You're No Fun
presented by Bedlam Theatre
Showtimes
Sat., Aug. 2 @ 8:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 3 @ 7:00 p.m.
[A] Mon., Aug. 4 @ 5:30 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 8 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 9 @ 1:00 p.m.
KEY:
[S]=ASL interpreted
[A]=Audio described
Show details
Venue: U of M Rarig Center Thrust
Duration: 60 minutes
For ages 14+
Written by Savannah Reich
Website: www.bedlamtheatre.org
Genres: Musical theatre, Comedy, Audio described
Warnings: Adult language
Overall rating
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User reviews
Fun story!
by Ruth Alkons Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Really interesting lead characters
Whole lotta fun!
by Erin McCullough Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
"You're No Fun" was a delightful way to end an evening. The characters brought an amazing energy to the stage and kept the audience engaged from the beginning number to the final chord. Only criticism was the story got a little lost towards the middle and took some figuring out before the end. Would recommend this show to Fringers looking for fun!
I'm no fun.
by David Lee Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
I really just didn't get into it. Maybe it was because I was atop the balcony, but it just felt undercooked and amateurish. A friend argued, "that's the point", but I just don't get it.
Sorry guys.
Winning energy
by re gurgitate Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Just seeing the looks on the performers faces as the story advanced said that this was a show that they are fully committed to and because of that, so was I. However, if the unedited version had more of the relationship in it, it's unfortunate that it was removed here. I could have done with one less song to learn more about the characters.
Much better than "musical: the musical"
by Crummy Reviewer Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I really dug the journey of Annabelle as she digs up her dirt. The show found sweetness and meaning beneath that layers of angst/pretense that Annabelle peppers her life with. Kat Wodtke and Luc Weber were great.
The show "seemed muddy / amateurish / incoherent" because we were locked in the muddy/amateurish/incoherent world of a budding female performance artist... It was obvious to me.
Kudos to Savannah's heartfelt script that made effective use of stereotypes to present a fluffy social critique. Jasmine Rush was great (a real contrast from the diva misused by Musical: The Musical)
Angst the Musical
by Rick Treece Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Well, more sophisticated the Musical the Musical, however not necessarily better. But way fringier! Among the reviewers, Jonas Goslow got it just right, yet I can't gainsay Rex Winsome's criticisms. I would say something witty about the premise, in that the subject matter is completely inappropriate to treatment as a musical, except that "The Rainmaker" is uncomfortably close in content, and that's a wonderful show. The video clip (which would have looked a lot better shot from the front) falls about midway between the show's range from the inscrutably artsy to the embarrassingly schlocky. The show opens with performance art and ends with (spoiler alert?) a doubly transvestite kick-line. So whatever your taste, there will be something here for you to love and something to hate.
Funny and sweet
by Heather Baldwin Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I enjoyed this show immensely. The acting was fabulous, especially from Katie as Daisy(I was practically rolling on the floor laughing during her temper tantrum and again during her drunken rant with Annabelle). Luc was also amazing in the role of Will, and he was perfect in the twist ending. Overall, the show featured excellent acting, directing, and writing (with some clever inside jokes about theatre people). I hope it gets remounted and expanded.
Fun, enjoyable show
by Mark Ryan Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This show was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the musical performances.
Such Fun
by Don Shuler Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This show captures a reality which may - or may not - be understood beyond the theater world. That theater artists live life under different assumptions than a lot of other people. Particularly, theater artists assume that other people care what they have to say. And, honestly, is that such an awful assumption? But not everybody lives under that assumption. And this show - You're No Fun - captures that conflict onstage. And boy is it fun to watch play out. Some reviewers have said this show only reaches those that do go, have gone, and always will go to see theater a lot. And short of doing a study on who is buying tickets I can't agree or disagree. But this play definitely has something to say to non-theater "regulars" if any of them decide to show up. And besides seeing a well done show. They might actually see what might be the clearest depiction of a non-theater type I've seen on stage - the romantic lead. He's great and is playful without sacrificing any of what seems like a "get-out-of-my-face" attitude.
A strong, articulate show by Ms. Reich.
It just made me so happy...
by Kara Greshwalk Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Man, what great vocals, deft physical comedy, and further proof that Bedlam Theater can pretty much produce any kind of theater genre and it WORKS. Thank you for a show that made me really really happy.
Poignant, Well-constructed
by Joshua Iley Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This is my favorite show I've seen so far, excepting perhaps the Cody Rivers show. Features great performances, extremely well-written, and just plain enjoyable. Go See it!
Worth it in the End.....
by Shannon Forney Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Kat Wodtke and Luc Parker are truely stand out performers in this fun (maybe fluff?) romantic comedy. I enjoyed the staging emmensely, and the tunes were fantastic. The show sometimes veered into campy high school musical territory, but for the most part was engaging and truely great. The last number is worth the entire show! Thank you Bedlam!
specific: but golden.
by Jonas Goslow Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I agree with some of the other reviews that many people would have trouble relating to this story, but this is the fringe, not broadway or the guthrie, so why play to the masses? I'm certainly not very familiar with the avant-garde theater or hobo scene, but I found this play to be a touching and funny, layered, intellectual, but very human love-story; and better yet, it was a self-deprecating musical! Really fantastic, smart theater.
Best Show I've Seen
by Ben Thietje Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This show is on the very top of my list so far. It's just plain outstanding. I laughed, I cried, I developed a crush on Katie Hartman. It was a well-rounded afternoon.
If there's only 1 show you go to...
by Theatre Goer Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Make it this one!
I've seen over a dozen shows and this is by far the best one I've seen.
Funny, smart and just a damn good piece of theatre.
Go, you won't be sorry.
A Light Spoof, but Fun
by Derek Miller Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
I had a good time watching the first 2/3 of this zany little comedy from Bedlam. After that, I started to get tired of it. Don't get me wrong, there's some good performers and a lot of fun music (all of it skewering the most ridiculous aspects of musical theatre); but the heart of the show, the relationship between the two main characters, was only barely sketched-in. Perhaps that's why I felt detached as the show careened to an ending.
I understand that this was a previously produced piece and was actually cut by 20 minutes to make it fit the festival. I'm not normally one to argue against cuts of anything, but, in this case, I think they may have cut things that would make the audience care about the characters for the sake of keeping things that would make the audience laugh at the characters.
Don't miss this one
by Marcia Avner Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Excellent on all counts:timing, tone, costuming, acting. The script is intelligent and quite humorous. One of the most delightful Fringe hours.
Kind of a mess
by Charlie Hansen Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
There are some talented people in this show with exceptional voices, but the show itself was somewhat of a mess. A few funny moments, and a couple standout musical numbers, but otherwise a sloppily-staged rambling presentation.
Totally Worth It!
by Crispy Fur Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Amazinginly Hilarious. Great Costumes. Talented singers and acting. Superb script that reaches out to both regular theatre nerds as well as non regular theatre goers!
One great fun ride
by Whoa Pow Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
A pure delight. Humorous, light and entertaining. Loved the "Cry Baby"-esque jail house scene.
This show is fun
by roseroberta pauling Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
If you want to laugh and have some fun, this show is a good choice. If you have any trouble with your hearing, try to sit up front. The problem I had with this show is that I could not always hear and had to do with where the actors were on the stage.
Good try.
by Rex Winsome Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
Most importantly: turn that keyboard down!!
Second: This is a show for theatre people about how theatre is growing dangerously irrelevant to non-theatre people. There were great performances and a lot of fun, but the show doesn't give what i hoped it would. It seems like a valient attempt to reach a subculture that i'd really like to see theatre reach, and it uses some wonderful Brechtian techniques to do so. Unfortunately, by the end, the message gets muddled. The characters fall into cliches and the play ends up just smashing the "modern hobo" type up against the "crazy theatre artist" type. A few scenes tap into a genuine sense of what's wrong with theatre or what's wrong with anarcho-punks, but the broadway musical resolution of these conflicts short circuits the critique. While funny and crowd pleasing, the end of the show occurs so completely within the theatre world that the play ends up more like an inward self-affirmation for crazy theatre artists, than the reaching-out to anarcho-punks I was hoping for.
Awesome.
by Lindsey McDonald Dorsey Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Okay, so I hate romantic comedies, but loved this show. A lot. It never gets sappy or loses momentum, the characters are distinct and excellently portrayed, the music's great, and it's very, very funny. Sassy and witty and giddy and good-hearted. Plus precise staging, strong text, and a consistently playful energy that allows it to veer into the experimental without losing anyone along the way. You should see it. Hooray!
Lighter than air
by Dan Pinkerton Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
A sweet and wonderfully funny spoof of romance, musicals, and autobiographical art. Just about as Fringey as a Fringe show can get --- a great show for newbies (and grizzled vets, too, of course). Hats off to a terrific cast than sings and dances with great skill.
One request to the company: turn down the volume on the electric piano. I had a great seat, 5th row center, and it drowned out about half of the lyrics.
Hurrah!
by Claire Avitabile Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Go Bedlam! Always a fan of your zany works, this musical-within-a-musical was great! Loved the story, the leads, the back-up singing, the costumes, the theatre jokes, and everything else :o) A super-fun Fringe show that y'all should enjoy.
