'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
The 2007 Minnesota Fringe Festival
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave Radio Theater
podcasts
2007
Minnesota Fringe Festival -- the early days
further Fringe
podcast coming soon
Wrapping up, with observations
The 2007 Minnesota Fringe Festival ended on August 12, and many of us are still talking about it and comparing notes. I took a few days off, after seeing 38 shows, doing nearly two dozen interviews and taking scores of pictures.
A few observations, based on my experience as a journalist and long-time Fringe attendee:
The Fringe revamped their web site, and that was mostly a good thing. But too many people are gaming the system, getting their friends to write five-star reviews. I thought the overall quality of the shows was very high, but there were fewer break-out hits. You couldn't tell that from the reviews. I miss the ability to click on a person's name and see all their on-line reviews. The Executive Director hadn't realized this functionality was missing. It would have helped. As it was, many people simply took the number of reviews as an indicator of popularity. To me, that's iffy.
Oddly, the previews weren't much of a help. I saw three minute segments of at least fifty shows. Some of the shows I had highly marked in the previews didn't hold up for a full hour, and some of the powerful storytellers didn't do well in shorter segments. I'm glad for the brief introductions, and will have to revamp how I rate them.
In almost every case, a show that I went to because I really liked last year's offering wasn't quite as good. Maybe this is me being jaded. Maybe it was because last year had many five star shows: I usually only give out one per Fringe (including this year, out of many more), but last year I gave several top ratings. This year, the same troupes did some great stuff, but they seemed a half-step off.
The collapse of the I-35W bridge affected the Fringe. Attendance was down the first few days, and several shows suffered from a small audience and the resulting poorer word-of-mouth recommendations. Especially the magic acts I saw on the first day. By the end of the Fringe, many shows had sold out performances, but it seemed to be fewer than in the past.
Pacing and choreography are the key to seeing many shows
Here are the final few plays I saw at the The 2007 Minnesota Fringe Festival, in the order watched. For the most part, these are the reviews I posted on the site, using their five-star rating system, amplified and linked for the net. I'm writing about them to a large audience because many (if not most) Fringe shows appear in several Fringes around the world. Follow the links to the artist's home page, or check your local Fringe Festival listing.
Day 8: August 9, 2007CE
A four show day, made easier by choreagraphing. The first and last show were at The Bedlam Theatre (which has a parking lot!) and the two in the middle were three blocks away at The Mixed Blood Theatre. An easy walk, which many people did. Another venue, The Cedar Cultural Center, is also nearby. With several venues within sauntering distance, and with the Fringe's Word of Mouth rating system in full bore, I was able to see four shows that I didn't know anything about and do well with all four. A good day.
A Brief History of Petty Crime Not All That Petty **** 1/2
A Brief History of Petty Crime
chalk on the
sidewalk outside the Bedlam
Theatre
August 9, 2007CE
Well acted autobiography of a ne'er-do-well's encounter with the law. I didn't follow all the twists and digressions, but it was fun.
The Fringe show can be described briefly, but Hogg himself is an interesting character. Originally from London, he's now based out of Toronto, Ontario and travels around with several one-man shows. My interview with him will be part of the podcast.
Around The World In Eighty Days In Under Sixty Minutes Silly Yet Faithful **** 1/2
As I Jules Verne fan, I approached this play with trepidation, but I needn't have worried. Lovingly crafted from the book, eliding passages while keeping the tone and major plot points. With a calendar to track the world trip and with a timer to let us know how the actors are doing, time is of the essence. A few simple props take us through many countries via divers conveyances. Loads of fun.
1967 1967-1968 **** 1/2
The world was changing while I was watching the second season of Star Trek. Three people tell very powerful and very personal stories of those turbulent times. An hours play can't capture the whole upheaval and doesn't try. What it can and does do is daub bright colors onto the tapestry of black and white video remembrances. Too often on tv now, 1967 is presented in quick montage. This play eschews the sound bites for deeper reflections. All three actors were good, but special mention must be made for Felix Hampton Brown.
People had different reactions to this show. The major complaint was that the stories didn't connect with each other and didn't hit large themes. The narrative would have been better if all three storytellers somehow had met, but I disagree about the large themes. These were personal stories, and almost by definition small ones. You don't always know that you're living in the middle of an epoch, and epochal changes don't necessarily affect you directly. The 60s and 70s are a good example of a time that changed the world by changing how people lived.
Bouffon Glass Menajoree Unpleasantness At Its Best ****
I dislike Tennessee Williams because he hits one of my bugaboos: Unlikable people doing unlikable things. Bouffon Glass Menajoree makes everyone even worse than in the original, but much funnier. Lots of audience interaction and a dash of improv in a structured play. High energy and low humor. Be prepared.
Jules Verne and Tennessee Williams in one day! It's a testament to Verne that to get laughs, his story is told straight and a knock on Williams that to get laughs his story needed to be parodied. Guess which author I've read more of.
Day 9: Aug. 10, 2007CEThe Friday shows start earlier in the day, so I could have seen four or five, but I wanted to slide down the final few days. I went to a close-by venue, came home, then saw two in a row in the same theater. I chose all three because of various recommendations on the web and in person, but only the last one was worth a special trip. I could have done better in terms of seeing quality shows, but I'm reasonably pleased with the range of shows and ease of transportation needed for the day.
The Tyranny of God's Love Hubris Disguised As Faith *** 1/2
Video with two interstitial live sketches. The videos were good (this show had technical problems with one) though they didn't seem to relate to each other, the live bits or the title. The first live sketch had moments, but was basically a bickering family. Not my cup of tea. The second sketch was a lengthy cliche that worked really well. Maybe I'm getting jaded as the Fringe is drawing to a close. I enjoyed the show, but there are better.
The Chuck Mee Project A Huge Waste Of Time And Talent **
Earnest performances and a few good lines can't rescue this mishmash of dumb people in dumb situations. The decent bits weren't that good and led nowhere. Kudos especially to Teale Sperling.
Apparently, Chuck Mee is a weird writer and you would think that his work would appeal to me, but it didn't. Longtime fans liked this show much better than I did, self-selecting a fan group. Ah well. I'm glad I went to dip my toe in his world.
The Comedy Jesus Show Almost Too True To Be Funny **** 1/2
Stand up comedy and improv questions from the audience are handled in character by Troy Conrad. Generally, he nails his Jesus impression (if you'll pardon the expression). The interstitial video clips and slide shows were loads of fun. Extremely recommended for everyone who will refuse to see it.
Most of today's self-righteous (and sexually perverted) right-wingers would hate this show, but I suspect Jesus would have liked it. Assuming he learned English... He was all about pricking the social conscious of the complacent and questioning authority, especially questioning religious "authority". That's a guess, of course, but too many holier-than-thou types just don't get it.
Day 10: Aug 11, 2007CE
Another day where I could have packed a few more Fringes into the schedule. I had originally planned for five: An afternoon show, a break for traveling and lunch, two shows in a hard-to-park venue, another break and two more show in a venue farther away. The first and third of these shows were highly rated (and were chosen for the Fringe Encore), and I didn't think either were all that great. I wasn't quite burnt-out, but after thirty-five Fringes I was getting jaded. Already well over last year's number, I went home and got some sleep. This paid off handsomely, as I made all three of the final day's shows.
Tom Thumb, or The Tragedy of Tragedies A Silly Tragedy *** 1/2
Few people could pull this off as well as Charlie Bethel, who plays all the parts in this play of marriage and betrayal. Size matters. The parts that were good were very good, but swaths were uneven.
In previous years, Charlie Bethel has tackled Gilgamesh and Beowulf. They were great, largely because he kept up a running "translation" of the story in addition to acting it out. Tom Thumb didn't need much of a voiceover, and the smaller story didn't seem to play to his strengths as an interpreter of myth.
Through The Dark Interesting Dance, Slight Story ** 1/2
The moral seemed to be, "The way to overcome a bad self-image is to have sex and then fall in love, perhaps more than once." Interesting choreography well danced, but confusing and/or slight narrative.
I went to this one solely because it was the show in the venue of the next one I wanted to see. I might have given this three stars but it ran short and my finger slipped when entering it into the web site. The dancers milled about the stage door in the extra time, but I didn't have any desire to do an interview. Yeah, time to go home. But first, more Shakespeare.
Bards Not Shakespeare In Love ****
Gorgeous harmonies and great acting, sometimes hysterical dialog. A twist (literally) on the time period roughly covered in the movie Shakespeare In Love, with more religion and sex.
The gay sex -- nothing explicit but guys kissing guys -- didn't bother me, but didn't turn me on either. The historically accurate (or at least possible) story was well told, and most people liked this better than I did. Oh well.
Day 11: Aug. 12, 2007CE
A successful last day. Somewhat to my surprise, I managed to make all my scheduled shows for a total of 38 Fringes. The secret, at least for me, was pacing. I never saw more than four in a day, and never fewer than three. I didn't force myself to go to one more if tired, and choreographed traveling between venues.
KIPO! Kipo Means Happy **** 1/2
KIPO
August 11, 2007
Exuberant Tibetan clog dancing with banjo and yak. The dancers and singers recreate dance in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, and end with a sad prayer. The politics are kept to a minimum as the joys of a simple life are celebrated.
After the show, I spoke with a member of the community and gave him the opportunity to say something in Tibetan on a podcast. I have no idea what he said, but he went on for a while. When I release the podcast, could someone who speaks the language tell me what he said? Thanks.
The Opportunity: It's not a pyramid scheme Real Sales Rallies Are Like This, Unfortunately *** 1/2
On stage at The
Opportunity
August 11, 2007
Good send-up of faith-based multi-level marketing sales force rallies. Some good lines and nice audience interaction. In many ways, they squeeze too gently for how ubiquitously companies sell their false hope.
Before the show, they were taking names for audience volunteers and giving out nametags. I was called up as a Successful Salesman to receive a check from the president. I asked if I could take a picture, and they readily agreed. They took a picture of me shaking hands with the president, and I still have the check. I wish I could cash it...
Wallace and the Dragon The Story Of A Spiritual Naturalist ****
Alfred Russel Wallace deserves to have his story told, the true story of his vision and his blind spots. He was a great scientist and observer with a moral stance above that of the British. Anti-religious but spiritual, he never convinced people that science and the supernatural were woven of the same cloth. Rounded up because of the great live music and the dancing komodo dragon.
Ah, ending on a Fringe that I liked more than most. I never made it to any of the Fringe parties or encore events, because I had front-loaded most of the good shows and successfully avoided burn-out. There are many shows I would have liked to see, but can't spend the time regretting Fringes missed. I saw nearly one out of four shows, most of them at least four stars. A few clinkers snuck in, but that's okay: I don't consider I've been to a Fringe Festival until I see something I don't like.
Overall, I had a blast. The quality of shows was very high, the weather mostly clear and hot, and the bridge collapse had Minneapolitans huddling together for coolness. Fringe performers are their own little sub-group, even the out-of-towners. As usual, I'm on the periphery of the Cool People, but I did get to hang out and talk to a bunch of great people.
I highly recommend ducking into any Fringe Festival nearby.
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 of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays 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
Helen Thomas: Dean Warns Democrats Against Overconfidence in 2008
Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is warning Democrats not to be too overconfident about their election prospects in 2008. ... "This election is far from over," Dean said. "Republicans are good at winning elections. They've got lots of money. They are very tough." ... Dean is on the road four to six days a week, working to win support for the Democratic Party. Now it's up to those wishy-washy candidates to promise a quick end to the war and to develop plans for universal health care if they want a winning Democratic ticket.
Don't Quote Me: Playing Politics (afterellen.com)
For Obama to acknowledge that there are, indeed, similarities between the gay-rights movement and the civil-rights movement, but not do everything in his power to ameliorate the problem, and for Clinton to fervently claim to recognize the pain and urgency in the voices of our community, but then tell us we must be patient, are not only acts of ingloriousness today, but will likely be viewed as dishonorable exponentially as Americans continue to evolve.
Marney White: "Legalized Loan Sharking: The Sleeper Issue of 2008" (commondreams.org)
There's a sure way that a presidential candidate could get the attention of even the most politically apathetic citizen this year: vow to outlaw outrageous interest rates legally being charged to American consumers by credit card and student loan corporations. These rates are causing real and enduring pain to hard-working Americans and their families who find themselves behind the eight-ball. Like me.
Garrison Keillor: Good Riddance, Turd Blossom
What truly cheers me up through these dog days of summer is the thought that two old friends of mine are up north on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and that I am not there with them.
A Quickie With Margaret Cho (afterellen.com)
The queer comedian talks about playing her mom in her new film.
Roger Ebert: Superbad (3 1/2 stars)
In its treatment of adolescent sexual yearning, "Superbad" remembers not only the agony but the complete absence of the ecstasy. I remember in eighth grade some kid asked how long you could entertain an impure thought before it got upgraded from a venial to a mortal sin. "There aren't rules for things like that," the sister explained, "but I'd say that after five seconds, you're asking for it." The kid and his buddy went down to his basement to study his dad's collection of Playboys, and he got a stopwatch and had his buddy punch him in the arm every four seconds.
Roger Ebert: Rocket Science (3 1/2 stars)
The high school hero of "Rocket Science" stutters, but all high school kids stutter. It's just that most of them don't do it with their voices. They stutter in the way they don't know how to present themselves, what to say next, how to talk their way out of embarrassment, when to make an approach to someone they have a crush on or how to perform in class when everybody's looking at them. It's just that Hal Hefner (Reece Daniel Thompson) does it out loud.
Steve Gaughan: A million little pieces (advocate.com)
After lending his distinctive photosculptures to "Six Feet Under," artist David Meanix shows a whole new side of himself.
Visible Vote 08
New Video
Dick Eats Bush
This is another "V" for vendetta video (heh, very victoriously vouched.. ok, bad joke) I'm calling V-Story.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
HE WEARS A YELLOW STRIPE
A reader favorite that 'surges' in popularity to honor our fearless leader's heroic war service!
Reader Suggestion
Alaska Bear
Thank Jeebus it wern't a MAN what saved him!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Hot & unpleasantly humid.
Lands Role In Batman Movie
Sen. Patrick Leahy
Holy Beltway, Batman! Sen. Patrick Leahy has a part in the next Batman movie.
Leahy's scene was filmed this summer for "The Dark Knight" and involves Batman, played by Christian Bale, The Joker, played by Heath Ledger, and Alfred Pennyworth, played by Michael Caine.
The longtime Batman fan would reveal little about his role other than he is called the "distinguished gentleman."
He said he will donate his earnings from the film to the Kellogg-Hubbard children's library in Montpelier, where the senator got his first library card.
Sen. Patrick Leahy
Writing Detective Novel
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper, which was available late Saturday, quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
J.K. Rowling
Navy Pulls Video
YouTube
The Navy has removed a video from YouTube shot aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan because it shows sailors using safety equipment inappropriately, a Navy spokesman said.
The video, titled "Women of CVN76: 'That Don't Impress Me Much,'" was shot by an airman and not sanctioned by the ship's commanders or the Navy. It includes fleeting shots of the door to the ship's nuclear power plant and of a sailor dancing while wearing a full-body radiation suit.
Nothing in the video - which was posted May 23 - compromised operational security, but officials were worried about the "lack of propriety" involving the safety equipment, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, a spokesman for the San Diego-based Naval Air Forces command.
Set to a tune by country singer Shania Twain, the theme is that women serving aboard the Reagan can do the same jobs as men. Until 1994, the Pentagon barred women from serving on combat ships.
YouTube
Picks Haven't Beaten The Market
Jim Cramer
Jim Cramer's stock picks on his nightly CNBC show "Mad Money" haven't beaten the market over the past two years, according to an article in the August 20 edition of Barron's.
Over that period, Cramer's stocks rose 12 percent, compared with a 22 percent rise in the Dow Jones industrial average and a 16 percent rise in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, Barron's said.
The data is based on a record of 1,300 of the CNBC star's buy recommendations compiled by YourMoneyWatch.com, a Web site run by a retired stock analyst and loyal Cramer-watcher, said the report.
The Barron's article adds that it also looked at a database of Cramer's "Mad Money" picks over the last six months, which is maintained by his Web site, TheStreet.com. The data showed his picks were flat to down in relation to the market, according to the Barron's report.
Jim Cramer
Growing Trend In The Arctic
Greenhouses
Facing huge costs to import fresh fruits and vegetables, residents of Canada's far north are beginning to grow their own, erecting greenhouses atop the Arctic permafrost.
In this tiny community at the southern tip of Baffin Island, a few hundred kilometers (miles) from the Arctic Circle, beans, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and herbs seem to be thriving in 20 plots under a steel-frame glass enclosure.
It is the first greenhouse to be built in Iqaluit, and only the second in the North. Both have survived Arctic blizzards.
It is only 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit) outside on this sunny day in early August, but inside the greenhouse it is a balmy 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Greenhouses
Weigh Interrogation Ban
Psychologists
Stung by reports implicating mental health specialists in prisoner abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, the nation's largest group of psychologists is considering banning its members from interrogations of terror suspects.
The American Psychological Association, which is holding its annual meeting in San Francisco, is scheduled to vote Sunday on two competing measures concerning its 148,000 members' participation in military interrogations at Guantanamo Bay and other U.S. military detention centers.
One measure would bar members from any involvement in interrogations at U.S. detention facilities where foreigners are held. The moratorium would not be backed by sanctions, but it would carry the APA's "moral authority," said psychologist Neil Altman, who wrote the proposed resolution.
The other proposal, which is backed by APA's board of directors, would reaffirm the group's opposition to torture and prohibit members from taking part in more than a dozen specific practices, including forced nakedness, mock executions and simulated drowning.
Psychologists
Statue Erected In Serbian Village
'Rocky'
A statue of Sylvester Stallone's famous film character, boxer Rocky Balboa, has been erected in a tiny Serbian town to give a positive punch to the village's image after years of hard times.
The three-metre (10-foot) high bronze statue of Stallone as Rocky, made by a Croatian sculptor, was revealed late Saturday in the center of the Serbian village of Zitiste, some 55 kilometers (33 miles) north of the capital Belgrade, local media reported.
A village resident thought up the idea of building a statue last February as he wanted to pay tribute to his favorite movie hero after seeing the sixth and latest "Rocky" movie.
When village officials heard of Marceta's idea they enthusiastically embraced the project in a bid to shed a "more positive light on Zitiste," said Zoran Babic of the local council.
'Rocky'
Cutout Cop
Smyrna
Hoping to deter speeders, a Tennessee town uses a lifelike body double to remind drivers that the police are watching.
A full-size corrugated plastic cutout of a real Smyrna police officer is pretty convincing to most drivers when they catch a glimpse of him pointing his radar gun on the side of a busy street.
The idea for the posed patrolman came from Jim Gammon, whose sign company sits on busy Front Street. He suggested it as a way to slow drivers and then printed up the two-dimensional police officer. After less than a month on the street, the cutout is working so well the city has asked Gammon to make another.
Smyrna
"Greg Norman Stole My Wife"
Andy Mill
Tennis legend Chris Evert's former husband says Australian golfing great Greg Norman stole his wife.
Andy Mill, a US Olympic skiing champion, said he was broken-hearted by Norman's betrayal, saying he once regarded the golfing legend as his best friend.
"Greg Norman at one time was my best friend, and a year and a half ago I would have taken a bullet for this guy," Mill was quoted saying in Australia's Sunday Telegraph.
Andy Mill
Weekend Box Office
'Superbad'
"Superbad" was super good at the box office, proving that a no-name cast could hold its own amid A-list summer blockbusters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Superbad," $31.2 million.
2. "Rush Hour 3," $21.8 million.
3. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $19 million.
4. "The Simpsons Movie," $6.7 million.
5. "The Invasion," $6 million.
6. "Stardust," $5.2 million.
7. "Hairspray," $4.3 million.
8. "Underdog," $3.6 million.
9. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," $3.54 million.
10. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," $3.5 million.
'Superbad'
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