Minnesota Fringe Festival

schedule

Show reviews by Arthur Adams

The Finkles' Theater Show
Must-see for theatre geeks! by Arthur Adams
Rating: 5 kitties
This show was the most creative and best show I've seen thus far at the fringe. An amazing amount of preparation must have gone into this production, but it still gives the illusion of being mostly improvised. I think "the Finkles's" found more ways to poke fun at the theatrical crowd than I've ever seen before, with gags that ranged from extremely subtle to ridiculously overdone. The good stuff is in the details! I'd almost like to see it again to try to pick up on some of the smaller jokes. All this, and they managed to create sincere, complex characters who start to feel like your quirky aunt and uncle by the end of the show. Bravo! A definite must-see!

The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus
Light, fun, goofy, entertaining! by Arthur Adams
Rating: 5 kitties
If you're sick of "exploring the metaphysical quandries of postmodern sandalmaking," see this show for a fun, light-hearted laugh. The characters and story were spot-on, and I was especially impressed by the kids' acting abilities.

Tales ... Of the Expected!
Excellent cast with great timing by Arthur Adams
Rating: 4 kitties
These have got to be some of the best performers I've seen at fringe, and luckily they're all in the same show! I laughed out loud often and was really amused by the twisted workings of Hoptman's creative mind. I, like several previous reviewers, felt that the first story was the best and the other two didn't make quite as much of an impact. I can only assume that since the shows rotate, maybe this type of humor just isn't as funny after the first thirty minutes or so. Don't get me wrong - there was a lot of great stuff in there, but it just didn't quite sustain itself for an entire hour. It was a fun diversion, and I'd recommend the show to anyone who likes to laugh!

Spermalot: The Musical
Left me flacid... by Arthur Adams
Rating: 3 kitties
While the premise sounded like a load of fun, the writers couldn't keep it up for a full hour. The puppets were a neat idea, but they weren't used well (some coaching from a professional puppeteer could go a long way). There were some really great moments and some not so great... let's say the cast was "uneven" at best. While I enjoy dirty humor, the repeated puns just got to be a little tiresome and there were some inconsistencies. Either these are super sperm or the woman they are in is not... anatomically correct. Script needs a little more work. Amy Burgmaier stole the show in her song involving the audience - by far the best singing and acting of the night. I also enjoyed a rather disturbing guest appearance by "the clap." The costumes were great - worth going to the show just for them! Call me old-fashioned, but I like my musicals to have live music. The pre-recorded soundtrack just fell a little short of my expectations, and the orchestration became monotonous after a while. Must see? Probably not, but why not come down to see the show - you can always prematurely evacuate the theater...

This Show Will Change Your Life!
A fun diversion for conference-goers by Arthur Adams
Rating: 3 kitties
These guys were spot-on in terms of character/delivery and their performances deserve five kitties. I have to agree with the other reviewers that there just wasn't enough material in the script for an hour, though. David and Scott gave great performances, though, and I'm hoping to seeing them in another show next year. In terms of script (if considering revisions), it might be stronger if it moves in a new direction and becomes more over-the-top at the point where the "wrong audience" bit happens. This seemed like a missed opportunity to change things up when the original premise started to run out of steam. I hope that this show is staged again after some script revision. It would be a BLAST to hire these guys for an upcoming convention/keynote!

Something Witchy
Great acting - script could be stronger by Arthur Adams
Rating: 3 kitties
The actors were committed to their roles and should be commended on a good performance. While I could imagine certain people being sucked into the plot, this one wasn\\\'t for me. The exposition was well written and acted and kept the audience in suspense for a good 15-20 minutes. It seemed that there was too much time in the middle where we didn\\\'t learn anything new, and by the end we were left with a lot more questions than answers. I\\\'m okay with questions, but I felt that in this case the play would have actually been much stronger had a few of the questions been answered. The cast deserves four kitties, but the show left me with only three.

Livelihood
Great performers, weaker script by Arthur Adams
Rating: 3 kitties
I have to start by saying that Matt and Nate both gave great performances. They were what kept the show alive, since we spent 50 minutes watching one long, continuous scene. I enjoyed the concept (love the dark humor), but I felt like the show trailed off around the 25-minute point. Like a reviewer below pointed out, it felt like a series of jokes and sketches had just been written back to back. The characters and plot just never really developed. Nonetheless, if you've got a free slot in your schedule, this show is worth a look - there are definitely some really funny moments.

The Frog Prince: A Splashy New Musical!
Editing and several fixes needed by Arthur Adams
Rating: 2 kitties
I love musicals and came to this show expecting a lot due to previous reviewers' posts. Unfortunately, after what I saw yesterday I can't recommend this show to anyone. There are FAR TOO MANY characters (and scenes) that serve no purpose whatsoever, and when they are all on stage at the same time it's a mess. When the show ends, almost all of the characters' stories are incomplete to the point of frustration (give us something to wrap up all of the sub-plots - even if it has to be done in five minutes!). Maybe with another thirty minutes this show could work its way to a satisfactory ending, but the performance I attended ran a few minutes late as it is. I also can't imagine that any of the kids in the audience were entertained by the humorless 20-minute courtroom scene that ends the show. I found myself checking my watch for the last 15 minutes hoping that things would be wrapped up soon. There were a few sparkling moments however, as the operatic judge and most of the cast (including the kids) gave good performances during their solo songs. The costumes were mostly bright and inventive. The live music and talented musicians were apreciated, and there was a lot of cute music throughout the show. Unfortunately, the balance was not good and none of us could hear the lyrics for several minutes at the beginning and in a few places later in the show. As much as I'd like to recommend a musical for kids, this show just wasn't up to par in its present form. I'm hoping that with some careful revision this could be a realy good children's musical in the future.