A couple of things before we jump to the reviews. I failed to see a show with a mention of butt stuff for the first time on day six, so my perfect “Where’s Waldo” score is broken, and I’m fine with that. Secondly, I’m not going to lie this was a good Fringe night and I basically had another tie for best show of the evening. I broke the tie by asking myself which was the fringiest? And so the award goes to….
Beanie Baby Divorce Play is the winner of The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award! As always the gang behind Melancholics Anonymous delivers the bizarre and the hilarious in equal measure. This years show revolves around a couple going through a divorce and the effect on their children. The parents are in the midst of negotiations over, no, not the children, they’ll get to that next, but their Beanie Baby collection. Which will be far more contentious than child custody. To describe the details of the show is to rob the audience of the unexpected pleasures that lie in store. I’ll just say that Timothy Kelly’s song is a show stopping moment of fringy bliss. For those unfamiliar with this theater company, expect their shows to be a humorous take on something that appears wholesome, with a horror bent to it. Their shows really are what I’ve come to think of as “fringe”.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/beanie-baby-divorce-play
Teen Wolf Killed My Grandma: A Memoir is a show that is perfect for those who have seen the MTV series Teen Wolf. If you haven’t seen the series and don’t ever intend to, it’s also for you. If you’ve never seen it but it’s on your “to watch list”, this show is not for you as it’s full of spoilers. I now fall into the second category as I’ve had the series spoiled too much to actually watch it now. Which is fine, I probably wasn’t going to ever watch it anyway, I’m a Buffy guy and that’s all the supernatural high school pop culture I’ll likely need in this lifetime. As for this show I enjoyed seeing writer, director, and star Hannah Twitchell geek out about her passion. The tie in to her relationship with her Grandmother and her death made complete sense. The crossroads of our cultural passions and our lives are often co-mingled and can frequently be the way in which we remember and process events.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/teen-wolf-killed-my-grandma-a-memoir-
Dutch: Made in America take the figurative and makes it literal as it examines Ronald Reagan and his role of a lifetime. What many consider an acting job of a presidency is here treated as exactly that. Reagan is up for the role of Old 40, and he’s preparing to screentest for the role. Reagan or Dutch as he’s called is played by the playwright Alex Church, who makes a good stand in for Reagan. Stephanie Kahle plays Dutch’s Mother, who foreshadowingly (which my computer indicates is a new word I’ve just invented, and rather than change I’m leaving as is because, well, how often do you get to invent new words?) is suffering from Alzheimer’s, as well as his second Wife Nancy, and Old 39 aka Jimmy Carter. This is a clever and surreal look at Reagan. At it’s best when he’s interacting and basically being dominated by Nancy. It’s a smart idea for a show and is one of those Fringe shows you could imagine being expanded into something longer and having a life beyond the Fringe circuit.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/dutch-made-in-america
The Zoo Story is the least Fringy show I’ve seen all festival, which I love! this is a one act play, staged and performed as that. The performances by the two person cast played by Jackson Whitman and Micah Chartrand are superb. The play is about an interaction by two men in Central Park. Chartrand plays Peter, a well dressed man who is sitting on a bench reading a book when Jerry played by Whitman tries to start up a conversation, actually he more or less wills it to happen. Jerry is forceful in the way he engages Peter, who clearly agrees to converse because he doesn’t want to be rude at first and later out of concern about how Jerry will react if he doesn’t. Jerry asks things that are inappropriate to ask strangers and he does it in a way that the audience and Peter sense there is something off about him. Whitman is very effective in the role genuinely making you feel uncomfortable and glad you are not Peter. We’ve all been in that position, though perhaps not to this level. I love that a Fringe show can be anything from a show about Beanie Babies to a straight one act play. This was a superbly executed play, featuring two very good actors. I’m really glad I took this one in, and just so you don’t dismiss it as not fringy enough, the ending is very unexpected. This is just great theater and there is always time for that in my book.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/the-zoo-story-
That’s the reviews from Day Six 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/ and for other Fringe writings checkout our friend and fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Kendra Plant’s blog Artfully Engaging at https://www.kendraplant.com/blog-artfully-engaging.
Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear, that need never happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.
But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.
Discover more from The Stages of MN
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
You must be logged in to post a comment.