Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/wendy-gennaula/page/2/)
What would the Fringe be without a silly, over-the-top movie musical spoof? Top Gun: the Musical, which played to a sold-out audience at the Illusion, has barely any plot, a cheesy love story, and lots of eighties music. If you stop and analyze , you’ll hate yourself for loving it. But isn’t that the point of the movie too? Continue Reading
Our American Assassin, or You Can’t Handle the Booth!, presented by Mainly Me Productions story by Josh Carson and Andy Kraft is playing at the Theatre in the Round. Just a note-while many of Mainly Me productions are all ages shows, this one is not. There is a lot of profanity. But the show is clearly marked ages 16 and up on the artists page. Continue Reading
The Bother, written, directed and performed by Rita Boersma, James Rone, and Jake Scott, is a complete and satisfying drama about a writer who thinks she’s “losing her mind when she encounters the imaginary monster that terrified her as a child on a trip home as an adult.” The writer, Bri, played by Rita Boersma, has made her career as a Young Adult writer. Her stories are based on that imaginary monster. But she is stuck, both personally and professionally. Is the monster real after all? Continue Reading
The Adventures of Tapman, by Chicago-based Tap Man Productions LLC, is a show for all ages, including younger children and their families. Tap Man (Tristan Bruns) fights an evil invisible guy and tries to impress the spunky Modern Marvel (Kate O’Hanlon) through dance. At first it was a lot of work to follow the details of the dialogue-heavy story. There are three characters in the show, but one of them is invisible. This makes it hard to follow the plot. The acoustics of the Illusion made it almost impossible to understand Tapman when he was speaking and tapping at the same time. Hopefully, the cast will make some adjustments for the remainder of the run. Continue Reading
The title Amateur Hour is a misnomer for the variety show playing at the Illusion Theater. There is nothing amateur about it. Featuring a cast of Fringe veterans, it has little bit of everything. Comic monologues, dance, improv, mime, poetry, whoopie cushions, go-go boots, haiku, Erik Satie, boxing for Jesus, and Michael Jackson’s white glove. On paper, it sounds like one of Stefon’s hottest nightclubs from Saturday Night Live. But at its core the show is a nostalgic look back on the beginnings of the cast. It’s funny, but it’s poignant too. Continue Reading
A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant, produced by The Catalysts and playing at the New Century Theater, is a satirical musical about Scientology. It’s sharp and sweet. Performed in the style of an old-fashioned Sunday School pageant, an irony-free ensemble of seven young teenagers proclaim the origin story of L. Ron Hubbard and how he invented a religion. This “cult” musical (get it?) by Kyle Jarrow has a sleek book and breezy lyrics. The songs are instructive and repetitive in the manner of “Schoolhouse Rock”. The tunes are still running through my head, 3 shows and seven hours later. I now know the difference between the reactive mind and the analytical mind, what an engram is, and the story of Xenu. Continue Reading
RT+MPLS : The Legend of RT Rybak , playing at the New Century, is an affectionate romp through the Rybak years. Continue Reading
Laura Bidgood, Rockstar Storyteller and follicly blessed half of the ultra-nerd comedy duo Curt and Laura strikes out on her own in the solo show Continue Reading
