Friday, August 14, 2026
#mnfringe thoughts: Anyone else annoyed by having to do "silly" things like pay the mid-month bills or submit schedule availability for their second part-time job when there's Fringing to do? I did both this morning, of course, I'd just much rather be writing more Fringe show reviews :)
#mnfringe thoughts: Big thanks to audience members posting reviews! I was perplexed on the best choice among the options for 8:30pm tonight (of the shows I hadn't already seen). It was a great resource to read other folks' thoughts about the relative merits of each. Taking a chance on new play :)
#mnfringe show 39: Silent Movie: improvisers spin 3 wheels, 1 for genre, 1 for plot, 1 for ensemble member who will "star" in movie made from scratch on stage; no words, just brilliant on the spot orchestral soundtrack coming out of a keyboard; "shot" changes; delightfully inventive - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorite write-up on this show
#mnfringe show 40: Latin Papi: 2nd viewing (their closing performance); dance show just as beautiful, sexy and fun as when I saw it back on day 1 of the Fringe; bonus, didn't need to take notes this time, could just sit and watch Armani Rey Colon and Gabriel Mata do their thing - still 5 stars
My full 5-star review of this show
#mnfringe show 41: Socks and Shoes and Coats: under the radar suggestion, very glad I went; unique new musical, 2 singing actors as new parents; baby/child/other characters are supertitles "voiced" by musical instruments; fascinating experiment with a lot of potential, humor and heart - 4.5 stars
#mnfringe show 42: Cyrano: SO close to queer joy it's heartbreaking; way too much material for 1 hr even with talented cast zipping thru beautiful witty language at high speed; cut supporting cast, focus on triangle, maybe consider radical idea of happy ending? still, as is, great work - 4.5 stars
My Returning Favorite write-up on this show
#mnfringe thoughts: voting for Golden Lanyard Awards is hard when so many shows are so good (nice problem to have, I know); still, it's not art unless somebody wins (?) :)
You can find reviews of other shows in these links to my listings of 5 and 4.5 Star Shows (VERY Highly Recommended) and 4 and 3.5 Star Shows (Highly Recommended). 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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