Fringe Preview 2009: The Musicals

There really is nothing more American than American Musical Theater. Now, fans of football, baseball, grandma, and apple pie may take issue with that statement, but... Looking at the world of theatre, the musical genre as we have come to know it has been something of a mainstay for the last century. New American Musicals are put out every year on Broadway with huge budgets, big stars, and familiar plots taken directly from popular movies. Once upon a time, musicals developed on the stage first and became hits on their own merit.

This is my list of five shows that I believe will stand on their own worth and be worthy of using up a five-show punch card on at this year's Fringe Festival:

1. Alice Unwrapped - Nautilus Music-Theater - Two things put this show at the top of my list. First, Nautilus makes good theatre. Period. Second, Jill Anna Ponasik possesses the singing voice I most like to listen to (as opposed to the one that I most like to sing with, which is my own... closely followed by Kermit the Frog's). Anyway... Jill Anna has a rich, expressive voice that you can close your eyes and float on as if it were a cloud. Oh yeah, and one of my favorite people in the world is the music director on this show. Michael Pearce Donley is a great musician whose works I've always admired. I guess that makes three things.

2. Spermalot: The Musical - The Change Co-Operative - Spoofs! Puppets! Songs! Talking bodily fluids! For the sake of all that is good and twisted in this world, you shouldn't miss this bit of epic low-brow humor. If one show could encapsulate the outright craziness that makes the Fringe something unique in the theatre world, this show might be it.

3. The Traveling Musicians - 3 Sticks - This company has a great history at the Fringe. This play grew out of their contribution to the 2009 Five-Fifths of the Fringe evening back in May. A few years ago a major hit, Corleone, grew out of a Five-Fifths segment, so one might say the bar has been set. I believe these guys will raise that bar. One of the only shows whose trailer made me actually want to see the show itself!

4. Love Me Or Die! - Savage Umbrella - Blake Bolan and Laura Leffler-McCabe create good theatre away from the Fringe. After seeing the Fringe-For-All preview of this piece, I have to believe that they do so in the Fringe as well. The sensibilities of this piece say "fringe" all over it. The onstage accomaniment to the songs and the wry sense of humor that permeates the piece makes for a musical that dares to be more subtle and rewarding than many of the more campy offerings in this genre.

5. Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman's Bath-Size Bar and There's a Mastadon in My Back Yard - The Dead Composers Society - I love Stephen Houtz's music. In all fairness, I should point out that he is my voice instructor (I've neglected my need for lessons for far too long... Sorry, Stephen!), and that he wrote the songs for a show I wrote and directed. Now... one can assume that I asked him to write those songs because I like his musical tastes and stylings. That would be spot on. The Dead Composers Society is new to me, but after their Fringe-For-All preview earlier this summer, I'm glad that they chose to perform the works of a living composer. Enjoyable, funny, and well-executed stuff.

A few years ago a trend started at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Musicals started to pop up with titles such as "Google: The Musical", "Jaws: The Musical", and last year there was "Musical: The Musical". The trend continues, despite the fact that I figured that the last of the aforementioned productions would've been the clincher.

There are no less than 6 shows that append their title with the words "the musical" in this year's festival. Plus there's one that declares itself "A Splashy New Musical!" as part of its title. Personally, I find myself wary of plays that tag themselves with the type of play they are in the title. This really only happens with musicals, and not normally with the best ones. I've never seen something like "Agnes of God: The Drama!" or "The Odd Couple: The Comedy!" Perhaps we should do that, however. It would be a handy way to know if what you're seeing fits with your mood and inclinations. Anyone want to see "The Importance of Being Earnest: The Drivel" at the Guthrie with me in September?