Minnesota Fringe Day 3: Invasive Species or: In Space No-One Can Hear Your Steam, The Abortion Chronicles, Breach, Joan of Arc For Miss Teen Queen USA (The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner), Rec League, Jewelry Power Elite, That Which is Green.

Another great day at The Minnesota Fringe Festival. I’ve yet to see a show that I wouldn’t enthusiastically recommend. Maybe it’s that I’m not very adventurous with my picks, but I guess the trade off of playing it safe, being I never see a bad show, is worth it. Read my quick reviews of the seven shows I saw on day three below, including today’s The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner.

Invasive Species or: In Space No-One Can Hear Your Steam features of a fantastic script by Tim Wick which reimagines alien as a nautical mystery set in a steampunk London of the late 1800s. But the humor isn’t limited to that era, it pulls from all time periods but mostly we see it through the lens of the 20th century. A running gag featuring a variation on the classic Abbott and Costello “Who’s On First” routine is a highlight as is the explanation of steampunk technology. The cast is amazing especially Dawn Krosnowski as Ripley and Kjer Whiting as Inspector Dunkleputty (no relation). The creature effects are at once both low-tech and spectacularly effective. Re-creating all of the fabulous moment you expect from the film, but in a way that gets a laugh. We get the chestburster scene, the Face hugger Alien as well as a stand off that mirrors the final battle between Ripley and the Alien Queen in Aliens. The fabulous Creature effects are by Seán McCardle and the Props are by Liz Cummings. There’s one brilliant bit of stage business that subverts our expectations beautifully. The character of Ash is seen drinking from milk cartons several times, leading me to expect a recreation of, what for me was one of the biggest gross out scenes in the film, when Ash is killed and we learn he was an android and he’s spitting up a milky substance. I always hated that scene and I felt sure they were building up to it with the milk cartons, and then they don’t go there. They get to build up the anticipation of the scene without actually making us watch it, or them having to deal with the cleanup, which was an effective way to play that sequence. for more information and to purchase tickets go to the shows page on the Minnesota Fringe website https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/invasive-species-or-in-space-no-one-can-hear-your-steam

The Abortion Chronicles is an anthology of woman’s stories revolving around abortion, all of them true, all of them deeply affecting. This is a remount of previous productions, which I did not see, but with mostly new stories. It was always an important show to produce, but it is becoming more and more vital everyday. These stories need to be told, heard, and understood. As a man I found it to be a privilege to be allowed to sit and listen to these stories. Allowing me a greater understanding of something I can never fully understand being in the body I am. The stories alternate with comments from two characters played by Christy Johnson who plays a nurse at an abortion clinic and Patti Gage who plays a patient escort at the clinic. They tell little anecdotes of their experiences between the main stories which are told by the the performers, some of whom are reenacting their own stories others as surrogates for other women. The women’s stories cover a range of circumstances that help to illuminate how complicated the issue really is. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the shows page on the Minnesota Fringe Website https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/the-abortion-chronicles#tickets

Breach features a powerful cast! I had it on my schedule because of Em Adam Rosenberg and Stephanie Kahle, who are The Stages of MN favorites. They play siblings, who own a crab fishing boat left them by their Father. Kahle is the Captain while Rosenberg plays the First Mate, and they are as always fantastic. But every single member of the cast is incredible. This is a harrowing story of a crab fishing ship and its crew. This trip hasn’t been very successful and so when they receive word of a storm, the Captain heads into a storm despite the risks rather than turn back without enough Crab to make the trip financially worthwhile. But there are secrets being concealed and as the storm looms ahead loyalties will be tested. The show actually gets a little spooky at times. It’s directed with precision by Alex Church who also cowrote the play with Mariabella Sorini. The lighting and sound design are highly effective and build genuine tension. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/breach

Joan of Arc For Miss Teen Queen USA is this year’s Melancholics Anonymous show, and for most that’s probably all I need to write. If you are a Minnesota Fringe regular you know who Melancholics Anonymous are. If this is your first time, you’ll want to try and reserve tickets for this show. It’s in one of the largest venues, which would be hard to sell out, but if anyone can it’s them. A Fringe show can be anything, that’s the joy of the Fringe. But when I think of Fringe as a Style, Melancholics Anonymous is what I think of. In this years show Timothy Kelly, who cowrote the show and whose bright blonde hair and 100 watt smile will always be the face of Melancholics Anonymous to me, plays the MC of the South Dakotan Miss Teen Queen USA Pageant. Things get disrupted when Joan of Arc suddenly appears as a new contestant 588 years after her execution. Like the Blues Brothers before her, she is on a mission from God! Outrageousness ensues, pants are nearly wet from laughter, and we all learn a little something about the importance of women supporting each other. It’s fantastically designed and orchestrated and probably the best thing yet from this company that always hits it out of the park. And, it is The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/joan-of-arc-for-miss-teen-queen-usa

Rec League is one of the Festivals independently produced shows running at Strike Theater in North Minneapolis. It is one of the most successful improv shows I’ve seen at a Fringe Festival. I’m always a fan of Mike Fotis’ shows but this one surpassed all of the others. There wasn’t a single story thread that got dropped or taken in a dead end direction. And, they kept the fictional softball game actually going which was really impressive. But as they say in the show notes you don’t have to know anything about softball to enjoy the show. It’s about friends and their relationships and the different places we are all at when we get to our 40’s. And speaking of different, this is improv so every show will be different but it’s full of local favorites like Fotis, Allison Vincent, and Rita Boersma who are always funny, so it’s a pretty safe bet when you need some laughs in your schedule. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/rec-league

Jewelry Power Elite is surprisingly, Brave New Workshop company member and local legend, Lauren Anderson’s first solo show. I added it to my schedule because, well, Lauren Anderson. Ask any of my wives, current or past and they will tell you I do not notice jewelry, hair, or shoes, and as far as clothes go, I only notice if you aren’t wearing any, but I think that’s true of anyone, the noticing if someone is naked. Jewelry couldn’t break into the top 1,000 on my list of interests even if you eleminated my top 500 interests. I left this show with a new appreciation of jewelry, but mostly feeling like I’d been let into Anderson’s inner circle, if only for 45 minutes. Directed by Duck Washington, Jewelry Power Elite feels similar to his 2023 The Stages of MN Fringe of the day Award winning solo show My Only hope For a Hero. It takes something she is passionate about and through the lens of that passion shares stories that inform us of who she is and how she became the person we see before us. It’s funny, personal, and you get a free jelly bracelet! For those who love jewelry, this will be heaven, for the rest of us it’s the next best thing (that’s right, it’s a soft serve vanilla ice cream Crunch cone from Dairy Queen). Highly recommend this show, no love of jewelry required. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/jewelry-power-elite

That Which is Green is possibly the final Minnesota Fringe show from Michael Rogers who is moving away from the Twin Cities this fall. It’s a loss to the community, but one hopes that his connections and friends here in Minnesota will bring him back at least for more Fringe fun in the future. Fun isn’t the first word that comes to mind with his new show which he wrote, directed, and performs in along with Alex Van Loh. Though it does have laughs it’s concerned more with exploring the ideas of religion, Friendship, and the paths our lives take us down. A journey to an old and holy tree by two old friends brings up memories of the past. Set in what appears by their costumes to be another reality in which the tree is somehow related to that world’s version of Christianity. It’s another powerful performance from Rogers who is clearly connecting with this work. It may have been the 10:00 PM time slot on day three of the Fringe Festival in which I’ve seen a show in every possible time slot and spent additional energy putting myself forward to capture interviews with Artists and Audience members. But I found the show putting me almost in a trance like state. like I was in the forest with the characters communing with nature. Don’t miss this chance to see Michael Rogers, there may not be many chances left. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/that-which-is-green

That’s it for day three of the Minnesota Fringe Festival you can click on the Fringe website here to get details on all of the shows https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025. Don’t forget to tune into The Stages of MN YouTube channel for mini episodes all week long from The MN Fringe Festival https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. We’ll hopefully have the second one up on Monday!

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to ensure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. 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 foll