Janet and Tina (hard up and landlocked)
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Fringe

I didn’t see as many shows as I would have liked, but in my second year of Fringe Festival participation, I feel like I did it right this time. I think I only ended up seeing about three shows last year. This year I worked in ten. I would have seen more, but I slowed my pace because I didn’t cough up for the Ultrapass from the get-go. I didn’t want to spend that same amount on punchcards and only be limited to 15 shows. Just on prinicple.

I saw Mittens for Fat Kids on Thursday, Janet and Tina (hard up and landlocked) and Deviled Eggs on Saturday, and then Tales to Tickle a Striped Ass Baboon on Sunday.

I really wanted to like Mittens for Fat Kids. I think I was too tired to really get into it. You know how some things aren’t funny when you watch them by yourself, but it’s plenty funny when you watch them with other people and everyone’s laughing? It was like that, except I wasn’t laughing and I was in a crowd. It could have been funny had I been in the right frame of mind, but I wasn’t.

I liked Janet and Tina. They did some clever interpretations. For instance, they repeatedly pantomimed their office routine, and the speed and urgency would change with the emotion in the story. There was also a good mix of their live delivery with some pre-taped material. The show was interesting, but it didn’t blow me away. I thought it was really neat, but I wasn’t like OhmygodthatwasSOgreat!

Deviled Eggs
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Fringe

Deviled Eggs was fantastic. The story was clever, the writing was good, the acting was good. I loved everything about it.

Tales was okay. I liked the dancing well enough. I didn’t like John Munger. I know (or at least, I get the impression), that he’s really big in the dance scene around here. This is the second time I’ve seen him, and I just get this sense of arrogance from him. He really likes to insert himself in his shows. If I could have just seen the dancing I would have appreciated it just fine. If he wanted to say a little something about each piece, that’s fine, too. But his jokes between each bit were a huge turnoff for me. I guess my sense of humor just doesn’t jive with his. It was like he was trying too hard.

I’d never been in the Rarig Center before. I almost didn’t go to these shows just because I hate trying to navigate anything on campus. But it was the weekend and I had plenty of time, so I went ahead and it wasn’t really a problem. The Rarig Center is pretty cool. I love that they have four theaters right there in one building, and that multi-story lobby with all the theater names painted on the walls by their respective entrances. I went into the Xperimental for Janet and Tina, and that one’s pretty small. So I was nervous when I showed up later for Deviled Eggs, and the lines were crazy long! But the Thrust is pretty big, so there was no problem.

Overall, great Fringe. Next year, I’m definitely buying the Ultrapass. There’s no way I’m going to catch everything, which is sad. But I’m glad that there are so many people and shows and venues participating to begin with.

Related posts:

1. It starts…
2. Day Three, Four, and Five
3. 2nd Annual Fringe-For-All
4. Fringe So Far
5. 2008 Fringe Festival Schedule is Live