The Hunger Games trilogy gets skewered in this one-man musical romp through hilarious kid-on-kid mayhem from the creator of Fringe hit parodies Bite Me Twilight, Parry Hotter & the Half-Drunk Twins and Disney Dethroned. Come hungry, leave dead. Let The Games begin!
Great reviews for The Hungry Games:

“Fast-paced physical comedy” - Pioneer Press

“Quite funny... impressive. His boundless energy alone should earn your ticket dollar.” - Tin Lizard Productions

“[Tom is] a unique talent - he’s funny, can make things up on the spot... and he has a really great voice.” - Cherry and Spoon

“The Hungry Games” is recommended by Minnesota Public Radio, Thrillist, phenoMNal Twin Cities, TC Daily Planet Fringe Bloggers Kate Hoff and Matthew A. Everett, MPLS.TV and Cherry and Spoon.

"Tom Reed is guaranteed laughs in my book, and in a Fringe of uncertainty, it's nice to do one or two things to stack the deck." -Matthew A. Everett, Fringe Blogger.

"This guy is capital-F Funny and knows what he’s doing when it comes to satire."-Laura Stratford, Grind the Musical "Can't wait to see it: MN Fringe Edition blog"

Whether you read all the books in a single sitting or have only been dragged to the movie, this show will take you on an exhilarating comic ride through a dystopian future with one-man fight sequences, epic songs and a body count roughly equal to The Hunger Games' box office totals!

Cast + crew

Tom Reed
Role: Performer/writer
Tom Reed is a Minneapolis actor, improviser and comedian who has performed at the Brave New Workshop, Actors Theater, Mixed Blood, Comedy Sportz, Huge Theater and Stevie Ray’s. He can be seen regularly as a Rockstar Storyteller and hosting Sample Night Live as crooning sensation Lounge-asaurus Rex. Reed recently appeared in the Actors Theater production of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" and played Princeton in "Avenue Q" at Mixed Blood. Reed wrote and performed Minnesota Fringe Festival hits Disney Dethroned, Bite Me Twilight and Parry Hotter & the Half-Drunk Twins. His performance experience also includes participating in award-winning 48-hour films, Minnesota Slam Poetry national teams and an unusually inclusive production of The Vagina Monologues. Reed grew up near the tiny town of Kent, MN on a small organic farm and graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN.

Brian Allen
Role: Musician
Brian Allen is a keyboard player performing regularly with Comedysportz Twin Cities, as well as local bands "Big Toe and the Jam" and "The Wax-Tones". Brian grew up in Iowa, taking piano lessons and playing classical and jazz piano through high school. He started playing for comedy/theater groups while studying at the University of Michigan. Brian's classical training and cover band experience has allowed him to perform such classics as Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major and "Funkytown".

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User reviews

Come for the wig, stay for the satire
by Angela Paulson
Rating 4 stars
I've enjoyed Tom Reed's shows each year, and this send-up didn't disappoint. He has developed the perfect formula to showcase his talents for audience appeal!
(Bow and arrow to my head, I'd have to say Parry and Bite Me were my faves.)

Odds in his favor
by Beth Bryant
Rating 4 stars
My 12 year old self proclaimed "hunger geek" son & I both really enjoyed this. Amazing what he did with the audience participation especially the polar bears.

Master satirist
by Andrew Troth
Rating 5 stars
Tom Reed knows exactly what to do when a major new media property comes along: Make glorious fun of its silly, pompous, and self-contradictory aspects while at the same time tapping into whatever is compelling and strong at its core. He tells a damn good story while mocking it every step of the way.

Woo hoo, Tom Reed!
by Corinna Troth
Rating 4 stars
Tom Reed is at his most brilliant when singing, improvising or improvising songs, so I was glad that this show included some of each of those. Props for using the TRP Arena very, very well - all the voms were in play, and...standing on the vom railing? Kudos for balance and creativity both! I was surprised that the show included all 3 books since a lot of America is only familiar with what they saw in the first movie (excepting me and the middle schoolers). Also, the Hunger Games franchise is full of stuff that it's just hard to make funny - as Peeta says at one point, even. A high energy, sweaty show with some good songs, humor and a bow and arrow to die for.

Great silly satire
by Lori Crever
Rating 5 stars
Tom Reed is a thorough delight ALWAYS as a performer and too HE IS A TERRIFC SATIRIST. He is able to distill to its essence the precarious weirdness of our contemporary best-selling, best-loved works of fiction and all comes together and communicates beautifully. This show is a blast. I never read "Twilight" or "Hunger Games" and have enjoyed both of these Fringe offerings by talented Mr. Reed.

Foodless shirtless catpiss, what's this?
by Fringivitis Vulgaris
Rating 4 stars
It's a Tom Reed joint! One more time, our skilled local solo performer distills the essence of this year's youth pop culture highlight. This is cultural CliffsNotes: you don't need to know the book nor movie to get the laugh. Tom can sing, act, holler, and time a joke. Obligatory shirtless moment occurs fairly early. Wig management was a shortcoming - somebody bring him bobby pins.

RACHET Wig. ROCKET Show.
by Laura Mahler
Rating 5 stars
Yes Tom! I am amazed at how you weaved ALL THREE books into 1 hour. And even had time for that mid show IMPROVISATION bit! (which was so good.)

Thank you for utilizing that Space to the fullest. You did a good job at sharing your story with every side of the audience. Physically GENIOUS! From stop-drop and rolling on the floor, to frantically running up and down the aisles and even a LEAP onto the Railing thing was SWEEEET.

Audience, As a Hunger Games Girly fan~ I would advise you to read the books before you see it… the are some #spoileralerts. and some #SwearWords which made it fun to watch the tiny tots squirm a bit with their dads!

The RAP of course was my favorite part.
(#spoileralert)
BRUNO MARZ was my 2nd fave. #Boner4Bruno

Classic Tom Reed
by Heather Baldwin
Rating 5 stars
Things that Tom Reed does to create a hit Fringe show: 1.) Parody some aspect of modern-day pop culture, with smart satirical observations; 2.) Play a bunch of different characters using silly faces and voices; 3.) Sing; and 4.) Take his shirt off at some point during the show. If you enjoy these elements, like I do, you will enjoy this show.

Wonderful!
by Sam Harris
Rating 5 stars
This was an amazing adaptation of all three books, yet I didn’t feel that it spoiled the ending by any means. Tom was able to demonstrate each character’s main want and personal journey through one or two lines in each character introduction allowing the transition between characters easy to follow. It was obvious how much time was spent during character development as each of the characters were very distinguished from one another. Tom is obviously very talented in his singing, writing, and acting, but something to recognize is his intelligence and ability to associate current events and their alignment with the series. He calls out the “role your eye” moments of the series and brings attention to points I wish I would have caught while reading. Though this is a comedy, I found that there were moments when I was drawn into soft touching moments. Those don’t last too long as he has a very natural way of snapping you right back into the humor of the sadness. Wonderful work Tom Reed!

Go With An Empty Stomach
by Andrew Berton
Rating 4 stars
I laughed from beginning to end. Tom Reed is both a talented writer and actor; this biting and satirical adaptation based on the recent publishing phenomenon deserves all it gets! Having plowed my way through the first book I'm now eternally grateful to Tom for saving me hours of mental anguish and slogging into the rest of the Trilogy. I won't tell you how it ends - go see for yourself. Andrew B

Another Great Tom Reed show.
by Ryan Vanasse
Rating 5 stars
This is a high quality show. The songs are fun, the improv is great (Tom Reed can make a glacier attack hilarious) and the writing and presentation of this show shows how great of a performer Tom Reed is.

That said, I feel like the Tom Reed formula works best when he's pointing out the absurdity of the source material. So I thought Bite me Twilight was crazy-good, but while Hunger Games is not above criticism, it's less absurd and so isn't quite as funny. I would enjoy seeing Tom tackle a different style of show next year, though if he puts out an adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey or [insert pop culture here] I will still come and love it.

HILARIOUS MUST SEE PRODUCTION
by Lance DeRoos
Rating 5 stars
I was a bit skeptical that i would enjoy this show being the only person on the planet who hasn't read the books that were the basis for this show....BUT! The performance was wonderful from start to finish and I didn't feel like i was "left out" because i didn't know the source material. Tom Reed is a great performer and has created an extremely entertaining production...i also liked the use of improv elements in the last portion of the production.

DON'T MISS THIS SHOW

Silly & Funl 1-Man Show
by Theresa Alberti
Rating 5 stars
Tom Reed does a fabulous job spoofing the Hunger Games. He plays all the characters hilariously, sing comically-altered pop songs (he has a great voice, too), raps and throws in some improv. And he manages to cover all three books in one hour-- amazing!

I'm not sure how fun the show would be if you don't know anything about the Hunger Games, but fans and those who know a bit about it will be in for a treat. Now I'm wishing I'd seen Tom's shows in previous years, which I've heard were all excellent.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by Ania Dimants
Rating 5 stars
It was so good. If your stuck on a book report for: The hunger games, Catching fire, or Mockingjay, you should see this play. Its every book in the trilogy. It was my first one man show, my first circle stage and my first hunger games related play. I had a bad seat but it was such a good view. You would think he would mess up but no he didn't even when his script changed. Little kids might not enjoy the books but they will enjoy the play. Its a must see for hunger games fans and a 9/10 must see for non fans. :) ----Anonymous, age 11

Funny
by Fan of Theater
Rating 3 stars
Funny... but loved the improv part about the glacier.

From a Hunger Games fan
by Sam Thompson
Rating 4 stars
I enjoyed this entirely. I especially enjoyed the music and the jokes. I was surprised that it went into all 3 books, I liked it but not sure about it for people who haven't read all 3. Tom Reed is adorable and talented.

Funny!
by David Walbridge
Rating 4 stars
A true tour de farce, well played and quite silly.

I enjoyed the show, the humor, singing, characters, asides and suchlike -- And I never read the books or saw the movie. Go

A Junky Egg Righting Homonyms; Checkmate
by Brian Watson-Jones
Rating 3 stars
The show was funny enough, certainly no lack of gags, even a few clever parody moments of Hungry Games, but overall was forcing the premise. There was enough clever parody to understand why this show happened, but in between those moments were a fair amount of jokes-for-the-sake-of-jokes, which just struck me as wasted time. I'm familiar with Hunger Games, and it felt like the strongest moments of this show were it hit the weak points of Hunger Games and pried them open to look inside. When it's a strong part of the book that's just wackied up, it lost me again. A fun show, a funny show, but most of it wasn't my kind of funny.

Rarely Inspired but Occasionally Funny
by Ryan Sanderson
Rating 3 stars
Many of the pop culture jokes were obvious and easy, but one can't deny Mr. Reed is a talented performer. It's telling that the funniest segments by far were the improvised portions.

Food for thought
by Rick Treece
Rating 5 stars
"Violence is the Answer" is a brilliantly cynical number. Can I buy a copy of the words and music so that I can inflict private performances of it on my friends?

Tom Reed owns the stage
by Carl Olson
Rating 4 stars
That's a skill that always impresses me.

Man of a Hundred Characters
by Jacqueline Dutton
Rating 5 stars
Tom commits himself wholly to performing an entire story filled with characters, action and musical asides in 60 minutes without taking a breath. He's a master of character and physical comedy and pours his heart into it, fearlessly. That's the part I admire most--even the smallest joke gets his full commitment. I think that Tom should be commended for developing a franchise for himself. It clearly works, it clearly entertains his audiences, which he draws in show after show. It's not that he's not trying to surprise us with different concepts each year, he is mastering the format he has developed, getting better at it and making it look a hell of a lot easier than it is. Maybe we are just starting to take his brilliance a little forgranted

Violence is the answer
by Matlisa Semrad
Rating 5 stars
Both the reader of the series and the non reader enjoyed the show. Tom and his pianist are exceptional performers. When Zombie was suggested for the improv, Thriller was played and Tom's quick wit produced a seamless fit for the show.

Tom Reed Fan Club
by Stephanie Long
Rating 4 stars
I've heard wonderful things about Tom Reed for so many years that I figured I should see what all the hype is/was about. I get it now. His performance was polished and he transitioned effortlessly from one character to another. If you like solo performances, belong to the Tom Reed fan club and or love the Hunger Games this piece is for you.

copyright inFRINGEment?
by PK Balter
Rating 5 stars
Tom is the Weird Al of pop lit paradoy! He could stage a solo show of 300 Men with ease.

Dystopian musical Comedy
by Christopher Harrington
Rating 4 stars
An entertaining review of the books with nods to the movie. Whether you've read Suzanne Collins' works or not, this show makes sense and will provide the audience with plenty of entertainment.

The performance is all Tom. There are minimal props and set and costuming. This provides the opportunity to emphasize his charisma and singing skills.
The accompanist Brian Allen deserves specific attention as he provides excellent support and weaved creative music into the improv section of the show.

If you only see one Dystopian musical comedy at Fringe Festival, make it this one.

Tom does it again!
by Bradley Johnson
Rating 5 stars
I've seen all of Tom's shows since Parry Hotter and have loved them. However, I was concerned, "can he really deliver another hit?" Well I was pleasantly pleased with the show. It is well written and performed with this time a touch of improv. You do not need to read the books or see the movie to enjoy this show. He cleverly takes you through the story poking fun all along the way.

Clever and funny
by Kelly Rosenthal
Rating 4 stars
Enjoyable send-up of the Hunger Games, with lots of energy and entertaining music.

Great One-Man Show
by Noah Ross
Rating 4 stars
There was a great variety of acting, singing, and improv. Tom Reed is very talented and kept me entertained throughout the whole show.

If the formula works why change it?
by Amy Sheppeck
Rating 4 stars
I agree with other reviewers that Tom has a formula and he doesn't stray from what has worked well in the past. He is SO talented - singing, mimicking, acrobatics...and many of the shots he takes at the novels (and their fans) are quite witty. That said, I am ready to see Tom stretch more than his well trained torso. I look forward to the day when Tom takes on a serious role or a character part in someone else's show. I'm ready to see Tom take the leap from local fringe "performance artist" to memorable character actor!

Too Much Filling
by Mike Steale
Rating 2 stars
Sadly, I'm starved for something not found here.

My First Tom Reed Fringe Show
by Mark Mikula
Rating 4 stars
Tom Reed's enthusiastic and dynamic homage to The Hunger Games is a great success. He did a fantastic job filling the arena with energetic performances as he took his audience on a tour of Suzanne Collins's universe. I've only seen the movie adaptation of the first book, so my minor criticism is with how deferential Reed was in following the plot points of the story. I expected a little more in the way of irreverence to the source material. In addition to effectively portraying and distinguishing all of the main characters, Reed wrote some very polished songs and parodies that were highlights of a consistently strong overall show. My favorite of the song set was the opener.

Tom Reed Delivers an A+ Performance!
by Jess Resa
Rating 5 stars
I have seen many shows of Tom's over the last year or so, and he never disappoints. The Hungry Games is no different.

He carries the show on his back, providing comedy that fits young and old alike. The laughter was constant from start to finish, and the improv element towards the middle was a great addition to an already stellar show.

I would recommend EVERYONE to see this show - it doesn't matter if you are young, old, male, female, tall, short... you are ALL going to love this performance.

Get ready to laugh for an hour straight - because that's what you get with Tom's "The Hungry Games: Mocking the Mockingjay".

Not Hungry for Tom Reed
by Zander Lee
Rating 2 stars
I see Tom Reed every year, after this, I may not next year. Its always the same & the formula is wearing thin.
I'm only mildly familiar with the source material for his show this year, read and saw the first book/movie not the other 2, but I could follow this fine.
I think Toms a better writer than actor. I don't think relying on a wig is a great way to create character and he didn't make the characters different from each other enough, or do a good job with character interaction. They were all kind of the same and didn't connect physically. He used the venue well, but the characters just didn't come thru.
I could see some/most of the jokes coming and they didn't really hit me very hard. Songs were good. It's OK, but not "Must-see."

Ever In Your Favor
by Sarah Bizek
Rating 4 stars
I've never seen Tom Reed perform before (call me an idiot), and this was a great first.

Delightful performance by Tom, some lovely laughs to be had, and loved the wig!

Wondering why there was no mention of Prim "exploding," but that's my only complaint. :)

Tom Reed is incredible
by TL RJ
Rating 4 stars
Tom Reed is absolutely incredible. If I was only rating him as an actor, I would definitely give him five stars. The performance overall was entertaining and funny, but wasn't one of my fringe favorites, mainly just due to personal taste. If you're a Hunger Games enthusiast or a big fan of satire, you'll probably really enjoy it. (I'm neither)

The theater in the round experience is also really enjoyable, especially for a performance like this.

Advice to Tom Reed: quit telling people you have a girlfriend, and you'll be about a million times more popular.

Talent!
by Pat Sukhum
Rating 5 stars
Love these shows and am finding each of these one-man produtions are my most highly antiipated Fringe event each year. So talented and funny. Highly recommend!

Brilliant!
by Anna Pop
Rating 5 stars
Once again Tom has created a fantastic, fast-paced show that is filled with energy and laughs! Tom does an excellent job of covering all three books in an hour, while also taking jabs at the more ridiculous aspects of the series. Tom's solid performance really shows his versatility as a performer by including fantastic songs, and even some improv. All in all it's a great show that everyone should see!

Genuinely entertaining
by Will Weisert
Rating 4 stars
Having seen Tom in many other venues, I knew going in that we'd get a solid, probably frenetic, performance and certainly wasn't disappointed.

As others have noted, ignorance of the Hunger Games is no obstacle.

Taking One for the Team
by Julie Blaha Landon
Rating 5 stars
Tom Reed deserves the Fringe Humanitarian Award for watching and reading pop culture garbage, then sharing the interesting parts so we are spared slogging through it ourselves. And if we quote the show, we can look smart and witty on the topics to boot. Thank you Tom for saving us again!

Reed, in his groove again
by Florence Brammer
Rating 4 stars
While I would sort of love to see the uber-talented Reed do something different from this formula he has so successfully used over the past four years, he has again crafted an hour of unwavering energy, great singing and overwhelming charm. He is a Fringe favorite, and for good cause. Very fun and the nearly sold-out crowd clearly loved it.

Sheesh! Wow!
by T. W.
Rating 5 stars
This guy. Again! This guy! Another well-done show by Mr. Reed. As someone who has never read or seen any of the Hunger Games stuff, it was a very easy story to follow - so don't let that keep you from attending!

Just Hilarious
by Elizabeth Schuetzle
Rating 5 stars
This show is just flat out hilarious. GO SEE IT!!!!!

Tom Reed and the Chamber of Parodies
by Roy Close
Rating 4 stars
Fringe regular Tom Reed returns with another parody in which he plays all the characters and sings all the songs. This one is "The Hunger Games," which I've neither read or seen; but ignorance of the original(s) is no obstacle to enjoying Reed, a likable performer who keeps up a stream of editorial commentary along the way. Nothing profound here, but it's an entertaining show, well-constructed and performed with Reed's customary élan.

Fun!
by Taylor Johnson
Rating 5 stars
If you've read the books, you'll love the show. Even if you haven't, it's still entertaining to watch Tom. I throughly enjoyed it and was laughing the whole time. I would definitely see it again!

A Master
by Richard Shields
Rating 5 stars
Tom Red does both physical humor and word play on a high level. If the fringe gave awards for consist creativity and the ability to create parody he would be one of the winners in that category. Tom has had a long-run with parodying pop culture icons and this production sees him once again creating a winner.

I would love to see Tom produce a more serious minded work for next fringe.

It's Tom Reed. Go see him!
by Katherine Dugarm
Rating 5 stars
Tom Reed provides my annual dose of pop culture. I knew a little about Hunger Games going in, boys-girls-Catness-fight to the death, and knew a whole lot more by the end of this show.

Sure. There is a formula. And it works.

Reservations recommended.

Entertaining fun!
by Brenda White
Rating 4 stars
Having read all three books, I 'got' all the references but even if you hadn't - you'll enjoy Tom's performance.

This one man play was very good - Tom has a great voice and the lyrics had us laughing. His acting and physical humor had to have taken a tremendous amount of energy.

I recommend seeing this show!

This guy is terrific
by Gregory Abbott
Rating 5 stars
It's like having a comedy Cliff Notes of the Hunger Games series. He's hilarious.

Very Funny & Great Songs
by Marta Garczarczyk
Rating 4 stars
Having read and loved all three hunger games I loved this musical spoof of it. If you haven't read the books it will still be funny, but Tom does go through the plot of all three books entirely so it's definitely a spoiler!

I definitely had a good time watching and laughed quite a bit.

Loved every second of it
by Anna Weggel
Rating 5 stars
I'm very biased towards this man, but I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that he may be the hardest-working human in our little Fringe universe. The Hungry Games, like Disney Dethroned, like Bite Me Twilight, and like Parry Hotter is a perfect example of his dedication to story, his impressive creation of characters, and his care for the audience. There are a lot of Fringe people out there that you can tell are putting shows on for themselves, not for their audiences. Tom isn't one of them. Go see this show. Tom's care for you will be apparent in every bead of sweat that drips of his face!

Fun and Entertaining
by Lena Lyle
Rating 4 stars
This is a must-see for Hunger Games fans. Tom does a great job of making an incredibly serious story funny. There is not as much material to work with-as opposed to previous years with Disney and Twilight-but the show was well done and quite funny. There are a lot of recent pop culture references that might be better suited to a younger crowd, but it would still be a joy to any one. Tom Reed is incredibly talented and does one of the best solo acts in fringe.

Awesome
by Ray Klahr
Rating 5 stars
This was awesome. It was a high energy play with biting humor, sarcasm, a little improv and some songs. What more can you ask for? Tom Reed really does the multiple character thing well. Impressive, really.

Great, even from backside
by MN Wacks
Rating 5 stars
Really funny, high-energy show with great music. My kids who read the books even liked it. Only complaint is that for the first show, he didn't get the "round" part of the "theater in the round", so ended up looking at his back for most of the show. Felt a little ignored... But I'm sure he'll get the hang of it for remaining dates.

His best show yet?
by Dave Stagner
Rating 4 stars
A few years ago, Tom Reed's first Fringe show, Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins, was one of the best things I'd ever seen at Fringe. But I felt Bite Me Twilight suffered from sequelitis, and the Disney princess thing last year was a significant downhill slide. But he's back in top form with The Hungry Games! Or the first two thirds of it, anyway. The only problem I had with it was that it went on too long. It could have been shorter and better. On the plus side, Theatre in the Round is BY FAR the best venue he's had, and he makes great use of the structure. He moves like a tornado, and the space gives him better transitions. That, plus tighter writing, and this is a HUGE win.

A steady diet of laughter
by Eric Peter DeWolff
Rating 4 stars
A very professional comedy with just one man covering all the characters + one man on keyboards. All the elements you'd want to see and more. Including abs? Zoinks! A good time for all.

I'm glad he found a shirt that breathes
by Cato Brutus
Rating 3 stars
At this point, Tom's shows are like a loveless marriage to a good Lutheran woman. You know what to expect, and you don't have to worry about coming home to find them blowing the mailman.

The show is expertly staged, and Tom has expert comic timing and a great set of lungs inside his well-muscled chest. If you've never seen him before, you owe it to yourself to go.

However, after three years, I'm no longer surprised by his send-ups of tween girl pop culture. I'll probably keep coming until he does Little Women.

Typical Tom Reed
by Publius McGee
Rating 3 stars
Tom has a formula, and he follows it here, to the letter. He takes his shirt off, he sings some songs, he summarizes pop culture in a funny and mildly biting way, and then the show ends. He's a Fringe staple, and reliable quality. He's like vanilla ice cream - you know it will be good, but it's not that exciting over and over.

King of Literary Pop Parody
by Matt Peiken
Rating 5 stars
After skewering the "Twilight" series in 2009 with clever comic twists and song, Tom Reed has upped his game in this energetic, musical take on "The Hunger Games."

Tom is top-notch improviser—and he takes a moment in this show to flaunt those chops—but his secret weapon is attention to character. Here, he jumps from vulnerable woman to testosterone-fueled bad boy to Argentinian lethario and a half-dozen other characters as he single-handedly (well, with the help of a musical accompanist) exposes the absurdity of all the tropes and character motivations in the "Hunger Games" series.

In relatively short order, Tom Reed has placed himself among the likes of the Scrimshaw brothers as a sure-bet comic force at the Fringe.

Satisfied my appetite
by Amateur TheaterGroupie
Rating 4 stars
Pointed, funny, satiric and well done. Better understood if you've read the books but the point is made regardless. Amusing song lyrics.