DOLLY WHO? This wasn’t on my schedule, then I started hearing from fellow Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB) and audience members that it was a show to see if at all possible. Unfortunately the slot I had where I could make a change was another show that TCTB’s were encouraging me to see. Then while in the midst of taking over the Minnesota Fringe Instagram account on Monday, I got a chance to meet and talk briefly with Dolly and that small interaction convinced me that was the show I was going to see and I’m so glad I did. Dolly is a writer, artist, animator, and performer whose quirky personality and dry humor makes her show about a show that doesn’t exist a truly original work.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/dolly-who-
The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist is a unique twist on the usual Reverend Matt show. First off I have really enjoyed Matthew Kessen’s Reverend Matt’s Monster Science lectures since I saw my first one at the 2019 Twin Cities Horror Festival (TCHF) What’s different about this version is that while it features moments like his usual lecture formats, this one morphes into a play that introduces a new Character to the Monster Science Universe (MSU, I made this phrase and acronym up we’ll see if it sticks!) in the person of Elora Riley who applies for the position of Monster Science Assistant, she is coincidentally played by Elora Riley. If you like Monsters and deadpan humor about monsters and society you’ll love this and all of Reverend Matt’s shows. I’m excited with the possibility that we will, as Rev. Matt says at the end of the show, being seeing more of Elora Riley in the MSU.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/the-very-model-of-a-modern-monster-scientist
Pillow Talk Is a spooky little show that runs just over 30 minutes. There’s absolutely room to expand this show to a 45 to 60 minute length and it would be a great fit for a future TCHF. At the Performance I saw one of the original cast members had fallen ill the day before and Riley Parham whom I saw yesterday in Romeo & Juliet are Dead stepped in with script in hand to play the role so the show could go on. He was great in his own show yesterday and was really good again today even with script in hand. The entire cast is quite good in this LGBTQ+ horror show that spans multiple time periods. The clear delineation of which would be something to solidify if the show is expanded.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/pillow-talk#cast
Monster Science’s Greatest Hits: “The Ecology of the Muppets” If you know what these shows are you know how fun these lectures on various monsters can be. In these Greatest hits performances, each one of the time slots features one of his most popular lectures. This one was on Jim Henson and his Muppet creations. Though many of them are Monsters, Muppets are not what we generally think of as monster. So this one was kind of a different take on the Monster Science Lectures, but a really entertaining one. It also reminded me of two movies I’ve somehow never seen. In fact every time these films are mentioned, I say to myself I can’t believe I’ve never seen that. they are The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. This is a theme that strangely will continue through the rest of Day 10.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/monster-science-s-greatest-hits#info
John Wick by Tim Wick (no relation)– Is a thorough and encyclopedic knowledge of all four films in the John Wick Film series necessary to enjoy Tim Wick’s new show that presents a comically abridged reenactment of all the films in the franchise? No. How do I know that? I’ve never seen a single John Wick movie. Might I have gotten even more out of the show if I had, perhaps. It may be that some of the references and jokes would have added meaning, but I still had a great time. Tim narrates what his five actors are acting out and his running commentary on the action and the series itself is very entertaining. Warning: There is an awful lot of nerf violence in this show, but no dogs were harmed.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/john-wick-by-tim-wick-no-relation-
THE STAGES OF MN FRINGE OF THE DAY AWARD winner!!!!
Wells Is Third On The Waitlist is one of the funniest one person shows I’ve seen at Fringe this year. Wells Farnham, describes the benefits of being on the Fringe waitlist. He was on it five times previously never lower than 80th. He felt he was doing something important as the sheer number of people who apply for the lottery and the available slots when compared, the discrepancy in those numbers, the larger it is the bigger a deal it is for those who get in. This year he was third, and before long he was in, something he never thought would happen and probably didn’t even want to happen. He liked being one of the numbers that made those who get in look good. His show details his search for a suitable topic for a Fringe show. It ends up being a rundown of the plots of the Fast and Furious Franchise. Which, as you may have guessed, I have never seen a single one of those films. Farnham’s performance his hilarious, and he does what all good storytellers do, draws everything that came before back together at the end. The next time Farnham gets into Fringe, He should embrace it full on as he definitely has what it takes.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2023/wells-is-third-on-the-waitlist
The Stages of MN 
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