Minnesota Fringe Festival

schedule

Show reviews by re gurgitate

The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus
Hearty laughs! by re gurgitate
Rating: 5 kitties
Who read Hardy Boys books as a kid? I did! Fond memories are forcing me to rate this a bit higher than I normally would. The young kids stole the show, but the big kids weren't so bad themselves. Including the bright lights of Hoptman and Ball ain't gonna hurt either. Overall, a slight story, but worth the journey. My fave of the day gets it 5 kitties.

Your Lithopedion
Pure Genius on a levels! by re gurgitate
Rating: 5 kitties
After truding among swine I have found the pearl! A highly entertaining tale of the suburban serial killer, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Trust me I do not give 5 kitties lightly, but I would give this 10! Sarah Broude as the wife was a revelation and Kevin McLaughlin matched her abilities step for step. This is the must see show of the Fringe!

The Traveling Musicians
Barnyard follies by re gurgitate
Rating: 5 kitties
Can't get enough Brant Miller. Or the rest! CAPB escaped from the farm to bring you this high energy Rock n Roll confection. Would love to see this expanded into a full length show. One of the best!

Pipa
Five dancing kitties! by re gurgitate
Rating: 5 kitties
I'm not a fan of dance, but there was a hole in my schedule and fellow ultra passers had recommended it. I'm glad I took their advice. There is just enough thread of a story to keep your interest and a hyper talented dancer to tell it. Tamara IS Pipa!

Squawk
You had me at squawk by re gurgitate
Rating: 5 kitties
Two fringe classics in a row from Walking shadow! Having them make it into fringe next year has been added to my list of wishes. A simple tale, but told with heart and skill earns a place on my top 5 list.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School
A fine confection from the Four Humours by re gurgitate
Rating: 5 kitties
I've never been disappointed in one of their productions. I wasn't familiar with The Wayside School novels, but no matter. I put my trust in the troupe and they have served me well. My favorite of this years Fringe!

2 Sugars, Room for Cream
Cuppa fun by re gurgitate
Rating: 4 kitties
I will say I enjoyed the show, but the laughs came more as chuckles vs. the big laughs I'm used to from Shanan's other work. A spoonful of comedy with a swirl of drama, and no bitterness.

Horace Greeley the Lesser: On the Isle of Misfit Toys
Overstuffed, but not a turkey. by re gurgitate
Rating: 4 kitties
Horace weaves a tale that's complex and overlong. Not something expected when spinning a childhood story, but his inner child held forth for a number of very witty songs, which made it worth the trip.

Livelihood
Seismic shift by re gurgitate
Rating: 4 kitties
I will say that I've laughed more at this show than any other this fringe. That said, I felt, as have most other reviewers, as if the story would have been better served remaining a full on comedy, than getting hit with the unexpected drama sandbag. But, it's the writers choice, and what is here is still definitely worth seeing.

Sarah, Your Ovaries Are Drying Up: The Musical
She was accurate. by re gurgitate
Rating: 4 kitties
As I left the show, a woman turned to me with a smile on her face and said" Wasn't that a cute show?" I agree.

I'd Kick Puppies for You
So so. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
For me the show started out really slow and with a bit of character confusion, but eventually made it's way up to a slow jog. Standout acting by Amber Preston, who actually seemed to inhabit the characters rather than saying their words. Average fringe fare.

Needs, Wants, Desires!
I like my comedy straight up! by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
I will say that I prefer shows that don't mix comedy and drama. Actually, the third(dramatic) piece was the most successful with the script giving the actors room to flourish. But my favorite was the second, a wealthy couple's flight of fancy.

Rumspringa the Musical
Desire greater than realization. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Give the story a few more rewrites, tighten up the pacing, and instrumentation on songs, and SING LOUDER PEOPLE, and it could make it to 4 stars.

casebolt and smith: Speaking Out!
Non dancer. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
I've never done dance or do not see a lot of dance performances, so I will speak only to that segment of the potential audience. When the most entertaining segments of the show are essentially non dance, that says something. The overlong last segment was very tiring. Unless you are strongly into dance, I'd fill your schedule with some other show.

The Red Tureen
Too short/long by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
When I heard this had been cut down from a 2 hr production it all made sense, because the show didn't. Some fine performances were wasted in an edited show that I question whether it should have been done at all.

Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter
Much ado about something? by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
Far be it from me to criticize a Nobel award winner.....Screw it, I'm not the kind of person that wants to work extremely hard to arrive at decision of what the play was about, and not have it match anyone else. If vagueness is your thing, you might want to check it out. But I want more meat on my bones. Acting top notch by the way.

The Frog Prince: A Splashy New Musical!
A cast of thousands. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
A LOT of performers in this cast, which became a problem when they had large groups on stage. The writers tried to involve everyone and thus had more than point of focus taking place at the same time. Perhaps less players might have allowed a more focused story. Songs were fair to good, with some tech problems on when to turn on or off the body mics.

Cherry Cherry Lemon
The passion died. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
Love and sex can make for an entertaining night, even when it's on stage. The performers were excellent, and really had me early on, but later the thrill was gone as it became repetitive. Also, the attention to a particular disease really seemed to come out of left field and detract from the tale at hand.

Hogg and the Humors
Five rights can make a wrong. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
A loose jointed mish-mash of a show. Funny in spurts, as improv tends to be. I'm a big fan of everyone in this production, but bring us more scripted stuff guys!

Silent Poetry 2
Half of a good thing. by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
The first and last scenes were witty, well crafted classic comedy. The middle of the show was a bit muddled and had me straining to stay awake. A fair show from two very skilled performers.

This Show Will Change Your Life!
I got a free pencil! by re gurgitate
Rating: 3 kitties
From these two talented performers I expected a bit more. Parodies of self improvement seminars are overdone and this one brings nothing new to the table. A few laughs, but nothing to pull it out of the realm of the average fringe show.

The Twisted Grin-Assorted Tales to Amuse and Alarm
No grins. by re gurgitate
Rating: 2 kitties
I'm not familiar with the stories of Donald Barthelme, but found nothing amusing or entertaining in this production. If the material was poorly adapted, shame on them, and if properly adapted, shame on me for not knowing what I was getting into.

Winnemucca (three days in the belly)
Throw this one back! by re gurgitate
Rating: 2 kitties
Sorry, the acting was uniformly good, but the story, meh. Pulling elements of the Book of Jonah presumably tied to the playwright's case of writers block could possibly have made an engaging story. This ain't it.

Love Me Or Die!
What if.... by re gurgitate
Rating: 2 kitties
What if we took a slight story and to build it up, added everything including the kitchen sink(bucket of chicken) till we reached 50 minutes? The answer within this show.

Foolproof
Non believer by re gurgitate
Rating: 2 kitties
Sorry, I just couldn't believe the dialog, which shatters any reality the characters or setting might bring. I was eying the door after the first 10 minutes.

Danny Is Going To Die
Amateurish. by re gurgitate
Rating: 2 kitties
Some of the audience laughed, I didn't. I didn't believe the situation, the actors, or the sub-sitcom dialog. Better luck next time.

Voyages
Sorry, I remain unconverted. by re gurgitate
Rating: 2 kitties
I feel mislead. The description of the show and even the program, scrupulously avoid the mention of the word religion in the show. Then to be dragged through numerous creationist stories drove me to walk out for the first time in my fringe history. Of the half show I caught, acting was sub par, and musicians were of high quality.

Second Skin
More hell than heaven. by re gurgitate
Rating: 1 kitty
Confusing, stilted dialog that was almost Mametian. Virtually no story or anything of interest. Standout work by Ms Gould

The Nightmare Man
Sense and Sensibilities. by re gurgitate
Rating: 0 kitties
It offended both. I feel sorry for the actors being stuck in what was truly a nightmare. A must avoid.