Fringe 2025 - Highly Recommended Shows I've Seen - 4 Stars, 3.5 Stars

Here's a handy list of coverage of the shows I've seen so far at the Fringe that are HIGHLY Recommended, getting either 4 stars or 3.5 stars, with links to full-length reviews as they're posted, in alphabetical order by title:

4 Stars - Highly Recommended (aka, Excellent)

MN Fringe show #39: Final Dress - Allison Vincent subbed in last minute as guest director, bringing that Transatlantic Love Affair physical theater vibe to Sean Dillon and Michael DallaValle’s fake final rehearsal before “opening” (it’s hard, but funny, faking a whole play from scratch :) - 4 stars  

 

MN Fringe show #5: This - I kinda figured Tim Uren had more theater/life stories than could comfortably fit in a 1 hr. time slot and I was accidentally right; the epilogue section of the opening performance got cut off because the show ran a titch too long; lot of good material, though :) 4 stars

 

MN Fringe show #35: Your Hello To My Goodbye - sweet family drama with eldest daughter heading off for a new life and career in NYC while her slightly dysfunctional family needs to figure out how they’re going to get along without her; script a bit repetitive; voice projection an issue; 4 stars 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.5 Stars - Highly Recommended (aka, Good Job Plus) 

(none yet...) 

 

 

Here’s some handy links to coverage of 5 Star and 4.5 Star Shows I've Seen (VERY Highly Recommend), Other Shows I've Seen (3 Stars or Less), as well as my Fringe Top 10, Top 11 to 20 and Returning Favorites lists for this year, and all the coverage of this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.  

 

As I’m sure many artists are, I find myself struggling with the idea of just “taking time off” (what a luxury) and submerging myself in a whole lot of theater for 11 days while the world is on fire so… I’m going to put some phrases and links down here (and at the end of each post going forward) and if you find yourself compelled to explore one or more of them, so much the better.  There’s a lot going on, and it can be easy to get overwhelmed and tune out, but as Congresswoman Sarah McBride recently said, “If everybody shows a little courage, nobody needs to be a hero.”  I freely admit this list and these links are hardly exhaustive.  It's just something to get started.  Do what you can, where you can, however you can.  Let’s help one another get through this.

Contacting your elected officials about the issues that matter to you (and protesting as necessary)
Starvation in the Gaza Strip
Immigration raids around the United States
Ukraine fighting off invasion by Russia
Trans rights
Climate change action
Housing shortage and the unhoused
Reproductive Rights
Voting rights, and running for office
The courts, from the Supreme Court on down to the local level
Don’t forget to laugh - even gallows humor is still humor