Every year, the hotbed of performance that is the Minnesota Fringe Festival spurs the creation of dozens of ideas.  Some of these ideas become future Fringe shows.  Some become full-sized, regular season shows.  Some, rightly, wither on the vine and die.  But a chosen few exist in limbo; too good to let die, too small to expand to a full hour.  Fringe Orphans was created to give these ideas a place to live

We're podcasted!  Listen to one humble producer ramble on about show content, creation of concept, and more!
Podcast!

Lineup includes:

Jerry Belich's "Matlock: The One Man Show" 

Box Wine Theatre's "A Brief History of Marriage (Abridged)"

Les Kurkendaal's "The Real Housewives of Fringe"

phillip low presents: "A Tale of the Golden Age"

Tim Mooney presents "The Dog That Doesn't Bark", in his only 2012 Minnesota Fringe appearance!

Scot Moore's "The Goddaughter" and "Great Moments in Metro Transit"

Ben San Del's first attempt at improv, with "Super Duper Improv Comedy Duo!"

Jena Young and Jesse Richards present: "They Fight"

Scheduling notes:

Tim Mooney will only appear in the August 10th and August 11th performances, due to a scheduling conflict with "not being in this time zone".

phillip low's piece will not appear on the August 10th performance, as his other Fringe show will be finishing across town just before.  Stay tuned for the Kickstarter to get phillip a transporter!

Also:

Show image by Kate Gunther.

Cast + crew

Jerry Belich
Role: Writer/Director- "Matlock: The One Man Show"

Jerry Belich is a multimedia and mobile software developer that enjoys using his technical skills for a veritable cornucopia of creative projects. He's currently building an Interactive Fiction arcade machine called the "Choosatron Deluxe Adventure Matrix" to allow writers to create analog IF games. He documents his projects at Monkey Theater. He also writes, and occasionally does improv shows like "Stop Talking: The Game of Talking" and plays theremin for "Killer B's Improv Movie Show at The Brave New Workshop and HUGE Theatre. To see what else he's up to follow him on twitter @JerryBelich.

Jesse Corder
Role: Performer- Al, "Matlock: The One Man Show"; Bonasera, "The Goddaughter"; Commuter, "Metro Transit"

Jesse Corder has been working in theater in the Twin Cities for a number of years now. His Fringe appearances include The 612, Couch Aliens Vs The False World, and The Adventures of Little Bad (as director). Outer Fringe productions have been TEASE, The Golden Ass (nimbus Theatre), The Lark (TRP), Woyzeck (nimbus Theatre), Silent Night (MN Opera), Waiting For Godot (Theatre Pro Rata), The Balcony (nimbus Theatre), the list goes on... Nothing else clever comes to mind writing this, so see you at the bar.

Megen Edstrom
Role: Stage Manager

This is Megen’s fourth Fringe production and is thrilled to be working with a bunch of extremely talented friends for this year’s production. Megen has worked with several theatre companies around the metro. Some more recent being Off-Leash Area, Theatre in the Round, Cromulent Shakespeare, Theatre Latte Da and Park Square Theatre.

Aaron Greer
Role: Performer- Bodyguard, "The Goddaughter"; Commuter, "Great Moments In Metro Transit"

Aaron is a writer, actor, and sometime producer residing with his family in Minneapolis. This is Aaron's fourth Fringe Festival as a performer (previously in "Tempests", "Bard Fiction", and "30+, Seeking Soul Mate"), and he's excited to finally be in a show with his daughter. This year, you can also see Aaron's other Fringe show, Kafkaesque, performing at Mixed Blood theater.

Abigail Greer
Role: Performer- Dawn Vida Corleone, "The Goddaughter"; Girl, "Great Moments in Metro Transit"

Abby is excited to be in her second Fringe Festival production this year, having appeared in the 2011 production of Hamluke. In addition to her scholastic work (she will be entering 6th grade this Fall) Abby is a six-year veteran of the Circus Juventas youth circus arts program, where she currently specializes in German-wheel, wire-walking, and unicycle. Also, she is an avid fencer, honing her skills at the Minnesota Sword Club.

Joshua Humphrey
Role: Performer- Matlock, "Matlock: The One Man Show"
Joshua Humphrey is a writer/performer/miscreant that blogs and podcasts at Twin Cities Theater Connection dot com. When not producing agitprop disguised as podcast interviews to push his political agenda, he enjoys supporting theatre the Tallulah Bankhead way: being an audience.

Les Kurkendaal
Role: Writer/Director/Performer- Olga, "The Real Housewives of Fringe"

phillip andrew bennett low
Role: Writer/Performer- "A Tale of the Golden Age"; Performer- "Super Duper Improv Comedy Duo"

phillip andrew bennett low is a Chinese-American playwright and poet, storyteller and mime, theatre critic and libertarian activist. His performances have won acclaim at such varied venues as the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Spirit in the House, FoolFest, and the Chicago, DC, Indianapolis, Iowa, and Kansas City Fringe Festivals -- even as far as Melbourne, Australia. At the 2007 Minnesota Fringe, his hit one-man show Descendant of Dragons was the bestselling show in its venue and awarded a coveted Fringe Encore slot, while his storytelling performances have been nominated for awards by local website FringeFamous for three years running. He is the co-founder of the Rockstar Storytellers (for which he served as Chair for the two years that position existed) and was founder and producer of the touring theatre troupe Maximum Verbosity. He can also be seen in his own solo show Fear and Trembling.

William Marth
Role: Performer- JoAnn, "The Real Housewives of Fringe"; Homeless Man, "Great Moments in Metro Transit"
Fringe Orphans is William's sixth appearance in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, most recently being completely outclassed in Snikt! Bamf! Thwip!'s Story Time Time Bomb. He has also "recently" worked with Cromulent Shakespeare Company, Commedia Beauregard, and Morris Park Players. Meanwhile, he spends his Renaissance Festival and Christmas seasons performing with the vocal group DeCantus and the rest of the year generally being a lazy nerd.

John McConville
Role: Performer- "A Brief History of Marriage (Abridged)"

John graduated from the University of Wisconsin's agricultural hub at River Falls with a degree in Theatre, and since has entertained audiences of the Twin Cities with Panda Sandwich Sketch Comedy, several shows from Box Wine Theatre Co. including Miniature Horses Don't go to Heaven and Uptown: The Musical (for which he composed and was the music director), and playing around town in a variety of bands. He is also a regular cast member at the National Theatre for Children. If you have kids in elementary school in the metro area, there's a good chance he taught them a thing or two about financial literacy while dressed up like a cowboy.

Tim Mooney
Role: Writer/Performer, "The Dog That Doesn't Bark"

Timothy Mooney, author of the new acting textbook, Acting at the Speed of Life; Conquering Theatrical Style, has given over a hundred thousand students their first introduction to Moliere through his one-man play, "Moliere Than Thou". He is the former founder and editor of The Script Review and was the Artistic Director of Chicago's Stage Two Theatre. While most of Stage Two's plays were original works, when they turned to the classics, Tim found himself writing seventeen hilarious variations of Moliere's plays with an impish sense of rhyme (most published by Playscripts, Inc.). These plays have been produced and celebrated around the world; his "Doctor in Spite of Himself" took third place in the Scottish Community Drama Association National Festival, and was a finalist at Italy's Sanremo Global Education Festival. Tim continues to present Moliere across North America, recently augmenting his repertoire with "Lot o' Shakespeare" (featuring one monologue from every Shakespeare play) while occasionally performing his one-man sci-fi thriller, "Criteria!" His latest works include the new collection, The Big Book of Moliere Monologues, and the one man play, The Greatest Speech of All Time.

Scot Moore
Role: Sound Designer; Writer/Director- "The Goddaughter" and "Great Moments in Metro Transit"

Scot Moore is a writer, director, producer, and author residing in Minneapolis. This is his ___nth Fringe Festival, and his first chance to see a little girl verbally assault a grown man. You can find more about him, including the recently published Gaymerica at www.scotmoore.com. Also, you can check out him and the rest of Freshwater Theatre on the Rarig Thrust for Going Down on the Queen of Minneapolis. Do it.

Jesse Richards
Role: Performer- "They Fight"

Jesse Richards is not an actor, but occasionally wanders onto a stage and just looks so sad that no one quite has the heart to send him away.

Ben San Del
Role: Writer/Director/Performer, "Super Duper Improv Comedy Duo"

A former news writer and columnist, Ben San Del's stage career kicked off after winning Acme Comedy Co.'s Funniest Person in the Twin Cities Contest, 2006. That same year, he debuted in the Minnesota Fringe Festival with his one-man show Mittens for Fat Kids, which was followed by two more solo productions: Strawberry Fields Temporarily (2008) and Animal Cracker Genocide (2009). In 2010, Ben wrote and directed his first play, A Nice Guy's Guide to Awkward Sex. The production was the fifth best-selling show of the Fringe, a feat matched in 2011 with his second play Minnesota Middle Finger. Outside of Fringe, Ben regularly performs as a stand-up comedian and storyteller, gaining a reputation as an "always on-target stalwart" (City Pages) with a style described as “sharp, with perfect pacing” by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He recently performed at the national Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta. Ben is also a member of the Twin Cities performance troupe The Rockstar Storytellers. He is producing his sixth Fringe show this year, called An Agony of Fools.

Adam Sharp
Role: Writer/Performer- "A Brief History of Marriage (Abridged)"

Mickaylee Shaughnessy
Role: Performer- Cindy, "The Real Housewives of Fringe"

Mickaylee Shaughnessy has been performing locally since she was eighteen. She has worked with theater companies such as Children's Theater Company, Actor's Theater MN, Green T and Cromulent Shakespeare.

Bethany Simmons
Role: Writer/Director/Performer- "A Brief History of Marriage"; Performer- Kiki, "Real Housewives"

Bethany Simmons moved to Minneapolis in 2007 after graduating college with her B.A. in Theatre Performance, then a stint in LA where she attended the Stella Adler Academy of Acting: Hollywood. In 2008, she co-founded Twin Cities-based theatre company, Box Wine Theatre with Adam Sharp. As artistic director of Box Wine Theatre, Bethany has taken on multiple roles from production to production, including playwright, designer, performer, and director. Bethany also performs and directs with other theatres when her life isn't completely consumed by her own company. To find out more about Box Wine Theatre, visit boxwinetheatre.com and for more on Bethany, go to http://minnesotaplaylist.com/talent/bethany-simmons.

Brian Watson-Jones
Role: Producer/Curator

Brian Watson-Jones is a company member with Upright Egg Theatre Company, as well as Tedious Brief Productions. As an Egg, he has written, appeared in, and/or served pancakes at about a dozen productions, most recently Surviving the Wrapture. With Tedious Brief, he has co-written/co-produced/co-acted in two Fringe hits- 2009's Bard Fiction and 2011's Tempests. Bard Fiction just finished a full production run in Chicago, and an alternate version (Pulp Shakespeare) will be appearing in the New York International Fringe Festival this year. Next up, Brian will be found as some sort of horrifying thing, trying to make people wet their pants at the Soap Factory's Haunted Basement (3:15, 8:18).

Jena Young
Role: Fight Director/Performer- "They Fight"

Recognized in a women’s restroom as a “local actress,” Jena hopes to break into regionals in 5 years. Her most consistent gigs are playing the dozens monthly at the Bryant-Lake Bowl in the loosely improvised local favorite “Vilification Tennis” and co-hosting the weekly podcast "Apropos of Nothing." Other Fringe productions include performing in Walking Shadow's "Shakespeare's Land of the Dead" in 2008, her own solo show "Drinking Stories" in 2009, and fight choreographer for Rooftop Theater Company's "Highlander: the Musical" in 2011. Make sure to check out Fell Down the Stair's On the Differences Between Two Women and the Resolution Thereof, with fighting choreographed by Jena, as well as Stop Talking: A Game of Talking, where she will be doing... stuff. More information on Jena can be found at YoungNotions.com.

Write a review

You will be able to write a review for this show during the festival.

User reviews

It's a Fringe within a Fringe
by Mark Mikula
Rating 4 stars
I want a show like this every year, no matter that some of the pieces worked and some didn't. It's evident that not everyone agrees on what they liked in this showcase even. I know that the Fringe previews accomplish something similar to what happened in this performance, but I liked that this was a full show. Also, I went knowing that it would be a mixed bag. The advantage of this was that if something wasn't working for an audience member, something else would be just around the corner to impress or further disappoint. This was my first exposure to Tim Mooney. I thought his monologue was captivating. It was also great to see veterans and newcomers sharing the stage; it was truly a mini-Fringe to applaud.

Let me wanting more and less
by Dwayna Paplow
Rating 3 stars
One of the things I love about Fringe is the 60 minute time-limit. If you don't like a show, don't fret, it will all be over soon. Fringe Orphans takes that concept and amps it up. Thanks to the different topics and quick pace, there is something here for most everyone. Overall, well-done but... not the show I'd bring a 1st-timer Fringer to. Lots of Fringe-ness that would leave new audiences wondering, "Huh."

Super uneven
by Publius McGee
Rating 3 stars
There were the stellar bits, with Tim Mooney, phillip low, and Jesse Richards/Jena Young. But then there were the godawful bits, and the mediocre bits, and the "one cheap laugh" bits. It was like a mostly bland stew with a few surprising chunks of fancy-ass locally-raised grass-fed zero-hormones beef thrown in, along with some delicious lima beans (I like lima beans). I'm hungry, so I'll eat it, but I'm only going through the watery slurry to get to the tasty parts.

Good and Bad
by Will Taylor
Rating 3 stars
It’s hard when some parts of this show are so awesome and others were the opposite of awesome. Thought provoking, entertaining and probably the gem of this collection was “A Brief History of Marriage (Abridged).” “Matlock,” “Housewives,” “Goddaughter” and “Improv Duo” were all wildly entertaining. I was rolling with laughter. The biggest let down was “The Dog that Doesn’t Bark.” Just couldn’t completely grasp the point being made here. Unlike its sister show “A Brief History of Marriage (Abridged),” who informed as well as entertained, “The Dog that Doesn’t Bark’s” message was lost in a sea of long-winded-ness. I felt like I was in the middle of a college professors preaching rant. Sorry. I really liked the rest.

Underwhelming
by Angela Paulson
Rating 3 stars
I wanted to love and rave about this, I really did. A couple of these scenes were indeed engaging and entertaining; the lion's share, however, I could have done without.

Nice mix
by Andrew Troth
Rating 4 stars
A fun showcase of short pieces. I particularly liked the Goddaughter and Matlock bits.

Something for everyone
by Cato Brutus
Rating 4 stars
Chances are, you'll find something you like at Fringe Orphans, unless you're a totally joyless curmudgeon. Standouts include phillip low's fantastic retelling of Wonder Woman's Golden Age origin story, They Fight's fight choreography, the predictable but well done History of Marriage. However, the standout was Tim Mooney, and if you still haven't seen Fringe Orphans, you owe it to yourself to see the last performance.

Fringeworthy
by David Rust
Rating 4 stars
"Fringe Orphans" is a collection of performances without a central theme yet still comes off as cohesive. It presents a wide range of Fringe media (with "dance" not really being present but a fantastically fun stage combat sequence standing in as representative of the physical arts). It starts strong and, without any real connection between them, weaves its way through monologue, comedy, and satire for its full time slot.

phillip lowe's short monologue told Wonder Woman's Golden Age origin story; not only entertaining, it was amazingly cool.

My favorite was Tim Mooney's monologue "The Dog That Doesn't Bark". As if a salesman at a business conference he talks about how the political game is played through manipulation and cash. Brilliant!

A fun different fringe hour
by David Schlosser
Rating 4 stars
Did everything hit the same, were all the pieces the same, did everything ring true for everyone? NO...

But and it is a big BUT,

what a fun hour to spend at the fringe. To allow these artist to come together and create works and tell their stories for 2 minutes or 5, a story that many not be right for full show but is great for a couple of minutes.

Brian Watson-Jones brought some really fun and exciting artist and moments together and made for a wonderful fringe show.

GO AND SEE IT.

Congrats to all

Awsome!
by Dean Hatton
Rating 5 stars
Brilliant, thought provoking and well done.

Some variety in the mix
by Eric Peter DeWolff
Rating 4 stars
It's a healthy dose of sketches, fights, and some "it is what it is" fun. If you are looking for a tie-breaker as you choose shows, this is a worthy choice.

Tasty Fringe McNuggets
by Fringivitis Vulgaris
Rating 4 stars
It's not just the brief sketches that stand out. The transitional recurring brawl absolutely made this show for me. Totally hilarious to see Les Kurkendaal's enormous wig. As a transit user, the bus skit was delightfully true. Ben & Phillip were amusingly awkward (again/still). The gained an entire kitty (er, star) just for "They Fight"! Sorry to miss Tim Mooney, who performs one show only.

I will adopt you
by Katie Starks
Rating 4 stars
This show was exactly as promised and gave me some serious giggles. Cute, funny, witty and fun. I mean just look at that picture! I will take them all home with me. :)

Go for Thin Mints and History of Marriag
by Greg Abbott
Rating 3 stars
Any time you have a bunch of skits, there will be some you like, some you don't and some that are so-so.
This show was worth going to simply for the Mob and the Thin Mint sketch and the History of Marriage piece.

Go Marriage Equality!
by Allen Vandover
Rating 4 stars
The scene, "The History of Marriage" made the entire show worth seeing, even the scenes I didn't love. Great message and great satire in that seen.

I love seeing Fringe shows with a real message and while most of the other scenes didn't seem to have one, they were fun. There's great talent in this cast.

They had me at the overture
by Rick Treece
Rating 4 stars
"Hard-Knock Life" and "Food, Glorious Food!" greet you before the show (see promo art).

See this on Sat. if you want your full money's worth. One skit is only next weekend, and one will be missing on Friday (but it was pointless and self-indulgent, so maybe Friday's the better choice).

"They Fight" had a predictable pay-off, but the combat choreography is so well staged and executed that it is its own reward.

"The History of Marriage" is worth the price of admission by itself, brilliant in its message and economy.

Inadvertant (?) unifying factor: "The Real Housewives of Fringe" bicker because one of them didn't write roles for the others into her one-(wo)man show; the production ends with a rambling one-man show with a cast of two.

Rip-off
by Randy Holland
Rating 1 star
I've seen worse, but this “superstars” show was only 35 minutes long (shouldn't they get in trouble with the festival for being shorter than 45 minutes?), with a few exceptions poorly rehearsed or written (exceptions “They Fight” and “A Tale of the Golden Age”), and/or was often a funny premise dragged out far too long. Save your money, and more importantly, your time, and choose another show.

a-MAIZE-ing!!!
by Carey Nadeau
Rating 5 stars
While the premise may seem random, this show is exactly tailored to Minnesotans. It's like the weather. Just wait 5 minutes and something new will precipitate! The absolute best is Josh Humphrey and the "super surprise" in his one-man Matlock performance. GO SEE IT NOW! (or at least the next performance...)

Really funny!
by Abby Norling-Ruggles
Rating 4 stars
Most of these sketches were really well done, and exactly the right length to be fun instead of boring. "They Fight" stands out as both excellent in its own right and as a great way to break up the other skits.

Thin Mints
by Thomas Von Hanks
Rating 3 stars
Girl Scout cookie salesgirl with a body guard. A delightful few minutes! Bravo Abigail Greer!

Energetic and hilarious
by Douglas Abbott
Rating 4 stars
More fun than a barrel full of . . . Fringe performers! Wait, it was a barrel full of performers. This is a hilarious lively and highly energetic performance. I definitely enjoyed it.

A bit mixed
by Kelly Rosenthal
Rating 4 stars
Not unexpectedly, some "orphans" were more entertaining than others...I did like the fight sequences throughout tying the whole thing together. Definitely love the concept!

Whatever happened to those bad ideas?
by Derek Miller
Rating 4 stars
Every year during Fringe, many of us like to toss out stupid or silly ideas for future Fringe shows. Unfortunately, most of these ideas could never sustain a whole show without becoming unfathomably stupid. Producer Brian Watson-Jones, though, has made it his mission to rescue some of these orphaned ideas, and the result is a very funny evening of short pieces that left me pleasantly surprised. From Phillip Low giving a dramatic rendition of Wonder Woman's origin story to Ben San Del portraying the worst improv artist ever to Josh Humphrey doing a one-man Matlock, there is more than enough here for just about anyone to enjoy.

thank you sir, may i have another?
by Amber Bjork
Rating 4 stars
There was only one sketch that left me scratching my head, and one other that--in the moment I thought was going on too long and then had a nice payoff--but for the majority, the concept of this show is something I love about Fringe: the ideas that are batted around that never make it to stage because they can't sustain a full hour. Not only did I get to see these bonkers ideas manifested, I didn't have to sit through an hour each of them--they air-lifted the very best nuggets out for us.

From spoofs to awkward comedy, some fun fight choreography and a BRILLIANT piece of pop culture that surprised the crap out of me, I thoroughly enjoyed my hour with these crazies. My only wish was: MORE.

Sparkling
by Claudia Haas
Rating 4 stars
I went to see this show hoping to see Tim Mooney's "short." He doesn't come till August 10th, but I had a lovely hour being served some sparkles in the champagne and and some appetizers laced with some spicy peppers. I knew where The History of Marriage was going but was so happy to take the ride. A Tale of the Golden Age dished up welcome surprises.

Decent Variety
by Heidi Garrido
Rating 4 stars
My review is a little mixed. There were definitely a few 5-star stand-out performances:

*The Goddaughter - What's not to like about a Girl Scout pwning a grown man with Thin Mints and then calling him a "little bitch"? Brilliant, well-written, and hilarious.
*Great Moments in Metro Transit - "It's urine." Loved this. So funny. I'd love to see this as a longer show.
*A Brief History of Marriage (Abridged) - hilarious, & nice plug for a no vote on the marriage amendment.
*Super Duper Improv Comedy Duo - Awkward enough for me to want to see Ben San Del in his other Fringe show. And I did. :)

But the other skits I'd give a mix of 2 to 4 stars. But I certainly enjoyed the show as a whole, it was a good mix.

bits 'n pieces
by Melissa Iverson
Rating 4 stars
Overall an enjoyable show. These little vignettes don't seem to have enough to be an entire show by themselves, but are (mostly) deserving of this opportunity to be seen.

Although "A Tale of the Golden Age" seemed out of place considering the other scenes, it was nonetheless one of my two favorite performances. Very well delivered.

My other favorite was "They Fight." Well-performed, well planned out amusing snippets of violence. Richards and Young carried out this vision with skill and aplomb.

"Matlock" was also very enjoyable, but I'd rate it as a definite second place to these other two. (Don't know if everyone gets today's "bonus scene" portion of Matlock, but it was very funny.)

Fast, funny
by Daniel Pinkerton
Rating 4 stars
A whole bunch of very short comic plays, ranging from the amusing to the seriously laugh out loud funny. Not a single one outstays its welcome for a moment, and that may be the best part of it. The best part of it may be "Three Thousand Years of Marriage" --- which, in addition to being hystericaally funyy and great political satire, contains the funniest prop I've seen in a long time.

Well portiobed nuggets of jokes
by Carin Bratlie
Rating 4 stars
I love that these ideas were given a chance. None of them could sustain a full hour, and the five minute bite is a perfect amount. a tasty aperitif for the fringe!

This orphan's not going to get adopted.
by Abbie Lawrence
Rating 1 star
I had such high hopes for this show, being familiar with many of the fun and amusing cast members. I thought I was really going to see scenes that were just "too short" or "too small" for a full Fringe slot. Instead, I saw badly acted, contentless time-wasters, with no meaning, context or relevance. And awful light cues, all of which could have been cut completely, since they took too long and were poorly executed. I feel so bad writing this because I honestly wanted to like this production, and no one wants to hate an orphan. Sorry.

a real laugh
by Greg Northfield
Rating 4 stars
i have to say congrats to sharp, simmons and mcconville on the history of marrieage. the trio's comedic timing was superb and this was a scene i felt could be a full 55 minute fringe show itself and keep people laughing.

also really liked richars and young in the fight sequences. wonderful stage combat, well rehearsed and funny to boot.

hearing a litle girl call a grown man a "little bitch" got me in the mood for the rest of the piece as well. great stuff guys.

A variety of hit and miss
by Erica Schaub
Rating 3 stars
I really enjoyed the concept of this show. Great for Fringe lovers with ADD, like myself. A variety of short skits, some that were hilarious and some that I could have lived wihtout.

My favorites:
"They Fight" - This was quite awesome and impressive. It looked so fun to act out, I wanted to get involved.

The Goddaughter - as a wife who loves thin mints, I can relate.

The Improv Skit - Great, a little awkward in the middle, but I think that was the point.

The History of Marriage - Was great, the scenes were hilarious - the end could have been funnier and gotten the same point across without the lecture. It's safe to say we will all vote no.

Some of the scenes were "misses" hence the 3 star rating, but overall I enjoyed myself.

A unique look at artistic process
by CJ Mantel
Rating 4 stars
You wouldn't normally see these skits, and that's my favorite part. It's the grab-bag of sketch-comedy ideas too short for a full fringe show, too random for a collection of shorts, and too funny not to share. I would have watched just for the WTF factor of the Matlock solo, but the ending was even more awesome. And "They fight" made me giggle in all my favorite ways. "Real Housewives" would have made me hate humanity (much like the shows) if it had been any further developed, but as a quick pastiche it has me gasping for breath.

A mixed bag
by Ray Klahr
Rating 3 stars
As some others have mentioned, this set is kind of hit and miss skits. The fight scenes are a nice treat and you get a really good laugh with the metro transit skit as well as the history of marriage.

Exactly as Described
by Nathan Schilz
Rating 4 stars
This show is exactly what was promised: an array of various vignettes by different Twin Cities artists. I love new work, and this was a great showcase for some! Some shows held up better than others, but that's the great thing about a bunch of different shows - a little something for everyone. Fun and definitely worth your time.

Some good, some not so good.
by Lily Michaels
Rating 4 stars
I didn't like all of the scenes. Actually most of them fell short for me which is a shame because there are a lot of talented performers in this show.

The one scene that stuck out was "The Complete History of Marriage (Abridged)". The scene was well crafted, written and the performers were spot on. This scene seemed to get the most laughs of the entire show.

I also appreciated "The Goddaughter" but had toruble hearing some of the diologue.

The improve was good too, but nothing I haven't seen before.

I'm rounding up from 3.5 to 4 because of the marriage scene.

Orphans are always adorable
by Ariel Leaf
Rating 4 stars
Delightful, silly, quirky exploration that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's aptly titled - I too have written little skits that never had a home and this feels like a place where they get to crawl out of whatever folder they were stuffed in and given their day in the sun. Were they perfect? maybe not, but they were unpretentious and hilarious. And true to the nature of the show, they invited the audience to shout out what THEY were involved in. Don't be a snob. Come and giggle and know you'll get done with enough time to get to another venue, it ran about 48 minutes which allowed me to use the bathroom and buy a bottle of water before my next show. Orphans, me and my bladder salute you.

Mixed Bag of Snippets
by Tristine Miller
Rating 3 stars
Fun, fast-paced, and a mixed bag of snippets that include The Goddaughter, Great Moments in Metro Transit, The History of Marriage, They Fight, and Matlock as those that captured my attention. Great concept for Fringe, but like attending a Fringe-For-All, I found myself wishing scenes were more fleshed out.

Please sir, can I have some more?
by Derek ""Duck"" Washington
Rating 4 stars
I really enjoyed this show. Not all the pieces are as strong as others but I like the variety in approach and style to the comedy of this comedy of zillions. The piece on marriage equality was especially poignant. And watching Joshua Humphry is like watching Benjamin Button under water. Take that as you will.

Random
by Beth Wegener
Rating 3 stars
An array of skits often falling short on insight or humor with the exception of "The Improv," -- which was well done. End scene.

A mini Fringe at the Fringe
by Chris Kirkham
Rating 4 stars
A little bit of everything, joyously jumbled up and served with a side of weirdness. Jena Young's and Jesse Richard's "They Fight" stands out in a Whitman's Assortment of bite-sized treats. Plus, Matlock!

All Mixed Up
by Margarite Dante
Rating 1 star
Lots of short ideas that someone thought needed to be done and seen. None that I wanted wanted to adopt.