The day in Threads
The word of the day was WET. After raining off and on most of the cloudy day on Monday, the sky quite literally unloaded in torrents on approaching audience members just minutes before the 5:30pm show. The wind also made umbrellas both ineffective and ridiculous (mine was yanked completely out of shape and was useful as a limp hood over my head and shoulders for the remainder of the night). It was still coming down pretty hard on the journey to the 7pm time slot but thankfully subsided to a minimal drizzle for 8:30pm and decided to take a break for 10pm. But it was 5 star shows across a variety of genres all night long, so it was worth the sacrifice of an umbrella, and needing to dry my feet with a towel upon returning home. Perfect, if damp, Fringing to begin the week.
Threads review, mnfringe show 23, All The Hullabaloo: Though the sky seemed to dump all its water on me just as I was walking to the theater, it was worth the soaking to get to see Lily Conforti and the skilled dancers of Corpus Dance Works stage yet another of their joyous dance parties, this time filled with piles of clothes, boxes of cereal, and the kind of amazing moves only human bodies such as these are capable of; transporting, beautiful and just a whole lot of fun to watch - 5 stars (my returning Fringe favorite write-up)
Threads review, mnfringe show 24, Godzilla Is Not A Dinosaur: Abby Bland is a lot of fun as both standup comedian and poet; knows how to work a crowd in both roles (even though on a rainy Monday I was one of only a half dozen people in the house; she played with the same enthusiasm as if the place was full); some might not think Godzilla, King Kong, Jurassic Park and meditations on gender would mix well as fodder for both comedy and poetry, but those people would be wrong; this was a great time - 5 stars
Threads review, mnfringe show 25, Close Call: A How-Not-To Guide to Being a POS - a cheeky but also sincere and heartfelt presentation, complete with interactive screen text, recounting a half-dozen bad paths Brian Watson-Jones nearly went down but pulled back from, and the people and incidents that saved him; it's hard to do an earnest confessional without seeming self-aggrandizing or preachy, but he walks that fine line perfectly; impressive and moving work - 5 stars
Threads review, mnfringe show 26, 5x5: I think I need an expanded vocabulary to find some new words for how great the work of Transatlantic Love Affair is as an ensemble creating whole worlds of stories with just their bodies and voices, and also for how great the work of Amber Bjork is as a director; we got rapid-fire (funny but still not disrespectful) versions of the Green Knight, Macbeth, Nosferatu, Jurassic Park, and Popo and Izta all in the space of an hour; magical - 5 stars (my returning Fringe favorite 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.
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