Thursday, August 6, 2026 - Opening Night of Fringe
#mnfringe show 1 - Small Minded - brilliant mix of clowning, comedy, singing and serious acting, backed by impressive production values that entertains at the same time it lets the audience sit with the discomfort of exoticizing/laughing at little people performing for their amusement - 5 stars
#mnfringe show 2 - Stage Presents - Wells Farnham takes the stage and doesn't let it go for 3 manic comedic stories that are real stemwinders and a 4th that is *so* close to sticking the landing; challenging himself on several fronts and upping his game in the process; great fun - 4.5 stars
Passing by Dawn Bentley in transit between #mnfringe shows 2 and 3 last night, she said "It's gonna be a great festival" I nodded, smiled and said, "Yes, it is" - all night ran into people who'd all seen wildly different things, no one saw a bad show; the artists are on fire this year; also, angry
#mnfringe show 3: Sound and Noise and Bodies: still trying to wrap my brain around this must see show from Jen Scott; remarkable writing; gentle jovial delivery of life events and insights that are often devastating; original ukulele song lyrics with equal punch; the message, "humans, am I right?" - 5 stars
#mnfringe show 4: Latin Papi: beauty, grace, athleticism, sensuality of the human body on full display in this playful, flirty, often funny dance showcase from Gabriel Mata and Armani Rey Colon; saving one last punch for the end, of course; it's not hot in here, it's them; treat yourself - 5 stars
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.
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