Fringe 2024 - Day 4 In Brief

The day in Threads

A bit more driving around today than days prior, plus a last minute show substitution due to a (probably) sold out performance of another, but I managed to get to all destinations in time to see the show, which is a better result than I expected when the day began. Trying not to think too much about my carbon footprint.

Start of the day thread: There will be more driving around for mnfringe today than in the previous 3 days. Drive times appear to be safely doable for most of the lineup, the diciest items being the 10pm show jaunt, and the fact that two of my shows might be sold out by the time I get there. We’ll see if the Fringe luck is with me today - or if I have more unplanned time to sit around writing reviews. Fingers crossed :)

Threads review, mnfringe show 16, Dutch: Made In America, a hallucinatory scramble through the personal history of former President Ronald Reagan; still sorting out my own brain on this one but it’s a unique vision, sharply executed; worth seeing for the sock puppet FDR ventriloquist routine alone, but there’s SO much more going on - 4.5 stars (my returning Fringe favorite write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 17, I Favor My Daddy: A Tale of Two Sissies; like a lot of us, Jamie Brickhouse knew his mother better than he knew his father; fathers keep their secrets close; Jamie’s father provides a lot of mystery, but Jamie still manages to make a helluva show out of it - 4.5 stars (my returning Fringe favorite write-up)

First mnfringe commute of the day, Open Eye to Strike, successful! Onward!

Threads review, mnfringe show 18, They Still Make Film For That? Enchanting, laid back change of pace, exploring the history, art, process, and benefits of film photography - 4.5 stars (my Fringe Top 10 write-up)

Second mnfringe commute successfully executed, however the ticket line was around the block so I just kept driving to my backup show location, third commute successful (though fair warning there’s some kind of music festival in an uptown lot between 28th and 29th off Lyndale). Parking found, token purchased, 10 minutes to spare…

Threads "review," mnfringe show 19, the nicest thing to do here is to say nothing and allow this one to remain a mystery; moving on…

Threads review, mnfringe show 20, Blackout Improv Does Something!!! OK, we’re back on track with my previously scheduled programming :) If you’ve seen Blackout Improv, I don’t need to convince you they’re great. If you haven’t seen Blackout Improv, then improve your life by starting now and seeing them throughout the rest of the year as well - 5 stars (my returning Fringe favorite write-up)

Threads review, mnfringe show 21, Least Likely to Succeed: Tales from a Midwestern Homeschooler - I love the standup comedy of @tristanjmiller, just watching his clever brain wend its way through both the established set and the various tangents is super entertaining. And he had to push on through the muted response of a small Minnesota crowd (we find it hard to laugh loudly if we think we’ll draw too much attention to ourselves :) Doubly impressive - 5 stars (my Fringe Top 10 write-up)

Final mnfringe commute for the day completed, made it in plenty of time - phew (need to remember that traffic at 9:30pm on a Sunday, a lot lighter than it would have been earlier, much less stressful :)

Threads review, mnfringe show 22, Defibrillator - a woman’s heart stops for a still unknown reason, destabilizing for a time herself, her family and the larger community around her; a compelling and personal tale made strangely less compelling and less personal by choices in writing and presentation; still well worth seeing, they just reshuffled all the milestones and then didn’t stick the landing - 3.5 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.