Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: Mid-Fest Favorites
We've reached the halfway point of the 30th Minnesota Fringe Festival. I hope you've seen some great shows, but if not - it's not too late! There's still plenty of time to see some adventurous art! I've seen 21 shows so far in the first five days of the festival, and after a day off to see the Broadway tour of Jagged Little Pill, I'll be heading back to Cedar-Riverside to see some more.
Here are my favorite shows so far, in alphabetical order (click the show title for full review and link to show page):
Boy Crazy - horrifyingly hilarious stories and scenes about dating and relationships, with lovely original songs, all by the incomparable Madde Gibba.
Fire in My Veins: Blazing through Life with Invisible Illness - a compelling, engaging, and enlightening personal storytelling show about living with an unseen chronic illness from Allision Broeren, one of the founders of Strike Theater.
H.G. Well's THE INVISIBLE MAN - a delightful adaptation of the novel about the scientist who becomes invisible and attempts to evade the law, told in a charming 39 Steps like physical theater style.
My Only Hope for a Hero - Duck Washington's first solo show that starts out with '80s pop culture and turns into something deeper, a call to action for us all to be heroes in our own lives and for those around us.
Romeo and Juliet - a continuation of the famous story of star-crossed lovers that starts out sounding like lots Shakespeare scenes, and turns into a more modern exploration of love and commitment.
Stabby Stab Stab - a dark and lovely retelling of the true story of two Wisconsin tweens who stab their friend to appease Slenderman, by Fringe favorites Special When Lit and The Winding Sheet Outfit.
The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist - Fringe favorite Reverand Matt steps out from behind the podium with his monster deep dive and interacts with an actual human - his new assistant.
What if We Hugged - a funny, relatable, and entertaining first storytelling show from Levi Weinhagen, using the TV sitcome structure to tell stories of medical dramas, fatherhood, and being human.
The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers - a multi-media mocumentary spoof of '80s miniseries, just the kind of delightful ridiculousness you would expect from the team of Fotis/Boersma/Hellendrung.
I still haven't seen everything on my pre-festival must-see list, so be sure to check that out too if you haven't yet. Happy fringing!
