Minnesota Fringe Festival

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The best spoken word in a raft ever!

Stuck at sea in a raft, Rockstar Storyteller and SlamMistress of Poetry SlamMN!, Allison Broeren, passes the time by spitting stories about ridiculous situations involving beer faries, SCUBA diving with Santa, and more!

Allison is returning to the Minnesota Fringe for the third year in a row after successful runs of "All the Things I Never Told My Mother," and "I'll Marry You for Health Insurance." Full of irreverence and hope, probably a shark, and possibly a Salty Salty Seaman. Will she get rescued before it's too late?

This show is part of the Rockstar Storytellers Passport Series. See all eight shows, collect the trading cards, and receive a big prize!

"Her words come out at such a dazzling rate...it's a flurry of clever turns, comical juxtapositions, and the occasional random pop cultural reference that elevates everyday conversation to an art form."
-Matthew Everett, Twin Cities Daily Planet

"A one woman verbal opera."
-phillip low, Twin Cities Daily Planet

The cast

Allison Broeren
Role: Creator, Writer, Performer

Marlow
Role: Shark, Salty Salty Seaman, Boat Pumper
"The best shark since Jaws."
-Audience member at Fringe-for-all

Mumble Mumble Productions

My Sinking Ship

Thu., Jul. 30 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 1 @ 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 2 @ 8:30 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 6 @ 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 @ 1:00 p.m.

Warning! Adult language

Venue U of M Rarig Center Arena
For ages 14+
Created by Allison Broeren
genres Solo, Spoken word
subjects Relationships
features World premiere, Regional (MSP) premiere, Original script/choreography

Overall rating

User reviews

Sinking Ship? Try Rising Star.
by Rob Callahan Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Broeren is silly and fun from the moment the lights go up. Pacing laugh-out-loud zingers, subtler chucklers and eyebrow-raisers between build-ups, she maintains the attention of her audience throughout the show, keeping them enthralled with her high level of energy and quickly-paced delivery. Odd, non sequitur interludes fill the gaps between stories of a pretty normal girl driven to the edge of sadistic indifference by the careless, self-destructive weirdos around her. Her straight-faced delivery of the occasional gross-out joke adds to the humor of it.

Allison always puts out a good show
by Pat Lindgren Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Her roommate stories are way better than mine, and she tells them better. You can't go wrong picking one of her shows

Best spoken word in a raft...EVER.
by phillip andrew bennett low Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Totally goofy stuff. Light storytelling and I found the amateurish transitions hysterically funny. Full review available at the Twin Cities Daily Planet.

Allison Rules
by Courtney McLean Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Every time I see Allison tell a story, I am surprised at its course, no matter how many times I've heard it. Allison's tales are juicy with words and hilarity, but her talent extends also to her adept handling of the tender moments. This is a little hypocritical of me because I know how it is, but I wish she would get rid of the dang music stand. But other than that, this show is filled with the trademark Broeren Giggle and wonderful stories that make you realize that this girl has lived quite a life. YEAH!

Stories of vengeance
by Dave Romm Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The autobiographical stories were fun: She spent time on two continents and experienced leftover sex detritus, scuba diving, bats, sharks and more. Sometimes, the show seemed like an excuse to tell old stories, and I've seen her tell these better. Good stuff but uneven. A Shockwave Radio Theater Review.

Longer reviews with pictures at Baron Dave's LiveJournal and snarky comments on Facebook.

Word
by Joshua Abell Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I concur that this is indeed the best spoken word in a raft ever. Unless some unwilling castaway cannibal maybe heard some good riffs and isn't telling.

Allison put on a great show and I was very entertained by tales that I could relate to.

The only drawback was the constant reliance on notes. A little bit more audience connection would really push this over into 5 kitties for me.

Funny stories, engaging storyteller
by Johanna Lewis Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
She's funny, she's wise, she's likeable, and she's a paranoid steroid-junkie hopped up on Ambien and watching Cosby on TV. I'd like to meet her and have a beer with her! Definitely see her show, but keep your skanky underwear out of her bed...because she WILL punch you. A Shockwave Radio Theater Review.

Moving Forward
by Chris Anderson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The best show at Fringe I have seen so far. Allison took the standard storytelling format and added humor and a continuity to tie the stories together into a brilliant performance.

yeah for allison!
by brenda atkins Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
i really enjoyed the show! she has become a must see every year for me. i haven't been let down yet by allison's awesome shows!

Brilliantly Buoyant!
by Michael Shaeffer Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Throughout the show, I was constantly reminded of what an undeniably likeable and resilient person Allison is. I loved the stories right down to the empty rum bottle, and the shark? Best aquatic predator since the one that ate Samuel Jackson! This truly is the best spoken word show from a raft...evah.

An incredible storyteller!
by Katie Knutson Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Allison is a very talented writer and performer. The stories are well-told, with a lot of humor. Definitely see this show, especially if you haven't seen Allison perform much in the last year!

If you have seen her perform, you will probably hear some of the same stuff again, but listen for the subtle changes that will keep you on your toes. I had heard most (if not all) of the pieces, but still enjoyed myself - the sign of a great performance.

Also, huge props go out to Marlow, who made two great appearances on stage!

The transitions are very contrived and obvious ways to attempt a bridge between the pieces she wanted to include in the show, but when she embraces that, it adds to her charm. Example: "Hmmmm... I wonder what's in this raft... oh look! A music stand!"