Audacious Ignatius: Lost in Atlantis

Delightful History Storytelling! And... Atlantis!!

A deep dive into an all but forgotten Minnesota historical figure as told by the charming, witty, and warm-hearted Fringe veteran Kyle Dekker. Drink deep of this Atlantean tale which has a deeper resonance with today's hyper-mediated world of political flotsam than you might expect. Enjoy this historical trip to Atlantis with Kyle as your benevolent guide!

Well Performed Biography of a Kook

Like most in the audience, I was not acquainted with the subject, but the artist made learning about him enjoyable. Those interested in history or unusual characters should give this a go.

Get drug down a rabbithole

If you are the type that gets easily drug down a research rabbithole (I am that type), you will apprieciate what Dekker has to tell us about our 19th century politician and crackpot. Dekker is funny and does a good job of tying together the many aspects of Ignatius Donnelly's life and how they impacted other historical and social themes. Incredible!! I was chatting with others who noted that while Dekker was enthusiastic about Donnelly, he wasn't ablt to convey the WHY (he was so interested) to the audience. Lookit, if you tend toward rabbithole research, there is no need for this explanation. Loved every word (and I had gotten up at 3am to watch the USWNT lose to Sweden in the World Cup, so I was more than a little sleepy). Highly recommended to us select group of 'rabbithole researchers' and any others who might be interested in MN History.

Informative and entertaining

I had never heard of Donnelly. Dekker not only gave a great introduction to the man, but made it very clear why it's worth delving into his history. It was informative: for example, I never knew that the myth of Atlantis was a white supremacist trope. Dekker spins the narrative well. My interest never flagged and I laughed more than a few times.

This one's for the history buffs

Full disclosure, I worked on graphic dseign for this show - but I had not seen any script or performance until opening night. Kyle's passion for history is bubbling out of him to great effect here, analyzing and recounting the life of a true oddball in MN history. If you love history, you'll find some wildly interesting moments here.

History Nerds Unite!

Somewhere along my way in adulthood, I have come to enjoy history. Just from the show blurb, I figured this might be high on my list of shows to see. And then the snippet that Kyle did for previews made me even more sure. The show delivered even more than I expected. I love the way Kyle connected the dots from Donnelly's ideas to today's political and social issues. Utterly, utterly fascinating!

See it if you've never heard of Ignatius Donnelly

I was definitely not the intended audience for this show, as I've been bemused, bewildered, and oft-times horrified by Ignatius Donnelly for 30 years - and at its core what this show is is an hour-long introductory lecture about Donnelly. My main issue is that it seems like it could have been so much more than that. I've admired Decker's other shows and if I wasn't already very familiar with Donnelly's career and crackpot writings, I probably would have been more engaged So if you know nothing about Ignatius Donnelly, go see this show.

An Entertaining Look at a Minnesota Man

I wish all history lessons were this entertaining. I learned about the racist nature of Atlantis, who was a Baconian, and the power of hubris. Will this play be coming soon to a History Center near you? I. L. Donnelly believed the myth of the American hero, and not in the power of the collective.

History Made Real and Uncanny

Kyle is an excellent orator with a wit like a trip wire that catches you unawares with the quickest bon mots. So much so that I could almost nearly forgive him for bursting my happy aesthete bubble of Oscar Wilde's opinion on the works of Shakespere. Also, calling someone a 'LocoFoco' will soon become my new favorite insult.

Educational fun

This was the most fun I've had while learning something new. I've never heard of Ignatius before, and Kyle brought him fully to life. Would recommend for anyone who likes weird history, science fiction, or local politics.

thx, Prof Dekker

i closed out my fringe with this show, and it was a strong finish. Ignacious was so into himself, that his wife advised him to shut the hell up to avoid looking stupid in public, and it worked…for a short bit. i had never heard of ignacious before this show, but now i’m really interested to learn more (without reading any of his 80 page poems). luckily, kyle did the painful reading for us, so i bet you could get him to share more. what didn’t make it into the show?!!

Opens Strong

This show opened strong reviewing the career of Donnelly but runs into a wall as he explains the writing of the man. I enjoyed the first part but my energy lagged for the second part.

Interesting History

I wanted to check this one out, as I really adore learning about history...especially weird history. I thought the writing of the piece was really interesting, and it was so so appreciated how the performer didn't pull the punches on the reality of the time period. It's very easy for us to not learn about the unfortunate sides of history, and appreciated that the performer was honest and blunt about how the anti-semitism of the time period (and that weird, weird man) was the reality, and wasn't to be glossed over. It was treated with care, and I always appreciate honesty and attention to not glorifying or glossing over history like that. My main critique was that at times, I felt some of the energy in the performance was lacking. I absolutely applaud the performer, though, as solo shows are really really tough! I mainly just noticed it as I personally have difficulty sitting down and watching things for too long - especially solo performers. I also really enjoyed the props that were utilized, and thought they were a really effective way of demonstrating Ignatius' insane POV. Nicely done, check it out if you're a history buff!