Minnesota Fringe Festival

schedule

Show reviews by Micah Bruce

Slow Jobs: Servicing America for $12 an Hour
Damn the Sirens; Full Laughs Ahead! by Micah Bruce
Rating: 5 kitties
I see these folks are getting an encore performance...and they absolutely deserve it! If you haven't seen it yet, get your ticket now! The stories were funny and well told, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Laura gets extra points for telling one of her stories while the tornado warning siren was blaring outside...without breaking character...and without losing our attention! Bravo!!

The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus
Gluten Free Entertainment! by Micah Bruce
Rating: 5 kitties
I pretty much have to echo what others have already said. It was funny, it was clever, the actors were outstanding, and it was one of the best shows I've seen at the Fringe so far. Go see it!

The Finkles' Theater Show
A Whole New World...Heheheh by Micah Bruce
Rating: 5 kitties
These people live on a different planet and I want to go to there. What a great spoof on how some people put together a(Fringe?)show. It was like a bizzaro version of "Waiting for Guffman." Or not. I'm still not sure. All I know is I laughed a LOT...especially during the intermission. And the ending was very clever. Go see it!

Tales ... Of the Expected!
Oh, Geez! by Micah Bruce
Rating: 4 kitties
Out of the 3 "Tales" I saw, I thought Sleeping Beauty was outstanding. Das Boat and Jack and the Beanstalk were okay. The cast was extremely strong and overall, it was a pleasant way to spent a little less than an hour.

The Red Tureen
Great Voices, Good Music & Staging by Micah Bruce
Rating: 4 kitties
...but even with a large cast, the piped-in music sometimes overpowered the singers. All-in-all, it was well done, but because I couldn't hear some of it, I missed some plot points. When it was over, I was left with the feeling that I had just witnessed something pretty good...but I needed a TIVO to go back and make sure.

Animal Cracker Genocide
Good Standup by Micah Bruce
Rating: 4 kitties
A lot of good stuff in this one...just like in Naked juice (the bottled kind, not the shower kind). It was a very entertaining way to spend an hour.

June of Arc
June Was a Martyr All Right... by Micah Bruce
Rating: 4 kitties
Heather Stone eerily channeled Barabara Billingsley's June Cleaver in a way that made you think deeply about how inacccurately women were perceived/portrayed thanks to 1950s TV. Her entire performance was an increasingly layered cry for help as she slowly slipped into insanity. I could go on and on about the depth of her character, and how Ward and the boys represented the death of her dreams...but I won't. It was simply an amazing performance. The commercials added a light touch...but at the same time, added to the perception that the 50s were not exactly the halcyon days that older folks remember so fondly. Kudos to all!

Bard Fiction
Long SNL Skit by Micah Bruce
Rating: 3 kitties
This reminded me of the classic "douchebag" skit, the very last skit on SNL that featured the original cast. For me, that means that I knew I was watching something of value, something well-done, but didn't really find it all that funny. Kudos to the excellent cast. Kudos for the effort. But for me, in the end, it was more of a Garrett Morris/Laraine Newman than a Bill Murray/Gilda Radner.

Livelihood
Hmmm... by Micah Bruce
Rating: 3 kitties
This didn't go where I thought it would go...and that's my problem. In fact, after a little while, I got a little lost. However, the actors were good and the pacing was exceptional. In the end, though, I was disappointed. And then I was mad at myself for feeling that way. So maybe this was a 4 or 5 for some, but not for me.

Something Witchy
Hmmm... by Micah Bruce
Rating: 3 kitties
This was riveting in spots, but there were some plot holes you could drive a truck through. The actors were good, but overall, I guess the word I would use is "meh."

The Frog Prince: A Splashy New Musical!
Kids May Like It, But... by Micah Bruce
Rating: 2 kitties
...that's no reason to throw plot structure out the door. There were too many loose ends. What happened to the geeky girl (who did an excellent job, by the way)? What was the point of the reporter? I could go on. Sure, it was pretty and colorful, some of the singers were great, and maybe it was stimulating for children...but it could have been all of those things without the unresolved plotlines. That just made it frustrating for adults. I chose this show because of all the 5-kitty ratings. It did NOT live up to my expectations. But go ahead and take the kids if you think they'll like it.