2013 Fringe - opening night (Thursday)
Aug. 2nd, 2013 02:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamsharkWe got off to a good start, although nothing really stellar. I took the afternoon off work, so I could get in a full evening of Fringing on the first night. We planned to hit a series of west-side shows by bike, starting with the Woman's Club theater (Loring Park) and then gradually working our way back towards our house. Thorin joined us in this adventure. We took the scenic route to Loring, riding west on the Greenway and then back to the northwest on the Kenilworth Trail. I was navigating (not always the best idea) so there were a few missteps, but we got to our first show with time to spare. After 2 shows punctuated by mini-danishes from our snack bag, I decided I had to have dinner. Thorin really wanted to see show #3, see he pedalled off to that one while R and I adjourned to Rudolph's for dinner. Then we met up at the 10pm show, handing off the remains of my brisket sandwich to Thorin.
The Final Act (Tedious Brief Productions) * * * *
Woman's Club of Minneapolis
The death of Christopher Marlowe presented as a film-noir style mystery. A class act: beautifully written, produced and acted. I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars because I thought the material was a little thin, relying a bit too heavily on sending up the conventions of film noir and the rapidly escalating body count of Shakespearean tragedy. I think that the Four Humours did a better job with the same material in their 2007 "Bards" (not to be confused with "Bard Fiction"). But this one is definitely worth seeing. It would probably have been even better if it had not been so hard to hear the dialog over the sound of the A/C. Recommended, but sit near the front.
Katharina Von Bora (Margaret Shryer) * * * 1/2
Theatre Garage
We ran into the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
minnehaha's in the lobby and they were kind enough to save us 3 seats. Good thing, because if we hadn't been seated directly in front of the performer and about 10 feet away from her we wouldn't have been able to hear a word she said. Her delivery was excellent - I found her story compelling and her persona as Martin Luther's widow completely convincing. But really, someone should have done a sound check on her voice volume as this show was being developed and either given her a mike or found a more intimate space for the performance. The show was only 30 minutes long, and could have used another 5-10 minutes. The story about the nuns escaping from the monastery was riveting, but I would have liked more detail about how her relationship with "Martin" developed. It wasn't clear if they were working together on a daily basis or if she was just admiring him from afar. Of course, I may have been one of the few in the audience that wasn't already familiar with this story. I definitely had the impression of being surrounded by Lutherans chuckling appreciatively at the references to those Borgia papal indulgences and Luther's German bible. Recommended, but sit REALLY near the front (I'm starting to sound like a broken record).
The God Squad (el sidewinder) * * * *
Intermedia Arts
Okay, for this one you can sit anywhere you like - you WILL be able to hear it. This one was a barrel of fun, and much more enjoyable than such silly material had any right to be. Terrific use of multi-media. Youthful cast members throw themselves (often quite literally) into their performances and sweep the audience along for the ride. I particularly liked the actress who played Hera.
The Final Act (Tedious Brief Productions) * * * *
Woman's Club of Minneapolis
The death of Christopher Marlowe presented as a film-noir style mystery. A class act: beautifully written, produced and acted. I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 stars because I thought the material was a little thin, relying a bit too heavily on sending up the conventions of film noir and the rapidly escalating body count of Shakespearean tragedy. I think that the Four Humours did a better job with the same material in their 2007 "Bards" (not to be confused with "Bard Fiction"). But this one is definitely worth seeing. It would probably have been even better if it had not been so hard to hear the dialog over the sound of the A/C. Recommended, but sit near the front.
Katharina Von Bora (Margaret Shryer) * * * 1/2
Theatre Garage
We ran into the
minnehaha's in the lobby and they were kind enough to save us 3 seats. Good thing, because if we hadn't been seated directly in front of the performer and about 10 feet away from her we wouldn't have been able to hear a word she said. Her delivery was excellent - I found her story compelling and her persona as Martin Luther's widow completely convincing. But really, someone should have done a sound check on her voice volume as this show was being developed and either given her a mike or found a more intimate space for the performance. The show was only 30 minutes long, and could have used another 5-10 minutes. The story about the nuns escaping from the monastery was riveting, but I would have liked more detail about how her relationship with "Martin" developed. It wasn't clear if they were working together on a daily basis or if she was just admiring him from afar. Of course, I may have been one of the few in the audience that wasn't already familiar with this story. I definitely had the impression of being surrounded by Lutherans chuckling appreciatively at the references to those Borgia papal indulgences and Luther's German bible. Recommended, but sit REALLY near the front (I'm starting to sound like a broken record).The God Squad (el sidewinder) * * * *
Intermedia Arts
Okay, for this one you can sit anywhere you like - you WILL be able to hear it. This one was a barrel of fun, and much more enjoyable than such silly material had any right to be. Terrific use of multi-media. Youthful cast members throw themselves (often quite literally) into their performances and sweep the audience along for the ride. I particularly liked the actress who played Hera.
