schedule
Ari Hoptman
Tales ... Of the Expected!
Fri., Jul. 31 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 2 @ 1:00 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 5 @ 7:00 p.m.
[A] Thu., Aug. 6 @ 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 @ 5:30 p.m.
KEY:
[S]=ASL interpreted
[A]=Audio described
Venue U of M Rarig Center Proscenium
For ages 16+
Written by Ari Hoptman
genres Comedy, Satire
features World premiere, Original script/choreography
Overall rating
User reviews
Entertaining
by Heather Smith Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I enjoyed all the performers in this group, and found Sleeping Beauty to be my favorite sketch...with some memorable lines from Jack and the Beanstalk as well. Overall, it was an entertaining way to spend an hour.
Maybe a little too... expected
by Sharon Kahn Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Stellar cast, but the material was pretty thin. Maybe I've just seen a few too many variations on the fractured fairy tale, and the genre just isn't as funny as it was back when I was watching Rocky and Bullwinkle. It would have been a great kid's show if it weren't for the astonishingly foul-mouthed Mom in the first play. Don't get me wrong - she was hilarious - but she pretty much takes the play off the table as a kids' matinee.
Great Show Ari!
by Edwin Strout Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I so wish that I could have seen every single story in one sitting. I'm not able to visit the show more than once. I saw "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Rumpelstilsken" (sp?), and "Das Boat." (yes, correct spelling). And I whole heartedly agree with my wife, that this show (in this incarnation) had the best opening line ever delivered by Michelle "F**k Poverty! And you can tell it I said so!"
I don't know if this is a show for everyone. I'm a big fan of Ari. I have been even before I had the wonderful chance to know him, at a Fringe show back in 1998/99 (I can't remember which). Yes, these are all stories that you've heard (hence the title, People!), except for "Das Boat." But it has that special Ari spin and humor that makes this one absolutely delightful show delivered by very good actors who appreciate Ari as much as I do.
That is all I have to say.
A new spin on some old classis
by Heather Baldwin Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This was a fun, silly show. The performance I attended featured Sleeping Beauty, "Das Boot", and Jack and the Beanstalk. Ben Chadwick, as the bishop in Sleeping Beauty, and the actress who played the witch in Sleeping Beauty and the mother in Jack particularly stole the show, but everyone did a great job. I laughed throughout the whole thing. I definitely recommend checking it out.
And the Immoral of the Story is...
by Geek Grrrl Librarian Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
These fairy tales are more ruptured than fractured, showing the dark rot at the heart of many relationships such as Jack and his blowsy mother in Jack and the Beanstalk; the greedy loutish King and his selfish ambitious "spinster" wife (as well as her manipulative parents) in Rumpelstiltskin; and the cut-throat antics of the crew of Das Boot. Great ensemble acting, clever dialogue that really helps you appreciate and savor the power of words, and some particularly wonderful costuming choices make this a must-see. May have to go back to see the 2 tales I missed - Sleeping Beauty and The Little Engineer That Couldn't.
Go.See.This.
by leo borer Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
[please]. A fine cast in a funny show. As Stan Lee says, 'Excelsior!'
too expected
by Sarah Bauer Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The first tale seemed hilarious and the other two seemed to be much slower. Perhaps it's just that the comedic formula was established in the beginning and went unaltered so the audience wasn't as surprised by the jokes as the show went on. but the actors were all very funny and each had some great moments.
Funny and fun
by Val Rigsbee Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This show features a phenomenal group of actors playing sitcom-like theatre. This is what Fairy Tale Network would have been had Shelley DuVall not been scared of dirt and sex. It was great Fringe-light fare.
Truth in Advertising
by Patrick Pfundstein Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The cast is excellent, but this is in fact mostly Tales of the Expected. We've heard them before, and while engagingly told, these tales are pretty much what you'd expect. It probably didn't help that I had seen one of the segments entirely before, and the show I was at was both well attended and filled with laughs, but this is a good show rather than a great one. I'd actually rate it 3.5, but the Fringe didn't give me that option.
expect to laugh
by Karen Taulelle Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I am so thankful to Ari Hoptman for reminding me of that old favorite childhood fairy tale, Das Boot. Great mind, great cast, great show.
Magical Beans
by William Ronchak Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
A fun evening of childhood tales that was a joy to watch. A little slow at times but overall well played.
Ari Shines
by Ben San Del Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The rest of the cast was good, but Ari Hoptman was the scene stealer (though Joshua Scrimshaw certainly had his moments). I'm a huge fan of Ari's (I especially like his solo work) and had high hopes for this show, and for the most part wasn't disappointed. The concept of satirizing fairy tales is not my favorite, and it has been done in many other forms. But overall, a fun show.
Hit and Miss
by Melissa Campbell Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I saw this show opening night with my husband and we both agreed that Ari Hoptman and Joshua English Scrimshaw were great, the rest felt rather flat.
Oh, Geez!
by Micah Bruce Follow this reviewer
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.
fun. delightful. funny.
by Kate Thomas Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Cast and writing are stellar. A real delight and fun way to Fringe with a group. All ten of us loved it and had a rip-roaring good time. Bravo!
Delightful!
by Tim Voss Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Ari and his friends doing what they do best. It was funny, smart, and well done. Kudos all around.
what can I say?
by Christian Carter Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Wacky, hilarious, quirky, fast paced, witty, polished, great.
Every story was strong, no performers brought the show down. There was nothing wrong with this show, and a lot of right.
Go See? Yes, for some amazing schtick!
by Nick Decker Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Like many children, I grew up to bedtime stories and parables; unlike some children, I was also raised to appreciate corny, cheeseball humor and irreverent parody. Tales reminded me of why I loved Fractured Fairy Tales: the dialogue was cheesy yet snappy and the humour was as socially scathing as it was self-deprecating.
Each performance showcases three of five tales "repurposed" Ari Hoptman. I was lucky to have caught the fantastic retellings of "Sleeping Beauty," "Jack & the Beanstalk," and my personal favorite, the classic fairy tale Das Boot (I'll leave you to figure out the wonderful pun, should you see the show).
I expect some people won't appreciate this show; I refer to those people, in a more polite fashion, as "joyless schmucks." The performers relished their roles, punctuated their punchlines, and sated the satirist-fanboy in me.
great mix of clever and obvious humor
by William Hollerich Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Good actors don't always make the best comedians, but that wasn't true of this cast. These veteran performers had great timing, and excellent ears for the tone needed to wring the most from Hoptman's cheeky renditions of childhood stories. Everything about "Rumpelstiltskin" was good, from the hokey daughter and the doleful mother, to the dopey elf and especially the King (who's proof that a good joke is even better steam-rolled into the ground). We also liked "Das Boot," with its shallow-sea chanty and some hilarious on-stage awkward silence...Some might mistake ironic for wooden or schticky for hammy, but most people will laugh hard at this show.
Not What I Expected
by Erik Hoover Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
While the cast members do some fine work, they're undermined by material that feels a bit stale.
a great cast makes this worth watching
by Florence Brammer Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
It's so much fun to see these great talents onstage together, despite the uneven quality of the writing. The ferry pirate segment ("a story with a nautical theme") is worth the price of admission.
A Fun Show
by Richard Shields Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This show is a gathering of some of the major talents in the TC theater scene. While the material is not pioneering, it is cleverly delivered and provides laughs. It is worth going to see.
Excellent cast with great timing
by Arthur Adams Follow this reviewer
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!
Very disappointing
by Dave Larson Follow this reviewer
Rating 1 kitty
I was looking forward to this show, because I have liked Mr. Hoptman's stuff in the past, but I found the writing to be obvious, the direction wooden and the acting hammy. Skip this one.
Tales of the Expected.
by Joan Calof Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I was impressed by the wonderful acting, the professionalism, but most of all by Ari's quirky mind, a surprise at every turn. I loved it all and laughed a lot.
What fun, what fun!
by Aaron Greer Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Watching this show felt a lot like watching cartoons on Saturday morning as a kid, or perhaps more aptly like watching those cartoons that are designed for the winking enjoyment of the adults in the audience. A wonderfully cheerful way to start the day a-fringing. Good material, well performed with what feels like a cast having a lot of fun and sharing it with us in the audience. Unless your dour and cynical enough to not be able to enjoy such lighthearted mirth, I'd certainly recommend checking it out.
A little schtick goes a long way
by Erika Klein Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The first tale had me genuinely laughing out loud, but each tale diminished in quality and laughs as the show progressed. Extra point for the brilliantly talented cast.
the unexpected was the best
by Dan Pinkerton Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Great cast, superb timing, good direction. Oddly enough for an Ari Hoptman show, the writing of the fractured fairy tales was only OK. However, in the middle was a superb original tale about three pirates who run a ferryboat (and their adventures in the city library) that was hysterically funny. At one point, Ari and Joshua Scrimshaw got the entire audience roaring just by standing alone onstage and saying nothing. Man, THAT'S comedy.
Clever spin on the classics
by Julie Stone Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Funny take on the classics. Enjoyable. Nice touch that they rotate the tales from show to show.
Clever and funny
by james vculek Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
There's a reason Ari Hoptman has a huge following in the Twin Cities' theater/comedy community, and this show perfectly illustrates it. Clever, witty, laugh-out-loud funny, and a coterie (Ari could make an entire hilarious comic sketch out of my use of that word) of talented theater folks putting it across perfectly. Highly recommended.
It's Ari Hoptman, what can I say?
by Pat Lindgren Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Oh, and an all-star cast of the best performers in other shows at the Fringe
Uneven
by Jay Lieberman Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
I was at that 10 p.m. show and I agree that it started out strong and then faded.
All Around Fun Show
by Dean Hatton Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
A fun show with a superb cast and clever writing.
A grown up twist with schtick!
by vickijoan keck Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Fun takes on familiar tales, written with the touge in cheek schtick that you expect from Hoptman! A fine professional cast adds a lot of humor, and it kept me laughing - even at 10 pm after seeing 3 shows prior to that. I love new twists on old tales, so will probably be back to see some of the others, because no 2 shows are alike. Good fun!
Fizzed
by David Trudeau Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
Maybe it was the late hour - we saw a 10:00 show. "Rumpelstiltskin" was good with good energy, and it could have well ended there because the next two tales went slowly downhill - the gags got further apart and the timing suffered.
You want Fun? Here's fun!
by Larry Ripp Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
I will now write a review of the show I saw Friday night. I will NOT write about "what I expected" or make comments about the cast's Past Work. I am only going to comment on a comedy show I saw Friday night. Here we go... "Tales Of The Expected" is a lot of fun. If you want Hair Trigger timing, Wit, New York level performances, silly stories with NO message other than a wink and a sly off color joke here and there, THIS is your show. Go, laugh, forget your troubles, giggle and leave. It's Very easy to enjoy yourself with this show. Why turn down an offer like that?
Clever!
by Cole Sarar Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I'm not having the same issues as other reviewers- I found myself laughing almost throughout the whole show. Using tongue-in-cheek humor, Hoptman pokes fun at both the fairytales and at modern society. Last night's show was the hilarious Rumplestiltzkin, the tawdry Engineer who Couldn't, and the bureaucracy ridden Das Boot.
The cast is strong and has good chemistry. I'm not sure the other reviewers caught that the tone was intentional, but I had a blast.
ok...i guess
by Heather Kilgore Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
Kind of a toss-up, I'm afraid. We liked the first story, hated the second, and were ambivalent about the third. Spotty laughter is a hard way to spend the 10:00 hour.
Good Actors and Bad Writing
by nikki wakal Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
This is what happens when good actors have no good material to work with. My laughs were few, and I feel the space was too big for them. Not something I would recommend.
Fractured fairy tales
by August Berkshire Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The three playlets (stories) we saw varied in hilarity, but there was good humor throughout, as well as good acting and interesting characters. Evidently they have a repertoire of short stories they will be performing during the Fringe. I look forward to seeing this troupe again. I wonder if each show has an entirely new batch of stories or if there are any repeats.
HO-HUM: Unexpectedly bad
by Sandy Wolfe Wood Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
We went to this based on a recommendation in the Strib, and it was the second show we saw Friday night. The hour went all too slowly, and the acting was overly-obvious and much less than we expected from a well-experienced cast. Not a good use of your Fringe ticket.
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