Day 5 -- 5:30 p.m. Time Slot

Show: Pentecostal Wisconsin

Company: Ryan Paulson

Venue: Acadia

Die Roll: 1

Something about die rolling... In many RPGs (Role Playing Games) rolling a 1 is the worst possible thing you can do. It is called a "Critical Miss" or "Critical Failure." However, with this show, and the other that I've rolled a 1 on, I've had nothing but Critical Success.

I didn't really know what to expect on a Monday night at 5:30 p.m. Even though the first two showings of this one-man show sold out, I was surprised to see a SRO (Standing Room Only) performance so shortly after the end of the work day on a Monday.

This is a fun show. Ryan is a good performer, and his stories about growing up in the Assemblies of God church in Eau Claire, WI, were entertaining. However, this play clearly goes over better with those who are at least familiar with the realm of regular church going. It pokes fun at Lutherans (a bit of schtick that has worked out pretty well for Garrison Keillor), and at the Pentecostals. But if you attended any standard church that had a youth group and prayer group and drama group, then you'll identify with the contents.

Unfortunately for me (or fortunately, really), I was raised Quaker. What that means is that I didn't go through much of what is being described in this play, and I have no frame of reference for the stuff that Mr. Paulson is talking about. We did occasionally attended Methodist churches when a Quaker Meeting wasn't available, but when it comes right down to it, a member of a denomination that doesn't follow much of the ritual of other Christian denominations can't identify in the way that an audience member needs to to make this show a rockin' success.

RATING: "d12 - A Heckuva Lotta Fun"