Tommy's Picks Minnesota Fringe 2011 Part 2

Disney Dethroned - This show mashes up all the Disney princess movies to create a parody of them. After Princess Disney, who is pretty much all the Disney princesses in one, gets dumped by Prince Charming for Princess Pixar, she sets out on a quest to remain single until her next birthday. The humor is hilarious, and the songs are good. Overall, it's definitely worth seeing.

Scientist turned Comedian - This is a stand-up comedy show from scientist-turned-comedian (and YouTube sensation, with over 4 million views) Tim Lee. The science charts (and resulting pop-culture comparisons) are downright hilarious. The in-between jokes? They weren't as funny for me. Still, the show is funny enough to get a spot on this list.

You Only Live Forever Once - This is a show that parodies the James Bond formula with puppets, Mouse Trap board games, and a cat-like villain. The puppets are hilarious (especially an obnoxious one named Dudley) and the action scenes are very creative. Overall, if you've seen a James Bond movie (or two....or three....), you will really like this show.

Hamluke - This show combines Star Wars with Hamlet to hilarious results. While I don't know as much about Hamlet (never seen it) as I do Star Wars, I still loved the show. Hilarious jokes include the Jawas doing a play ('The Death of Darth Maul'), a scene which does the 'I am your father' scene word-for-word from Star Wars, and that freaky (but hilarious) Yoda puppet. Make sure you see Star Wars or Hamlet first, though - you'll have no idea what's going on otherwise. Still, it's an absolute must-see.

Macbeth: The Video-Game Remix - This is a show that hilariously combines Macbeth with World of Warcraft to good results. One good joke involves a 'free trial version' that strips down everything in the full game to an absolute minimum. Overall, even if you don't play video games or have never seen Macbeth, you'll still like the show.

Buckets and Tap Shoes - Favorite Pick of Fringe 2011 - Wow. That's the one word that describes this show. Wow. The show dazzles, visually and aurally, with so much relentless energy that it leaves you amazed long after the last note. The music is a joy to listen to, and the tap dances are absolutely amazing to watch. It's not everyone's cup of tea - it's REALLY LOUD, so you might want to bring earplugs - but I absolutely loved it, and it successfully joins the ranks of other genius Fringe shows from past years.

Now that we've gotten through the top ten, it's shameless plug-in time: a shout out to YARRH! The Lusty, Busty Pirate Musical, which my dad wrote the music for. While it would have been on the list, I felt that it wouldn't be fair to include my father's show on it.

Wendy Gennaula