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2026 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member: August Berkshire
Company: The House in the Woods
Show: Quadrilogy: A Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza!
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Very Entertaining for a Worthwhile Cause
I don’t watch game shows and I don’t like reality TV. But I do like trivia and Shakespeare, so I attended the night when Shakespeare was the theme. There wasn’t as much Shakespeare trivia as I anticipated, but it was a lot more fun than I expected. The hosts keep things lively and moving along with a variety of tasks for the four audience participants. They also did a very good job of engaging the audience.
Company: Mermaid Productions
Show: The Importance of Living
Venue: Open Eye Theatre
Nice Fiction Storytelling
This show reminded me of Flannery O’Conner with its wry, offbeat edginess. It also had a bit of Southern mysticism. This may be why Ariel Pinkerton chose to use a Southern accent. It became hard to keep track of all the names mentioned, but that really didn’t matter.
Company: Ari Hoptman
Show: Is That Why?
Venue: American School of Storytelling
Get You Words’ Worth
If anyone can make a show about words and their etymology lively and entertaining it’s Ari Hoptman – and he did. Either you like this kind of show or you don’t, and if you do – go!
Company: Combustible Company
Show: Machinal
Venue: The Southern Theater
Past Expressionism, Still Current Issue
An excellent example of German expressionism with a dash of theater of the absurd. This is the most phenomenal directing debut I have ever seen. I have seen 21 shows and this gets my vote as the Fringiest so far. Sometimes when we hear the word “fringiest” we think of tattered, and perhaps even chaotic. But this was just the opposite: polished, but nevertheless edgy. Something you don’t see often. See this while you have a chance!
Company: Joking Apart Theater
Show: I'm Afraid, I Have To Leave
Venue: Mixed Blood
Do Not Leave This Unseen
The placement of the comma in the title intrigued me, but by the time the show was over I understood why it was there. This was a bit of a shaggy dog story, and the payoff wasn’t quite as good as I had hoped. What really makes this shine is the absurdist dialogue and stellar performances. Once you know the ending, it’s fun to look back to see how the pieces fit together.
Company: Band Practice
Show: DON'T BE SCARED
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
Afraid I Can’t Recommend This
I’m not much into physical comedy, but there was not too much in this show, and it was good. The characters themselves were also interesting. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the overall show very interesting. It seemed like they took 15 minutes of material and stretched it into an hour. To be fair, most of the sold out audience seemed to love it.
Company: Special When Lit
Show: Bury The Leads
Venue: Mixed Blood
Unburying My Bias
To be honest, I don’t really like improv shows, and so I have avoided them for years at the Fringe. But this was getting great reviews and it looked to be the best show in the time slot, so I thought I’d give it a go. It turns out that improv shows still aren’t my thing, but this had a number of amusing moments. A 4 from me is probably a 4.5 or 5 from someone who really likes improv.
Company: Wells Farnham
Show: Stage Presents
Venue: The Southern Theater
A Series of Misfortunate Adventures
A number of amusing stories. Some will interest you more than others, but none of them are boring.
Company: New Product Company
Show: Brakkesyke
Venue: Theatre in the Round
The Wait is Over for a Great Show
I really enjoyed and appreciated this clever homage to Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”. While Godot dealt with the absurdity of life in general, this play focuses on war. It’s not surprising that Beckett was inspired to write Godot from his experiences waiting in a forest in WW2. The show was only 45 minutes long and so good I wanted more.
Company: Snikt! Bamf! Thwip!
Show: Casa Bde-Maka-Ska
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Play This One Again
If you’re going to write a message play that preaches to the converted about ICE, this is the way to do it – with art and wit, and not a sledgehammer.
Company: The Winding Sheet Outfit
Show: A Confluence of Magical Arseholes
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
The Center [Stage] Cannot Hold
The show opened with the narrator saying that this show was written specifically for men. The author must have a very low opinion of men. (Note: being crude is not the same thing as being interesting.) The actors, costumes, props, scenery, and music did serve to form a delightful setting. Unfortunately, the script was meandering and boring. There are several ways they could have made this a more interesting show, and they managed to avoid all of them. A show about Yeats, or Yeats and Maud Gonne, or the Irish writers, would all have been more interesting. A show about Aleister Crowley? No. I am familiar with Yeats’s popular poems and I like them. Unfortunately, the first poem they performed of his they butchered. The second poem was not read as well as it could have been, and for some inexplicable reason the last few lines – which they correctly announced were the theme of the poem – were cut. The show ended with the narrator saying she forgot to tell us that this was a true story. But the show I attended had preloaded text appearing on a screen for people with hearing problems. Somehow the monitor didn’t forget that announcement.
Company: Theatre Engine
Show: Chum!
Venue: Rarig Kilburn Theatre
Two Delightful Dips in the Water
How many Jaws parodies can one Fringe sustain? Evidently two, and quite easily and well. This one has singing.
Company: TROMPE L'OEIL
Show: Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
A Towering Achievement
I’m not from Minnesota and I have no nostalgic feeling towards Foshay or his tower. However, I recently visited the Foshay Tower during Doors Open Minneapolis, and that increased my interest. In a very entertaining way, this show was informative about the local and national political and economic situation of the time.
Company: an alleged Theatre Company
Show: FAST Death of a Salesman
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
Attention Might Be Paid
Apparently one of the greatest plays of the 20th Century has trouble grabbing the attention span of young people these days. The professor and his students try mightily to engage the professor’s nephew’s attention. Do they succeed? The attempts are fun to watch.
Company: Mosaic Productions
Show: ANNA
Venue: Theatre in the Round
A Classic Very Well Done
Early on I suspected what the underlying theme of the show was, and halfway through I was pretty sure. But this is not a detective story. You can walk in knowing everything about the theme and plot (and perhaps if you had read the story it’s based on – which I hadn’t – you would) and still be mesmerized by the performance, as I was. This show, with minimal set, costumes, and props, demonstrates that writing and acting are paramount.
Company: New Endeavors
Show: Muskie
Venue: Mixed Blood
Reel Good
I often complain that there are too many silly plays at the Fringe. However, parodies are usually the exception, as was this show. I never saw Jaws, but it was easy enough to follow the humor in this show. The basic story line is short and simple, so the success of the play depends a lot on the filler material, which was good. Bonus: See if you can figure out where this play is actually set.
Company: David Alan Berger
Show: A Woman's Place is in the House
Venue: Rarig Kilburn Theatre
History Becomes a Pep Rally
If you like listening to speeches at Democratic marches and rallies then this show may be for you. I’m a classic liberal and for me this was too much of a message play preaching to the converted. I liked what I learned about the historical women, and I wish the show had been solely about that (as I falsely anticipated it would be). This play may serve as a catharsis for some people after our horrible experience with ICE this past year. I appreciate the effort; it just wasn’t my kind of show.
Company: Deanne McDonald / The Traveling Players
Show: Sisters on Stage: An elder millennial’s exploration of Shakespeare’s sisters
Venue: Mixed Blood
As I Like It
Of all the Shakespeare-connected Fringe shows this year, I was looking forward to this one the most. I run the Twin Cities Shakespeare Readers, so I have more than a passing interest in the Bard. Watching a professional actress perform Shakespeare was like revisiting an old friend. I thought all but one of the selections was good, with the last one being the best. The personal storytelling in between bits was also interesting. I don’t think you have to know much Shakespeare to appreciate this, but I think the more you know the more you’ll like this.
Company: Applause Community Theatre
Show: The Precious Scars
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
History That’s Still Relevant
I live in Minneapolis, with an all-Democratic city council and mayor; in the 5th U.S. Congressional district with a pro-gay, far left U.S. Representative; in a state where a married lesbian mother has a decent chance to become our next U.S. Senator. So it’s easy to forget how bad things used to be – and still are in many families and places. I remember the 1970s. Yes, things are better now. But a play like this remains important. It also has the difficult task of making a “message” show interesting. It succeeds.
Company: Albino Squirrel Productions
Show: It's-a-Me, a Musical!
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
For Fans Only?
I know almost nothing about the Super Mario Bros. except that they’re very popular. (I don’t play video games.) However, the preview of this show looked fun, so I decided to give it a shot. So you may be wondering, if, like me, you get none of the allusions, will you still enjoy this show? Maybe. They do a pretty good job of explaining the backstory. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the forward story all that interesting, though it did have some good moments. The actors and costumes were fun but the plot was rather limited. In a way, I feel it is unfair for me to review this, because no doubt the allusions are part of the fun. So if you’re a Super Mario Bros fan, maybe ignore this review and give more weight to others.
Company: The World Crime League
Show: M
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
A Nice Adaptation of the Film
A nice, steady, 45 minute recreation of the film. Good acting and staging kept this classic humming along. A good expression of theater noir. Mahmoud Hakima as Henry/Inspector/Watchman was especially good.
Company: Michael Shaeffer
Show: Glengarry Glen Elvis
Venue: Theatre in the Round
A Hunk of Elvis and Mamet
Glengarry Glen Ross is one of my favorite 20th century plays. I like Elvis well enough, though his heyday was before my time. So I was looking forward to this mashup. I got a little of what I expected but there were many extra surprises. In retrospect, I realized that Mamet’s play actually has a simple story line, so it was nice how this show spruced things up. I can’t say much more because I don’t want to give anything away. Recommended, especially if you like both Elvis and Mamet.
Company: Melancholics Anonymous
Show: Watership Down
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
A Fun, Traditional Adventure Story
This really isn’t my favorite genre of literature. I never read Watership Down (or the Hobbit books) and I had no idea what the story was, except that it involved rabbits. But the preview was so engaging and I was curious about the story, so I attended this play. I’m glad I did. Although this boils down to a traditional adventure story, it was well done and engaging. I really liked the show, and I expect fans of the book will like it even more than I did.
Company: Local 574
Show: HELL ON WHEELS: The Winter Strike of 1934
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Solid Solidarity
I have to admit I’m a sucker for history plays. In a play with this topic certain tropes are inevitable. The challenge is to supersede them and give the audience something unexpected. This show doesn’t succeed in doing this as much as I would have wished. It might have been interesting to catch a glimpse of the evil bosses and police, though that was not necessary. However, there was a bit at the end that surprised me. I would have liked just a little more detail. But these are all quibbles regarding an overall very enjoyable show. The performances were solid and heartfelt (in a good way). This was a near sellout opening night.