Good Ones

Incredibly Unique, Funny, Powerful Show

Absolutely everything I want in a Fringe show, or in a theater experience in general. This show took me by surprise from the very first moment, and was an amazing ride for the entire hour. It is funny, physical, dark, playful, powerful. The performers bring amazing energy, both individually and as a team. Don't miss this show.

Must see!

Loved it! Very funny and engaging and uncomfortable in a good way. However I was quite turned off by some of the sexual humor (most notably the lipstick smear in the first scene). It felt designed just to make the audience uncomfortable, not in a thought provoking way, but just in a shock value way. In an otherwise carefully constructed piece, it was a strange misstep. Would still highly recommend this play

Laugh til you cry then cry til you laugh

This show is above all else hilarious. It’s so fast paced and engaging that the hour flew by. But I also think that it’s really important and I know for a fact that everyone involved with making it will hate that I said that.

YES PLEASE!

In this time of political drama, societal expectations, and just sometimes a hard ass day, this show gave me a break and gave us all permission to laugh, listen and just be. These actors worked so hard and didn't leave anything unsaid. Amazing to experience the bouffon-style comedy!

Am I A Good One for Leaving a Review?

But like seriously, exhilarating, funny, uncomfortable and topical, a little strange, everything a fringe show should be

I’m going to leave my family and become a clown

This show featuring three clowns who hilariously critique extreme liberalism has changed my life. Each scene is a clever parody that makes you think and laugh about our well-meaning actions that make us "good ones." The comedy is spot-on, making you laugh while delivering a strong message. "The Good Ones" is a must-see!!

10 kitties please..

I can’t add anything to all the other outstanding reviews. This show was phenomenal!! 😻 😻😻 😻😻

Let 'Good Ones!' be your new favorite Bouffon show

And why shouldn't you! If you've never experienced pure Bouffon clowning straight up in your face, then get over to this show immediately! Don't know what Bouffon is...? How can you even say you like clown shows, then?! These three performers rush in with an energy so contagious you find yourself thinking 'why am I suddenly comfortable and on guard at the same time?' The answer of course is because you're about to be taken on a journey by three extremely brave and talented performers who will walk the line between going too far and not far enough. Catch this up and coming trio before audiences make it hard to catch them! (Can you submit reviews without being critical? My only question leaving the show was, "Which one of these three clowns out of their group is... the good one...?")

Not a tremendous amount to feel good about here

Was very excited to see this. Good Ones had been a major blip on my Fringe radar since early on the festival, largely because of the ENORMOUS amount of reviews it was getting here. Finally tonight I was able to see it. The show largely didn't work for me in a lot of ways, like how they invoke the murder of George Floyd (multiple times), or how many jokes feel like they'd be at home in an episode of South Park (addressing this fact in a meta way, as they do, doesn't change it). Or how they can't seem to find a way to express the true message of the show without breaking the format and just kinda saying what the message is out-of-character. If the message can't properly be expressed within the format you created, maybe you have the wrong format for your message. Or at least rework things. So the show didn't land for me, and I decided to look closer at all those reviews. At the time of writing this, out of the 47 other reviews, 29 of those accounts have only reviewed this one show. All 29 gave 5/5 stars. Make of that what you will.

Insanity with a point.

You will be entertained.

tHis ShOW is dOInG tHe WOrk

Masterfully made Bouffon accessible to a wide range of audience while staying true to the ethos of the art form. I applaud anyone who can cut deep and harsh, and still bring us back to the laugh over and over. This is the Fringe I love!

Is this review doing the work?

I was always planning to see this show because I will attend and throw money at anything Luke Fanning does, but I honestly wasn’t sure I would connect with it (no shade, just not the most familiar with the art of clowning) - then I kept hearing rave reviews, then I went, and the show totally lived up to the hype. I truly think Luke is a one of a kind talent in the Twin Cities, and all three performers were so fun and fascinating to watch. Everything from the costumes to the structure to the meta-y moments was so thought out and executed so well. Can’t wait to see what this crew does next!

Your new favorite Fringe show

These clowns cannot be stopped! Their writing and play kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire time. I still don't understand how this show made me feel joyful and uncomfortable, confused and captivated, all at the same time. Do yourself a favor, and see this show!

It’s great feeling a lil uncomfortable

I loved it and oh gosh so will you.

Uncomfortable, but in a good way

Examines the human need to see ourselves as "good," often to the point of overlooking our own weaknesses, limited perspectives, and cringeworthiness in a thought-provoking but humorous way. Definitely check this one out!

Love the show, question the liberities

Good Ones is a well-put-together Fringe show acknowledging the performative politics of Minneapolis/Minnesota. In my opinion, a community that would greatly benefit from being confronted with this performance, as it humorously brings these people to the forefront in a way where you could laugh at yourself in a lot of ways, but further reflect on your contribution to the community. A lot of the show works, and works very well. There are several moments, that while I understand the message, I just am not sure the representation on stage flows with the traumatic and/or historical experience they are bringing to light.

Holy GUACamole

Usually during these sorts of shows I have to take multiple bathroom breaks (I have prostate issues and also a UTI) but this show was so funny I held it in the whole time!! Run, don't walk, to this clowning spectacular! I'd also suggest not drinking liquids in the two hours leading up to this show.

Wow

Transplant take

As a Transplant Californian, I found this show to be highly enjoyable and an honest take on Minnesota and liberalism in general. No place is perfect but owning it is part of “the work.” Great cast and great audience cringe for fringe! See it!

Outstanding

You’ve never seen a show quite like this. Do not miss your chance.

Clowns serving as a mirror of your icky insides

Yes! We need more theatre calling us to question our norms and what would better serve us (aka radical imagination!). Have heard so many non-white local artists call attention to how "Minnesota Nice" and feigned politeness are built on white supremacy. We as artists especially must un-isolate and FACE the discomfort and awkwardness and pain of trying to build a better world. And wow do these folks use their brains, bodies, and faces to reflect back the highs and lows of continuing to unlearn and rebuild.

Fabulous

So good! An impressive performance.

A brilliant combination of content and form

This wasn't on my radar until I heard all the buzz, and I'm so glad I went. The buffoonery skills are just fantastic and the content ticks all the boxes. Very unique and special.

Chock full of play

These performers are so playful and bold. They are having so much fun, so we are having so much fun, even as we're being told a hard truth. This is a masterclass in bouffon! It's a delight to see this form done so classically and effectively to tackle contemporary topics. They tickle us, hurt us just a little, and leave us wanting more. Put it on your must-see list!

more of this!

Wow, this show was so good! Loved the clowning, loved the criticism of performative activism. Highly recommend this one!

Looking Glass

Take a look in this mirror to examine your motives.

Wacky with a message

A gentle shot at Minnesota leads to a bigger picture that encompasses so much more. It's funny, thoughtful, and yes, disturbing. I loved it. It's what good theater should be. Kudos to a terrific company , costumes, and script.

Trying (To Try) to Do the Work

This show is DUMB [smart]. UNCOMFORTABLE [challenging], and CHAOTIC [clowning!?! Buffoonery?!?] . These Good Ones created a show that tickled my funny bone and rode the art train so dangerously close to teetering off the tracks I almost fell out my seat. The entire audience died of awkwardness - and/or lack of oxygen from laughter. There is currently a murder investigation into the cast and crew, but the tape will show that all they did was entertain the shit out of us.

Bring Yer MOM

Loved it. Laughed. Squirmed. Delighted in devilish debauchery! This show needs to be seen by so many people, but bring your mom. Then sit in sweet uncomfortable silence on the way home and love it. Fantastically executed, thoughtfully created, brilliantly preformed.

Inspired and Naughty

These three excellent bouffons will truly open you up and get you in clear view of yourself. A true, funny piece by theatre artists working at the top of their craft. If you think you’re a liberal, and you want to show up and “do the work”, this show will get you closer. Oh, and it’s fun!

Good One

Hilariously painful. Painfully hilarious. The most productive discomfort I've felt about my complicity in the ongoing collapse of civilization all week.

Gutsy, Balsy, Cringeworthy Hilarity

The last time I saw a bouffon show was at the 2008 fringe (Bouffon Glass Menagerie.) I know a bit about the art form and it is SO hard to do well. You have to constantly dance between going too far and not far enough, shining a mirror and outright offending, all while being crude and funny as hell. These three performers managed that difficult feat gloriously! They took risks. They called me out on my shit and I loved it! Provocative theater at it's best!

Amazing!!!

Blew my mind. Highly recommend.

what the

I was pretty blown away with this show and like a good Fringe show, it left me thinking and I’m still taking it in. The trio works so well together, the clown work was so darn fun and the message is something I needed to hear. They were yucky and wonderful and warmed my heart. This is definitely a show you need to see. Do be mindful of the content warnings before you go :)

Take your parents to this show

Never have I wished my midwestern parents were at a show with me more than this show. I was either on the edge of my seat or laughing my ass off the entire way through.

Fantastic Clowning

I can't believe I saw the premier of this show. It was so well done. I laughed so much, and I'm not even from Minnesota! Not only did I laugh, but I was deeply moved. This company is one to watch. And a special shout-out needs to be given to Luke's tongue.

See it!!

Extremely well done bouffon - the cast's explosive and impish sense of fun is infectious, even as we're cursing ourselves for our well-intentioned mistakes played out in front of us.

Let's goooo!

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll look at yourself in the bathroom mirror for an hour afterwards. These three made me giggle and kick my feet under my chair. Then they stuck their grubby little fingers deep into an open wound and kept digging until I was laughing again. Anyone will enjoy this, but at times it felt like this show was written just for me (was it???? we'll talk). Clowning + political satire - cheesiness = The Good Ones.

Luke Fanning is a star!

These freaky clowns might make you feel a little uncomfy, but that’s by design. Luke Fanning (and his wiggly tongue) is an absolute star. Go see what all the white people are talking about!

Comedy that Cares 4 U

This is real comedy. This is what clowning and satire is about: movement and change and message. This irreverent and powerful show has you laughing and engaged from start to finish. The trio really play well together and touch incredibly important materials while making you feel safe and included and comfortable and engaged. You understand what you’re suppose to receive from this show and the experience you have while being given that gift is magical: well done you three!

Straight unfiltered masochistic joy

The show was brilliant. Probably never not on the nose; and yet still bolder, more creative, more hilarious, and more polished than almost any show I've seen in recent years. It was deeply funny. It was deeply uncomfortable. It was deeply depressing. I didn't know how the fuck they were going to attempt to end it, but I still feel satisfied that they stuck their ending, somehow, even with something so topical amidst a confusing time in a confusing world. At the end of the day, I left feeling a sot of relief, and a sort of clarity. I did not feel like the show was instructing me to do better (which feels exhausting and make me feel like total shit). Rather, I left feeling quite certain that every one of us are fucking idiots, and we might as well start admitting it. The reward lies somewhere on the other end of this confession, and possibly, of this acceptance.

Everyone, wake up!

What an absolute brilliant show! The style was something completely new to me and it did not disappoint. This show challenges the audience and points out how we can all do better while delivering it in a hilarious way as well as an honest dose of “wake up and look in the mirror!”. It’s so powerful when an art form can leave you so satisfied and so unsettled at the same time. This show is a must see. So excited to see what’s nexts for these performers!

Great, Grotesque, good

The character work and costumes are enough to make this show deserve a Michelin star. But then when you add a thick layer of political saltire and a dollop of clowning. It really takes the cake, this show is a robust comedy worth diving into!!! Be a “good one” and come support, fantastic live theater

Great, Grotesque, y

The character work and costumes are enough to make this show deserve a Michelin star. But then when you add a thick layer of political saltire and a dollop of clowning. It really takes the cake, this show is a robust comedy worth diving into!!! Be a “good one” and come support, fantastic live theater

Disgusting, I love it

The most demented ass teletubbies are coming your way on your local PBS station thanks to viewers like you. These performers writhe in their own play, and treat the grotesque like decadence. Come laugh at them laughing at you. Oh wait no, this show isn’t about you!!!!

Fringe of the day award winner

Unique, funny and thought provoking!

Great show that makes you laugh, cry and everything in between!

F A B U L O U S

They recalled to my mind the bluemeanies from the animated Yellow Submarine movie. Uncomfortable truths presented in fabulous costumes with laughter, well choreographed bits and an idea of what do next. Spot-on take of Minnesota Nice.

Dontcha Know? (I Do Now)

I love being a Minnesotan. Tim Walz, Hüsker Dü, Snoopy, there’s a lot to be proud of. But like anywhere there’s evil lurking in its past/present and the Good Ones are here to grinningly tear our state apart lake by lake. The house lights are on for the entire hour and there’s a show-within-the-show of watching an audience forced to confront harsh truths at a breakneck pace. This script could’ve been a disaster were it not in the hands of three exceptionally talented performers. With apologies to the State Fair this was the real Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Good Ones contains multitudes

Do you want to be punched in the face, cradled tenderly in an ample bosom, and made to laugh until you cry? Are you down with three grotesquely talented/thicc performers doing all of the above to you in rapid-fire sequence while making you feel good/bad/confused about your role in this grand ole hyperlocal capitalist hellscape? Good Ones is the show for you! A must-see.

It’s a party!

I wanted to dance. And hide. And join in. And run away. Hit me in my MN feels. Seriously delightful and uncomfortable. Laughing through the cringe for the whole ride! Go!

I'm a good one

Weird, whacky, and a great conversation starter with whoever you go with. Some bits were awesome. Feel like some missed the mark. But hey! If you're gonna go there, go there.

Dazzling, dazzling, dazzling

I truly laughed and cried within five minutes. Don't miss out on three incredibly talented performers in a strange, hilarious, and often gut-wrenching show. This is the sort of boundary-pushing theater that you can't see anywhere else but Fringe. See it while you can.

Breathes new life into an old form

Saw this because of the article in Pioneer Press. Didn't know anything about clowning before I saw this show but WOW. Moments of intense discomfort followed by hysterical laughter. Can't recommend enough if you want a show that has you thinking "I truly don't know what they are going to say next." Will leave you with tears in your eyes and a lot of questions about your place in the world (in a good way). Definitely a conversation starter and I agree with Pioneer Press, it's a must see.

Playfully explored, skillfully delivered.

The Good Ones is a master class in clownery. A tricky artform, so well done, message well delivered. The script is hilariously self aware, as all Good Ones are ;), and balances poking fun at the audience with grounded messaging and entertaining banter. 10/10 would see again.

One of my favorite shows of the last few years

In the past I’ve always had a tough time connecting with clowning, but the way the Good Ones combined it with really sincere satire made me excited about the whole art form. The clowns in this show are almost constantly in motion and it gave the audience so much energy to feed off of. There’s a really cartoony quality to everything they do that offsets their deliveries of really uncomfortable truths. There’s always at least one Fringe show each year that rewards the audience’s liberal sensibilities. Instead, at times The Good Ones made me genuinely squirm as they very frankly demonstrated the way we overlook and rationalize terrible stuff we’re culpable for in Minneapolis, like sweeping homeless encampments, condemning police brutality while still calling cops when we feel threatened, etc. They even put it all in a historical context - there have always been “good ones.” It was also possibly the hardest I’ve laughed at a Fringe show, and maybe that’s because they approached every topic so honestly, without protecting the audience’s feelings or reassuring us “but not you though!” This is not a mean-spirited show though! It’s honest in a way that is aspirational about how we can be better to each other. I left feeling really good about people. I genuinely loved this show and would like to see it again. I think it’s really rare and special to see art that is this weird and sincere and challenging. This is an absolute must-see if ya ask me!

Must See for Minneapolis Community

This show is perfect for Minneapolis. Great performance, use of space, clowning, interaction. Check this out.

Fly together

This show is wacky, powerful, funny, heartbreaking, and incredible, I don’t want to spoil anything I just wanna say you should see it, yes you! Reading this now, but a ticket!