by Matthew A. Everett • July 29, 2008 •
To continue my delving into the color palette of this year’s Fringe, let’s transition from yellow (as in the little diary of secrets) to
Orange – a farce (about terrorism)
No. Really.
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.
“Two job applicants walk in for an interview and find themselves at the site of a nuclear hostage crisis threatening all we hold dear. Watch as they join forces with the sex-crazed receptionist, the manic office manager, the Baha’i tech girl, and the mail boy (who looks remarkably like the Unabomber) to save the day in this campy, chaotic and fast-paced comedy! A no-holds-barred farce about fear, sex, the media and a bit of cannibalism.”
While I haven’t seen a preview of the show itself, I’ve seen enough of this group’s wacky video antics to know that they’re just the kind of sick puppies I like when I go looking for a new play at the Fringe. There’s the battle with laryngitis And the house tour Multiple actor interviews (“Who shouldn’t see this play? Well, let’s see. Old people, I guess. There’s a lot of jokes and some of the humor goes by pretty fast. It might be hard for them to keep up.”) And of course – zombie instructional films.
This script was born of a 24 Hour Play Project in college – the type of thing you know I tend to gravitate to anyway. So there’s that pull as well. When the sleep deprivation kicks in and the internal censor clicks off, wonderfully amusing things can happen. I’m also told the script’s genesis revolved around the fact that one of the actors in their previous college cast was so universally lusted after, that the writers felt it was their duty to have his character make out with everyone else in the ensemble (male and female alike). Now that’s my kind of character development.
The minds behind this event – Ben Egerman & Rachel Teagle – are tireless in their promotional efforts, which wisely include befriending like-minded Fringers across the spectrum of the community. Never too early to get in the spirit of communal theatergoing. I really hope it pays off, because this whole thing seems like a lot of fun. Hence its placement high on my list. I want Mom to see it, too, so I’ve got some schedule juggling to do. But first, of course, more blogging…
Meanwhile, you can get oodles in interesting information on Orange at their blog, plus, it looks like that opening night comp deal might still be open – why not take advantage?
Check it all out at http://questionablecompany.blogspot.com/
(I keep mixing it up as Questionable Theatre Company, but as long as you’ve got the Questionable in their name, you should be able to find them. Either way, it’s…)
Very Highly Recommended
Location, dates and times, and ticket info also available here.
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.
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