Sub-Total
2025 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member: Amanda Helling
Company: Tree.Lock//Productions
Show: The Professionals: A Broadcast
Venue: The Southern Theatre
The right amount of weird
This was a fun, strange show with a blend of acting and dance. It's ambiguous enough that the two people I was with had different interpretations than I did. Reading other reviews leads me to the same conclusion - I took this as a cautionary tale about the dangers of ai, but other reviewers seem to have left intrigued about the "possibilities" of ai (just a heads up, ai doesn't know what your ancestors looked like). All in all it's exactly the kind of show I hope to see at Fringe. There were a few moments when it seemed like the actors might be ad libbing kind of poorly, and the pacing could be tighter, but overall this is a fun experimental show with an intriguing subject.
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Company: The Shrieking Harpies
Show: Shrieking Harpies Presents: Period Piece
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Reliably: Musical, Completely Made Up, and Weird
If you want to see s good improv, the Shrieking Harpies are always a safe bet! You'll laugh, and maybe have other feelings, too. Things will get weird. I saw the show set in 1950s America, but wish I had caught the French Revolution show.
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Company: Special When Lit
Show: Fangs and Bangs (and Sangs)
Venue: The Southern Theatre
Xanga and LiveJournal and Floppy Disks OH MY
This was amazing and hilarious, and just the right tone for a 10pm show. Every night will be a little different, so I won't get too specific. This amounted to a secondhand-embarrassment-filled variety show with a dose of nostalgia and a much larger dose of laughs. The whole thing is absolutely relatable, and Nissa is an excellent host. Cast reactions to the readings really take this to the next level. Go, enjoy.
Company: an alleged Theatre Company
Show: The Temporary Tattoo Trio
Venue: Rarig Kilburn Theatre
Friends Are Forever
I loved this show. For background, this is my first time seeing an Alleged show, and I am not remotely familiar with the Dells, and I don't feel like I missed out on any references. I adored the trio's hyperfixation on Wisconsin Dells. I get the sense that every reference to the Dells was factual, and yet they could have used made up facts about a made up location and it still would have been a delight. The audience is, in a sense, part of the show - you're there for a Fringe show, but you're also a guest at a Temporary Tattoo Trio tattoo event. This is a Fringe treasure - something a little off the beaten path of theater, with excellent writing and acting that makes great use of the space. Despite the sometimes somber emotional energy of the characters, the show is hilarious. You might occasionally find yourself wondering why you're laughing at someone's sadness, just don't overthink it. Enjoy!
Company: Twin Cities Trapeze Center
Show: Tapeze
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Tap, trapeze, plus clowning
My favorite parts of this show were the can can dance and the literal combination of tap and trapeze. An all ages ensemble incorporated tap, dance, some cartwheels/similar moves, clowning, and aerial trapeze work. Expect a family friendly variety show with popular music from the last century or so. You can probably guess this, but don't expect a big top circus tent trapeze where people fly through the air. The cast was very earnest and everyone on stage looked like they were having a blast. Transitions were rough at times and the order of acts could probably be improved for better flow. Songs didn't always match up well with the act on stage. A few standout performers shine bright. This show had dance recital vibes - but a happy, supportive, fun dance recital.
Company: Nightfall Productions
Show: Hamluke
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
Exactly what the title promises
At the preview night, I noted "exactly what the title promises," and indeed, the title promises us a mashup of Star Wars and Hamlet, and that's the show. Standouts amount the excellent cast were Elora Riley as Opheleia, Dylan Rugh as Hamluke, and Duck Washington as Darthius. Duck's Darthius had me laughing every time he stepped on stage breathing in that classic Darthius way. Excellent costumes including droids and props including puppets round out the experience. See it if you like unconventional Shakespeare or love Star Wars or both. Deep cut references will hit best for the fans, but you don't have to love Star Wars to enjoy this show.
Company: Octoberdandy Productions
Show: Clown Funeral
Venue: Theatre in the Round
You'll Leave With a Red Nose
You'll leave with a red nose, but it (probably) won't be from crying! This show is full of clowning and laughter. Possibly my favorite moment was when one of the clowns played taps on a tiny trombone. Overall the pacing was good, with slower moments tucked into the faster and goofier times. From my vantage point, I only saw one audience member resolute in their mourning; the rest of us were irreverently laughing as our friend-clown lay dead in a box. And yet ... Is it a surprise when a clown's funeral ends on a somber note?
Company: Kalal Productions
Show: GUNS! the Musical
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Bucket o' laughs
GUNS! it's full of jokes and slapstick comedy, plus original music (including one really really short song! It's so short!), hilarious props, and lots of pop culture references. It is a satire of over the top gun culture that says the answer to gun violence is more guns, but if that sounds too serious, trust me, it isn't. Guns are used for everything in GUNS! - everything except violence, that is. As a comedy it hits a lot of types of humor without being crass or going blue. The musical really leans into the space of theater in the round, so every audience member gets a good view. Go see it!