2026 Audience Reviews

Company: Sugar Throw Theatre
Show: Magical Athlete: Stadium Showdown
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

Favorite Show I've Seen So Far!

I'm new to seeing Fringe shows and really didn't know what to expect, but the variety amazes me. This was a tight, high energy show that was just a blast to see. I don't know if the troop had ever done this before, but it felt like a well oiled machine. I've seen "wacky personalities play a game" before, but every creative decision here felt like a checkbox to address every potential lull to allow no boredom. The announcers, the deadpan singing clown, the fact the big dice were rolled by an assistant instead of forcing the playing to stop and roll every 30 seconds, the board growing more complex, and the silly personalities they embodied to match what "card" was played. I don't want to diminish the talent of the performers bringing this energy on the spot, but I'm mostly impressed by the design and structure. By introducing a raffle element, the crowd so naturally winds up rooting for a specific player, cheering along with the hijinks and unlikely comebacks. My show included character cards "The Duelist," "The Scoocher," and "The Mouth." After a more mild 1st game, the crowd was going wild for every Duel and every "Scooch" in the 2nd especially when the occasional loop trapped them to do it over and over again. By the time The Mouth was in the 3rd game, the stakes were far too high for something so silly. They channel the betrayal of an intense Mario Party game in the best possible way. Would genuinely pay to see this regularly.

Company: Michael Shaeffer
Show: Glengarry Glen Elvis
Venue: Theatre in the Round

Grab Bag of Ideas

I don't know the exact train of thought that led to this show's initial spark of an idea to its final product. But to me, it felt like an improv game. Someone name a movie/play! - Glengarry Glen Ross! Someone name a character! - Elvis! Someone name a funny accent! - Minnesotan! And then they proceeded to make something work with that criteria. If that was the case, this would have been a pretty great improv show, working off of memory of the story, squeezing in references, and throwing in a Fargo style caricature just for fun. But it's not improv. Everything in this show was intentionally put there with weeks if not months of planning. And I can't help but find that a little confounding. I'm no stranger to humor that's summed up by just mashing two pieces of pop culture together. I've laughed at many a skit, T-Shirt, and meme that do just that. But to carry that joke for 60 minutes is a hurdle. Eventually the novelty of "What if we tell this exact same story but with Elvis" kind of wears off, and you're just watching a slimmed down version of a story you already know. (Though judging by the other reviews, it looks like a handful of people went in not too familiar with the source material. And not one review mentions that "Sebastian Haff" was the name of Bruce Campbell's character in Bubba Ho-Tep, implying this is the REAL Elvis who went into hiding as an Elvis Impersonator, and will one day fight a mummy in a nursing home). I can't help but wish this was just an original workplace comedy, with Elvis, maybe using shades of Glengarry as a starting point. But so many scenes are word for word the same. Just with Elvis. And unless I'm missing something, there's not even a Pun or pre-existing connection that led to this joke. It's random for the same of being random. Despite so much confusing me about its existence, I did have a fun time. Basically, Glengarry just provides the framework so there's some sort of three act structure making things flow. But really the highlight is getting to see an Elvis impersonator do his thing for 60 minutes. And he does a good job. I do prefer a Jukebox musical that builds a story around the songs, so each number advances the plot. This is the case of stopping the plot for a few minutes each time a song comes up. But as mentioned, the plot is really just an excuse to get to the songs and the comedy. The comedy is solid, I chuckled enough times. Though I kind of wish there was one more co-worker to balance out some banter. But it got the job done. Doing a Fargo voice for a Minnesota crowd is a safe bet for some laughs, and can't deny it got me too. If the team ever did something like this again, maybe pick a source material not just because it's recognizable and easy to replicate on a small stage, but also one that offers more opportunity for Elvis jokes to blend naturally. Or even multiple movies/plays. Elvis popping up in stories you wouldn't expect IS a funny idea.