Fringe Day 2 - Down and Dirty

by Matthew A. Everett • August 2, 2008 • Best Thing We Saw Yesterday

(Aside from my show? See, Mom would say that has to come first, but if we just set “The Bronze Bitch Flies At Noon”, and “Dog Tag” aside for the moment – we’ve got some reviews already, you can check them out, and I’ll put ‘em in a post later, too… how about the other shows?)

so…

Single White Fringe Geek (and Mom) is the blog of Matthew A. Everett, one of five bloggers covering the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the Daily Planet.

Best Thing We Saw Yesterday

Reincarnation: Another Chance At Failure – Rampleseed – Rarig Center Thrust

5 Stars – Very Highly Recommended

A peculiar but wonderful hybrid – the randomness of improv comedy in a scripted package. Careening back and forth between life and afterlife; past, present and future; human, monster, god, alien, animal, and even bacteria; Rampleseed delivers a most amusing meditation on the absurdities of life, spirituality, love, family, and just what the heck “different” really means when everything we’re talking about is a living thing. Hilarious, weird, and sometimes unexpectedly moving as well.

I want to see this one again before the Fringe closes up shop.

Next Performance – (tonight) Saturday, August 2nd, 10pm

Next Best Thing We Saw Yesterday

School of Rockstars – What Happened Productions – Rarig Center Thrust

4-1/2 stars – Very Highly Recommended

If you decide to call yourself a rockstar storyteller, you better deliver. They do. Odd that even when they’re supposed to be recounting stories of overachievers (the Grade A package of their school), they still find a way to sneak in tales of being a loser instead. Curt Lund’s caffeine addiction, Dave Mondy’s journey down south as a white guy in a black blues bar – on rap night, Alison Broeren’s tale of school sports embarrassments, rounding it out with Rik Reppe and Laura Bidgood taking each other to the woodshed with dueling stories of… still more sports embarrassments. The teacher might say they didn’t really do the assignment, but it entertaining as heck, so what the heck, we’ll grade on a curve. I just want good stories, and good stories they gave.

Next Performance – Sunday, August 3rd, 2:30pm

Fables of the Reconstruction

Cowboy Dragqueen – DragIn Productions – Rarig Center Arena

2-1/2 stars – Not Bad, Still Needs Some More Work

The performer had a plea for the potential bloggers in the audience – “Just skip this one.” This was a second dress rehearsal of sorts, as the script was completely new since their tech rehearsal. After calling for lines a couple of times, the performer begged our kind indulgence and just took the script in hand to keep things moving along. Some fabulous costume changes, some fun songs, and a very direct bond with the audience. When asked, we all put our tiaras on – they hand them out at the door when you enter – and every single one of us left them on until the show was over. At any moment, I wouldn’t have blamed him, or us, for giving up. But hey, drag solidarity, Fringe solidarity. We made it through, and the show’s now that much further toward being what he wants it to be. I was actually pretty proud Mom and I were there to see it happen. It’d be nice to see how this one grows over the course of the Fringe. Hard to write the end to your story, when your story’s not over yet. Strangely fascinating.

Next Performance – (today) Saturday, August 2nd, 2:30pm

And the next performance for...

“The Bronze Bitch Flies At Noon,” and “Dog Tag”

is tonight, Saturday, August 2nd, 10pm

Full reviews to follow. Just wanted to start getting the word out…

Entering his sixth year of blogging about the Minnesota Fringe Festival (and bringing Mom along for the ride as a guest reviewer), Matthew A. Everett is also a local playwright and three-time recipient of grant support from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Information on Matthew and his plays can be found at matthewaeverett.com.