Review on the fly:
#mnfringe show 16: Maxxeapolis Goes To Hell: clever premise “amuse the devil and maybe he’ll let you out of hell”; quick-witted, varied, oddball comedy sketches; funny songs; gifted ensemble; actually made me laugh out loud, which is rare - 5 stars
I know this is setting a low bar but let’s start with the fact that it’s hard to make any Fringe show, period. Then it’s hard to write something new that actually fits neatly into a Fringe format that has a beginning, middle and end. Then on top of that, comedy writing is hard - because comedy should be, you know, funny. It should make people laugh. It should amuse them. And a lot of things that call themselves comedies just… aren’t. So when something is actually funny AND well-constructed on the page AND executed well on stage, well, then you’ve got yourself an impressive Fringe show. “Maxxeapolis Goes To Hell” is a damn impressive (and very funny) Fringe show.
“Of course you’re bad people. You’re comedians.”
First, there’s the framing device, which was laid out in their Fringe preview - the whole Maxxeapolis sketch comedy team has wound up in hell after a “mysterious sketch comedy-related accident.” Satan (Linc Owens) appears and presents them with a challenge - put on a show that makes the audience, including Satan, laugh and he might consider letting them out of hell. If they fail, all of the Minnesota Fringe will also fall into hell so, no pressure.
“Our love is way too hot for the Sky Bus.”
The ensemble of performers (Greg Baker, Nina Diatta, Laura Hild, Justin Johnson, Caroline Kraft, Linc Owens, Anika Reitman, and Alex Stokes) are also all writers of the sketch comedy they perform, so I’m just going to credit them all up front here. I don’t have a handy program listing who played what and I don’t trust my notes to have enough identifiers to give proper credit either so, just know that everyone played multiple roles (even Owens got more to do than just play Satan), and they were all extremely funny in each and every one of the sketches so, kudos all around. The only reason I’m sure Owens played Satan is he also had the horns on in the behind the scenes photos on the Maxxeapolis Instagram page, and it would be kind of hard to forget his take on Satan - making hilarious over the top noises as if he had his own special effects going on for his entrances and exits, etc. Satan keeps checking in as the show goes along, just to let the performers know how they’re doing and of course returns at the end to pronounce judgment, so it’s a very useful structure in which to place this random assortment of sketches, which don’t have any collective throughline other than they all need to be funny, which they are.
“We must use our money for striped shirts and cigarettes.”
They come right out of the gate with a most amusing ad for a “Polyamory for Dummies” instruction manual. Then there’s a sketch with Vincent Van Gogh trying to sell his art on the street to random French people (accent work, always a winner). The moral quandary presented by “The customer is always right” at a local fast food joint is explored to a level where it becomes ridiculous. There’s an old couple who surprise a burglar in their home at night and then get him to rethink his life choices. There’s two horny lesbians on a plane who can’t keep their hands off each other (much to the chagrin of the poor guy stuck in the middle seat between them). There’s a woman whose partner takes SO long to read something she found online and shares with him, that she begins to sing a song about how she’s afraid he might be illiterate. There’s a sketch about the “Good Guy Gun” which only shoots bad guys (sure, that’ll end well). A child scared of a monster under the bed is proven correct. Women discuss their menstrual cycles, with one mentioning all the eggs she’s been laying. The show winds up the sketch part of the program with a young woman making a visit to the gynecologist, a female doctor with an outrageous accent and a LOT of euphemisms for a lady’s reproductive organs. And I think I missed a few things - it’s a pretty rapid-fire hour of comedy with a lot of material, plus the ongoing hell plot line besides.
“I’ve been spelunking the bayous of womanhood for thirty years.”
Special mention should be made of the opening scene song, and the illiteracy song, both played by Justin Johnson on guitar. Original funny songs that actually make me laugh are rare in this world, so I was grateful for both. The whole cast sings well, whenever necessary, just like they are all in on whatever nutty premise is playing out onstage in any particular moment throughout the show.
“I don’t have a dying wife. I’m a high school dropout from Fridley.”
Additionally, Maxxeapolis chooses music cues to take the audience out of every scene that always made me chuckle. Stand-outs in that category include a club version of Ave Maria at the end of the show when we (spoiler alert) get out of hell (I won’t say how). There’s also the obligatory sting of “I’m Proud To Be An American” after the gun sketch, “Cat’s in the Cradle” after the old couple parents the burglar, the theme to Reading Rainbow after the illiteracy sketch, and a use of the song “With Arms Wide Open” that i won’t spoil. And any show that opens with a sting from “The Pina Colada Song” is starting off on a high note in my book.
“Are you asking my employee morally charged questions?”
Comedy shows that are actually fun can be hard to find sometimes so catch “Maxxeapolis Goes To Hell” while you can at the Fringe, and then follow them the rest of the year between festivals. I certainly will be doing so.
5 Stars, Very Highly Recommended
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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