As we enter the final weekend of Fringe I’m really starting to feel the fatigue set in. I didn’t take any time off from my day job this year during Fringe (I will afterwards) and working on two shows is something I need to adjust to. I’m very proud of both shows and happy to be a part of them. Renaissance of the Dead has two shows remaining today at 7PM and Sunday at 1PM. How to Come Back from the Dead has its final show at 10PM tonight. Hope to see you all at one of them! Now onto the reviews:
Show 17: Kind Of Funny But Also A Little Sad
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this show, but I ended up being very entertained. Rita Boersma and Mike Fotis put together a mix of absurd, hilarious, and very personal sketches. They make great use of the space in TrP and I was fully on belly laughing on several occasions. There were many moments as an artist, and parent I could relate to and that’s when comedy is best for me - a little absurd but personal. Also one quick note - Mike I love your theater.
Show 18: All is Bright
Often there are a handful of shows that while well made, don’t don’t work for me at all. This is one of those shows. It’s essentially a bunch of semi-related strung together monologues by three actors that are sitting at a table. That’s it. The monologues are meandering journeys through each person’s life, and I found the characters and their lives to be very boring. They all had backstories and needs a desires that would be home in an episode of Friends, and that’s not really my thing. The actors were definitely very good, but the lack of any real movement on stage or anything interesting to say left me bored.
Show 19: Game of Toms: One-Man Game of Thrones
This was a great way to cap off an evening. Energetic, very funny, and creative in its use of handkerchiefs. I will say this show is best enjoyed if you are familiar with the GOT TV series. It’s a fantastic one hour summary of eight seasons of television, but even better with knowledge of the show. The musical numbers are funny if a bit predictable, and the jokes are a mile a minute. If you like me are one of the folks who felt Seasons 7-8 of GOT were a little lacking, this is some comedic catharsis.
Show 20: Adventures While Black in Great Britain
Les Kurkendaal-Barrett is a regular at the Minnesota Fringe, and because of a wild set of occurrences this year he has a three show run. This show was delightful. Les is one of the most charismatic storytellers I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. He spins tales of regular people in relatively mundane situations (a vacation, a funeral, afternoon tea) that you are completely intrigued by. Les taps into what makes us click as humans when he tells his stories. A good amount of humor and humanity added in, and it was just a delightful hour in every way.
Notes
Saturday will be a long day for me at Fringe, I have two shows I’m in and I’m attempting to use all other slots to see shows. We will see if I can make it. I truly love Fringe and seeing as many shows as I can is always a highlight. I learn so much as a writer, director, and an actor each year. Plus the unleashing of all this creative energy by so many awesome people is the coolest freaking thing ever.