Sub-Total
2023 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member: Ross Childs
Company: Paper Soul
Show: NPC! (Non-Player Character)
Venue: Rarig Center Xperimental
Don’t miss the Boatz on Motz!
I went into this show expecting a fun story about the side characters in video games & RPGs. A look into the world of the people whose entire existence is a plot device. However, what I saw was a deeply vulnerable and personal story about overcoming fear, dealing with horrible bosses, and appreciating the power & talents of “ordinary” people. I cannot applaud Motz enough for this show. It is so delightfully, refreshingly original and fun. This is storytelling at its finest!
Company: John Heimbuch
Show: Gilgamesh
Venue: Theatre in the Round
An EPIC reading of an EPIC!
I honestly did not know what to expect when I sat down to see this show. I hadn’t really done much research into the show - I just knew it was Gilgamesh…and I love Gilgamesh! The stage was sparse - just a stool with a pint of beer on it. That’s it. There’s literally nothing else present. Then, the lights dim, the standard “Welcome to Fringe” announcement is made, and then out walks John. And he begins talking & does not stop for the better part of an hour. And I was on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE TIME! I’ve heard the Epic of Gilgamesh told & retold a dozen different ways, and this was by far the most enthralling. John makes this multi-millennia-old tale feel as vibrant and as relevant as if it happened last week! It is amazing, heartbreaking, and titillating until the very last syllable. May Ishtar smile upon John Heimbuch!!
Company: Pat O'Brien
Show: "Starved": The Astonishing True Story of the University of Minnesota Starvation Experiment
Venue: Augsburg Mainstage
Sobering and Relevant
Everyone needs to see this show. Not just Fringe - everyone. At least everyone in the United States needs to see this show. “Starved” is an incredibly impactful tale that explores not just the history of a woefully dark & unexplored chapter of American history, it touches on the ethics of using what can only be described as “controlled suffering” as a means of scientific advancement, as well as shining a blinding light on the physical, mental, and emotional toll of long-term starvation. And it’s brutal. That should go without saying. Pretty much anything involving the phrase “UNIVERSITY [BLANK] EXPERIMENT” is almost always going to be a terrible & harrowing story. The Stanford Prison Experiment comes to mind. This show is not for the faint of heart. So why do I believe that everyone needs to see this show? Because starvation is still an ongoing problem on a global scale. It is estimated that around 9 million people die of hunger & starvation on Earth annually. Fun fact: did you know the United States produces enough food annually to feed the global population 1.5x over? That means with the food made here, the ENTIRETY OF HUMANITY can eat regularly for a year with enough food left over for half the planet’s population to have seconds. This means that every death and every second of suffering due to starvation on Earth is 100% preventable. And thanks to the experiment discussed & dramatized in this show, we have a complete & detailed understanding of the effects of starvation on both the human body and the human psyche. So we know how starvation affects people…and yet the people in power allow it to continue, both domestically & globally. Unfortunately, I do not have an actionable solution to this crisis. However, there are a ton of experts & scientists that do, yet nobody with the means to enact change is listening to them. Looking at you, Elon Musk. Think about that the next time you hear about Dunkin Donuts forcing their employees to throw away all the uneaten donuts at closing. Food for thought.
Company: Goof Goof
Show: 101 Goofin' Things
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Just a Goof!!!
These Goofs are Goof-tastic!! Everything about this show is so incredibly fun!! The randomness. The props. The activities. The dance breaks. The interactive Bingo Game. The special guest who seems to have a long-seated vendetta against the two goofs. The Whipped Cream. The race car roombas. the EGGS! SEE! THIS! SHOW! It is so fun and so outrageous!! It is very Fringe! Phil and Liv are NOT TO BE MISSED!!
Company: Wet Splat Productions
Show: 20,000 Leagues Under the Telltale Heart
Venue: Rarig Center Arena
The most ambitious crossover event in history
This is the historical crossover we as humanity deserved, but never got. Thanks to the joy of improv, no two shows are ever alike. The one I saw, the team of Jules Verne, Edgar Allen Poe, Hans Christian Andersen, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Franz Kafka pursue an evil HG Wells through time - to the grand and distant future of 1956 or 57 - where all of humanity has been replaced with either animal/human hybrids or clones of Orson Welles. One of the actors assumed the role of a crab person whom HG Wells falls in love with. The live sound effects of the crab were perfect and had me in stitches. Anything with a crab person in it is an instant win in my book. The costumes were incredible, and the literary references were on-par!! Plus the actor who portrayed Mark Twain is the spitting image of Mark F***ing Twain!! Catch 20,000 Leagues Under The Tell-Tale Heart while you can!! Get there early - I went on a Wednesday & the place was PACKED! One note I will give - the music in the beginning of the show after the introduction was a tad loud and made it hard to hear the performers. I got the gist of it, but perhaps turn it down a tad (*just a tad*).