'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
Minnesota Fringe Festival 2006
By Baron Dave Romm
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is (and I need to get the qualifications right) the largest non-juried Fringe Festival in the United States. There are larger juried Fringes (where the shows are selected by a panel or jury) and there are larger ones outside the US (in Canada and Scotland). But Minneapolis plays host to a wild ride of approximately 167 differnt show and related art.
Indeed, there are so many Fringe Festivals thoughout the country that it's like Vaudeville a century ago: A place for new talent to rise, a place to hone an act, a place to be bad. If you have a Fringe nearby, and you probably do, the chances are good that one or more of these plays will be around. You many not have the save reaction I did, and they may have honed their act over time, but here are the ones I've seen so far.
Perhaps because I went to both the Fringe-for-all preview in June of 30 shows as well as the Out Of Towners review, I'd seen 52 shows before the Fringe started... three minutes of them, anyway... and started off with some very good ones. The three Five Star ratings, out of the ten I've seen so far, equals the number of Five Star Ratings I've given in the preceeding three years combines. The word around the Fringers I've talked to: The bar is set very high. Still, I don't think it's a Fringe until I've seen something I didn't like. But we'll save that for next week, eh?
Meanwhile, I had three Fringe show casts on as guests for the most recent Shockwave Radio. I will eventually make the mp3/podcast for my site, but at the moment, you can hear the show on the KFAI archive page: Scroll down to Shockwave and it will be the most recent show until next Saturday afternoon 8/12, at which point it will be the previous show until the following week.
Cannibal!
The Musical: Five Stars
Definitely needs a time out Cannibal! The Musical is sick,
disgusting, violent, profane and I loved it. Written by Trey Parker,
of South Park fame, it explores the story of Alfred Packer, who leads
a group of potential gold miners into the Rockies. They get lost and
run out of food. Hilarity ensues. The large ensemble acting company
is great, the songs are great, the set is great and the show has
belly laughs and guilty titters galore. At times I felt I was
watching an uncensored version of South Park, and it has the same
wide-eyed clueless response to the deadly stupidity of real life, but
that doesn't do the show justice. I was going to round this down due
to technical problems with the projector, but am rounding it back up
to Five Stars because it lasts 90 minutes; twice as long as most of
the shows I've seen so far. I would have stayed for more.
Love
in a Time of Rinderpest: Five Stars
Words travel like robots Love in a Time of Rinderpest is one
of the silliest things I've ever seen. Whacky characters are set into
motion, colliding with other whacky characters (and Bruce
Springsteen). The absurdity is matched by superb acting. There is a
plot, set up well, about a win-at-any- cost school principal and
acting coaches and shy boxes and ghostbusters and mousy women who
fall in love. I was going to round down to four and a half stars due
to some rough edges and not enough mustache glue, but round up again
for full 60 minute play. Indeed, they had to cut out the exposition
about Rinderpest,
so allow me:: "a contagious viral disease of cattle, domestic
buffalo, and some species of wildlife. It is characterized by fever,
oral erosions, diarrhea, lymphoid necrosis, and high mortality." And
they wring laughs from it.
Die,
Clowns, Die!: Five Stars
God bless the pagans Die, Clowns, Die! is a one-man comedy
about comedy by Joseph Scrimshaw. Scrimshaw is terrific, easily
slipping into and out of characters and playing with the audience. He
is equally adept at verbal or physical pratfalls. I'm a tough
reviewer, especially when it comes to humor, but I'm going to flout
all comedic rules and give it five stars. (I had the added treat of
being one of the audience members selected to join him onstage, a
theater in the round. I had loads of fun, and nearly cracked him
up.)
African
Roads, American Streets: Four and a half stars
A Journey of Dance African Roads, American Streets has an
astonishing energy. Driven by African drums, Liberian women prepare
for the journey to America. Once over here, American rhythms take
over, but those rhythms were derived from the African and much seems
home. The dance is now driven by more urban drumming and vocal "boom
box" street percussion. The dancers are extraordinary, and the
drummers fantastic. The dancing by the adults is tightly
choreographed, frenetic and sexy. The break-dancing by the teens is
gravity-defying. The plot is mostly in the background, and the
structure would be served by a bit of narration. The show is short,
at 40 minutes, and the first performance featured a lengthy list of
thank yous at the end which were heartfelt but took away from the
luster of the dancing. I suspect they'll get better over the course
of the Fringe. I'm going to round this up to four and a half stars
for the many great pieces and for arranging a show comprised of
nearly 40 people. You will be sorry if you miss this one. (This is
one of the shows I probably wouldn't have gone to except that they
blew me away in the preview.)
The
Star Chamber: Four and a half stars
Count Me In Not many playwrights get away with cosmological
wordplay, and few actors have the chops to sling puns and pudding
jokes. The events of The Star Chamber may not be precisely how The
Steady State Theory was born, but in a universe where something is
created out of nothing, this is something.
Great
Hymn of Thanksgiving/Conversation Storm Four and a half stars
Two strange and compelling pieces Do you have the tv on as
background while eating? Do you think John Cage talked too much? Is
your favorite Beatles song "Revolution 9"? If so, you will
appreciate the ambient sounds of Great Hymn of Thanksgiving,
stunningly choreographed into visual theater as well as an aural
melange. Conversation Storm is one conversation split into a series
of ethical and moral dilemmas revolving around asking for water and
the conditions under which torture is acceptable. An introspective,
recursive, highly charged short play. The two add up to a compelling
hour. (The three of them were guests on Shockwave this week. It
turns out that two of them are The Prince Myshkins, and I
reviewed Shiny Round
Object here earlier, and they gave me an advance copy of their
new CD, Total Myshkin Awareness.)
The
Depth of the Ocean: Four Stars
The unique venue is used well The Depth of the Ocean is
performed in the pool at the downtown YWCA. In the pool. The
audience is around the pool, and you have to take off your
shoes. The basic plot has been explored before by various science
fiction/fantasy writers. The main weakness of this play is that the
plot doesn't resolve. But, I suspect, that's not the point. The
acting is terrific and the characters are drawn very sharply. It was
also nice to be able to step outside to Sommerfest (a classical music
fest downtown, outside Orchestra Hall).
chasmagic:
Three Stars
Indian-style Dancing chasmagic (no caps) is three talented
women, prancing and waiving their arms, to various womanly activities
in a minimal set. The dancers are influenced by the Indian form
Bharata Natyam, and their dances are set to music as old as Leadbelly
and as new as SpiderBait... doing the same song. I enjoyed watching
them, but they never transcended the material. The show is short at
45 minutes.
Calculus:
the Musical! Two and a half stars
More history than math The two performers sling parodies and
mug their way through history and math: Math Filk, with slide show
and whiteboard. It's a better examination of the history of the
development of calculus than an explanation of how to work the
equations. A for Effort, x-1 for execution and the material
asymptotically approaches good... but never quite touches the line.
Somehow, being in a High School classroom helps. It's a fun romp, but
needs work before they take it on the road. I'm going to be generous
and give it two and a half stars. (Here are all the
lyrics to the songs.)
Illinois
Jane and the Pyramid of Peril: Two and a half stars
A few clever ideas and good sets can't save this parody
Illinois Jane and the Temple of Peril is a very poor parody of the
Indiana Jones movies but does have some clever bits. I give it two
and a half stars, which includes a half star for the fight on the
moving train and one entire star for the mime. (Many of the people
involved in this show are friends, so I hope they don't take this
review too harshly. I don't think so: I spoke to one of them later,
who was disappointed that I didn't like it, but thought I was "fair").
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts being reworked. Recent radio programs can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
--////
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Rev. Irene Monroe: When hate speech becomes accepted (advocate.com)
Mel Gibson's tirade against Jews, Mitt Romney's "tar baby" comment, Ann Coulter's "fag" dig at Bill Clinton-how has American discourse become so poisoned? Can hate speech be "reclaimed"?
Beverly Carol Lucey: Hertz Hurts (irascibleprofessor.com)
Weeks after the flurry of email pleas from students who were sure mediocre performance was at least worth an A minus ended, I heard the voice of my grandmother. Sure, she's been gone over thirty years but when the New York Times published an article in June about presbycusis and an invention from the UK I'm sure I heard Nana Beatrice say, "Oy. Another country heard from."
Suzanne Corson: Review of The Ellen Show: The Complete Series (afterellen.com)
The good news is that the majority of the eighteen episodes contain at least some passing reference to Ellen's sexuality, from the Wonder Woman, Charlie's Angels, and Billie Jean King posters in her old bedroom ("Didn't have a clue, huh, Mom?" Ellen wonders aloud) to Ellen looking in the phonebook for some nightlife opportunities and remarking, "The closest they have is the Lebanese meat market."
Shauna Swartz: Michele Balan: The Last Woman Comic Standing (afterellen.com)
Born in Coney Island, comedian Michele Balan has spent most of her life in Brooklyn, and all of it in New York. But these days, she is in L.A. for the finals of the NBC comedy competition, Last Comic Standing. "Lately it's been pretty full-speed ahead," she says. "Since I left New York I don't sleep, I don't eat, I don't know what time it is."
Gena Hymowech: Gay Teen Idols Finding Greater Acceptance (afterelton.com)
Tiger Beat readers, take note: America just got a new gay teen idol.
In the latest issue of People Magazine (on newsstands today) 'N Sync singer Lance Bass says he is here, queer, and in love with Reichen Lehmkuhl (an openly gay former contestant from The Amazing Race).
Malinda Lo: I'm (Not) Gay - So What? (afterellen.com)
In the August 2006 issue of O magazine, Oprah Winfrey attempted to put to rest longstanding rumors that she is a lesbian. In a candid interview, Winfrey and best friend Gayle King straightforwardly addressed the gossip about their supposed lesbian relationship, stating that if they were gay they would have no problem with coming out about it. King says, "The truth is, if we were gay, we would so tell you, because there's nothing wrong with being gay." Winfrey agrees: "People think I'd be so ashamed of being gay that I wouldn't admit it? Oh, please."
Mark James: Armistead Maupin talks! (advocate.com)
The Tales of the City writer on celebrity, meeting guys online, the new Night Listener movie -- and Michael Tolliver Lives!
Sharon Linnea : Does God look like Morgan Freeman? (beliefnet.com)
Steve Oedekerk, director of 'Barnyard' and 'Bruce Almighty,' answers that and other questions from my 11-year-old son.
Reader Suggestion
'Elder Wisdom'
I thought you and Bartcop E! readers might find this site interesting - Elder Wisdom Circle.
The site provides free advice from volunteer "cyber grandparents" between the ages of 60 and 103.
Keep up the great work...we're still reading and loving every single day!!
-Tiera H.
Thanks, Tiera!
Hubert's Poetry Corner
RICKY'S FULL OF SHIFT
The reason many incumbent Texas politicians are so self-absorbed - and what they expect the public to absorb!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny but cool.
No new flags.
Celebrated In New Orleans
Louis Armstrong
Trumpets wailed and tubas boomed as New Orleanians danced in the streets on Sunday, on a weekend celebrating jazz great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong's birthday and praying for the return of musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
"Without Louis Armstrong, we wouldn't really have a clue. He gave us a foundation," said Troy Andrews, known as 'Trombone Shorty', but whose trumpet solos brought down the house during a jazz mass at St. Augustine Catholic Church in the historic Treme neighborhood near the French Quarter.
The service began with a call to prayer for musicians not yet home. Trumpeter Lionel Ferbos, 95, who had met Louis Armstrong, played with 20-year-old Andrews, testifying to both the history and staying power of jazz in the city.
Louis Armstrong
Turns 60
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe, the world's largest and most irreverent arts festival, celebrated its 60th birthday on Sunday with religion the big theme being tackled this year by playwrights and comedians.
Fringe performers revel in controversy and 2006 should be no exception with "We Don't Know Shi'ite" about British ignorance of Islam and "Jesus: The Guantanamo Years."
Fringe director Paul Gudgin, overseeing 17,000 performers at the three-week festival of anarchy, said "I find it endlessly fascinating how a thread like this emerges.
"It's either about what is happening with radical Islam or reflects interest and concern over the influence Evangelical Christians seem to be having in the United States," he told Reuters.
Edinburgh Fringe
Raises Ticket Prices
Disney World
Walt Disney World is hiking ticket prices for the second time in 2006, raising the cost of a basic one-day, one-park admission to $67, according to a pricing chart posted on the company's media Web site.
The $4 price increase takes effect on Sunday.
The Walt Disney Co. raised prices at its Florida theme parks on January 1, when the price rose to $63 from $59.75. It was followed in short order by ticket price increases at nearby SeaWorld, which is part of Anheuser-Busch, and Universal Orlando, which is controlled by General Electric Co.'s Universal Studios.
Disney World
Video Partnership
Viacom & Google
Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks has agreed to distribute clips from its cable networks over Google Inc.'s advertising network, in a test of what could become a new economic model for Web-based video delivery, the companies said on Sunday.
The project, a year in the making, marks the first time Google will distribute ad-supported videos across its AdSense network from a major programming provider. The ad-supported video distribution project will begin testing later in August.
Google's AdSense network currently handles primarily text and graphical-oriented brand advertising. The MTV trial, if successful, would highlight the progress Google is making in evolving beyond its reliance on delivering Web-based text ads from which it derives most of its revenue and profit.
Viacom & Google
Thanks Bostonians
Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck finished shooting his film "Gone, Baby, Gone" and thanked residents for their support during the nearly three-month production in and around the city.
The Cambridge native, who won an Oscar for co-writing "Good Will Hunting" with hometown friend Matt Damon, shot his new film in Boston, Chelsea, and Quincy.
Boston is no longer an expensive and indifferent city in which to shoot, Affleck said. The state's new tax breaks decrease the cost.
Ben Affleck
2 Arrested In Thefts
The Hermitage
Police arrested two men accused of stealing more than 220 pieces of jewelry, silverware and other items worth a combined $5 million from Russia's famed State Hermitage Museum, news reports said Saturday.
The theft, which highlighted the poor security at Russian cultural institutions, was discovered after a routine inventory check that began in October and was completed at the end of July.
Rossiya and NTV television stations reported that one suspect was married to the curator in charge of the collection where the theft occurred. She died suddenly at her workplace when the inventory check began in October.
The Hermitage
The House Next Door
Jack Nicholson
It was dark, cramped and run-down, but for nearly half a century it was Marlon Brando's home. Now his neighbour Jack Nicholson, who paid £3.4m for the house after Brando died two years ago, is planning to demolish it and plant frangipani flowers over the plot.
The 69-year-old actor has been advised that it would be too expensive to restore the "derelict" house which has been beset by mould. Getting the mould out would be difficult. "It's more likely that we will take the house down," said Nicholson last week.
For safety reasons Nicholson will probably fill in the pool which, shortly before his death, Brando declared he would stock with electric eels to power his house and reduce his electric light bill.
Nicholson bought Frangipani shortly after Brando died on July 1, 2004 from lung failure. He wanted to ensure his own privacy and to respect Brando's memory as one of Hollywood's most influential stars. He also wanted to maintain it for Brando's children, but they have shown little interest in spending time there.
Jack Nicholson
Tested On Mice
"Anti-Stupid" Pill
A German scientist has been testing an "anti-stupidity" pill with encouraging results on mice and fruit flies, Bild newspaper reported on Saturday.
It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilise short-term memory and improve attentiveness.
"With mice and fruit flies we were able to eliminate the loss of short-term memory," Ropers, 62, is quoted saying in the German newspaper, which has dubbed it the "world's first anti-stupidity pill."
"Anti-Stupid" Pill
What Global Warming?
'Dead Zone'
Bottom fish and crabs washing up dead on Oregon beaches are being killed by a recurring "dead zone" of low-oxygen water that is larger than in previous years and may be triggered by global warming, scientists said.
Scientists studying the 70-mile-long zone of oxygen-depleted water, along the Continental Shelf between Florence and Lincoln City, conclude that it is being caused by explosive blooms of tiny plants known as phytoplankton, which die and sink to the bottom, then are eaten by bacteria which use up the oxygen in the water.
Scientists first noticed a dead zone off Newport in 2002. That one was traced back to a rare influx of cold water rich in nutrients and low in oxygen that had migrated from the Arctic, said Jack Barth, professor of oceanography at Oregon State and with Lubchenco a principal investigator for the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans.
Dead zones have returned each summer since then, but these have been marked by intense bursts of upwelling that were followed by calm periods, when the water contains lower nutrient levels, Barth added.
'Dead Zone'
Young Myanmar Rebel Surrenders
Johnny Htoo
One of two young twin brothers who led a small band of ethnic rebels calling themselves "God's Army" has surrendered to Myanmar's military government, state radio and television reported Tuesday night.
Johnny Htoo and eight fellow members of the group left a refugee camp in Thailand earlier this month and surrendered with weapons in two separate groups on July 17 and 19 at the coastal region military command in southeastern Myanmar, according to the reports.
In the late 1990s, Johnny and his brother, Luther, were charismatic leaders of a small band of ethnic Karen Christian rebels in eastern Myanmar fighting the country's military regime.
A photo of the twins, then about 12 years old, showing a soulful looking Johnny with long hair and Luther puffing on a cigarette, became an iconic image of child soldiers. The two are now about 18.
Johnny Htoo
In Memory
Esther L. Snyder
Esther L. Snyder, who founded the In-N-Out Burger restaurant chain with her husband, died Friday, her family said. She was 86.
Esther and Harry Snyder opened the first In-N-Out drive-through stand in Baldwin Park in 1948. In-N-Out now has 202 restaurants in California, Arizona and Nevada.
The Snyders' business plan was simple: Serve fresh burgers in a "two-way speaker" drive-through concept. While her husband ran the day-to-day operations, Snyder was in charge of the books and occasionally helped out in the kitchen by molding meat patties by hand and slicing tomatoes and onions.
The couple had two children, Guy and Rich, who ran the company at different times. When Harry Snyder died in 1976, Rich Snyder took charge of the burger chain. After Rich Snyder was killed in a 1993 plane crash, Guy Snyder led the company with his mother until his death six years later of an accidental drug overdose.
Esther L. Snyde
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