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)
“This place isn’t nice. It is polite.”
It’s a little weird writing about Michael Rogers’ first solo show “As Above, So Below” because it feels so personal to him that responding to it feels like I’m either trying to give him advice or free therapy that he didn’t request from me. But I will endeavor to just respond to this Fringe production as a piece of art, rather than a personal confessional or cry for help, because that’s what most people presenting a show for discussion want - just, what did you think of it, and why?
“I am skilled at convincing myself that I am wrong.”
What did I think? It’s a stunning performance by Rogers, for starters. Even if he hadn’t also written it, and directed it. (These are skillsets I don’t have. I don’t know how people direct something they’ve written, I tried it once and just couldn’t do it. Though I’m not much of a performer, I can understand performing something you’ve written, because, naturally, you know it best, you know how it sounded in your head when you wrote it so… that’s not as much of a stretch. Directing your own performance, again, is beyond me. So, hats off to Rogers for wearing all three of those hats and making it look easy. It’s not.)
“A young boy who just grew up too quickly, and kept going.”
For just a couple of minutes right at the top I thought, “Oh no, theater as therapy.” The character is talking about a failed relationship and how he’s having trouble bouncing back, living alone, etc. Many a well-intentioned but terrible Fringe show has tried to unpack personal baggage that didn’t ultimately have any artistic merit in the sharing of the story. But this is Michael Rogers, so of course that wasn’t where we were going. That’s just the familiar entry point before we turn down a very different road entirely.
“It matters. Of course it does. Just not now.”
This is a human being in distress, having a hard time coping with multiple stressors that come with entering the world of adulthood - responsibility for your own sense of well-being, your own living situation, your own finances, your interpersonal relationships (friends or lovers or whether you even have any of either group), the engine driving your own career, to name just a few.
“‘Good mornings’ that denied the night before.”
Also, your parents become human. When you’re a kid, your parents take care of you (assuming you’re one of the lucky ones), and they can seem to have boundless resources of support, emotional and monetary. Now that you’re an adult, too, your parents can get sick and need care themselves. Your parents can turn into someone you don’t recognize. Disagreements can cause real pain and distance, since you now have the ability to leave and shut them out. And the hopeless feeling of not being able to connect with your parents, despite reaching out and trying to understand them, that can be something that shifts the earth underneath your feet.
“My mother got cancer and my father got QAnon. Only one of them got better.”
“As Above, So Below” explores all this and a whole lot more, much more eloquently than I can summarize it here. The writing, performance, and staging offer a blistering portrait of someone struggling to stay tethered to reality and in control of the portions of their live over which they can exercise control. Coming to terms with the things you can’t control, either in yourself or in others, that’s the tricky part. Few of us get it right on the first try.
“There was a shadow that had outgrown its cage.”
Rogers understands all of this and presents it with a clear eye and no apology. So we in the audience can see what it looks like to struggle with something that has no single solution. “As Above, So Below” is a mesmerizing piece of work, but you should see it for yourself. Because people like me trying to describe it and its merits are only going to give you part of the picture. It’s a piece of live theater, it needs to be seen. You and Rogers need to hold the space together. Trust me, it’s well worth it.
5 Stars - Very Highly Recommended
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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