Sub-Total
2026 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member: Wade Wilkerson
Company: Sockpop
Show: 1 Hour Left to Live: A One Puppet Show by That Felt Good
Venue: The Southern Theater
Death, swearing, improv and puppetry.
…yeah!
Company: Ben San Del Presents
Show: Apologies for the Late Reply
Venue: American School of Storytelling
It’s getting hot in herre!
Over the years, Ben San Del has become a kind of must see at MN Fringe. He’s wholesome, he’s adorable, he’s smart, his delivery is impeccable but also he doesn’t seem cut from the same cloth of other Minneapolis comedy scenesters. He’s shockingly normal for a fringe star — original without trying to be weird. Super relatable. With a 9 year absence from Fringe, Late Reply seemed a like the only place to start our fringing. What struck me that was different about this year’s Ben is the same difference with many of us in this community. We are scarred by the horrible things that have happened in our fair cities but also uplifted by the strength and perseverance of our residents. I won’t spoil any more topics he discusses but suffice it to say the material was at times heavy but also very crowd pleasing and sentimental for anyone who has seen Ben previously. What a charming guy! Really great to see him back. Why not 5 whole stars? This independent venue was not run very well to the detriment of our fringe exp. Staff panicked at the door first, yelling that it was sold out despite our pre-purchased tickets, before banishing us behind a bizarre dividing curtain that split the tiny fifty-seat room in half and killed any communal laughter. Inside was a total sauna—easily fifteen degrees hotter than the balmy streets—with staff acknowledging the wall AC unit while setting up yet leaving it useless on fan or off entirely while we all baked. To top it all off, they had Ben doing odd jobs and setting up seating before the show instead of letting him actually prepare—he’s not an usher!—followed by a self-indulgent, two-and-a-half-minute unrelated preamble from one of the co-owners of the venue who finally just blurted out "Here’s Ben." House lights never went off either which is a weird choice for comedy especially. American School of Storytelling is a classic, reminiscent-of-NYC hole-in-the-wall with a cool small stage, decent sound, but run with first-rodeo amateurism. I only ended up docking half a star in the end, though I really should have docked a full star or more given the compounding absurdities. Heat be damned, it could be a great community space, but management really needs to get its **** together. We had a fun enough time in spite of it all, but I won’t be back to this fringe venue which sucks because I would really like to see Ari’s show too. See the show but dress for the heat of a thousand suns and bring a personal fan or someone to fan you.