Minnesota Fringe Festival

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Julie tails Lori to a buzz-arre bee worshipping cult, where teenage les-bee-an lust collides with questions of faith as they await the Queen Rapture. Half baked hippies, honey and money. Don't be left bee-hind! Join Marvel Ann for their sixth fringe production and see why Lavender magazine called writer/director Dennis LeFebvre "The King of Camp", and his plays "...some of the wittiest productions ever seen in the Twin Cities. He may be our best kept secret genius." Directed by Jim Lichtscheidl and Dennis LeFebvre.

St. Paul Pioneer Press 8/2/09:
This confection of New Age cults, budding lesbians and high school jealousies is as light as cotton candy, but solid directing by Dennis LeFebvre and Jim Lichtscheidl wrings out plenty of legitimate laughs. When our heroine Julie Fast hitchhikes her way to California, tailing her first crush to the home of an all-female bee cult, she wanders into a wacky world of tripped-out acolytes, high-pressure honey sales and a quest for the Queen Rapture. Standouts in this cornball comedy include Lisa Spreeman channeling Carol Burnett in multiple rol" es and getting laughs in every one.

The cast

Kelly Gilpatrick
Role: Julie Fast

Lindsay Schleicher
Role: Lori McAfee

Helen Chorolic
Role: Judy

Michele Harvey
Role: Monica

Maggie Rorke
Role: Mary Margaret

Lisa Spreeman
Role: Mom/ Principal/ Folk singer/ Tourists

Melinda Mather
Role: Dawn (NOT the dishwashing liquid)

Jon Mikkelsen
Role: Doug DeLongie/Old Man/Cop

Jim Lichtscheidl
Role: Director

Dennis LeFebvre
Role: Writer/ Co-Director

Margo Watkins
Role: Stage Manager

Yon Hudson
Role: Prop/ Sound Design

Scott Tidaback
Role: Set Design/ Music Composer

Marvel Ann Theater

The Bee-Lievers

Fri., Jul. 31 @ 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 1 @ 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 3 @ 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 @ 2:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 9 @ 1:00 p.m.

Venue Ritz Theater Proscenium
For ages 11+
Created by Dennis LeFebvre
Web site www.marvelanntheatre.net
genres Comedy
subjects Queer/GLBT, Religious
features Multimedia, World premiere, Original script/choreography

Overall rating

User reviews

3 4 ideas
by Larry Ripp Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
This show was VERY hard for me to rate. It probably should have 2 kitties because the actors in general looked uncomfortable onstage and a couple of the performances were just not very good. That said the script was very witty and I have to note that the direction was both imaginative and full of nice touches. The whole show could be summed up as it's parts were stronger than it's whole. While I enjoyed bits and pieces of it the hour certainly seemed long and the play didn't have a flow or much of a pace. Might be a lot of fun to Read...

Successful theatrical experiment
by Robert Lynch Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Lightly thought provoking, amusing, cute with good energy, fluid and over too soon. Helen Chorolec was the most professional of the actors and spoke loud enough to be heard. Many of the other actors did not project their voices very well. Lisa Spreeman was my second favorite performer.

Bee-yond Buzzinng
by dixie treichel Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Marvel Ann Theater always has something provocative. This show is no exception. Good to see some les-bee-an characters. The show is a mix of Ida Lapino, Gidget, Woodstock, Rosemary's baby and the Wax Museum all rolled into one.

Groovy
by Erika Klein Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
If you have affection for camp or for 1970s B-movies, you will enjoy this show. The story is oddball, but offers a sly send-up of religion in the process. The director and cast do wonders with minimal props and scenery and the cavernous stages at the Ritz.

A definate Fringey show
by Reier Erickson Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Okay, so, first show I've seen this year for Fringe and it's what fringe should be... experimental, minimalist... and darn gutsy. It takes a special kind of cast/director/writer to take on religion and they do it rather well. The two leads, Lori and Julie, played by Lindsay Schleicher and Kelly Gilpatrick respectively, were absolutely perfect for their roles and played them with gusto. A few critiques, less transition time between scenes would have kept it moving along better, Doug, Julie's boyfriend, could have been more douchey and less whiney, and the cult leader should have been a man. Let's face it, the message of this play is religions are made by man, and by man it should mean people with penises. All in all though, exactly what the fringe should be!