Before we dig into the reviews I want to make sure everyone remembers to vote for the Golden Lanyard Awards. Votes should be submitted by Midnight this Saturday. Sorry Sunday shows on my schedule, but I’ll call you out if I would have voted for you and didn’t get the chance! Here is the link to cast your vote https://minnesotafringe.org/awards
In Thy Hard Michael Shaeffer recaps the story of the classic Christmas movie Die Hard in the style of William Shakespeare. It’s cleverly done using certain sonnets and quotes as inspiration leading to a game of Bingo with Bruce where you mark off the references as you catch them, I covered all the boxes on my Bingo board! There’s a nice touch when they stop the story for a moment to talk about Bruce Willis’ current health situation. Another nice touch is that a portion of the proceeds from the show will benefit dementia research. For fans of Die Hard, and who isn’t? This is a truly entertaining mashup of the 80’s action classic and the language stylings of Shakespeare. Schaeffer is an engaging performer with a gruff exterior but a sensitive delivery.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/thy-hard
A Material Boy Living In A Madonna World! is my third Jason Schommer Fringe show, I’ve seen one each year I’ve been covering MN Fringe and they never disappoint. This year Schommer shares with us his obsession with Madonna. Perhaps it isn’t an obsession but just that, as he states in the show as a gay man, he was assigned Madonna, as others might be assigned Barbara Streisand or Cher. It’s filled with stories that show off his fandom in ways that simultaneously make you gringe for him and love him. Taking us from his first in person brushes to the reason his right hand will never be washed again. It’s part stand up routine, part confessional, and wholly hilarious.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/a-material-boy-living-in-a-madonna-world-
Welcome To The Food Chain is a solo show cabaret about man’s place on the food chain. The writer performer Rob Ward sings, dances, attacks, and even times races between an audience member and a lion. It’s wild and kind of chaotic, the audience is definitely enthusiastic with lots of cheering, clapping, and even some singing along. That enthusiasm of the crowd carries the show even when it seems to be floundering a little bit. The performance outshines the content to be sure, Ward is an animal (he he) in the way he attacks his dance numbers with a manic energy that wears you out just watching it. Ward has a message and it’s that in many cases, the loss of human life is the fault of the humans who are forgetting that these are animals and they eat meat to survive.
https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/welcome-to-the-food-chain
Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History is The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner for Day 8. It is a very serious affair, though it’s OK to laugh. The premise is that this is the first lecture for the college class on Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History. The show was written by Shane Mayforth and Vilva Va-Voom whose show TransMasculine Cabaret is also playing at the Fringe festival and very entertaining. Mayforth stays in character as Dr. Winkworth-Perez who using a video presentation lectures on the use of pantomime masterbaution from the beginnings of theater back in ancient Greece through the advent of film. We see several extremely well produced video clips from films from the silent era starring The Spankin’ Shyster, who put the master in masturbation. Being the silent film fan that I am, that part of the show really won me over and the picture with mention of Buster Keaton was the touch that pulled this show ahead of the others on Day 8. At the end of the show everyone receives a certificate of completion that certifies you have successfully completed the course Introduction to Pantomime Masturbation, which is nice to have to hang up at work. Also as these are traveling artists they have merch to sell including stickers and little bottles of Intellectual Masturbation lotion, so be sure to pick up some as this helps defray the costs of traveling with a show like this.
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.