2026 Audience Reviews

Company: Mike Fotis Productions
Show: Tech
Venue: Strike Theater

Would’ve Been Tougher with Strike’s Old Tech Booth

As someone who’s been on both sides of the tech rehearsal glass I have the utmost respect for the Fringe Tech Wizards who have to fulfill the needs of so many shows. Normally every Fringe Tech Rehearsal goes perfectly, but “Tech” creates an alternate reality where one does not. Everything that could go wrong does and an All-Pro cast of improvisors finds the Jolly of every Folly. Director Mike Fotis handles every setback with Midwestern patience and always seems 1% away from a mega crash-out without ever actually having one (to be fair to the Tech Sergei, they should’ve given him more specific cues—he was just following his heart). Despite the chaos, a peaceful ending shows that as stressful as the process might be, eventually a piece can just go out there and be Art.

Company: Moonlight Muses LLC
Show: In The Moonlight
Venue: Center for Performing Arts

Musical Moonlit Whodunnit

In the Moonlight is moonlighting as an independent over at the Center of the Performing Arts and is a spirited murder mystery musical mostly put together by students. I had fun what can I say—a lively synthy score, high production value, choreography that brings the characters alive, and a disco scene where audience members can live out their John Travolta dreams. I don’t know how exactly but this feels like twice as much action as your typical Fringe show.

Company: SUPERMOON
Show: the statue of liberty is nora in a doll's house by henrik ibsen
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

The ‘ol Statue of Liberty Play

It’s fitting that Supermoon’s latest Fringe epic stars a statue that literally sits on the fringe of America. This lo-fi warping of A Doll’s House is a true feast for the senses, with tidal waves of guitar squall and a extra video dimension that produces some gorgeous and haunting visuals. Their Kitty GPA is 5.0 for very good reasons.

Company: DOLLY WHO?
Show: DOOZY
Venue: Open Eye Theatre

Do See “DOOZY”

I’ll echo another review in these halls that among Destiny’s many great Fringe shows, DOOZY is the best yet. There’s some 3D chess mastery of multimedia, puppets, and especially this off-kilter monochrome children’s show that’s been in the works for a few years. Most kids show parodies veer into extreme directions, but by only turning the dial slightly, Dolly and a super supportive crew were able to make a wonderfully weird show that’s still fun for all ages but has a little more substance than what you’d see on Zooboomafoo. Shout-out to Ross.

Company: dancing arms
Show: Space Company
Venue: Mixed Blood

Good “Company”

“Office Space” in a boardroom with “I Saw the TV Glow.” As a cubicle drone myself, all buisness agenda lingo is pure gibberish and Emma Irene Olsen uses this to her advantage in a spacey seminar that shows the greasy misogyny that’s on every rung of the corporate ladder. At times it felt like getting laid off in a Zoom interview but that slower pace was in the service of something grand—a legitimately profound finale.

Company: The Miller Conspiracy
Show: Bay Creek
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

“Creek Bay:” Off the Record, On the Mark

The evocative “Bay Creek” is one long intense interrogation scene, and it was transfixing to watch all the ways Derek Lee Miller chooses to unspool that thread. Deft lighting and acting were able to make the Barbara Center as small as an office or as infinite as an abyss.

Company: an alleged Theatre Company
Show: FAST Death of a Salesman
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

Awesome Plays Done Quick 2026

Ever since Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo+Juliet” in 1996, creatives have been trying to shape classic works to fit the vibes of the current youth. 6 or 7 Alleged characters receive the difficult task of explaining the death of the American Dream to Gen Z minds warped by “brainrot.” Generational silliness ensues, with forays into the art forms of pro wrestling, celebrity roasts, and auctioneering—this great play really makes you realize just how difficult it is for something to stand the Test of Time.

Company: Jex Arzayus
Show: Soap Prov: Show of 10,000 Secrets
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre

Experience Lather and Laughter with SoapProv!

Improv and the world of Soap Operas seem tailor-made for each other because in both anything is possible and no idea is too far-fetched. SoapProv revels in the ridiculousness of it all while still committing so hard to the double-crosses, fake deaths, and steamy torrid affairs. I was talking with Jex before Silver Surfer yesterday about just how far this show has grown and improved since the last days of HUGE Theater—the cast has been working on this form nearly as long as Susan Lucci was on All My Children.

Company: Melancholics Anonymous
Show: Watership Down
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

Tell Me About the Rabbits, Fringe

Adapting Watership Down for the stage must’ve been difficult as it is not an easy crowd-pleaser—it’s most famous reimagining being the grim, dry, violent, British animated film from the 70’s. Melancholics is up for the challenge as they’ve created a very thoughtful and beautiful musical for the unlucky rabbits, with primal music that really makes you feel something.

Company: Wells Farnham
Show: Stage Presents
Venue: The Southern Theater

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

If Lewis Black had the heart of a poet. Wells’ cranky, thoughtful monologue is a constant delight as he cartwheels through various grievances in the bombastic “Stage Presents.” I especially liked the hyper-specific observation on bootleg CDs, whose imperfections can sometimes create inside-jokes between you and the band.

Company: Jake Mierva
Show: I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You.
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

Surf’s Up!

The most universal image for suffering and defeat is not Atlas or Sisyphus, it’s the Game Over screen of Silver Surfer for the NES. The evil Galactus is an eater of worlds and the cause for much grief in the life of Jake Mierva’s Norman. The delicate cosmic ritual that commences is not only inspirational in the fight against things you don’t have control over, on a meta-level it’s also inspirational to see someone use the Thrust stage for something as strange as this.

Company: Small Waves
Show: Cyrano
Venue: Theatre in the Round

See Cyrano Pronto

Small Waves produced one of my favorite Fringe shows last year with the improvised dating show “Cabin Fever,” and a faithful adaptation of Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac” is about a left of a turn as one could ask for. While lacking some of the late night electricity of that previous show, this Queer-focused version of Cyrano (Qyrano?) maintains a lot of the Duluth group’s charm with inspired performances all-around. Gwin is also someone I’ve only known for improv but they were great as Count de Guiche.