Coyfish by THEATRE23 was perhaps more interesting to me than it will be to some audiences. The problem is that it’s sort of meant to be a surprise so this is going to be a hard one to write about. I enjoyed it, the acting is good but a little stilted. Most of the dialogue takes place between two characters in different locations typing to each other in a chat room, and I think that plays a big part in the performances. The script is by Michelle de Joya who is currently kicking ass and taking numbers in Theater Mu’s The Kung Fu Zombie Saga: Shaman Warrior & Cannibals. The script is good but would benefit from a longer form, the ending feels truncated and unsatisfying, this might actually be better suited for film.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/coyfish
“Starved”: The Astonishing True Story of the University of Minnesota Starvation Experiment is the best acted and most complete and fully realized dramatic production I’ve seen so far at Fringe this year. An expansion of this would be a great fit for the History Theatre in St. Paul. Based on the true story of a study on the effects of starvation conducted during World War II by the University of MN on volunteers made up of conscientious objectors. It makes it clear the tremendous amount of courage and sacrifice made by those who participated. Branded cowards by much of society, these men participated so that they could be of service to mankind without engaging in the taking of human life.
The Shrieking Harpies is an improv show so you know the drill, every performance will be unique. If you like it, you could take in more than just one of their time slots. The Shrieking Harpies are Hannah Wydeven, Lizzie Gardner, Taj Ruler and on the keyboard Justin Nellis. Unlike the other musical improv show I reviewed earlier in the Fringe run, Opera Punks, The Shrieking Harpies create a single 1 hour improvised musical rather than creating individual songs. I’ve seen the Harpies several times before and considered skipping them this time to catch one of the 50+ shows I won’t be able to get to. Then I said, screw it! I love them, and I’m so glad I went.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/the-shrieking-harpies
THE STAGES OF MN FRINGE OF THE DAY AWARD winner!!!!
Mother Courage Bear and Her Children was created by Clevername Theatre, the same company behind my favorite show of the 2022 Minnesota Fringe, Who’s Afraid of Winnie the Pooh? I don’t know if their theater is dedicated to creating works around childhood bears or if this is a coincidence. We’ll see next year in the do a show about a bear from darkest peru. This time around we have militant German Directors take on The Care Bear franchise, here presented as an allegory about capitalism and military industrial complex. The Care Bears and the Care Cousins have been at war with each other for centuries. Mother Courage makes her living off selling care messages but her greed eventually costs her everything. This is another brilliant idea by Clevername Theatre that takes a childhood property and makes a dark adult comedy that works. This is one of the best shows in Fringe, it’s not quite at the level of Who’s Afraid of Winnie the Pooh, but that maybe because I have a deep and abiding love of Winnie the Pooh and very little first hand knowledge of the Care Bears.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/mother-courage-bear-and-her-children
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