Sub-Total
2026 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member: Scott Moriarity
Company: Mosaic Productions
Show: ANNA
Venue: Theatre in the Round
A Candidate for Best Drama of the Fringe
Anchored by the raw performances of its principals, Anna was an unstinting portrait of mental health, sexual violence, and generational harm. I'm not familiar with the source material from a century ago, but the themes felt no less compelling in the present day. And the spartan set design conveyed the loneliness of the setting---between that and the tense arena of Theater in the Round, the performances felt close and visceral. If you're looking for quality drama at the Fringe, highly recommended.
Company: The World Crime League
Show: M
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
A Moody Set Piece
I'm not familiar with the source material, but I found M to be an engaging noir set in a hardscrabble Weimar-era Berlin. Through lighting and shadow puppetry, the scope of the stage expanded, with quick scene changes and actors shifting between multiple roles. Some of the scripting felt a little quaint by contemporary standards, and the show might have benefited from less dialogue and more movement and body language: the strongest scenes were those that depended on sound or action, not words. But still a great experiment with some notable performances. Recommended for those who appreciate old-fashioned noir.
Company: New Endeavors
Show: Muskie
Venue: Mixed Blood
A Perfect Bite of Fringe Silliness
You know the conceit already. Just add Minnesota accents so thick you can barely cut them with a Bundt cake server and you're there. The jokes are funny and as lighthearted as you can get when regular dismemberments are involved. Good comedic work from all the performers, plus some fun with the puppetry too. If you're looking for a fun show with gobs of local color, well recommended.
Company: TROMPE L'OEIL
Show: Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
Pride Goes Before...
Like the tower that the title character built, Foshay! is overstuffed with embellishments. If you know anything about Foshay, I'm not sure he's the best candidate for the redemption arc his musical gives him, but the story itself is compelling and the principals are winsome. At times the book was too complicated and demanding and the ensemble got a little lost. But Foshay! looked like the hardest-working ensemble at the Fringe and deserves props for their ambitions. Recommended for your Broadway dreamers.
Company: Jeffries & Brown
Show: Braingystics: Seize the Mind!
Venue: Open Eye Theatre
All Hustle
Braingystics is exactly what you want out of Fringe comedy: something that's absolutely freaking nuts. The conceit is part CVS product pitch, part Scientology, which the principals skillfully deliver with speed and complete kayfabe throughout. The writing was sharp and some jokes went by so fast that I think the audience missed them... but there's always another one coming. There's also a piece de resistance batsh*t vision quest at the end of the show that recalls the more absurd flights of Monty Python or Kids in the Hall. A romp... highly recommended.
Company: Tiyatro Misafir
Show: KISMET
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
An Inventive and Moving Two-Person Show
This little gem deserves some more attention. Kismet sometimes goes meta, sometimes breaks the fourth wall, sometimes brings us emotionally closer. I liked the way that the story weaved between shared, day-to-day struggles and the unique challenges immigrants face, while subtly reminding that many of our ancestors were there once too. And while this performance is tagged "political content," I would say it's less politics and more about doing the best you can for those you love. Oh and don't worry, there's plenty of humor too. Unexpectedly moving and warmly recommended.
Company: Twin Cities Trapeze
Show: Tapeze - a la seconde
Venue: The Southern Theater
High Energy, Family Friendly
Like it says on the tin, this show's a mashup of tap and trapeze, loosely organized somewhere between a circus show and a dance recital. Lots of high energy performances from dancers young and old alike, with bits of humor and clowning in between, and some delightful aerialist work.
Company: Melancholics Anonymous
Show: Watership Down
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
Excellent Adaptation & Performance
The throngs of rabbits bounding around the stage may be daunting at first, as well as the rapid-fire script, sometimes dialogue and other times narrative. But the staging is daring, the musical numbers are engaging. And the acting is excellent: each character becomes a unique, familiar presence by the end of the story, which had real emotional impact. One of the best Fringe shows I've seen; warmly recommended.