Phoenix Presents
Scot Froelich, Rob Ward, Brian Watson-Jones
This is an anthology of three unique shows:
"Aging In An Age of Change" by Scot Froelich
We don't have to burn out or fade away. There's a third option between taking up too much space and ceasing to exist.
"Slices" produced by Brian Watson-Jones
Dark, twisted, and occasionally humorous stories told by those on the edges of society, sanity, and morality. A collection of storytelling monologues from The Pumpkin Pie Show by Clay McLeod Chapman, performed by Cate Jackson, Gregory Parks, H Jo Raiter, and Brian Watson-Jones.
"How to Kill a Horse" by Rob Ward
A pitch-black, one-man musical comedy about the true history of the weirdest, nastiest, horse-killingest case of fraud in American history!
Venue: Phoenix Theater
Tagged for: Comedy, Horror, Solo Show, Storytelling, Historical Content
Content Warnings: Adult language, Blood, Abuse/Physical Violence, Crude Humor, Sexual violence, Suicidal ideation/self-harm, Sexual Content, Gun/Weapon Usage, Mental Illness, Drug Content, Violence, Other Divisive Content
The Phoenix Theater is one of the venues outside the main Cedar-Riverside hub of the festival where independent producers are offering still more shows, including this three-in-one production under the banner of “Phoenix Presents.” With this, plus a musical (Extreme Roadshow, from John Orenstein) and some improv comedy (Playback Time, from The Reservoir Frogs), the Phoenix has a full roster of Fringe shows to partake of. And on opening and closing weekend, you could just hang out for a three hour block back to back to back and catch all three of the shows that are part of the “Phoenix Presents” showcase (schedule below and on their Fringe page, as well as the Phoenix website). The days in between opening and closing weekend of the Fringe you can catch the other shows as well :)
I’ve been a fan of Scot Froelich’s work in the Fringe since his 2013 solo show “Men Will Be Boys” (which was in my Fringe Top 5 that year), then 2016’s “Break Your Heart”, and then 2019’s “A Man’s Guide for Appropriate Behavior in the 21st Century” - all of which I thoroughly enjoyed (plus some additional fun storytelling as the fish half of 2017’s “A Mermaid Abroad, and A Fish Out Of Water”). So I’m up for whatever he might want to say on the topic of aging this year.
Brian Watson Jones, between his work with the Bard Fiction/Tedious Brief crew back in 2009 (Fringe Top 10 that year), his own producing work on the Fringe Orphans short play showcases in several of the years since, plus a Bisexual Unicorn in Fringe 2019, has never been shy about swinging for the fences. Here he and his cast are taking on the material of Clay McLeod Chapman’s The Pumpkin Pie Show, which Chapman and a friend brought to our Fringe back in 2008. I missed it back then but my fellow blogger at the time Kate Hoff was a big fan, with a hearty recommendation, so I’m happy to get another chance to see a version of it this year.
And though I’m not as familiar with Rob Ward’s work, “a pitch-black, one-man musical comedy about the true history of the weirdest, nastiest, horse-killingest case of fraud in American history” certainly sounds very Fringey and worth a look.
Friday, 8/4
7pm - Aging In An Age of Change - Scot Froelich
8:30pm - Slices - Brian Watson-Jones
10pm - How to Kill a Horse! - Rob Ward
Saturday, 8/5
5:30pm - Slices - Brian Watson-Jones
7pm - How to Kill a Horse! - Rob Ward
8:30pm - Aging In An Age of Change - Scot Froelich
Sunday, 8/6
4pm - How to Kill a Horse! - Rob Ward
5:30pm - Aging In An Age of Change - Scot Froelich
7pm - Slices - Brian Watson-Jones
Friday, 8/11
7pm - Slices - Brian Watson-Jones
8:30pm - How to Kill a Horse! - Rob Ward
10pm - Aging In An Age of Change - Scot Froelich
Saturday, 8/12
5:30pm - How to Kill a Horse! - Rob Ward
7pm - Slices - Brian Watson-Jones
8:30pm - Aging In An Age of Change - Scot Froelich
UPDATE 8/3: All three storytellers did a rapid-fire combined Fringe preview together on Fringe Eve, the night before the festival began:
Here's some handy links to this year's Top 10, and Top 11-20 Lists, plus the full list of all returning favorites at this year's Fringe, plus a link to all the 2023 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.
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