Fringe: “The Ohman Stone”

By guest reviewer Bryce Byron. The Ohman Stone is a truly Minnesotan musical telling the story of the Kensington Rune Stone and people whose lives it touched. After their deaths, the major supporters of the authenticity of the Kensington Rune Stone are still trapped in an afterlife of constant debate — until the daughter of the…

Fringe: “The Finkles’ Theater Show!!!”

Today’s Fringe adventure was another blind guess. We showed up to the Bryant-Lake Bowl and didn’t see the name of the show until we were handing over our passes to get tickets at the box office. There was a considerable line (and the show sold out only 10-15 people behind us in line), but sometimes…

Fringe Day 10: “The Grimmer Side”

I had planned to cover more than one show on my last day at Fringe, but my plans got unexpectedly cut short after my first performance of the day. Although I’m disappointed not to have seen more, The Grimmer Side: Classic Stories for a Modern Time served as an excellent capstone to the festival, as it embodies…

Fringe Day 8: “Died in a Trailer Park/Woke Up a Mermaid”

As far as solo shows go, I discovered yesterday how much they can inspire self-reflection. Tonight’s experience was less about introspection and more about compassion: not only towards others, but towards oneself. In Died in a Trailer Park, Woke Up a Mermaid, actress Ariel Leaf tells the story of her own circuitous journey, from an abusive relationship…

Fringe Day 7: “The Zebra Shirt of Lonely Children”

Some Fringe shows really don’t need reviewing, because they are pretty well guaranteed to sell out the entire run no matter what. The unusual thing about this show, however, is that it isn’t a big, flashy musical or a comedy by one of the known Twin Cities names. No, The Zebra Shirt of Lonely Children is a…

Fringe Day 6: Consciousness, Clowns, and Classrooms

Like Liz, I felt the need to try something a bit different today. There were some highs and some lows of tonight’s selections, but it was an interesting smorgasbord! I first went to the Southern Theater to see Gray Matter, a dance performance choreographed by Zoé Emilie Henrot. I usually shy away from dance – not because I…

Fringe Day 6: “Something different”

This afternoon, my spouse pointed out to me that all of the shows we have seen together thus far have been categorized as “comedy” on the Fringe website. And so, determined to get out of our three-show-old rut, we went to see Standing on the Hollow, by Present State Movement, which is in the wonderfully ambiguous “something…

Fringe Day 4: “No Stopping, No Warping, No Dying”

Chicago-based 1UP Productions’ contribution to this year’s Fringe Festival is called No Stopping, No Warping, No Dying – a title which references one of the main characters’ philosophy in both life and video gaming. “No Stopping” takes place atop a giant Nintendo (that’s the original NES, mind you) and is played out by two actors playing “Player 1” (Charles Askenaizer)…