Company: Northstar Twins Productions
Venue: Minneapolis Theatre Garage
Die Roll: 17
After a quick 35 minute drive to the venue and arriving a minute late for the show (they hadn't started just yet, though...yay!), I was confronted with the one thing I hate about this job. I was slapped in the face by the fact that I have opinions about the Fringe that work at cross-purposes.
Here's the thing: I believe that as a Fringe blogger it is my duty to you, my reader, to advise you as to my view of whether a show is worthy of your $12 investment. At the same time, I revel in the fact that anyone, even the least experienced and terrible performer, can pony up $400 and produce a show.
This group was evidence of what the Fringe can be. Clearly, South Dakota Bound was a production of the Kroll Family and their friends. Many of the actors were siblings of the playwright/director, most of the bios of the actors pointed out the inexperience of the players. And yet, here they were putting on a show in a major festival. That's the beauty of the Fringe. They got an idea for a play, they got a group together to do it, and they actually put on a full production. They should be very proud of that. It isn't an easy thing to do.
Unfortunately, though putting on a show is a difficult thing in and of itself, putting on a good show is far harder. Northstar Twins did not accomplish this.
That being said, there is a kernel of a good play in this show just waiting to burst out when a little heat is applied (I'm tring for a popcorn metaphor here, though I've no idea why).
Some well intentioned, though likely to be taken badly, tips on playwriting/production:
1). If the scenes are shorter than the scene changes on either side of them every time, then your play is not about what you intended. It is about transitions, and I don't mean the ones in the characters' lives.
2). Theatre is often about life and death. It has to be. Raise the stakes a little, and you'll capture the attention. This is a play about two young people trying to make the decision of whether or not to move in together, and the effect of a visit to one of their parents' abodes on that decision. That's a fine set-up, but the question that has to be asked, is... why do we care? What happens if they don't get together? Right now, it probably doesn't really matter either way, which is sad. There's something lurking just below the surface that can be developed here, but it hasn't been, yet.
There were a number of funny lines that were delivered pretty well in between chunks of dialogue that fell flat. It felt as if the punchlines had been better rehearsed than the rest.
Matt Stensrud, who looks a bit like Topher Grace (of "That 70's Show" fame), did a reasonable job at his part, and was clearly the strongest in this ensemble. I'm guessing that others will get better as the run goes on, but unfortunately it appears from teh program that many of the leads are only part of the production for some of the performances and others will be replaced part of the way through the Fringe. That probably means that improvement will be stunted by personel changes.
Although I feel a little guilty about it, I can't recommend this show...Sum it up in 10 words: Kids travel to South Dakota to move set pieces around.
RATING: "d4 - Not Worth The Time"
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