Monty Python’s Spamalot At The Ordway Can’t Compete With Classic Film, It Works Best When It Goes Its Own Way

Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Monty Python’s Spamalot is a stage musical adaptation of the British comedy troupe Monty Python’s film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It doesn’t compare to the brilliance of that film, at least for this lifelong fan of everything Monty Python. That isn’t to say it’s bad, but the film has set a very high bar.

For me, the evening started off on the wrong foot, as it seemed that the sound was not balanced well. I had trouble hearing the vocals, even dialogue, if there was music playing as well. Struggling to hear a fun show is no fun. I’m not sure if adjustments were made during the show or if my ears were able to tune in to the actors better over the course of the evening, but I struggled less as the night wore on. Perhaps for that reason, perhaps for others, I found Act “Moo” to be much more enjoyable.

The main contributing factor, aside from the sound issue, for the second act’s success was that it seemed to deviate more from the film. When you know a film as well as I do this show’s source, it’s hard to get too excited about line readings that aren’t as good as the original. That’s no knock on the cast, I don’t think many actors would fare well in comparison to Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. It’s not really fair to compare them, but when you are saying the same lines they did, it’s also hard not to. The best parts of the show were when they incorporated new material. The show’s book and lyrics are by original Python member Eric Idle, so the additional material feels like it belongs.

As for the parts lifted straight from the film, it’s a testament to how well written the film was that some sections still get big laughs. But there is something that works against a show when, while you are watching it, you are thinking about the superior version. I wish Idle had taken more license to create something fresher. I think 50% less original material would have allowed the truly classic bits, the ones you can’t leave out, to feel like welcome nuggets of nostalgia rather than long sections of straight screen-to-stage translation.

So the big criticisms are the sound balance and the unenviable task of actors who have to take on such iconic material, a losing battle for anyone. That said, let me also say that I really liked the cast. It isn’t their fault they are not John Cleese or Graham Chapman. A standout for me was Major Attaway as King Arthur; one of his best moments is the song “I’m All Alone,” both vocally and comedically. Another is Amanda Robles, who plays the Lady of the Lake. She delivers some seriously funny, but also vocally impressive, moments that really brought the house down.There is a song where she does snatches of other songs that’s quite funny. Another successful bit, is a scene that pokes fun at the idea of making this film into a musical by replicating a moment from Phantom of the Opera. A nice Easter egg for fans of musical theater.

The production design by Paul Tate DePoo III relies heavily on some well-used projections. DePoo similarly utilized projections to even greater effect in The Great Gatsby, which played the Orpheum last week. I do think part of me was hoping for a little more stage magic, but when I thought about it, this is more in keeping with the film’s small budget, and I think the design approach is ultimately the right choice for the show.

Monty Python’s Spamalot runs through June 14th at The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/spamalot/

Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Once Upon a Mattress is a Beautiful Thing When Performed By Unlabeled Theatre Co.

Rachel Moquist and Mason Green (foreground) Natalie McComas and Adam Arnold (shadow Partners) Photo by Jordan Buckellew / JoyByJo.com

Faithful readers will know that I reviewed Once Upon a Mattress just under three weeks ago at Lakeshore Players, and I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about it. So why would I sit through it again so soon?

Because it’s being mounted by one of my favorite theater companies, Unlabeled Theatre Co.

This company exists to create opportunities for adults with disabilities to participate in theater. Every role is performed by an actor with a cognitive and/or physical disability or who is neurodivergent, paired with a neurotypical Shadow Partner. Together, the two performers share the role, performing it in unison. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does, and it’s beautiful.

My chief concern with the Lakeshore Players production was the source material, which I found unfocused and nearly three hours long with an intermission. The first thing this production does right is cut the show down to a sharp, focused 70 minutes with no intermission. Gone is all the extraneous business, none of it missed. Unlabeled’s production hits all the key plot points, makes the story much easier to follow, and still includes all the best songs. About the only thing I missed was some comic business between the Queen and her son that helps clarify her motivations.

The plot adapts the familiar fairy tale of The Princess and the Pea, told in a fractured fairy tale style. In this kingdom, no one can marry until the Prince does. His mother, the Queen, devises such diabolical tests that every princess fails, largely because she has an unhealthily close relationship with her son and doesn’t actually want him to marry. Among those desperate to find the Prince a bride are Sir Harry and the pregnant Lady Larkin. Sir Harry ventures over the mountains and through the woods, not to Grandmother’s house, but to the swampy kingdom of the Marshlands and returns with Princess Winnifred, setting the Queen’s test in motion.

The cast is terrific and received a boisterous, well-deserved standing ovation. We often focus on our own enjoyment of a show, which is important, of course. But in a production like this, what stands out first is how much the cast is enjoying themselves, and that joy is infectious. It made the evening even more rewarding, if that’s possible. I can only imagine the pride the Shadow Partners feel watching their partners rise to the occasion and fully realize their potential as performers and storytellers. There may not be a more fulfilling acting experience in the Twin Cities.

Attending an Unlabeled Theatre Co. production feels like receiving a gift, a rare and meaningful one. It reminds us of the true power of theater: not just to entertain or instruct, but to create, to connect, and to share joy. You can’t watch this cast without recognizing the value of inclusivity and the sense of purpose these actors bring, not just in performing, but in performing well. They are fulfilling that deeply human need to tell stories and to foster empathy.

In a world where it can be hard to understand how people can remain unmoved by cruelty or contradiction, experiences like this matter. If anything can shift perspective, even just a little, it might be something like this: an honest, joyful, inclusive act of storytelling.

The last Unlabeled Theatre production sold out its entire run, and tonight’s performance had only a handful of empty seats. Get your tickets now, this is the kind of show that can restore your faith in humanity.

Once Upon a Mattress runs through May 24th at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and tickets, visit https://unlabeledtheatre.org/

The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Chaos of the Bells The Funniest Show Yet at The Brave New Workshop!

Brave New Workshop’s annual Christmas show this year is called The Chaos of the Bells, and this might just be their best one yet. The show is wonderfully irreverent and hilariously funny, poking fun at everything from Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and Santa Claus to OnlyFans and classic Christmas songs. I won’t spoil the fun by revealing my favorite bits or giving away punchlines. What BNW delivers, what I always look forward to this time of year, is laughter, pure and simple. And honestly, in a year like 2025, when reflecting on the state of the world feels unusually heavy, distraction by way of comedy is exactly what I need.

Musical Director Jon Pumper seemed to play an even larger role this year. Either that, or there were simply more musical numbers than usual. In any case, he remains an invaluable part of the ensemble. For those unfamiliar with Brave New Workshop, it’s the longest-running comedy theater in the United States. Their holiday tradition features sketch comedy, punctuated with songs, and always concludes with their original twist on “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

Favorite sketches this year: two neighbors chatting in a garage in Fridley, a phone call to Santa Claus, “Kissing Cousins,” and a number from White Christmas. Okay, I have to stop there or I’ll end up listing every sketch of the night. There wasn’t a single miss—every piece landed. If only SNL were this consistent.

A show like this is only as good as its writers and performers, and this year the brilliant core four, Lauren Anderson (who has starred in more consecutive BNW shows than any performer in the theater’s history), Denzel Belin, Isabella Dunsieth, and Doug Neithercott, are joined by the inspired addition of Rita Boersma. Boersma, whom you’ll often see working with Mike Fotis of Strike Theater, blends seamlessly with the veteran cast. Her characters and her fearless commitment to going for the laugh are all-in. Her Fridley neighbor character was a standout. In one sketch, she made out with her “husband,” who was wearing a welding mask; based on Dunsieth’s reactions, I’m guessing Boersma added a little improvisational enthusiasm to the moment. It was an evening highlight.

The whole cast is fantastic, and the script is fresh and funny. I did catch one idea recycled from a previous Christmas show, but it was a highlight then too, so I was delighted to see it back.

This is the perfect outing for a holiday get-together with friends or now that the kids are too old for The Grinch and sick of A Christmas Carol, make this your family holiday tradition instead!

The Chaos of the Bells runs through January 17th.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit:
https://hennepinarts.org/events/the-chaos-of-the-bells-2025

The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Come Back, Little Sheba Is a Riveting and Dark & Stormy Production At Gremlin Theatre

Peter Christian Hansen and Sara Marsh Photo by Alyssa Kristine

Come Back, Little Sheba the latest from Dark & Stormy Productions is a strong play featuring some truly great performances from it’s leads Peter Christian Hansen and Sara Marsh. Marsh is miscast as a frumpy overweight housewife, but she’s so good that I prefer to say the fault is with the script that tries to insist the character has those qualities. Marsh finds here own way to accomplish what playwright William Inġe wanted from the character. While I’ve never seen the play before or the 1952 film adaptation, I suspect that Marsh’s interpretation is deeper and more nuanced because she doesn’t rely on that outdated archetype. Hansen and Marsh play Doc and Lola who have been married for twenty years. Doc is almost one year sober, but the presence of their renter, a young college student named Marie, begins to weigh upon Doc’s sobriety. It isn’t the cliche of the older man tempted by the young vibrant woman, it’s the memories her lifestyle brings to the surface. The career as a Doctor that he had to give up when Lola got Pregnant and they had to marry.

Hansen plays Doc as a man working the program, who is making amends to his wife by maintaining a pleasant attitude and being helpful. He is the one making sure that the breakfast is ready for Lola and Marie, trying to make everything run smoothly. He projects a virtue on Marie that isn’t there and feels unrealistic by todays standards. When he realizes she is a normal girl, it brings forth old doubts and repressed guilt about his and Lola’s start in life. He gets every aspect from the sobriety to the slip just right. Marsh slowly reveals the cracks in Lola’s confidence, her uncertainty about how to reconnect with Doc. We see hints of someone recovering from the trauma of living with a substance abuser. When she realizes the Whiskey bottle has vanished and Doc is late coming home, the fears and anxieties come in glimpses and waves. But like all partners of addicts she has to keep his secrets and hide what she is afraid has happened from Marie and others. Marsh shows us in that moment how every choice she has made performance wise up to that point has all stemmed from these moments. It’s a portrayal that seems deceptively simple at the start only to be revealed by the end to be an intricately crafted and complex performance. She give us a character that longs for connections but has been forced into a world of isolation, who clings to hope through the belief that her dog Sheba, who has been missing for months will come home one of these days.

Come Back, Little Sheba runs through September 7th at The Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.darkstormy.org/current-production-1

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithms 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 follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube Channel is home of the weekly The Stages of MN Show which you can view by clicking on this link https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the latest episodes and Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

“Hypocralypse Now” Puts Our Current World into Focus, Allowing For Some Release Through Laughter

The current show at Brave New Workshop Hypocralypse Now features a return of what I think of as the core group of comedians Lauren Anderson and Denzel Belin, Isabella Dunsieth, Doug Neithercott who returns after a short absence, and returning to the fold after a longer absence is Taj Ruler. You couldn’t ask for a better cast. The script, aside from a fart sketch that wears out it’s welcome, almost immediately is very funny. So why did I leave the theater a little depressed. Maybe I picked the wrong week to go off my antidepressant. Or, maybe the world is just so grim and messed up that dealing with it, even in a humorous way, is too much. For many of us, the coping mechanism right now, as our country positions itself to become the evil empire of the 21st Century, is to tune out. Not watch the news, not read any further than the headlines, which alone are enough to depress Roger Rabbit. The saying “it’s funny because it’s true” is spot on, the problem is “it’s scary because it’s true” is equally accurate. It’s cathartic to laugh about the things that scare us, but when we’ve been repressing those things, once the laughter stops we are left staring into the face of those scary truths we were ignoring. I’m not advocating the strategy of ignore difficult things, like most coping mechanisms, I don’t think that’s a very healthy way to navigate the world in general. But, the reality is that sometimes we do the easier thing, hopefully in order to replenish our inner strength in order to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them.

The sketches that really work, like the one that parodies the old School House Rock short “I’m Just a Bill” about the big beautiful bill, succeed because they point out the hypocrisies of those who passed it. There is a sketch involving the White House Press Secretary that kills with the audience again because the comic caricature of Karoline Leavitt isn’t much of a caricature, as outrageous of as it is, it’s scar… I mean funny because of how true it is. The game show sketch called “This or That” perfectly distills what is wrong with a percentage of this countries population, a far to large a percentage. My favorite Skit involves Lauren Anderson as a bear, I know you’d think it would be Neithercott, explaining to a Maganite (this may be a new word) how when you read something on the internet you should click two more times to get closer to the truth. It’s a great skit because it uses the examples that I, and the other humans with a sliver of common sense, are incredulous that anyone could possibly believe. But it also reminds us that far too many of our fellow citizens will believe any insane thing that they are told, while also ignoring every fact or refuse to use logic to come to any conclusions that don’t agree with what they wish was true.

Hypocralypse Now is very funny but if you are currently “head in the sand” stage of coping with life, be aware of the dangers inherent in this show. In order to laugh at something we need to acknowledge it first, and some of you may not be ready for that. The best thing about the show is that it ends with a series of improv games which act as a palate cleanser for the evening by avoiding the political. It’s the right note to end the evening on. Hypocralypse Now runs through November 1st at the Dudley Riggs Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://hennepinarts.org/events/hypocralypse-now-2025

Episode 8: In which The Stages of MN puts The MN Fringe to bed

Faithful readers, hopefully you are subscribed to The Stages of MN YouTube channel and already saw that a new episode was up. Apologies for forgetting to do a blog post for those who aren’t. But, a good reminder I guess to subscribe so you’ll know whenever a new episode is available. Double apologies to the podcast listeners as I still have a touch of Fringe brain and completely forgot to edit that version and post it until last night. Both are now up so view and/or listen to your hearts content.

This weeks episode I’m joined by m’colleague Jill Schafer over at Cherry and Spoon to reflect on this years Minnesota Fringe Festival. We discuss 10 of our favorite shows as well as a few honorable mentions. This week’s episodes are actually quite different between the YouTube version and the podcast version. While the YouTube version is always longer and the preferred version because of it. The differences are usually simply a matter of the exclusion of the “At a Show With….” photo montage. Well this week rather than a minute long that segment is four and a half minutes long as it covers the entire Fringe Festival. So, if you took a photo with me at Fringe this year you are probably in that episode. Also The footage of the Fringe Awards from the Closing night party has been excluded from the podcast as I think it relied heavily on the ability to read the captions in order to know who won everything. Also missing is the segment showing what shows won the highly commented on, usually with something like “What’s this now?”, The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winners. That segment contained no audio other than music and so would only serve to prolong the podcast episode without adding any info to listeners. That list by the way is, in order of the day they were seen not ranked:

In The Garden of American Heroes
Hamluke
Joan of Arc For Miss Teen Queen USA
The Book of Mordor
The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club
Songs Without Words (or, The Mendelssohn Play)
Grief, It’s What’s For Dinner
50: A Totally Rad Comedy About the Gnarly Reckoning of a Gen Xer!
An Exorcism, Don’tcha Know?
The Wickie

For those with no interest is The Minnesota Fringe Festival, I can assure you, your apathy is only due to the fact you’ve never been. Make a promise to yourself to go next year and give yourself the treat of this wonderful experience. But you can also breathe a sigh of relief as this will be the final Fringe episode of the year. You can access the YouTube episode here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode8YouTube and the Podcast version here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode8Podcast. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, share, and review the show. you can read Cherry and Spoons Fringe wrap up blog post here https://bit.ly/cs_fringe25

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 follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I’ve officially launched The Stages of MN YouTube Channel which you can view by clicking on this link. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the weekly episodes. Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Minnesota Fringe Day 9: Ranger Jim, Withering Lows: A Love Story Better Off Dead, 50: A Totally Rad Comedy About the Gnarly Reckoning of a Gen Xer! (The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner), Trust ̶E̶x̶e̶r̶c̶i̶s̶e̶s̶ Exorcises.

Day 9 of the Minnesota Fringe Festival was a sad day and a great day. Sad because the JackDonkey Productions show 503 written by and Starring Jeffrey Nolan had to cancel it’s third performance in a row due to illness. My thoughts are with Mr. Nolan and I hope that he’ll be feeling back to full health and able to perform his last show on Sunday. Let this be a lesson to all of us, when someone you suspect might be a genius has a Fringe show, make sure you are their for opening night. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. But, as I said it was also a great day as well, because every show I saw was a contender for The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award. Sometimes two or three (on a weekend) might be battling it out in my brain, but tonight they were all duking it out. That’s a nice problem to have, especially this late in the festival.

Ranger Jim is a show I didn’t have on my schedule originally but several people said it was their favorite show. So, when I looked at my schedule and it had me going from strike to Rarig, then back to Strike, and then ending back at Rarig I decided to sacrifice MicroMedics which I hadn’t heard anything, good or bad, about and add Ranger Jim. Mostly because I didn’t want to make the trek from Strike to Rarig twice in one evening and avoiding the more rush hour slot made the most sense. When Jim Stowell began his show in which he tells stories of his 16 seasons working as a Park Ranger in National Parks I thought I might have made a mistake. He didn’t seem like that charismatic a performer and I realized, I hate nature. OK hates a strong word, and I certainly appreciate it much more now that I’m older. But still nature has never been my go to for entertainment. Boy by the end of his show those opinions had been completely reversed. Stowell is a fantastic storyteller, and his presentation is perfect. The stories are about people that he has met on the job and they are great stories that beautifully wrap up with either a fantastic bit of humor or a wonderful point of view of life. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/ranger-jim. I went in to Ranger Jim with hopeful but not super high expectations and left thinking I may just have seen The Fringe of the Day Award winner. Then Heathcliff said hold my beer.

Withering Lows: A Love Story Better Off Dead is a sequel of sorts to Wuthering Heights a book I adored in High School. This is another show that was not on my schedule originally, this slot was one of those dinner breaks I promised myself. It’s ok though, I had my fingers crossed, so the promise didn’t count. Frankly it was on my first pass list, which contained more shows than I could see and then went off my list after the first Fringe preview, which is why when you hear from people that they loved a show, you should take a second look. I’m not even sure how to describe this show, it’s a comedy that also feels like a faithful continuation. The performers are all excellent, the script really nails these characters and points out the things that I think most readers who like the book grudgingly admit are issues with these characters and what people who hate the book point out as the main reasons for reviling it. It’s a ghost story, but it doesn’t try and scare us. It doesn’t need to, the pleasures of the show come from other quarters. Which includes a killer musical number which alone is worth seeing the show for. One caveat is that if you don’t know Wuthering Heights from either the book, one of the many movies, an illustrated comic book adaptation, or an ill conceived musical version, you might not really get this show. But you’ll still love the musical number! To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/withering-lows-a-love-story-better-off-dead- I left this show thinking now that just edges out Ranger Jim because of the musical number and I bet that’s going to be my Fringe of the Day Award winner. Then Jason Schommer said hold my Daiquiri.

50: A Totally Rad Comedy About the Gnarly Reckoning of a Gen Xer! is my third Jason Schommer Fringe show and his best yet. Why did this beat out Withering Lows? Does it have a kick ass musical number too? Well, actually it has live music interludes throughout and some of them even turn into sing-alongs. And they are the soundtrack of my life. the music is played and sung by JC Lippold he is a fantastic compliment to Schommer’s brilliant script. This felt so much like my life in terms of cultural touchstones and specific life events that no other show had a chance tonight. Plus this was the most I’ve laughed at a Fringe show this year, and I’ve seen some really funny funny shows this year. But here’s why this hit me so right. And These are not in any order in which they appear in the show but just as they come to me.

Featured prominently in the show is the song “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls. I have a playlist on my phone titled “Sing”, this is a list of songs I have as potential songs I would attempt at an evening of Karaoke, if I drank, which I don’t. So, it’s mostly used if I’m driving and tired and need something that I can sing along to in order to stay awake. It’s a favorite.
Cheers is mentioned along with Newhart as shows Jason would watch late at night with his Mom as a teenager, For me it was my Dad but those were our shows. We loved Norm, and my Dad always kind of reminded me of Norm, he was about the same shape, had a similar level of ambition career wise, and he spent most evenings at the Ground Round with his buddies, which we all called Cheers. Plus, my wife and I just finished a rewatch of Cheers so we were primed for that sing along!
His Mother died about 20 years ago, for me it was my Dad, 20 years ago.
He also is upset by the single space after a period rule. I don’t know when this changed, but when I learned about it, several years ago now I was incredulous. Why the change I exclaimed! To which some replied, it’s always been that way. OH NO IT WASN’T!!! Anyone who reads me regularly will know that I do not have nearly as firm a grasp of the rules of punctuation as I should. So I promise you there is zero chance I made up my own rule to follow. I was taught and for once it stuck. Two spaces after a period! I accept that it has changed. But don’t attempt to retcon it, I ain’t buyin it!
I also loved TV as a kid, I equated the arrival of the Fall TV preview edition of the TV guide to the opening of your stocking on Christmas morning. It started with the Saturday morning cartoons and as I grew older moved to prime time. As a kid I always chose TV over nature.
Loved Magnum P.I. but also Remington Steele!
I loved my Castle Grayskull too, it was a great toy!
I’ve been on that hike in Hawaii!
Jason was laid off recently, me too!! I don’t know why I’m so excited by that one.
I was a huge fan of Days of Our Lives, and I specifically remember the fight between Tony and Andre that ended with Andre dying in a pit of quicksand, that was also the island that Roman was killed by Stefano DiMera, not that on Days of Our Lives anyone is ever actually truly dead. But I didn’t realize that at the time. Roman falling off that cliff was reenacted many many times with my action figures.

As was the Tony and Andre DiMera fight by the quicksand with my Dagobah playset. Which had a little hole covered with foam that you could push your figures through, it was perfect for quicksand.

This IS The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winner. If you are a Gen Xer, you’ll love this show! To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/50-a-totally-rad-comedy-about-the-gnarly-reckoning-of-a-gen-xer- Sorry Phil

Trust ̶E̶x̶e̶r̶c̶i̶s̶e̶s̶ Exorcises by Phil Gonzales was on my schedule later in the festival but I ended up taking it in tonight after 503 was cancelled. Which may have caused it to lose The Fringe of the Day Award, who knows? But Phil, seriously, would it have killed you to sing a little? This was a great show about the shockingly abusive High School theater teacher that Phil was exposed to as a teenager. Gonzales uses the same story wheel he did last year for his show on The Berenstain Bears. Wherein he spins the wheel and whatever space it lands on he tells the story that goes along with it. So while every show deals with the same topic, it’s unique every performance. The stories really are great and while Phil might not have won The Fringe of the day Award, I did leave with a little crush on him, so hopefully that’s some consolation. To purchase tickets go to the shows page at The Minnesota Fringe Site here https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2025/trust-e-x-e-r-c-i-s-e-s-exorcises

That’s it for day nine 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

Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.