tweet review - #mnfringe show 18 - Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist - Rev. Matt Kessen and new assistant Elora Riley make this look easy but taking your singular, exhaustively researched obsession w/monsters and turning it into something entertaining/hilarious is hard; kudos! - 5 stars
tweet review - #mnfringe show 25 - is it a surprise that Monster Science's Greatest Hits is a good show? (not in the slightest); this peek into old Hollywood and the woman (uncredited for decades) who designed the Creature From The Black Lagoon was both fascinating and entertaining - 5 stars
While I could probably do two separate reviews for both The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist, and Monster Science’s Greatest Hits, I would probably be spending a lot of time repeating myself, so, like classic monster movies of old, we have a double feature.
“If you teach the black arts to a human-rodent hybrid, he will use them irresponsibly.”
Monster Science’s Greatest Hits gives you an example of the original style of the presentations from Rev. Matt’s Monster Science lecture series. Matthew Kessen exhaustively researches everything in the geek pantheon, from ancient mythological creatures to monsters in classic literature and modern cinema to the aliens and robots of science fiction, just to name a very few. The cross-section of the offerings in the Greatest Hits line-up give a good idea of the scope of his studies: the devil, dinosaurs, the life and career of the woman who designed the Creature From the Black Lagoon, monsters of Norse mythology, and the Muppets.
“Certainly the progress of humanity has only made us more virtuous.”
Once he has done all that research, Kessen crafts it into an engaging narrative with a beginning, middle and end, with plenty of room for amusing or intriguing tangents to the primary subject matter. While culling the material into its final form, he’s also applying his dry wit and deadpan delivery to the text, and gathering the images of the accompanying PowerPoint presentation that adds visual variety (and additional humor) to his lesson plan. The material is viewed through a lens of today’s societal norms (what we’ve learned, what we haven’t since the time whatever monster was first created). These insights aren’t delivered as hectoring or scolding, more as asides with a raised eyebrow or accompanying slide in the presentation to allow the audience to finish the joke themselves (and of course, often the joke is on us, all of humanity).
“The Metaluna Mutant from ‘This Island Earth,’ seen here in his relaxed fit slacks.”
For instance, in the Greatest Hit show I saw, about the designer of the Creature From The Black Lagoon, Millicent Patrick was never given official credit in Hollywood for her designs. Men took the credit, and she literally had to wait for them to die for anyone to start taking her claims seriously, or even feeling like she had permission to speak up. She died before the larger Hollywood community ever gave her that credit. And her life and career intersected with everything and everyone from William Randolph Hearst to Disney animation to Abbott and Costello to the aliens of the science fiction classic This Island Earth. There was also a fair bit of personal scandal percolating under the surface.
“It was almost always Elmo.”
The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist takes the Monster Science basics that Kessen is so well known for and adds the twist of a second lecturer in the mix. In addition to Kessen’s singular presence at the monster science podium, we also get Elora Riley as his fellow performer and co-writer on this show. This allows the amusing and informative Monster Science lectures to be interspersed with actual two person scenes as well. Elora interviews for the position of Monster Science Assistant, and then gets the training needed to begin the good work of monster study, and even gets out into the field on what turns out to be a fake hunt for Bigfoot, with Rev. Matt doing his “best” sasquatch impression. Each of these sections between the traditional lecture portions of the program are fun and add new dimensions to each character as we learn more about both of them outside the bounds of monster research. Kessen and Riley have a great rapport, and their comic timing together keeps things moving right along until some surprising final revelations.
“A dramatic reading of people on Facebook arguing about Tyrannosaurus lips.”
The Monster Science series of performances is a good example of how to take a subject, however obscure, and make it just as interesting to an audience (who may or may not have the same knowledge when they buy a ticket) as it is to the person doing the research to create the show. The pseudo-lecture/PowerPoint presentation format wouldn’t work for everyone doing a one person show, of course, but Kessen has the formula down so it works like gangbusters here. We in the audience understand why Rev. Matt cares about his monstrous subject matter, because he’s found a way to get us to care as well. We know why he’s telling the story, we get something to take away when the show is over. There is a thesis, there is a point, and we get it. That might sound like Basic Storytelling 101, but I’ve seen a lot of shows over the years, even ones this Fringe, that miss that mark.
“That’s not how smell works. You made that up.”
“Someone made all of this up.”
So, hats off to Matthew Kessen, for continuing to do something he already does well, and then finding a way to tinker with the formula (with the added talents of Elora Riley) and create a related product that is equally entertaining. See one or both shows, then follow Rev. Matt’s Monster Science online to stay abreast of what he’s up to. Monster science research is a year-round pursuit, after all, not only at Fringe time.
The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist, and Monster Science’s Greatest Hits
Both 5 Stars
Both Very Highly Recommended
Here's some handy links to a rundown of 5 and 4.5 Star shows I've seen this year, also the 4 and 3.5 Star shows, and the rest, plus this year's Top 10 list, and Top 11-20 List, and the full list of all returning favorites in the 2023 Fringe, plus a link to all the 2023 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.
No comments:
Post a Comment