Soup to Nuts 08/08/2011 11:43am

First a quick headsup: LRT construction has entered the Desecrating-Ancient-Indian-Burial-Grounds phase. Expect angry spirits from Washington Avenue in Minneapolis to Highway 280 in Saint Paul. Adjust your travel plans accordingly. And a quick what's up: Twitter makes it seem as though people aren't thrilled and delighted by the new Fringe Central location at Moto-i. There's talk of trying out the new Republic (in the old Sgt Prestons at 7 corners). Is this true? I've tried neither. I need to get out more. Now that I'm looking for food-related Fringe moments, I'm seeing them everywhere. KFC buckets in Reykjavik. Cutlery from surprising places in Hauser Dance Unraveled. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Theater is about humans and hunger is about as human as it gets. "Hungry Woman" eats the world in Sum of Sand. This was a good show for me to see, because I worry about things and I want things to make sense. About twenty minutes into Sum of Sand I had to just relax into my seat and let them do what they do. The show doesn't add up and it's not supposed to. Sand plus sand is just sand. It swirls around and piles up for a while then slides somewhere else and that's what this show does. There were some very good moments and a couple of great ones that would pop up amidst shifting locations, voices, languages and ages. In Angelina Jolie is a Zionist Whore... there's a discussion about the best way to enjoy the US military's version of macaroni and cheese. I spent a lot of time during this show wondering if it would have been better about five years ago. It wasn't bad, but didn't have the cathartic kick it should have. It's not like Iraq is a peaceful playground now, or that Americans aren't facing insurgents in dangerous places around the world. But we, as a people, are sort of over it. We don't want to think about that anymore. It's more fun to drive the US economy into a ditch for ideological reasons and protect the sanctity of marriage from the gays. Right? But Ari Hoptman can always make me laugh really hard. (I'm dying to tell you the line that made me guffaw, but that would ruin it. SPOILER ALERT: it's about "siding.") And although I didn't love the play, I loved the idea behind it - that people are people and left to their own devices, we are all the same: petty, cowardly, prideful and ridiculous, but also curious, eager and sort of sweet. And hungry.