A Number

Brilliant brilliant brilliant

It takes a great team to live up to an already incredible script, and this group knocked it out of the park and more. Absolutely gripping performances with expertly tuned pacing had the whole audience on the edge of their seat, fully invested in the story. Caryl would be proud of this incredibly well done production Encore, encore, encore!

Who Are You?

If you're a huge fan of Caryl Churchill, as we are, this will not disappoint. Her plays rarely get performed in Minnesota, and part of the reason may be that they tend to be under an hour long – making them perfect for the Fringe. A searing look into what makes us who we are.

Caryl Churchill at Her Best

Churchill is one of the top British playwrights of the last 50 years, and A Number is one of her most interesting plays. The cast brings off the show with aplomb and the performance is nearly as good as the original production I saw in London.

Orphan black + daddy issues.

I am always impressed when people get in off the waitlist, but this is really quite something to pull off on 4 days notice. This is a tight script with twists and they did marvelously.

Fabulous last minute add

A trifecta! What is not to like about a two-hander with Equity Actors, an absolutely relevant script by Caryl Churchill, and A+ direction. A Number was a last minute add, so it may not be on some of your pre-Fringe 'must see' lists. I'm glad we saw the add (to the schedule) and added it (to our 'must sees'). Consider doing the same.

Terrific Two-Hander

Fringe Fest was created for shows like this ... minimal but effective set design and very focused script, allowing two of our best local actors to shine through interesting, intense, intimate performances. A powerful hour and an must see!

Who needs prep time?

A Number is a last-minute add to the festival, only getting in a few days ago. Don't miss it! Caryl Churchill's dark one-act takes the stuff of science fiction -- human cloning -- and it turns it into a deep dive into the relationship between father and sons, nurture and nature, and the horrifying consequences of trying to fix past mistakes. Clarence Wethern plays three versions of the same son, each with different accents, mannerisms, and personalities. Gabriele Angieri only plays one character, but his ever-shifting nature provides a strong acting challenge the performer is more than up to here.

A Good Rendition Of This Play

I thought that this was a good performance of this play, but I found that the gravitas, regret, and sorrow of the play was missing. The two actors did a very good job with the show, but it didn't entirely land as heavy as it should have done. But well worth your time to see this rarely done show.

This production is perfection

What a wonderful production — the play (Churchill is one of my favorite playwrights), the performances, the direction. Just absolutely wonderful. I’m going to try to see it again. I am so happy that this got into the Fringe at the last minute.

Gorgeous

This was Caryl Churchill at her best. The script was astounding and the content, gutting. But it would have been nothing without these two actors. Both were marvelous but Clarence Wethern delivers his three distinct characters with such nuance and skill, you can’t believe you are sitting at a small theater festival in MN. An incredible talent. Matt Sciple deserves mention as well because Churchill’s play seems to live and die in both the timing and in navigating the narrative and Sciple managed both extraordinarily so. Go see this powerful piece. You won’t be disappointed!

Well acted drama

Great acting. Loved how the character changed accents. Interesting concept. The story didn’t go very far, but liked the setting.

Smart and thought provoking

Great script and great acting made all the more enjoyable with the minimal stage and intimate space provided by the Phoenix Theater. The play explores dark and all-to-possible situations that could arise with human cloning. I tell everyone I meet at Fringe, this is a must see.

Best of the Fringe - Must See!

Wow! A fully polished performance of Carol Churchill's play "A Number", was added days before the MN Fringe opened! Limited cash? See this play my a renowned British playwright, if nothing else, as performed by two AEA actors. A came because it was a previously unseen play by the brilliant Carol Churchill. The best review is I intend to return to see this off the charts and amazing performance. When Dawn and Amber tell producers on the waiting lists and audience members that ANYTHING can happen before and during the Fringe, believe them. "A Number" is proof that you need to read daily newsletters to keep up with EVERYTHING! Consider this play among the Best of the Best, which will be remembered and talked about for years to come.

Great performances

Stellar acting, and a thrilling script. There is so much packed into Churchill's 45-minute play, and Wethern and Angieri are incredible. I'll be thinking about this show for a long time.

Powerful piece of sci-fi drama

So glad we noticed this last-minute addition to the festival. Powerhouse performances by the two-person cast, combined with an enthralling script that keeps you on your toes until the very end. Clarence Wethern expertly embodies three very different characters, while Gabriele Angieri has the equally formidable task of portraying one man's despair as his past sins come back to haunt him. Brilliant -- don't miss it!

Intense ending with delight

This play was strong! The acting was strong, the content was heavy, somewhat cryptic. I was not familiar with this play prior to this viewing. I enjoyed it! The ending was great! Both performances were well done!

Two Brilliant Actors=One Great Show

I absolutely loved A Number, a fantastic actor's exercise who's strange and complex plot left me pondering its deeper meaning for some time. Wethern plays one of Angieri's many, many, many sons, cloned humans in a none-too-distant future. This is a blistering examination of parenthood and identity, and the rapid-fire dialogue is witty and actually, exciting. I was eagerly waiting for the next shoe to drop, and stunned at the finale. My only complaint is that I could've listened to these two spar verbally for another hour. Don't miss this instant Fringe classic.

Great and enjoyable theater!

Watching this at 10 PM was a trip. I was tired and honestly pretty ready to go home but the performances and the script almost FORCED me to pay attention and I found myself going “man I wish this show wasn’t so interesting so I could fall asleep in the back of the theater”. But you just had to make a great show didn’t you? You just had to keep me engaged throughout. Well fine! I’ll just give 5 kitties then how about that?!

Terrific

It's really refreshing to see a serious, well-acted drama at the fringe. Expert acting and tight script. I left with a few questions about which was the "real" son, but overall found this an intriguing premise. The acting and directing were stellar. Kudos