DAY 3
Day three of the festival brings reviews of six more shows. Before we get to those reviews I wanted make readers aware of some of the other events happening around the Festival. First with your Fringe button which everyone need in order to Fringe, there are daily deals at supporting restaurants, you can check the Fringe link here for what the daily deals are https://minnesotafringe.org/2024/fringe-in-the-community Also after the final show each day of Fringe there is Fringe After Hours. The location changes, but it’s a place for Artists and audience to gather and discuss their experiences of the day. I attended Fringe After Hours for the first time last night and had a great time talking with Fringe folk about all the shows and their experiences. For details on where Fringe After Hours is each day go to https://minnesotafringe.org/2024/fringe-in-the-community
The Peter Pan Cometh from Clevername Theatre was probably my most anticipated show of the 2024 festival. At my first Fringe, Clevername Theatre’s Who’s Afraid of Winnie the Pooh? was my favorite of the entire festival. In fact, it’s still my favorite Fringe show to this day. This year they have created another mashup between J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh. Knowing from previous experience that a knowledge of the source material enriches the experience of a Clevername production, earlier this week I screened the 1973 four hour film version of The Iceman Cometh. That was a little overkill perhaps and unnecessary to enjoy Alexander Gerchak’s latest production. What always surprises is how effectively the disparate properties meld. Continuing the theme of viewing our childhood characters through the lens of very adult world minded playwrights. The Peter Pan Cometh looks at the lives of Captain Hook, Smee, and Tinker Bell as they await the arrival of Peter Pan and Wendy for their yearly house cleaning visit. A tradition in which these sad denizens of Neverland will get wasted on pixie dust provided by the generous Pan and bury their dreams deep down inside of themselves. It’s as dark a world as the humor that flows from it. It’s another triumph for the company.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/the-peter-pan-cometh
Barry Potter and the Magic of Wizardry is a magic show utilizing the world of Harry Potter as its inspiration. The tricks and jokes never rise above the kids Birthday party magician, but those can still be very entertaining. Filled with corny jokes, sleight of hand (not all of it unnoticed), and audience volunteers. A good show for families and fans of the Potterverse.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/barry-potter-and-the-magic-of-wizardry
Daddy Issues Takes The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award! It’s the second show of the 2024 Fringe featuring Allison Vincent (see also 5X5 from Day one reviews) and I’m having flashbacks to the 2023 Twin Cities Horror Festival. Last fall everything she was in blew everything else out of the water. As I said back then if you want to have a hit at TCHF put Allison Vincent in your show. Daddy Issues is a solo show written and performed by Vincent in which we witness her unpacking her Daddy issues as symbolized by the set and prop designs made entirely of packing boxes. Vincent explores with her customary humor and intelligence the journey of managing her Father’s decline in health while dealing with the repercussions of his financial and life choices. By the end of the show everyone has tears in their eyes from sharing her experience as well as what we bring to it in terms of our own Daddy issues. As Shakespeare pointed out in Hamlet, death of fathers is a common theme in nature, so on some level we can all relate. Vincent uses the personal, the specific, to create a universal cathartic moment, in which we laugh, we cry, and yes, it is a part of us. Vincent’s performance is filled with an emotional truth that creates a connection with the audience and allows for a shared emotional experience that much theater aspires to but which few productions attain. Vincent is also a skilled physical performer, this is far and away the most incredible synching of sound design, by Peter Morrow, and physical action miming I’ve seen on a Fringe stage. In other words it’s dead brilliant.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/_daddy-issues
Holy O is another solo show this one from touring artist Lauren Hance who plays Verity, a woman considering becoming a nun. The cast is rounded out by us, the audience who appear as Saints to Verity after she has a spontaneous orgasm upon waking from a sleep. She attributes these orgasms, which she has had since a young child, to a religious vision. Taking advantage of all the extra eyes provided by the appearance of we Saints, she solicits our collective opinion to weed through her clothes which she has to downsize in order to become a nun. Given the choice of three garments we choose which one to keep, each item results in the telling of a story of what that item reminds her of. Through these stories we get a glimpse into some of the characters biography. It’s an interesting show and one you could appreciate on multiple viewings as the choices the audience makes determine which stories are told at each performance. Filled with both humor and pathos it’s a show recommended for 18+, and a great one to show support for touring artists.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/holy-o
Francis Grey and the Case of His Dead Boyfriend: A One-Man Whodunnit is the second whodunnit of my 2024 Fringe. Faithful readers will know I’m a sucker for a mystery, so I shouldn’t be surprised that I’ve added all of the Fringe shows that fall under that category to my schedule. What’s unique about this one and it’s a very Fringey touch is the cast of one, performed by the shows creator Nathan Tylutki, portraying all seven of the stories characters. He does this using multiple techniques, sometimes he is conversing with himself via a video, including speaking to himself portraying the mother and father of the murder victim played by himself via splitscreen. He also uses puppets, blow up dolls, along with wig and costume changes. It’s a fun mystery in and of itself but becomes a riot in its telling. Tylutki is a wonderful performer and does an amazing job of keeping the train on the tracks when literally anything could go wrong and the timing with the prerecorded video is crucial to its success.
A Horse Walks Out Onto the Stage and Dies is an accurate title, not in a snarky way, this is a very enjoyable show. But it is about a horse coming on stage and he will die at the end of the show. The enjoyment comes in the middle section which isn’t specifically alluded to in the shows title. What we get between the horse walking on stage and his dying is the horsemeat of the play. It opens with the horse telling the story of his life, which it turns out is all bullshit, not that we weren’t under that impression from the moment he said he became a major league baseball player. Once called out by the farmer for telling a fictional life he is then informed the real reason he’s on stage. From there the show switches gears to how the horse deals with the knowledge of his impending doom. Written and performed by Sam Sweere the humor of the show, which gets rather dark at times, comes equally from the script and Sweere’s delivery which is priceless.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/a-horse-walks-out-onto-the-stage-and-dies
That’s the reviews from Day three of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Be sure to check back daily for new reviews and if you are Fringing and you see me, be sure to stop and say hi! Also for reviews of shows I might not see or for another opinion on ones I have, follow M’ Colleague Jill Schafer at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/
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