Fringe for All Review part II

by Rachel Reiva | July 27, 2009 • Hello again Fringe goers! Here is my second round of reviews from Fringe for All: The Frog Prince, Professor Rudman, and Cathy Wright: Thrower of Light.

the teen fringer is the blog of rachel reiva, one of six bloggers covering the minnesota fringe festival for the daily planet.

Top Hat Theatre: The Frog Prince: A Splashy New Musical Much to the dismay of bratty Princess Jewel, she finds herself wedged into a slimy situation of promised friendship with The Frog Prince. A court trial and bright dancing frogs all make going green a blast! I’ve seen (and been in) a lot of Top Hat shows and I’m never disappointed with each idea that they come up with for a show. The prince had a phenomenal voice and a very good stage presence that always held my attention. The dancing frogs were really cute and creative. The music was nice, and the cast seemed like they were having a fun time singing it. I think it’s nice to have family friendly shows at the Fringe, and you can always count on Top Hat for that. Professor Rudman: The problem of the body: Why is our society ashamed of bodily urges? Like John Waters channeled through Sir Kenneth Clark, Prof. Rudman examines contemporary American attitudes toward bodily urges by comparing recent media coverage with jaw-dropping imagery from other cultures. Professor Rudman at first didn’t seem to be the sort of guy who would be carrying a dick squirt gun but it definitely kept me focused on the subject. He seemed to have a really grounded feeling and didn’t seem embarrassed at all. His manner was very casual, yet excited about the subject. I am always interested in the acceptance of sex in different cultures, so this is a show I will definitely see. Cathy Wright: Thrower of Light Tales from the hidden corners of the human psyche: Dare to experience total theater of movement, film and voice that thrill and deceive in a chasm of emotion where gender is illuminated. Although I’m not a fluent in reviewing dance, I have to say this looked really cool. The dance had a very hard edge to it. It reminded me of Irish dancing with a pirate theme, since the costumes looked pirate-like. You could see the emotions coming from dancers' bodies, making the dance dramatic and exciting to watch. I was very impressed. Normally, dance shows don’t really catch my attention -- not that I don’t like dance, but I just don’t have a real interest in watching it. This one made its mark on me, however, and I will see this show. That’s it for now Fringe goers, more later! -Rachel Reiva