Fringe 2024 - Day 3 In Brief

The day in Threads

Back on the West Bank again, walking between four different venues for Saturday’s seven shows

Threads review, mnfringe show 9, Thy Hard - it isn’t Christmas until Hans Graber falls out the window of Nakatomi Plaza, in iambic pentameter; comedy word wizard Michael Shaeffer does it again - 5 stars (my Fringe returning favorite write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 10, The Light Bringer: personal, often harrowing story of a Muslim girl who grows into a young woman her conservative family can no longer control - 4.5 stars (my Fringe Top 20 write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 11, As Above, So Below: enormously compelling, sometimes funny (horror) story of family dysfunction and mental illness so personal and vivid you genuinely want to ask the artist after the show if they’re really all right (because even though they’re still here and there’s a show… damn) - 5 stars (my Fringe returning favorite write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 12, Transmasculine Cabaret starring Vulva Va-Voom: so much queerness in one show, singing, jokes, interactive sound cues, arias, truths both hard and soft, my mind is still spinning - 5 stars (my Fringe Top 20 write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 13, The Wind Phone: a disconnected phone in the middle of a sculpture garden allows grieving people to talk to dead loved ones, be they spouses, mothers, mentors or dogs; smartly written and executed, and just the right level of heartfelt - 4.5 stars (my Fringe returning favorite write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 14, The Camp Out: a half dozen of the Twin Cities’ best improvisors, as a group of messy friends who don’t camp, gathering in the woods to say goodbye to an old friend, if they can hold their own sh*t together long enough to do so, delightfully awkward and very funny - 4.5 stars (my Fringe returning favorite write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 15, Juliet and Juliet: Improvised Shakespeare - a new short play fully improvised by just a suggestion of subject matter and two names, all in iambic pentameter, so funny that even the performers sometimes had to suppress smiles (and corpses moved with laughter); the skillset here is off the charts impressive; great fun you don't need to be high-brow to enjoy (the Bard loved dick jokes, after all) - 4.5 stars (my Fringe Top 20 write-up)

 

 

Here's some handy links to coverage of shows I've seen in the Fringe this year getting 5 and 4.5 Stars (Very Highly Recommended), 4 and 3.5 Stars (Highly Recommended) as well as the shows ranking 3 stars or less; also links to this year's Top 10 list and Top 11-20 list, also a full list of all returning favorites to this year's Fringe, plus a link to ALL the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.

While I have your attention, please VOTE :) 

Minnesota is currently in the early voting period for our Congressional and local primaries (I had the U.S. Senate, Congress, and the Minneapolis school board on my ballot) - final day to vote in the primary is Tuesday, August 13th, but you don't have to wait until Fringe is over, go vote right now :)

Early voting for the Presidential Election itself in Minnesota starts on Friday, September 20th. We're lucky to have a lot of time to get our voices heard, so cast your vote, and then make sure everyone you know and love is registered and gets to the polls to vote. Election Day, your final date to vote, is Tuesday, November 5th.

As a queer playwright and theater maker, I want a government that's compassionate and competent enough to keep us all safe and healthy, keep theaters open and running, and personally, I'd just like to be legal myself and keep the weirdos out of government and out of my personal business (and the things I post on this blog, for instance). We all have our reasons, so let's make sure we get the leaders we need and deserve, and get our friends, family and co-workers to raise their voices, too.

Find where to vote and what's on your ballot (with links to candidate websites) and other resources at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.

For other resources on how to register, volunteer or donate, locally or nationally, check out Vote Save America.

Vote.  Raise your voice. We're not going back.