Apologies for the Late Reply

You have to laugh so you don't cry

I'm so tired of living in unprecedented times. It's exhausting. I just want the world to be boring for a little bit. But it isn't and hasn't been for a Very Long Time. And Ben gets that. He's got great comedic talent, but he knows how to straddle the line between comedy and relatability of what it's like living through major historical event after major historical event. To Ben, if you read this: because of you, I'm a different MFer today. #iykyk

Come for the (in)sanity jokes, stay for the love

I'm very glad I rushed to see Ben's show on opening night. I was expecting clever joke after clever joke about the crazy times we're living through, and I got plenty of those, but then, gradually as we laughed about things and people that make us mad and how we are hanging by a thread, Ben cracked open a door to his and our hearts, and what makes us human and how we are in this together. Thank you for the heartwarming reminder.

Highly recommend!

Thoughtful. Introspective. Community-focused. Funny. Quirky. Real. Ambitious. Well executed. And gave us a much-needed laugh. Highly recommend! Thank you for dedicating your performance to Vee, Ben. I think she'd be very proud of you.

We missed Ben at Fringe for the last 7 (!) years

We have seen Ben quite a few times in the distant Fringe past and enjoyed his mostly stand up shows. This year, while Ben's bio and show description describe him as 'standup comic,' we experienced this show as more storytelling and less standup. And it was great storytelling (with some comedy): warm, humorous, emotional, and current. It was sold out on line, so take your changes, go early, and get in line for the 10 remaining tickets!

Funny, heartfelt show

This is one of those rare one-man shows that had me laughing out loud and wiping away a tear. Left me with the realization that in a time like this, people really should be grateful we reply to their emails at all. It’s a small venue (40 seats), so get here early or purchase ahead of time.

A heartfelt reminder none of us are alone

A fun time that got me in the feels more than I expected. I appreciate the way he leaned into the vulnerability alongside the laughs

Engaging and funny

His material was good and funny

Belly Laughs, Tears and Hope

Ben San Del takes us on a roller coaster of belly laughs, tears and hope for finding commonality in a chaotic atmosphere. The intimate setting of the American School of Storytelling made me feel like I was part of a shared consciousness for 60 minutes as Ben expertly tugged at our emotions. We may have gone there to laugh, and we did, but it was so much more. I would see every instance of this show if I could. I've never seen stand-up like this. Don't miss this fantastic show!

TWICE IS NOT NICE: aka Person in the Dark Glasses

I am very grateful for the American School of Storytelling for all that Loren and Christine do for local and visiting Spoken Word artists. I came with an open mind to hear engaging comedy in tough times. Unfortunately, that open door was slammed shut. Don't get me wrong. there were parts that were funny, some not so funny but true, and audience engagement. I laughed hysterically about the music truck because my nieces came home during one family vacation with ice cream melting down their faces proclaiming, "Aunt Marie, did you know the music truck is also an ice cream truck?!!!" They had not been duped by their parents. They were equally delighted by both aspects.... But then. The comic points out the woman standing in the back of the room wearing dark glasses and invites me to move forward. I decline, leaving the last remaining seat for a potential late comer with a reservation. But the comic could not let it go. As his show continued, he pointed me out again, making me the butt of his joke. The weird thing is that he started his show about the times in which we are living. By his mockery, I was reminded of Trumps's rally when he made an ass of himself by mocking a man in a wheelchair. So at the end of the show, I waited. I walked up to Ben. "This isn't the first Fringe I have been pointed out as the person wearing dark glasses inside and made a joke. Before you do something like that again, you might not want to come across like Trump who mocked a man at his rally because he was in a wheelchair. That man had a visible disability. Mine is an invisible disability. Then I walked away. My name is Marie Cooney. I sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury twenty years ago. I am fortunate enough to be a storyteller who has spoken many times from this stage. I have an invisible disability and I protect myself by wearing dark glasses. Comics, tread carefully when making an audience member the butt or your joke. Ironically, Ben became no better than the person he mocked at the top of the show. I wanted to enjoy this show, but he opened the door for me to mentally leave, TWICE.

Sharing IS caring!

Sitting in a room of people I don’t know, and reacting together with laughs and nods that Ben’s jokes and stories evoked gave me a community I’m grateful to be a part of. Ben led us through the fears and frustrations we’re facing, and brought us through to the other side of coping with humor and hope.

Hilarious and thoughtful

Hilarious, thoughtful, so smart, tender and... hilarious. I loved how he talked about community and people in his life with such insight and humor. I especially loved his observation about being at the Mall of America - I can totes relate!!

Relatable & Touching

The play had a vulnerability to it and a good reminder that we are all hanging on by a thread. *making the turtle sign with my hands*

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.