Sorry... I have failed you...

Well, I'd like to tell you that I successfully got all my old blog entries transfered to this site from the Fringe Festival site before they took my access away, but I did not. It saddens me to tell you that I am, in fact, incapable of bringing the rest of my columns over at this time. So, if you were hoping to see something that would have occurred from the halfway point of the 2006 Fringe onward, you may never be able to get ahold of it again.

I'm sorry about that. But, if you are looking for one of my entries prior to that, they are contained herein.

Enjoy them for what they are worth.

Peace,
Chris

A little relocation...again

So, I thought I should let everyone know that over the next few days I'll be archiving all my old column entries from the MN Fringe Website to here. In the very near future I assume that my old columns will no longer be available on the Fringe site, so if you used to access entries about your shows on the Fringe Website, you'll be able to still link to them, but here instead. And, I'll link to this blog (which was where we originally hosted the Fringe blogs, incidentally) from my new blog, too. So you should be able to find entries about your company or show when searching the internet via Google, and such. Okay... more soon.

Day 3 -- 8:30 Time Slot

Show: Sock Puppet Serenade

Company: Kurt Hunter Marionettes

Venue: Minneapolis Theatre Garage

Die Roll: Nope...Kid day

This was our last show. It started half an hour past my daughter's bedtime, but we had to stay up for it. This exact show was in the Fringe two years ago. It blew me away then, and it did so this year too. Oddly enough, my daughter was amazed... she said: "That was a amazing!"

This is the only show I ever recall having given a standing ovation to at the Fringe. I could be wrong on that. I'd have to check a lot of old blogs to really know. But, let's just pretend that the statement is true for now.

It is a good show. The puppetry skill is awesome. Even when a glitch occurs, it is incorporated seamlessly.

It is funny. It is great. And rather that just listing more positive words than are in the thesaurus under the word "good," I'll just say you HAVE to see this show.

Ten Word Summary:Amazing. Marionettes explain it all. Witty. Charming. Awsome puppet show.

RATING: "d20 - One of the Best"

Day 3 -- 7:00 p.m. Time Slot

Show: Cinderella

Company: DeLasalle Players

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Proscenium

Die Roll: Umm... My daughter picked it.

I find myself saying these things at the beginning of my articles here that ought to be common knowledge, if not common courtesy. To a number of people sitting close to me at the Fringe: Theatre is not like TV. You are not in your living room. If you are tempted to talk back to the show, or want to make a loud comment about the show to the person next to you, try to refrain. The actors can hear you, not to mention the other people around you. C'mon!

Alright... That's out of the way. This show was fun. It wasn't great theatre, again, but it was fun. Cinderella has been retold in a manner that includes a game show, a huge number of ugly step-sisters, and a bait-and-seitch ending that is quite rewarding.

It is important to remember that these kids are not from one of the acting training programs in town. They just go to DeLasalle. So, the abilities are are varied. But the writing of the show caters to that.

Ryan North directed. We used to work together at YPC, and he was always good with the kids. Clearly he was once again. They all seemed to be having a great time.

My daughter really liked this one. "I thought that was really good...actually 5 stars."

My Ten Word Summary: Cinderella and the prince end up together...kinda...good fun.

RATING: "d12 - A Heckuva Lotta Fun"

Day 3 -- 4:00 & 5:30 Time Slots

There is a problem with the Kids Fringe being incorporated into the festival as a whole (one year there was a separate Kids Fringe Venue), when the shows are mixed in with all the rest, it means that sometimes there is a time slot on a kid-friendly day (read: Saturday or Sunday) in which there are no kids shows. Not even any adult shows that would come close to being acceptable. That was the case in these two slots.

My daughter and I got a bite to eat at Jimmy Johns, and then headed to the Ampitheatre behind the Rarig Center to play a little catch. That was fun. Not theatre, but fun. What I did learn, though is that if I take a break from Fringing, my adrenaline starts to drop and I feel exhausted.

Day 3 -- 2:30 p.m. Time Slot

Show: A Dragon Odyssey

Company: Asian Media Access

Venue: Red Eye

Die Roll: Moot Point...it's Daddy/Daughter day.

There were at least two kid-friendly options in this time slot. We were lucky enough to hit A Dragon Odyssey. This is a show that retells an asian folk-tale about the Green Dragon and Sky Blue. It is a story of ill-fated love throughout the ages.

The show is narrated and consists primarily of dancing right out of the gate, so I was encouraged that this might be like 12 Dancing Princesses. But the similarity stops there.

Now, I must admit that my daughter generally liked the show. In fact, her direct quote was "I liked it."

And, I must again admit that I, too, enjoyed the performance generally. It is not a good show, but there is a sense of fun coming from the performers that is often present in true community theatre. These people were doing something they loved and were excited about it, and it showed and that was infectious.

That doesn't hide the fact that at times the songs were at least one verse too long, and that many in the show couldn't project enough to get their lines out to where the audience was sitting.

But, just as if you were watching your home town's community theatre, you forgive them those things because they're trying so darned hard.

Ten Word Summary: Asian Myth. Tragic love story. Cast of thousands. Community Theatre.

RATING: "d8 - Not Bad, Not Great"

Day 3 -- 1 p.m. Time Slot

I cannot review the show that I saw in this time slot because it is the one that I am producing. While I was willing to promote the show openly prior to the Fringe in this column, I cannot review the show with good conscience...conflict of interest. So, I'll just say that I was please that we had a pretty good-sized audience for a Saturday at 1 p.m. and "thank you" to those who came.

My show is Screwed to the Sticking Place... which I should point out the "Screwed" phrase is lifted from a speech by Lady Macbeth. It is not a sexual reference. That seems to be confusing som people.

It was a good opening. 1 down, 4 to go.

Day 3 -- The Beginning

Every year there is one day that I set aside for breaking my own rules about using dice to select my shows. Today is that day. Normally it is the Saturday of the final weekend of Fringe, but this year I have moved it up the schedule a bit.

The reason for this shift, is that I have a young daughter. She is 7, as a matter of fact. And I like to take her Fringing with me once each year. So... die rolls that could land us in shows involving giant dildos aren't the way to go.

Instead, I pack the dice away for one day, and we see kids fringe shows and ones that I've found out through others' advice are no worse than prime-time TV for kids.

So, that's what I'll be doing today. I'll still blog on the resulting shows, but my schedule will not be randomly determined.

Incidentally, I learned two things yesterday. Three, really. #1... I'm too lazy to deal with the whole posting my charts thing (I'm sorry). #2... People say fun things when you put a microphone in front of them (My podcast will be posted later tonight). #3... One who pans a show one day will not have success flirting with its cast members the next night.

Some I random for stuff you have:

While mental failure can be more random than just about anything else, I think we'll start with the trivia today so I won't forget it again: "Minnows have teeth in their throat." -- This makes me think about sharks. Only because of their multiple rows of teeth. Following the thought train tangentially, I then think of perch which used to swim around us at Boy Scout camp. We used to refer to them as pecker sharks because they'd occaisionally swim up your swim trunks and give you a bit of a surprise. Sometimes following one's train of thought ought not to happen.

I love cinnamon raisin toast.

I still can't figure out my cellphone. I feel like such an idiot.

I just realized that I've only watched a total of about 10 minutes of TV since arriving back stateside.

There's wolves in them thar hills.

Candle wax.

A link to my Ten-Word summaries: Click Here.

Day 2 -- The Rest

I didn't make it to a 10 p.m. show. I had to eat, and get ready for the Masquerade ball. I did go as a pirate and I had fun. I hope everyone else did, too. We left pretty early because I had to get home to make the programs for my show.

Day 2 -- 8:30 p.m. Time Slot

Show: 12 Dancing Princesses

Company: MN Shakespeare Project

Venue: UofM Rarig Center Proscenium

Die Roll: 16

Before I talk about this show, let me talk about audience behavior. If the lights have gone down, and there is already a voice coming from the stage, watch what's going on and shut your yaps! Golly day, people! I don't pay to see the shows, but plenty of the other folks around you shelled out $12 to enjoy an hour of drama. Show some respect.

Okay. Now that that's done... Again getting straight to the point because of lack of time today: This is the best show of the first two days for me. In fact, I'm beginning to see a pattern: I like the last thing I see each night. I guess we'll see if that trend continues over the next few nights, eh?

This show is entirely set to music, and often feels like a ballet with very little dancing in it. Something like a semi-staged version of "Peter and the Wolf" that kids go see at the MN Orchestra. There was a narator and a few characters had some sparsely placed lines. But generally it was a stylized show that depended on movement to drive the story.

I didn't take a lot of notes because I was really drawn into the show. There were only two times when I was violently pulled from my suspension of disbelief. Those occurred each time the music shifted abruptly from instrumental and old to vocal and contemporary. It is a jarring change, and I'm not sure it is truly justified. It yanked me out of the story long enough to be irritated by it.

Be that as it may, the show has some little flaws, as every show does, but generally it is good, clean fun. You can bring kids to this. You can enjoy it fully as an adult, too.

Ten word summary: Nice guy breaks enchantment on 12 beautiful girls. Love wins.

RATING: "d20 - One of the Best"

Day 2 -- 7:00 p.m. Time Slot

Show: The Trans Cafe

Company: Dance, Dance, Tranny Revolution

Venue: UofM Rarig Center Xperimental

Die Roll: 18

Okay... so here's the general set-up for this show. You are in a coffee bar with a Transgender theme. It is open mic night. You will watch a variety of acts and get to know the people there.

So far so good. I'll get straight to the point (pardon the use of the word "straight"). I liked this show. However, it was a lot of work to like this show.

Basically, I'm not sure there was a director or any rehearsals. Had there been, someone should ahve noticed that starting a show with 20 minutes of karaoke is not a good idae when your audience is sober. 20 minutes of Karaoke is only tolerable after at least two hard drinks imbibed in a very short period of time.

So... The show started out rough. However, in the middle there was a chat set, a discussion, some dialogue, whatever you want to call it, that allowed us in the audience to get to know these people. After that, whatever they did, even painful karaoke, was tolerable because we were let into their world a little bit.

And I think that's the point of the show. To be let in a little. To understand that the members of the community and be able to laugh with them. Once that was accomplished, I enjoyed it.

Here's the thing...This is not a polished show... far from it. But it again speaks to what is beautiful about the Fringe. Anyone can put up a show. Anyone can do all sorts of things in the Fringe, and it all fits.

I sooo desperately wanted to take these performers aside and give them some help on the staging and such. I would like to see them succeed. However, if you're not in the mood for a show that will require a little toleration of stage inexperience, then you should probably skip this one. To be fair to the performers, know what you're getting going in. If you can embrace that, then go see the show.

Ten word summary: Good conversational middle somewhat makes up for really rough edges.

RATING: "d6 - Has Some Merit"

Day 2 -- 5:30 p.m. Time Slot

Show: Porn! Or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dong

Company: Me and Bill

Venue: UofM Rarig Center Xperimental

Die Roll: 10

This was the first of a day at the Rarig. I like the fact that 4 of the venues are contained in one economy-sized package.

This show was painful. There's no two ways about it. I hate to be that blunt, but when it comes down to it, I'm hurting for time today, and this show isn't worth it.

There were many jokes in the show that attempted to be self-depricating by making fun of how bad the show must be because it is in the Fringe. Unfortunately these jokes were not funny. They were merely sad. Because they were true. The show was in the Fringe and it was bad.

There were too many "what the Hell?!" moments and too many errors to make the show worth suffering through.

At one point I found that it was more interesting to watch Dominic Papatola in the audience than it was to watch the show itself.

One high point (of a sort, maybe)... if you're attracted to Jessica Simpson, you'll like Amy Bury in this play... Dead ringer!

This play also ran remarkably long... long enough that the technician had to pipe in on the "God Mic" to tell them to get off the stage. Over five and a half minutes over time.

Ten word summary: Isn't porn supposed to be amusing somehow? I guess not.

RATING: "d4 - Not Worth The Time"

Ten Word Summaries

You may have noticed that I am ending each of my reviews with a 10 word summary of the show. If you'd like to just check out the 10-word summaries, you can now find them all in one handy place... go to This web page.

I'll update that page daily, so you can follow along in the fun.

Day 2 -- The Beginning

Some things work really well on the first day, and some didn't. Something I decided to change from how I've done things over the past few years came into play.

In the past I've rolled for the next show I would see whilst sitting in the audience of the preceding show. However, given how spread out the Fringe is this year (Lake Harriet UMC is pretty much in Edina...not joking), I decided to roll an entire day's worth of shows at once. I didn't start my day that way yesterday, but I quickly opted to do that to make sure I had reservations...just in case I was running late.

So... today I rolled for all my shows already. I will still carry my charts with me, incase a show gets out early and enables me to catch one of the special shows that don't quite fit the schedule correctly (hint to producers of BYOV: there are certain time slots that work, and others that just don't).

With that in mind, I can tell you what I'm attending today. I still have no idea what I'm attending the rest of the Fringe, but... Here's today's schedule, if you'd choose to join me:

5:30 -- Porn! Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Dong...Die Roll: 10

7:00 -- The Trans Cafe...Die Roll: 18

8:30 -- 12 Dancing Princesses...Die Roll: 16

10:00 -- Two Queers and a Chubby...Die Roll: 18

11:00-onward -- Fringe Masquerade at the Varsity Theatre in Dinky Town!!! I'm a pirate!

Random, Random, Random...Keeping all things random...Random!

Not too much randomness today... I still have to finish the programs for my show which opens tomorrow.

To anyone I got in an argument with yesterday...I'm sorry.

The going rate for a front baby tooth, according to the tooth fairy, is a Sakagewea Gold Dollar.

A bit of an education for everyone...



Red and Yellow and Pink and Green...Orange and Violet and Blue... I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, too.

Trivia time thanks to Hooked on Facts: "In ancient Japan, public contests were held to see who could fart the loudest and longest!" -- It's good to see that my fraternity brothers have precedent to fall back on!

Day 1 -- At the BLB

So, I wrapped up the first day of the Fringe at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, which was our appointed hang-out for the night. And it was a nice time. More on that in a minute...

First... Before I made it there, I had really nice conversations with a few folks that I should mention... especially since I think you'd like there shows:

1). Joy and Michael Donnely... These were the masterminds behind last year's hit Nibblers. This year they are teamed up with Theatre for the Thirsty on a show titled Amnesiac Jack. Please go see it. I really do not believe you could support a more pleasant couple of folks, and their great theatre practitioners, too...so I feel I can recommend them highly no matter what they are doing... I can't say that about most folks in this field.

2). Tape is another show you should consider. Christiana Clark is one of my favorite actresses in town, and Stephen Frethem reportedly does a great job in his role. It is a play that I've wanted to see done for a couple of years now... so here's the chance to catch it.

Now... back to our regularly scheduled break-down of the last chunk of the day... I didn't go to Sin Cities 7 at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage because I needed sustenance, and because the late night shows are going to be available on other nights when I think I can stay awake for them.

Instead I went and hung out with a number of Fringy folks and had a nice glass of Vino Tinto (Red Wine). I like the idea of a travelling Fringeville this year, although I am a bit worried that many of the locations are too small for too many performers to fit comfortably. I guess we shall soon see.

Day 1 -- 10 p.m. Time Slot

Show: Alex the Boy Scout (and other stories)

Company: Topsy-Turvy Theater

Venue: UofM Rarig Center - Xperimental

Die Roll: 15

I'm not going to get very far into this review without saying it...so I'm going to right off the bat. This was the best show I saw on the first day of the Fringe.

Again I was in the house with Matthew Everret and Phillip Low... I'm starting to think this dice thing isn't random enough... This can't keep happening, can it?

Anyway... this show was made up of 5 10-minute plays. The 10-minute is essentially the short story of the playwriting genre, and is particularly close to my heart, as it is the type of play that I most often write.

That being said, I also read a lot of them, and see a lot of them. And when an idea is copied directly from one of the classics in the field, I happen to notice. What I'm referring to is the first of the five, which might as well have been written by David Ives, or lifted directly from Ives's play "Sure Thing." Many playwrights have copied that play and fit their ten-minute piece into a sub-genre I like to call a "ding play" in which action happens, then a bell dings and the world resets for a nother go at it. Not too original, and commonly written by first time playwrights while still undergrads. So... this show didn't start off strong.

BUT... The in the four plays that followed, playwright Nathan Morse redeemed himself. His strongest scene was one revolving around a woman at a computer, played by Dawn Krosnowski (the woman, not the computer). The computer talks back to her and hilarity ensues. I don't want to ruin it for you. Let's just say I was laughing very hard... my tummy hurt.

My second fave was a retelling of "Romeo and Juliet." This gimmick has been done a hundred times before, but Morse write is solidly, and more importantly Aaron Aoki and Noemi Lopez act it superbly.

The other two scenes are funny as well. The one thing that depressed me a bit about the show was that Jessica Knapp, one of the company's stand-bys in times past, and a woman who was in "A Flea in Her Ear" with me at Rosetown Playhouse, was not on stage nearly enough. She is a strong stage presence and funny... her role as narrator didn't really use her to her fullest potential.

Ten word summary: Five short plays. Very Funny. Like David Ives...Laughed lots!

RATING: "d10 - Worth Going To"

Day 1 -- 8:30 p.m. Time Slot

Show: Resisting the Birthmark

Company: Twinhead Theatre

Venue: The Playwrights' Center

Die Roll: 10

Having gotten out of the prior show with just a few extra minutes to spare, I ducked into the coffee shop across the street from the PWC. I ate a croissant and a bottle of Pomegranate juice (Did you know that the Spanish word for Pomegranate is "Granada," as in the city?)

So... There were about 30 people in the audience once I got back to Resisting the Birthmark: A Feminist Theory Play. Of those about 7, including myself were male. That made me happy. I was afraid of being one of two guys in a play that put the word feminist in the title (subtitle, really). I've gained new hope for the male half of our species.

Now, a play that wants to make a point can do so in any number of ways. The really well done ones will weave the message throughout but not slam the audience over the head with the message, so that everyone walks away understanding the point without feeling bludgeoned. Then, there is what this play did.

We were first treated to a blatantly didactic introduction, then inculcated with feminist analysis of an archaic short story, and finally presented the moral with a sledgehammer. The message of this play was not so offensive as the delivery method. Marshall McLuhan once said that "The Medium is the Message." He followed that statement with another: "The Medium is the Massage." Point being? How you say something is often far more important to getting your point across than the very point you're trying to make.

There were some good things about this production. A number of the actors were skilled...Angelyn Pass and John McLouth stood out, as did Dana Miller. However, the cast was inconsistent, and the direction was odd, to say the least. Most of the staging decisions would be hard to justify. Some were billiant, though. Basically, it was inconsistent, too.

Two quick points... I like women. This is not a statement of heterosexuality, although that would apply as well. This is a statement of support for what many will see as feminist ideals. I support certain feminist theatre companies with my efforts, my money, and my devotion. I don't normally feel it necessary to declare this, because I don't feel that I'm normally at risk of being seen as anti-feminism. However, given the thoughts that are about to come down further on this page, I thought I should make a qualifying statement. Not to mention, I'm producing an entirely female production in this Fringe.

The second point...theatre by its very nature is didactic. We learn somethign every time we see a show. We do not need to be lectured as part of one. That is not good theatre, good performance art, or even good teaching methodology.

This play makes valid points as it analyses the story originally written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, but the points were more appropriately suited to an academic paper than a play. In fact, it felt like a paper brought to life. Granted, sometimes we want our philosophic points to be heard by more than the minute population of academia, but in an effort to bring it to a bigger audience, we must consider that audience and how they are likely to receive it. This play occaisionally tried to use theatricality, but didn't use the art of theatre.

I'd had much higher hopes for this show... and so...my 10 word summary: Feminist tears at flesh of old story, misses the point.

RATING: "d6 - Has Some Merit"

Day 1 -- 7:00 p.m. Time Slot

Show: Thanks for the Scabies, Jerkface!

Company: Dan Bernitt

Venue: Interact

Die roll: 4

Again, I found myself in the same theatre as Matthew Everett... while this means that you can compare the opinion of at least two bloggers on the same performance, it seems like my random die roll is not separating me from my fellows at all effectively.

Getting two things out in the open: I do not like this venue. The pillars are evil. If you go to Interact, sit in the center-most section so you can watch all the action despite the big wooden obstructions. Also, I don't generally like one-man shows.

Now, I really need to add a qualifier to that last statement. I actually hold one-man shows to a higher standard than many people do. I ask that they reach the level of any other play. In some instances they do that, and then I like them. I produced one in the fringe back in 2002. It was not my own one-man show, I should be clear about that. But why, if I generally dislike the genre, would I produce one... well, that one told a story...effectively. And that's part of what I'm asking for. Give me a little reason to care.

Now...Thanks for the Scabies, Jerkface! started out slightly better than most one-man shows that are of the let-me-tell-you-anecdotes-from-my-life style. Normally, these types of shows are told by people who have yet to work out their issues in a productive way, and so they write a show and use theatre as therapy. I don't have time to watch that.

Dan Bernitt approaches his own life as material for the show, but it is clear that it isn't therapy. So...good. A point for Dan. He also speaks very articulately and energeticly...just like he's putting on a play, not just a recitation of personal stories. Good. Two points for Dan. And the comedy will well-executed. There's a third point for Dan.

Dan Bernitt has a very poetic method of delivery. Not surprising as he sometimes plys his trade as a performance poet. However, in this show, the prose sections are more effective than the poetry.

The stories are entertaining, but left me with a bit of a "Why are you telling me this?" feel. Dan seemed more like the drunk friend at a party relating stories for his buddies' amusement, not because of bad presentation, but because there was no through line. Other than the fact that the guy in front of us was charming, there was no reason for us to care about him as a character in his own stories.

I can recognize this as a well put-together show that will appeal to some, but I cannot accept it as good theatre. If you like the monologue form, then it might be for you, however. For me, it reminds me of something that one of my professors at UNO calls "Me"-moir.

Wrapping it up in 10 words: Gay man gets infected. Bugs haunt relationships. Do I care?

RATING: "d8 - Not Bad, Not Great"

Day 1 -- 5:30 p.m. Time Slot

Show: South Dakota Bound

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"

Day 1 -- 4:00 p.m. Time Slot

Show: The Musicker's Balalaika

Company: Walking Boxes Productions

Venue: Lake Harriet United Methodist Church

Die Roll: 5

Well the Fringe is underway. This is the very first show of the entire thing. So, I had to be there. Apparently so did fellow bloggers Matthew Everett and Phillip Low. We all sat together in one big clump of Raspberry-colored fringiness. We were informed prior to the show by one patron/fringe producer who will remain nameless that we looked ridiculous sitting together like that. And we did, but we weren't about to admit it... So... Anyway on to the matter at hand... The first show.

Before I even got into the first show, I knew something was different about this venur, and yet somehow familiar. As I drove the 45 minutes it took me to get there from my place in St. Paul, I realized that I sometimes take acting lessons from Steve Hendrickson there. The other thing I realized was that I didn't want to make that drive again during rush hour. 35W was recommended by Mapquest, and it was not speedy... certainly it didn't take only 24 minutes, which is what the website promised.

But be that as it may, I got to the venue and got my ticket. I actually would have been the first ticket sold for the entire festival, had it not been for the fact that Matthew Everett's tickets were pre-purchased. Well... I got mine in my hot little hand first, so nyaaaa!

We all went in, and saw The Musicker's Balalaika.

Upon reading the program, I discovered that this was the third part of a series of works featuring this Musicker character. Now... here's the thing, in order to understand what is going on, you have to read the program before the show starts. Despite the fact that the program itself proclaims that you don't have to do that. Trust me, if you don't...you'll be hopelessly lost for the first 5 minutes of the show.

This is a sharply produced show. There is a constant soundtrack and syncs up impressively with the live music played by J Roth on stage. The story was about a Russian Gypsy who fought on the side of the Red Army in WWII. It actually was a pretty good story. And the accent J Roth took on was convincing, as was most of his acting. However, the fact that the tale depended on what had gone before in the past two installments knocked my enjoyment of the show down a peg or two.

One of my favorite things was that the humor of the show was built around the thought that it is a curse to be protected by God if you want to die and God won't let you be killed.

Were I to sum this show up in 10 words, here's what you'd get: Musician tells war story in Russian Accent. Hail multi-track recording!

That's 10 words so long as you buy into the fact that a hyphenate counts as one. I'll be trying to summarize all the shows I see in 10 words... Part of the Fringe by Numbers thing.

RATING: "d10 - Worth Going To"