sharing her favorite fairy tale of ‘Lady Luna of the Moon.’ This witch puts her storytelling chops to work, doing her best not to get too distracted with the musings (and hauntings) of her childhood. It’s a cauldron bubbling of equal parts drag show, stand-up, and drag-queen-story-hour. Embellished with glittery costumes, a bold red lip, and just a pinch or two of real-life, make-believe magic. Join Luna Muse in her imaginative witchy world!

Tweet review: #mnfringe The Witchy World of Luna Muse: part drag show, part story time, part confessional, Cam Pederson’s glittery supernatural alter ego creates a charming and welcoming world to kick back in for a while; this witch knows how to put on a show - 5 stars

Additionally (pre-show): #mnfringe And how to you cleanse your mind after seeing Jesus quote Tr*mp? You see a drag queen. Help me, Luna Muse!

Though I am nowhere near what you would call a drag expert, any more than I am an authority on dance or puppets or any of the other art forms I mostly see just during these 11 days in August every year, the Minnesota Fringe Festival has exposed me to enough drag performers over the years that I can appreciate someone who does it really well. Cam Pederson, in the guise of his supernatural alter ego Luna Muse, does drag really well. From the costumes to the lip syncing to the consistency of the persona for the full show, Pederson is a fabulous drag ambassador for the uninitiated, and his Fringe offering, The Witchy World of Luna Muse, is a great entry point for Fringe audiences who are curious about drag.

“Welcome to a story so whimsical you’ll hardly believe it.”

Not that drag has to be perfect to be effective. Messy shows are also fun. Messiness is part of the experimentation and development of any art form. And it makes you appreciate the precision of a performer like Pederson as Luna when you see them. Pederson doesn’t just lip sync to the various musical numbers throughout the show. Pederson also lip syncs to the sound cues recounting parts of the fairy tale story Luna is telling, and the witchy historical interludes presented as well. Basically, if Cam Pederson isn’t offstage doing a lightning fast costume change, and they aren’t speaking as Luna, they’re lip-syncing to whoever is speaking or singing, and doing it damn near perfectly - and that is impressive stuff.

“My mother always told me to keep all three nipples covered.”

The Witchy World of Luna Muse has a handy framing device of Luna reading a fairy tale about “Lady Luna of the Moon.” From that story time set up, Pederson will frequently go on tangents either personal (Cam’s biography as a young, now older queer boy, growing up and discovering himself and his talents) or historical (unfortunate witches in history) or musical (gotta have some song and dance, plus the outlandish costumes to go with them). The aforementioned narrative sound effects also keep things moving from one part of the show (and story) to the next - whether Luna seems entirely ready for them or not.

“She confuses the distant family but the immediate ones clap.”

The Witchy World of Luna Muse is an outstanding piece of work. Though the Luna persona never drops, so we never get to see fully behind the curtain and get a look at Cam off duty, it nonetheless reveals both Luna and drag performers in general, as approachable human beings. You’d think we wouldn’t need the reminder, or the gentle introduction to the concept. But with some politicians trying to demonize queer people of all stripes these days, it’s good to have The Witchy World of Luna Muse as an example. It’s fine. Everybody just relax and be entertained. Stop taking everything so seriously. Just let everyone be who they want to be. It’s not going to hurt you or anyone you love, we promise. (eye roll)

“Excuse me, while I pick up my drag droppings.”

The Witchy World of Luna Muse may be over at the Fringe for now, but you can, of course, also continue to follow her online. Pederson performs year round. You don’t have to wait till another Fringe to support their work.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

(You can click on the following links to see a set of links to reviews of all the 5 and 4.5 star shows (VERY highly recommended), 4 and 3.5 star shows (highly recommended) as well as other shows, plus the full Top 10 list, the Top 11-20 list, a list of returning favorites, and the full coverage of the 2022 Fringe on this blog.)

(Side note: The primary may be over, but the midterm elections are coming up soon. Early voting for the election starts Friday, September 23 (so, not much more than a month after Fringe is over). You can check out what's on your ballot ahead of time on the Minnesota Secretary of State website, as well as other voting services and information - like handy links to all the candidates who have websites so you can learn more. In Minneapolis, not only do we have the Governor and Lt. Governor on the ballot, but there's our U.S. Congressional Rep., our MN State Senator, the MN Secretary of State and MN Attorney General, as well as our County Sheriff and County Attorney, and two members of the Minneapolis School Board. These are the people who decide what laws we live under and how they get enforced. These are the people who decide whether or not we have voting rights. These are the people who decide how our kids learn. This is how we change things. Personally, I'm alternately furious and despairing that my goddaughter and her little sister now have fewer rights over their own bodies than they did when 2022 began. There are things we can do, voting in the general election is one of them - if you're looking to volunteer, here's a place to learn more.)

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Fringe 2022 - Context

As we head into closing weekend, I just thought I'd mention something.

If you've seen me out and about, I probably had a red portfolio in my hands. I've taken it with me everywhere this Fringe.

The notebooks I've been taking my notes on shows in so I have reference points later as I'm writing reviews are actually much smaller and tucked inside that portfolio.

So, why have I been carrying this thing around?

Well, one, it actually is handy, there's places to put pens so I don't have to carry them around in my pocket, and I can fit a couple of notebooks in there, plus whatever script I happen to be working on writing.

But the primary reason I'm carrying it around with me is it belonged to my mother, Beverlee.

It's one of the many useful and interesting items I discovered when I was working with my brother Mark to clean out her house after she died.

So, it's just a symbol of her still following me around as I go from show to show this Fringe. In some small physical way, she's still with me on this journey.

We find comfort in the strangest things sometimes.

This one's mine.

Happy closing weekend, everyone. Let's see some shows!

Friday, August 12, 2022

2022 Fringe Review - He-Man Is The Devil and Other Satanic Panic Tales - A Recovering Evangelical Finds Salvation In Unexpected Places - 5 Stars

“Some of that Satan comes out of the TV and right into your children.”

Synopsis: Evangelical Christians and the general public were afraid of and went to war with a ton of things in the 1980s. What happens if you are a kid and some of those things are the books, games, and movies you love?

Tweet review: #mnfringe He-Man Is The Devil and Other Satanic Panic Tales: @kbdekker shares his upbringing in abusive Christian fundamentalist family and community (and how he escaped) w/sense of humor and an open heart; compelling stuff - 5 stars

Kyle B. Dekker spares no one, not even himself, in his solo show He-Man Is The Devil and Other Satanic Panic Tales, and that’s a good thing, because it means he’s keeping everyone honest. He can’t help but look at what he sees are his own faults when he looks at the failings of his parents, or the various church communities in which they raised him. Unfortunately most of that child rearing took place in an environment where the Bible was considered an infallible historical document, and the congregations weren’t always the kind of Christians that Jesus Christ was in that same Bible. Deference to adults and leadership figures was expected, even if the things they were saying weren’t true. Small wonder that the minute he became a legal adult, he enlisted in the Marines to get money for college, got out of his small town as quickly as he could, and didn’t look back.

“That first year I was kind of a feral student.”

Trips to the public library to read all the secular books he could get his hands on were a respite from the carefully edited reality of home schooling when he was a young kid. Public school after Christian school was also a welcome change. Camaraderie with neighborhood boys planning Dungeons and Dragons gave his first real friends, since the other kids at church didn’t trust a smart kid who liked to read too much. Slowly, here and there, he found a way to push the boundaries of his cloistered existence. The impact of physical beatings were a lot easier to heal from than the emotional impact of his fraught family dynamics.

“It doesn’t matter who put that weapon in your hand. You’re the one that used it on your child.”

All that makes this production sound a lot grimmer than it is. It’s certainly honest, but it’s presented with the wry humor of a survivor who knows how ridiculous some of these experiences can sound. Dekker is also still hopeful about repairing strained relationships with parents and siblings. He hasn’t given up. Oddly enough, he’s a better Christian now as an atheist than his parents were when they raised him.

“At the end of the day, it’s improv and math.”

A quick nod also needs to go out to director Denzel Belin, who helped Dekker shape and stage this story, and Loki Embrys Graham who provided the voice of the Skeleton action figure who serves up a lot of the comic relief throughout the show.

“How can something so cheaply made and dumb be part of the occult?”

Not all of us see our childhoods, or the pros and cons of organized religion, as clearly as Kyle B. Dekker does. That’s why his solo show resonates so deeply, and is well worth seeing. He-Man Is The Devil and Other Satanic Panic Tales has two more performances: today 8/12 at 7pm, and (ironically enough) Sunday 8/14 at 4pm. Let him take you to church.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Stars of the Twin Cities - Overlooked Gem - 5 stars

“Life goes on and, stars or not, I want more of it.”

Synopsis: Stars of the Twin Cities is a movie musical—an original film accompanied by a trio. The movie on screen is scored on stage. And there’s interludes of new vocal music. Stars are here! A new kind of movie musical! This is for those of you who like the soaring plays of Ionesco, the colorful extremes of Keita Takahashi and the idealism of an idling riverside MGB. This musical event is a screening of an original, silent short film about surprise with no surprises, accompanied by new music from a new trio. We hope it will leave you feeling hopeful and that the Stars stay on your mind for a while.

Tweet review: #mnfringe Stars of the Twin Cities: quite possibly the cutest Fringe show I have ever seen; 3 person band (electric guitars/melodica) plays along with whimsical film about colorful clay stars invading the Twin Cities; delightful, refreshing, different - 5 stars

Stars of the Twin Cities is getting me to do some things I don’t normally do with Fringe shows. First of all, I’m planning to see it a second time on closing weekend. Normally I get all I need from a Fringe show the first time out, and there’s so many other shows to see, it’s rare I go back for a repeat visit. Second, I boosted my original tweet on the show, because I did it on the fly while I was out and about seeing shows and I didn’t give it the benefit of a link to the show page or a photo that some others get. Third, I wrote a review on the Fringe website. Since I have the blog and a twitter feed, it seems redundant to job on the Fringe website as well. The Fringe site should be for folks who don’t have another platform handy. But they were already three performances into their 5 show run by the time I saw it, and no one had yet written anything about them, which seemed a shame. So I posted there before I turned to writing this because some people really do look for kitty ratings and other people’s opinions on the Fringe site and up till about an hour ago, Stars of the Twin Cities wasn’t even showing up on the audience review page (because they didn’t have any). Now at least they have one, so neither their review page nor the kitty/star ranking is a complete blank.

“I can’t afford to be dazzled all night and day.”

Why am I so into this show? It recharged my theater-going batteries - I was already 30 shows in when I saw it and it gave me a boost, lifted my spirits. I was completely charmed by the production. The folk music accompaniment from a live three man band on two electric guitars (Sam Walker and J Leininger), and a melodica (Cabe Walker) was relaxing. The film the music was backing up was sweet and funny. It’s a perfect little mix of art forms.

“Water will always be bigger than the stars.”

In a way, the film portion of Stars of the Twin Cities (edited by Bethany Walker, written by Sam Walker) is almost like a silent film. Not completely silent, because it does have engine noise for the car, but that’s pretty much it for sound on the film itself. The dialogue appears written on the screen with the various characters saying it. The film has a mix of actual locations and people, and miniature locations and people. Human Sam will get in a real car and drive off, and then a tiny plastic stand-in for Sam will be riding a toy car that gets pulled around by a string or a stick. An exterior shot of a grocery store will transform into a print-out of a photo of the interior of the grocery store where our action figure cast will converse about the invading stars.

“I’ve found I’m more ready if I smell like chlorine.”

Ah yes, the titular stars. The premise of the film is that a bunch of multi-colored clay stars, either mounted on sticks or hanging in the air on string have suddenly invaded Twin Cities locations en masse - just bursting into hotels or pools or grocery stores, and even wedding ceremonies. Last winter, there was just one star and it kind of came and went. For some reason, now there are bunches of stars everywhere, and they just seem content to hang out and crowd the place. And they’re colorful stars, so they can be a bit distracting.

“This one is for all the cars that are pulled by a rope.”

Both human and tiny action figure Sam have their doubts about the stars. They go on a car ride around the cities to confer with friends and acquaintances about whether or not all these stars invading is a good thing or a bad thing. There’s Cliff, a tiny stuffed lion, who in close-up on camera in relation to tiny action figure Sam, looks quite huge. Cliff’s just passing through and staying for a while in a hotel (invaded by stars). There’s David, a brown knit figure that looks a bit like a needlepointed potato, hanging out in the grocery store, of course, also surrounded by invading stars. Randomly, there’s an action figure of former professional hockey player Arturs Irbe, hanging out at the local pool - the stars are there, too. Last but not least there is both action figure Beth and human Beth, who gets on a real riverboat for a ride with Sam. Everyone has their opinion about the stars, positive and negative, and Sam polls them all for their thoughts. Then they have to band together when some of the clay stars drop from the sky, break and need fixing.

“I love cheering on newlyweds.”

It’s a goofy little premise, executed in whimsical fashion. The difference in scale between humans, action figures, stuffed animals/potatoes, and stars offer lots of amusement. In between sections of the film, we get a full-on music break and song from the band. The whole thing is just super charming. It’s a pity that words like cute or adorable are viewed as pejoratives because I mean them sincerely when applying them to a production like Stars of the Twin Cities. This bit of whimsy and optimism is presented with such sincerity, it’s quite lovely. If you want to see dance or puppets or magic or musicals or high drama or political discussion or personal storytelling, you can certainly find all that in the Fringe this year (and I have, and continue to). Stars of the Twin Cities is a different sort of show, a little experiment with film and live music, and it’s quite refreshing and engaging. They claim a very eclectic set of influences (Eugene Ionesco, Henry Threadgill, Bob Dylan and Keita Takahashi - a couple of whom I had to look up) - all I know is, I enjoyed myself.

“Don’t be so serious about where you live.”

If you’re looking for a change of pace to switch things up a bit, I heartily recommend Stars of the Twin Cities. Like I said, I’m going again. Stars of the Twin Cities has two more performances: Saturday 8/13 at 7pm, and Sunday 8/14 at 2:30pm

5 Stars (no pun intended) - Very Highly Recommended

Thursday, August 11, 2022

2022 Fringe Review - The Real Black Swann, Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen - Captivating Two-Person/One-Person Show - 5 Stars

“I’ve never had drag queens in my drug-induced dreams before.”

Synopsis: Winner of The Doric Wilson Award Dublin Gay Theatre Festival . Winner of Fringe Encore , Cincy Fringe .The true story of William Dorsey Swann , former slave who became the Queen of Drag in the 1800’s

Tweet review: #mnfringe The Real Black Swann, Confessions of America's First Black Drag Queen:
@leskurkendaal continues to challenge himself, making each new solo show better than the one before it; fascinating mix of the historical and personal - 5 stars

Les Kurkendaal-Barrett has, rightly, always been the center of his one-person shows. Of course, there’s always a colorful cast of characters around him, but they are firmly in the supporting player category. With The Real Black Swann, Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen, Les has created a show where, even though it’s a solo show, he’s got himself a co-star.

“I always felt protected when I was wearing a dress.”

The co-star is Les taking on the persona of William Dorsey Swann, a former slave who took on the drag name of The Queen. Swann hosted parties in the 1800s for the queer community of that time. He also went to jail for it, and in the process of advocating for himself and his continued freedom, he became the first gay activist on record. The personal story Les choses to tell this time is bound up with the story of Swann. At first Swann is just a voice, but halfway through the performance, Swann puts on his first dress and stylish hat, and Les remains in this garb for the remainder of the show, whether he’s playing Swann or not.

“When you’re owned by someone, you’re not really living. It’s like you’re dead. So no, I didn’t feel anything.”

A friend made Les aware of Swann (“I found your new solo show. You’re welcome.”), but Swann’s presence takes the stage when Les goes under anesthesia for surgery to remove a tumor from his leg. Les and Swann meet in Les’ unconscious mind and Swann takes Les on a tour of moments in his past - from childhood to adulthood - when Les either learned to stand up for himself, or just keep quiet and not make waves, even if he was being treated poorly as a gay black man in American - something Swann knows a lot about. Swann’s guidance is to help Les’ abandon old strategies of avoidance and to start speaking up.

“Anger is always good. Always.”

We get almost as much of Swann’s story as we do of Les’ (sort of like Swann doing his own version of a Les Kurkendaal-Barrett show). And in a pivotal moment of Swann fighting back (in a dress) against the police who are raiding his party and disrespecting his guests, Swann’s voice drops away, and it’s Les’ voice shouting down the police. Les is also off to the side watching this fight take place, but it’s a fascinating moment of the two men merging into one - Swann getting the benefit of Les’ fighting moves that he learned from his dad as a kid, and Les channeling Swann’s fighting spirit as he comes out from under the anesthesia in recovery after his surgery. Les takes that fight into his life going forward, and we see an example of him no longer tolerating bad treatment before the lights go down on him, still in that dress and flowery hat.

“You got me. You got me this time. But you ain’t stopping me.”

I often feel like a broken record when I say things like “Les has done it again” or “This show is even better than the one he performed just last year, and I thought at the time that one was his best to date.” But both those things are true, yet again (except for the ‘last year’ part - last time I saw Les was virtually in the 2020 Fringe with Climbing My Family Tree, last time onstage was 2019’s Adventures While Black in Great Britain). I'm always grateful for the fact that storytelling is the way Les chooses to process major events and transitions in his life, because it means there’s always another great story around the corner for those of us in the audience. The Real Black Swann, Confessions of America’s First Black Drag Queen is just the most recent example of that fact. It wouldn’t be a proper Minnesota Fringe Festival without the man.

The Real Black Swann has two more performances: Friday 8/12 at 5:30pm, and Sunday 8/14 at 2:30pm.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Wounded Healers - Intense, Necessary Viewing - 5 Stars

“What made America great?”

Synopsis: Wounded Healers is an original spoken-word play and performance. It is a historical chronology of how Black bodies have used creative expression to heal from racialized trauma.

Tweet review: #mnfringe Wounded Healers: intense condensation of just a sampling of the history of black trauma in America; gifted speakers connecting through honest emotion and song - 5 stars

Dr. Timothy Berry’s Fringe offering of Wounded Healers is a condensed version of a longer work but it still packs a hell of a punch. It’s intense but necessary viewing. Dr. Berry himself, in addition to writing and directing the piece, is onstage at a keyboard playing the music he composed for the play. Michael Berry and Daniel Walker take care of the acting part of the program. Dr. Berry periodically joins them in song and dance throughout.

“White fear produces black death.”

This abbreviated version of Wounded Healers moves swiftly through several eras of the African American experience, starting with slavery and moving to the present day. The exploration of trauma is not without purpose, it’s always in service of a larger point. It’s a bracing sight to see a noose draped over an American flag, but that symbolism should give you some idea of the complicated meditation on American identity this production is tackling.

“Day after day, year after year, we survive.”

From start to finish, in both spoken language and in song, words are the salvation of these storytellers. Words are also their gift to us. None of my words can really do it proper justice. But more people in the seats is probably the least we can do to honor what they’re offering to us. Experience Wounded Healers for yourself. It has a lot to offer. Wounded Healers has two more performances, Friday 8/12 at 7pm, and Sunday 8/14 at 1pm.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Help Me Help You Help Yourself - The Best Kind of Clown - 5 Stars

Synopsis: Winner of the 2019 Elgin Fringe Audience Choice Award and the 2022 Cincy Fringe Producer’s Award, “Help Me Help You Help Yourself” is mindless, silly fun for human beings aged 4 to 104.

Tweet review: #mnfringe Help Me Help You Help Yourself: come help a clown make a delightful mess @hugetheater with an array of funky outfits, dancing, unexpected challenges, callbacks and candy (for starters); more clever fun than can be summarized in a tweet - 5 stars

It is a testament to the genial, beguiling presence of Danny Wightkin (Your Silent Partner) that a traditionally audience participation-averse Minnesota audience by the end of the show was participating in an elaborate “Where’s Waldo?”-inspired prank on another audience member which involved the entire crowd donning ridiculous red and white costumes and headgear. And that isn’t the only time the full audience got in on the action. In fact, collectively we were so instrumental in creating a huge mess at HUGE theater that it did seem only right that we quickly assist Wightkin in cleaning up afterward. Many hands make light work.

Wightkin doesn’t speak a word, but he doesn’t have to in order to communicate with his audience. The tall, lanky clown wears a gray-striped turtleneck which is pulled up to cover his mouth and nose. The rest of his face below the red hair on his head is covered in white makeup. His expressive eyes and body do the talking for him. Help Me Help You Help Yourself is all about unpacking his organized disorganization through the execution of his many comedic routines.

At the beginning, for instance, he’s looking for the key to unlock his toolbox. The challenge is, he just keeps finding keys, and none of them work. Keys continue to fall out of every item and costume piece he unveils for most of the remainder of the performance, until at last, at the conclusion of a completely different routine with two willing audience volunteers, the correct key is finally discovered - and it results in treats for everyone in the crowd.

Thankfully, our audience included a nine-year-old girl who was willing to volunteer for multiple challenges, or Wightkin might have been left hanging. (I did mention we were averse to audience participation.) Once reassured that the tasks were harmless, the volunteers came more easily. Sometimes the clown didn’t wait for a volunteer, he just volunteered someone by interacting with them. But the joke always remains on him, as the designated professional clown in the room.

Sometimes the set-ups are a misdirection. We might think we’re getting in a William Tell/shooting the apple off someone’s head with a bow and arrow situation, but it turns into a trust exercise in how long a person can go without removing a sleep mask covering their eyes as they wait patiently while the rest of the audience is laughing loudly at a completely different bit of physical comedy the blindfolded volunteer can’t see. Several bits in fact. The nine year old volunteer established a new record, even as she shrugged at what the heck was going, and could also feel herself getting wrapped up in toilet paper. In another bit which is not what it seems, a request for a dance partner also turns out to be not what you think.

There’s also hazard gear for fallen cans of soda, onstage text messages, towers of plastic cups, hails of ping pong balls, balloons, card tricks, and lots more fun to be had. Honestly, just go and volunteer when asked, you won’t regret it. Danny Wightkin has created an easygoing, extremely funny show that’s enjoyable for everybody willing to engage with it.

It’s a great palate cleanser of silliness between other types of theater you might be seeing at the Fringe. Go on over to HUGE theater and hang out with the guy for a while. Help Me Help You Help Yourself has two more performances, Friday 8/12 at 7pm, and Sunday 8/14 at 4pm.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Bob and Reggie Go To Bed - Sometimes Comedy Doesn't Need To Make A Sound - 4.5 stars

Synopsis: Two idiots get ready for bed. Complications arise. A live show full of physical comedy, music, and no words.

Tweet review: #mnfringe Bob and Reggie Go To Bed: mishaps w/pajamas, magical bed transference, battles w/the Tooth Fairy, the 4th wall completely breaks down, plus a dance off; you know, the usual - 4.5 stars

A review of Bob and Reggie Go To Bed from me seems a bit superfluous at this point. They already have over 30 glowing audience reviews posted on the Minnesota Fringe Festival website that are averaging out to 4.5 out of 5 (they have kitties, I have stars, it’s the same idea). Comedy Suitcase, and the men behind it - Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen - have an established reputation and are three of the many reasons that people are happy the Fringe his back, so we get a chance to see them in action again. Add Fringe MVP Sulia Altenberg to the mix, as a chain-smoking Tooth Fairy, and that’s all the more reason to see this show. Rounding out the ensemble is composer/musician Rhiannon Fiskradatz (a name that would be high scoring if you were allowed to use it in Scrabble), providing musical accompaniment and sound effects throughout.

This is Scrimshaw and Weinhagen’s signature brand of physical comedy. It’s always a little disorienting to hear one of them speak at the end of the show because you’ve gotten so used to them being mute. Here the situation is the two of them supposedly trying to get to sleep at the end of a long work day, but it turns into an odyssey of pranks and battles that expend a whole other workday’s worth of energy. Struggles with pants and shirts and shoelaces and pajamas. Bouncing onto one bed creates a transference of energy that expels the other person from their bed. This magical connection is abused with everything from pillows to crackers to urine (fear not, it’s the suggestion of urine, no one’s actually exposed to bodily fluids). Trying to outwit Altenberg’s Tooth Fairy is a losing game they nevertheless push their luck trying to achieve (beware, she comes armed with toothbrushes and dental floss).

When the fourth wall accidentally collapses, the cast becomes aware of both the audience and the musician onstage, which of course leads to musical shenanigans and a dance off with audience participation. And don’t worry, they don’t forget to work in a banana peel bit - you can’t forget the classics. Some randomly selected audience members were having so much fun that I could hear another child whining in the audience that they wanted to be onstage, too. Thankfully the show wrapped up before the child could progress to a full meltdown. (Comedy Suitcase knows how to pace things for their audience.)

If you’re looking for some well-executed, silly fun, Bob and Reggie Go To Bed is a show appropriate for all ages. They have two more performances, tonight 8/11 at 5:30pm and Sunday, 8/14 at 5:30pm.

4.5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Ancestors Rising - Charismatic Artist Who Deserves To Be Seen and Heard - 5 Stars

“We don’t always have to stay on the Struggle Bus.”

Synopsis: It’s post-apocalyptic America...or what's left of it. After using music-powered experiments to time travel in search of a way to save a dying humanity, "afrophysicist" JahDavis returns home to join his fellow freedom fighters in rebuilding a new world out of the ashes of the old. Interweaving music, poetry, and storytelling, Ancestors Rising is an intimate and immersive portrayal of joy and resilience.

Tweet review: #mnfringe Ancestors Rising: @JoeDavisPoetry is a brilliant poet and performer overflowing with creativity and positivity; his way with words (and an audience) is mesmerizing; someone get this guy a bigger crowd; crazy good and inspiring - 5 stars

It’s just poet/spoken word artist Joe Davis and a microphone stand in the middle of the big empty Mixed Blood stage for the Fringe show Ancestors Rising but that is more than enough for an engaging, compelling performance. The synopsis above is a little bit of a misdirect (even though that’s what originally landed this show in my pre-Fringe Top 10 list in the #2 spot). That’s the synopsis for the play Ancestors Rising which Davis is building up to a full production of, now that theater is starting to happen again now that the first two years of the pandemic are behind us.

“The world doesn’t change by itself.”

This Fringe show is both an overview of that work in progress, talk about the process of developing it, and samples of Davis’ spoken word and poetry work. Now that may sound like it could be a bit dry or disjointed. However, in Joe Davis’ hands, it’s anything but. For instance, just getting to hear about historical figure Queen Nanny of the Maroons was quite an education.

“Trauma that is not transformed is transferred. Trauma that is not repaired is repeated.”

Also, Davis is such a joyful and positive presence on stage, you can’t help but give him your full attention. He’s a human fountain of energy and creativity. For this performance, he wore a T-shirt proclaiming, “Black Joy Is Revolutionary” and when you’re in his company, you can’t argue with that, it’s something he fully embodies.

“I am not broken, I am breaking open.”

The man knows how to work a crowd, even when he doesn’t have one (there were only eight of us there when I saw the show). I just kept imagining what a thrill it would be to have a group of Fringe audience regulars and fellow Fringe artists in that house. Davis could blow the roof off the place.

“You are not the magician. You are the magic.”

Someone, quite practically, asked me the other day, “If you could only recommend two shows for me to see, what would they be?” Only two, oh man, that’s brutal. But OK, if it could only be two, the ones I know really deserve an audience they’re not yet getting, would be ShMILF Life, and Ancestors Rising.

“We’ve each been called to this place. Show up and be fed.”

I bought a book of the man’s poetry. I’m on a budget, I don’t do things like that randomly. Ancestors Rising is a show that should be seen, and Joe Davis is an artist you should follow (he's @JoeDavidPoetry on social media). Ancestors Rising has two performances left, tonight 8/11 at 8:30pm and Saturday 8/13 at 5:30pm. As I said when I first tweeted about this show, someone get this guy a bigger crowd.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - She’s Already Gone - Mature Professional Musical from Young Aritsts - 4.5 Stars

"Instead of macaroni art, you make bombs."

Synopsis: In 1940s Belgium, Maria is trapped somewhere she doesn't recognize. Unable to reach her boyfriend, she forms a tense alliance with her neighbor Dorothy as she slowly uncovers that things are not what they seem.

Tweet review: #mnfringe She’s Already Gone: hard to not give the game away; teenagers created impressive original musical that’s actually about something; lovely voices; problematic character choices but that’s kinda what fascinates; points for just going for it; nicely done - 4.5 stars

She’s Already Gone is a cut above most Fringe musical theater offerings for a few reasons. The singing voices here are all good, some of them really good - and if you’ve attended musical theater offerings in past Fringe festivals (or even this year), you know that’s not always something you can count on. The music itself doesn’t have a ton of variety to it but it’s still quite pleasant to listen to and there’s just enough variety that things don’t seem repetitive (another common Fringe musical pitfall avoided). Also, the story of the musical is actually *about* something - it’s not a parody or a gimmick or an imitation of something else. (To say precisely what it’s about would be to spoil some of the twists and turns of the plot but there is a nod to it in the program when the playwright says that the work was inspired by her job as a resident companion at a nursing home.)

“Once the conflict is over, the media will return to being a beacon of truth as usual.”

What makes all of this doubly impressive is that the playwright (Erika Dierke), the composer (Dominic Dunn), the director (Josie Johnson), the stage manager (Raea Karch), the prop master (Ava Busch Manska), the stage hand (Adam Johnson), and three out of four members of the cast are all still in high school. And the other cast member only just graduated from college a couple of months ago. To say this is one of the younger Fringe production teams this year is not overstating the situation. She’s Already Gone was already impressive, but considering they’re putting on a show that’s more polished that those offered by people twice their age (or more), they deserve an extra nod.

“God can’t betray you if you don’t pray anymore.”

My interest in this show began with their promising (but slightly confusing) preview and trailer video. My guess then as to what the plot twist might be was WAY off the mark, but I’m actually quite happy about that. The real answer is much more down to earth and more than a little heartbreaking, but it’s a really well-executed reveal.

“I’ve loved her longer than she really knows.”

What the production seems to be about when it starts is a teenage girl in Belgium during World War II named Maria (Jenna Dierke) who is spending time with her friend Dorothy (Erika Dierke, also the playwright) who lives next door. Maria has to reluctantly say goodbye to her boyfriend Peter (Anthony Suhyoun) who appears to be heading off to war, and seems pretty sure that he’s not coming back after this goodbye, despite Maria’s upbeat attitude about their future. There is a lot of talk of Maria and Peter getting married and moving to America after the war is over. Audience members might wonder, if they’re in Belgium why is everyone speaking English and there are no accents. Well, it’s not that the teen actors haven’t learned accents yet. This is a choice, the reason for which will be clear later on. Quite suddenly, Maria’s reality is invaded by a stern nurse (Emma Anderson) who chides Maria for being somewhere she shouldn’t, even though Maria insists it is her home. Huh? Cracks in the initial reality of the play continue and what we learn later will cause us to reevaluate what we saw at the start. Anderson also has another role, and a stunning solo number, that I can’t discuss because it’ll spoil the fun of seeing it revealed to you in real time when you see the show yourself.

“Either you’re the only rational person, or you think you’re the only rational person.”

Other things I can’t discuss for spoiler-ish reasons are the seriously f**ked up choices made by one of the characters, with what do seem like the best of intentions, but for selfish reasons and counter to what probably should be happening in this situation. But I also realize that if everyone did as they should, there wouldn’t be conflict and confusion for other characters, and there wouldn’t be a play, so… gotta break a few eggs to make a theatrical omelette here. I can totally see this bad choice happening in real life, it just made me recoil while watching it on stage. The point of view of the play is both mature and immature at the same time (just like many of the characters), and it’s not afraid to let bad behavior look bad, so points for not trying to convince us to forgive a character’s mistakes when there’s no excusing them. The meditation on the purpose of faith the face of life’s cruelties is also clear-eyed and compelling.

“Don’t you think if there was a God, there wouldn’t be a war?”

There’s a lot happening in this show, and I could go on, but you should just go see She’s Already Gone for yourself. It’s an impressive debut for all concerned. She’s Already Gone has two more performances: Friday 8/12 at 5:30pm and Sunday 8/14 at 7pm.

4.5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

2022 Fringe Review - The Local Music Scene - New Music Inspires Improv Comedy - 4.5 Stars

“I just wanna gaslight you for the next 20 years.”

Synopsis: An improv show that uses music performed by local musicians as inspiration for improvised scenes. Aug 5: Mitch Ditlefsen, Aug 8: Courtney Yasmineh, Aug 10: Kaity Joan, Aug 13: Dave Dvorak, Aug 14: Mother Banjo

Tweet review: #mnfringe Local Music Scene: local musician sings their songs, chats with improvisers who create comedic scenes inspired by lyrics and personal info; good music, good improv, good times - 4.5 stars

The concept of the show The Local Music Scene is simple. A local musician is interviewed by the producer and lead improvisor Philip Simondet. The other improvisors in the group (Sarah Arnold-Simondet, Liz Council Choate, Eric Heiberg, Bryce Kalal, Doug Ocar, Kathryn Vannelli) take notes in erasable marker on little white boards. Then the musician sings their first song. The improvisors all take more notes. When the first song is done, the microphone stand is pulled to the side, the musician takes a seat, and the improvisors take the musician’s interview answers and lyrics of their first song and create a succession of comedic scenes peppered with those bits of information as inspiration. After a set period of time, five to ten minutes, the lights go down on the improvisors bringing their work to a close for the moment. Then the musician gets up to sing their next song, the improvisors take notes, and at the end of the song, the improv comedy starts again. This happens one more time after that, and then the show ends with the musician playing one last song and then the curtain closes.

“One of these days I’m gonna get that damn catchphrase right.”

To be honest, I was wondering how this was going to work, but I was reminded pretty quickly that good improvisors are great at creating something out of next to nothing. And with a full interview and a whole song to play with (and then another song, and then another), they’ve got a lot more than nothing here. New characters and situations were constantly being invented on the spot, but as the show went on, certain scenarios reappeared again, calling back to previous material while moving forward with the new stuff. Here we got a bank robber whose flourishing music career was getting in the way of his anonymity, as well as his fellow robbers wanting him to pursue his art form and not let them hold him back. There was a prairie lesbian couple where one partner was co-dependent and the other was toxic and kept kicking their partner out of the house by calling a covered wagon style Uber for her to take her away. There was a young woman who brought her new boyfriend, later fiancé, home to meet the parents and her sarcastic brother - the boyfriend was known only as The Man Without A Face - which can make it hard to communicate, or see, or eat dinner with the folks.

“The bad news is that they only sent us Christian Nerf soldiers.”

In addition to being an improv comedy generator, The Local Music Scene also appears to be a useful platform for new musicians looking to get in front of audiences. The first performance’s musician Mitch Ditlefsen was asked to clarify, “Is this your first public performance?” “Well, I technically had a show a couple of weeks ago but no one showed up, so yes, this is my first audience.” That made the already good performance even more impressive.

“Also, I’m getting tired of making helicopter noises.”

This concept was already a long-running gig at the Bryant Lake Bowl every month since sometime in 2014, until everything shut down for the pandemic in 2020, so they’ve had a lot of practice. They’re starting up monthly shows again in the fall. But catch The Local Music Scene now in the Fringe, particularly if you’re looking for some good improv, or a little new music. It satisfies both entertainment needs. The Local Music Scene has three more performances: today 8/10 at 7pm (with musician Kaity Joan), Saturday 8/13 at 7pm (with musician Dave Dvorak), and Sunday 8/14 at 8:30pm (with musician Mother Banjo).

4.5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Arsgang: What You Follow Follows You - Life and Death and What Remains - 5 Stars

“You may think there is silence in the darkness. You’d be wrong.”

Synopsis: On the dark night of the solstice, a brave soul seeking visions of the coming year must undertake a dangerous, quiet, supernatural pilgrimage through the still and snowy forest...although not truly alone....

Tweet review: #mnfringe Arsgang: What You Follow Follows You - They're so good at creating these creepy, melancholy meditations on mortality and loss that I even enjoy being faked out, repeatedly, by what I think the plot and characters are; just lovely - 5 stars

Sometimes when you realize a story is faking you out, and something you thought you knew isn’t really true, you can feel cheated, or lied to. The best stories that seem to be about one thing and end up being about something else are the ones that don’t hit you over the head with it. There’s no “ha ha, we tricked you!” The clues were there all along, and now that you know the truth, you think back to the beginning and say to yourself, “Oh, so that’s what was really going on. Wow.” The Winding Sheet Outfit’s latest Fringe show, Arsgang: What You Follow Follows You, is one of the best kind of fake out stories.

“Don’t worry about here. She’s fine.”

Arsgang seems (at first) to be about a young orphan girl, Lajla (Kayla Dvorak Feld) who is taken by the local pastor (Derek Lee Miller) to stay with aunts Agnis and Sissela (Kristina Fjellman, Megan Campbell Lagas) after her parents and siblings are buried. The town they all lived in has been blighted by a plague and the survivors of the town have retreated to a new encampment some distance away, to see if they can escape the disease. Accompanying Lajla is her childhood pal Ylvie (Boo Segersin). At least that seems to be what’s going on. The first sign that something is a little off is that one of the aunts can see visions, and also seems to have the power to just put other people “on pause” for a minute or two so she can attend to tasks or have special conversations with different people uninterrupted.

“Sight is not necessary for faith, Lajla. Love has not left you.

This story is threaded through Lajla’s ritual quest of arsgang, where one goes into the forest alone at night in order to be granted the privilege of seeing what the future holds. And you have to be very careful not to violate the rules of arsgang, or you could bring death upon yourself. The rest of the cast doubles as masked animal figures living in the forest - stag, rabbit, fox and crow. Figures of a bear and owl lurk in the darkness above the playing space providing music and other magical effects (the bear is the director Amber Bjork, and the owl is the primary musician Joshua Swantz). The forest itself is simply a series of bare tree branches set into a flower pot foundation which are regularly moved and reconfigured to create new locations, in the forest and out. There is a figure listed in the program as The Follower (Matthew Kessen) who is also not what he seems (or at least not who or what I expected him to be, silently moving around the edges of the two interwoven stories).

“The universe is large and strange.”

Don’t try to guess. Just follow the story as it unfolds. It’s very satisfying. The waves of recognition moving through the audience as the reality of it all falls into place are pretty cool. At one revealing line of dialogue, the person next to me literally gasped. The Winding Sheet Outfit is really good at weaving these melancholy tales that meditate on the nature of life and death and what remains. Every now and again, it’s fun to sit back and just let someone tell you a good story. Give it a try. Arsgang: What You Follow Follows You has three performances left: tonight 8/10 at 7pm; Friday 8/12 at 10pm, and Saturday 8/13 at 7pm.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended

2022 Fringe Review - Erotic For Houseplants - Ridiculous and Sexy - 5 Stars

“It’s not a show about f*cking plants. It’s a show about plants f*cking.”

Synopsis: A comedic collage of erotica by, for and about plants (read aloud by a human). Steamy succulents. Lonely redwoods. Corn-ographic tales of crop pollination. A silly botanical f*ckfest. Houseplants get in free!

Tweet review: #mnfringe Erotica For Houseplants: If @tbreed wants to read me naughty plant stories, sing some songs and imitate a bee, I’m down for that. Laughing for 50 minutes is good for the soul - 5 stars

Though he admits at the start of the show, “This is just the dumbest idea I could come up with,” Tom Reed certainly commits to the premise. The Fringe show Erotica For Houseplants is both ridiculous and sexy, because Tom Reed is both ridiculous and sexy. Yes, it’s a whole show consisting of sexy material about plants - stories, poems, songs, single jokes that are a whole subject all by themselves. But Tom Reed has a way with words, and a way with a joke, and his voice, whether speaking or singing, can do anything he wants it to. So if he decides he wants this story about plants to be sexy, or sweet, or hilarious, that’s what it’s going to be.

“I can do it all - I sing, I dance, I’m poisonous to cats.”

A man gets back from work and tends to his houseplant (“You’re waiting for me when I get home, sitting on the kitchen counter wearing your favorite outfit - nothing…” and we’re off to the races.). A shy plant attends her first botanical orgy and unexpectedly meets someone nice. A guy gets a little too into the act of shucking and eating corn in front of his family. A Norwegian pine sings a love song to a cactus. An annual plant (which only lives for one season) defends their relationship with a much older perennial plant to the rest of the citizens of the garden. A horny old redwood tree helps us to see pollen in new ways. Tom imitates a bee - along with many other silly and sexy segments of the performance.

“Some wheat getting plowed by a hoe.”

Reed is also committed to the idea of houseplants getting the best seats at the show. There’s a place at the front of the stage to drop off your houseplant if you brought one with you. Someone in the audience for this show did, and Tom can spot the newcomers to the front of the stage. He made a point of going down to the front and having a chat with Steve, the hanging houseplant.

“You didn’t come here to pollinate yourself. You can do that at home.”

Erotica For Houseplants is exactly what the title promises. And Tom Reed has by now proven that he can make an amusing and satisfying Fringe show out of just about anything. So if you just want to relax and watch something completely ludicrous and laugh - a lot - then Erotica For Houseplants is your ticket. Tom still has four shows left - tonight 8/10 at 10pm, tomorrow 8/11 at 5:30pm, Friday 8/12 at 10pm, and finally Saturday 8/13 at 2:30pm.

5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended