Pistachio’s Playhouse
Description:
When the host of the beloved children’s show Pistachio’s Playhouse experiences a sudden tragedy, she has to try and keep the Playhouse from closing while maintaining her sanity in front of an impressionable audience.
Venue – Barker Center
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Crude Humor, Mental Illness, Violence
Genre and Content - LGBTQIA+ Content, Comedy, Drama, Clowning, Puppetry
Ages 18 and up
This is another instance of a Fringe preview really selling the concept of a show that won me over. (Once the song gets going, the sound mix imbalance is a bit overpowering, but the techs will work that out for the smaller Barbara Barker Center for Dance space where the show is performing)
How can you not love a preview that starts out, “Hi kids! Welcome to my playhouse! I’m Pistachio Creampie and these are my rats!” (as long as the rats are puppets, of course). Follow that up with a perky song about how it’s best to suppress your feelings unless they’re happy ones, so you don’t make other people uncomfortable, and you’ve got yourself a very midwestern Fringe show indeed.
(If you saw this in person, you’ll know immediately whether the show is for you or not. The video version is also helpful, though not the same experience as being in the room.)
The design and performance style of this show, just based on this sliver of a preview, is wonderful. Bright, colorful, very much in the style of a kids show (though this is, of course, an adults only (18 and up) kids show plumbing some darker subject matter.). Based on earlier publicity shots I thought it might be a bit too horror-adjacent for my taste, but it looks like it’s going to walk a fine line and not tip over, so I’m a lot more interested now to give it a try. Also, it’s a drag performance, so the queerness of the approach is right up my alley.
The press packet materials offer some helpful context on the project:
“Pistachio's Playhouse was born from the drag persona of writer and star, Samuel Karie aka Pistachio Creampie. What started as a 3-minute performance piece at a gay bar became the elaborate and personal story of a children's show host trying to keep her life together after an unexpected tragedy. The show explores universal themes of grief, trauma, and existentialism all wrapped up in a package akin to classic children's shows like PeeWee's Playhouse and Sesame Street. In addition to writing and starring in the production, Samuel Karie is also the costume, makeup, and prop department. This show is a true labor of love and one of the most unique shows you'll see all year.”
For the Fringe’s instagram account, the artist responded to the question “What should audiences expect?” with this: –
“A meta take on a 90s children’s show with a dark twist. It’s PeeWee’s Playhouse meets The Truman Show. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you won’t know how to react.”
Sometimes if I’m skittish about a show, it’s hard to win me over. My initial instincts can be hard to shake. But this preview won me over, which is something I honestly wasn’t expecting. Hats (or wigs) off to Pistachio, you and your rats can really work a crowd.
Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival. And here's links to the 2026 versions of my pre-Fringe Top 10 list and Top 11 through 20 for the 2026 festival as we ramp up toward the start of the Fringe on August 6th.
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