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DISCLAIMER: Careful of the links! Some of them will cause heinously dead brain cells.
I've spent quite a bit of my free time today cruising through Conservapedia-related links and info out of some baseless need to abuse the shit out of my mind. For those of you who don't know, Conservapedia was founded by this useless tool of a homeschool teacher named Andy Schlafly. I had to do a double-take on that one myself.
I asked myself, "There are homeschool teachers?" to which I (surprisingly) responded, "Absolutely. Someone has to teach the precious snowflakes algebra and brainwashing when their parents can't do it themselves." The discussion went on. I asked, "Wait a minute, then why not just send them to public schools?" to which I answered, "Because they don't teach you to shut your brain off and swallow the conservative Christian agenda at most public schools (except in Kansas)." Aside from the confusion over actually hearing an audible paranthetical I kept reading.
As it turns out, Mr Schlafly founded Conservapedia for exactly that. He kept trying to edit Wikipedia to reflect his more brain-washy views and kept getting denied. So, instead of admitting his views had no basis in reality at all and no place in an objective resource for information (as flawed as Wikipedia can be, it is far more objective than most other outlets) he stole the format for Wikipedia (which the founders actually have no problem with) and started his own repository for baseless accusations and "articles" for information which are more in line with the conservative agenda.
Here is a sampling of "article" headlines from the Conservapedia home page:
- ""The first week of June ended with abnormally cold temperatures. Records for the coldest day-time high were broken on June 6 at many locations. High temperatures June 6 and 7 in Sioux Falls were coldest on record for those respective days. Low temperature June 4 in Rapid City was the coldest on record for the day."[23] Think liberals will admit they lied about global warming??? Public school kids probably still think the world is getting warmer."
Great gobs of gooseshit. Three whole days are below average and that means the concept of global warming is completely out-the-window? One of the things that has always amazed me about the conservatives on this issue is their need to look at the small picture. Temperature on any given day is not an indication of climate shift one way or the other. Really?! They needed a whole study to figure that out? I just created a user ID and password and am, indeed, amused by the content. - Obama Appoints HomosexualActivist Who Promotes Pro-Gay Clubs in Public Schools to be 'Safe Schools' Czar. Kevin Jennings, appointed by President Obama to be assistant deputy secretary of education in charge of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, is founder of an organization dedicated to promoting pro-homosexual clubs and curricula in public schools. [34]
Apparently I'm supposed to just know why that one's offensive to the conservative cause. I found nothing wrong with the appointment at all. The site is rife with such drivel and offends the senses with its constant blatherings of absolutes and certainties using nothing more than conjecture, speculation, and opinion drubbed with regularity for no other identifiable purpose but to be contrary. Check out the commentary on the "Talk Page." Within just the first two subjects (allow for some scrolling in the event more talk has occurred since this post) there are numerous valuable questions asked with responses that do little if anything to address them. Schlafly himself regularly comments on questions raised by concerened members. This one is in response to questions about the recruitment center shootings: "The silence by liberals about it is deafening, and only Fox News reported on the likely motivation for this heinous crime against volunteers.--Andy Schlafly 22:47, 1 June 2009 (EDT)" The original poster goes on to identify that even THE FUCKING POLICE hadn't identified a motive for the crime, yet. A reasonable person would understand that anything Fox News is reporting in relation to motive would then be nothing more than speculation. Even Schlafly himself says "likely motivation." Hey, dipshit! When did speculation become news? And, why are all other news outlets guilty of withholding information when they don't jump to the same asinine conclusions? I couldn't stomach much more than one or two articles before the phrases " some people believe/say" and " will be discussed shortly" made me want to hurl. What's wrong with the first phrase? It requires no supporting evidence, which generally means it's the opinion of the writer, and not necessarily of anyone in authority to provide useful information. And the second phrase is particularly egregious as it's consistently preceeded with a quick jab at some liberal entity. Example from the Evolution "article": "Although the defenders of the evolutionary position contend there is evidence supporting it, there is a multitude of serious problems with the theory of evolution which will be discussed shortly."
Really? If you're going to bring it up, why not discuss it now? I'll explain why. This is the sort of seed-planting that is used in brainwashing. If you tell someone enough times that the sky is green, they'll start to question all the evidence which is contrary. Children are particularly susceptible to this kind of constant ducking and punching. Brain-washers will continually whisper blanket statements with no support until they require no support. They become dogma for the hearer, who has no idea why it's true but doesn't understand enough about it to combat the issue.
The supporting articles, evidence, and other reference materials are regularly peppered with known offenders of the world of free thought like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and others. Now, I could also go into the monstrous number of grammatical errors inherant in the site, but Wikipedia wouldn't stand up to much scrutiny on that issue, either.
I dunno. I guess I shouldn't belabor the point (too late). Check out the site for yourself and see if you can stomach more than half an hour or so. Normally, I'd tell people not to look at this shit, but I think people should be able to identify crap when they see it. Show this to your kids (if they're old enough) and show it to your friends. It's the most web-intensive example of propoganda-based bullshit journalism I've ever seen and should be known as such. Granted, it probably is by anyone with a brain in their skulls, but it just pisses me off that these people get so defensive over a position there isn't a defense for. They respond by calling people "liberal" and telling them to go read something instead of actually answering the question. Why? Because they don't have an answer to a good question, just rhetoric for the bad ones. Okay, I'm done. *putting down my bowling pin* Ooh! I almost forgot. There's a wonderful link in both Wikipedia and Conservapedia that details nothing but the dialog between this screwball, Schlafly, and one of the world's most brilliant microbiologists, Richard Lenski. In it, Schlafly accuses Lenski of fraud because he proved the existence of favorable genetic mutations over time and won't give Schlafly the material samples to review. Read here: Lenski Dialog (don't worry, it's the Wikipedia link, not the evil Conservapedia one (though they have the same information on this particular subject)).
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This morning I went into an oral surgeon to have two teeth removed that should have been taken out 13 years ago. They've been impacted, decaying, and infected off and on for that whole time. The decay and infections have nothing to do with my oral hygeine (something on which I am regularly complimented by people in the dental industry). They were both still hiding above the gum-line in the upper, back-right part of my mouth. Bethany losing her job and benefits (don't worry, she's on mine now) sort of drove me to get them taken out while I still have my own benefits.
I wasn't planning on keeping the teeth until they were done suturing me up and showed them to me. I'd seen them on X-rays before but never really put in context how large they were in comparison to the rest of my teeth. I was dumb-struck to see two objects that large had just been pulled out of my head. The photos don't show size as well as I'd like, but suffice it to say, one of the assistants said they were remarkably abnormal, and indicated a normal molar/wisdom tooth is no more than 2/3 as large. The other assistant said she'd only ever seen one tooth larger.
I'm on Vicodin for the pain, Aleve for the swelling, Amoxicillin for potential infections, and was supposed to be on a decongestant but the prescription for that didn't get written up. I'm not too worried about that one, though. Why the decongestant? Well, these teeth took up so much space that their removal literally opened a hole between my mouth and my sinus cavity. While the gauze in my mouth was keeping too much blood from draining into my mouth, there was nothing to stop it pooling above the opening and the first time I bent over it came pouring out of my nose onto the floor.
Long story short, I can't blow my nose or sneeze for a couple of weeks while the opening closes up. And, as a result, I've spent the entire day lying on the couch with gauze in my mouth and kleenex hanging out of my nose. I've had a bowl of ice cream and a few spoon-fulls of mashed potatoes so the Vicodin doesn't make me yack. All that aside, I'm KEEPING THOSE FUCKING TEETH!!
( Cut for nastiness in case anyone's squeemish... )
Now, I have a cleaning with the regular dentist on June 8th. If they tell me I have a cavity anywhere, I'm punching them in the face and running.
My woozy-from-the-blood-loss ass needs to go relax now.
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What is it about gaining the ability to pay bills that strips the abilities to draw, play instruments, write, and otherwise exist as a creative human being? Granted, I'm not particularly sure I was ever all that creative an individual anyway, but whatever I had I WANT IT BACK, DAMNIT!
The most creative thing I've written all year so far is my mid-year review at work. And, the only creative parts of that are the word choices, certainly not the substance or intent. Blech. Why is it that the older I get the more urge I have to break stuff instead of create stuff?
This sucks.
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Hey, I'm going to see The Miss Firecracker Contest on Friday night. Who wants to go with me?
That's Bethany, BTW. :-)
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Crap, die, suck, suckfest, suck, suck, suck, ass, mildly kinky, nerd-stink in the theatre, J.J. Abrams - want my $6 back, suckfest, boo, hiss, boo, eat monkey scrotum and gag, bastard, butt-munch, crap-hole...
( My review of Star Trek suckfest... )
Respectfully yours, a TOS loyalist.
...Yes, I know I'm normally more verbose about my reviews, but I think this about sums it up. I'm going back to watching only DVDs and live theatre. Fuckers.
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I'm sure many of you know about this already (and we're technically a week down already), but here's the update anyway!
Bobby Gould in Hell has 4 more performances! Thursday, April 30 at 7:30pm Friday, May 1st at 7:30pm Saturday, May 2nd at 7:30pm -and- Sunday, May 3rd at 2:30pm It's at the Lowry Lab Theater in St Paul. Enter the Lowry building on St. Peter between 4th and 5th Streets and the signs will take you home! It's $10 and makes a great date-show because it's only an hour long. You can stop at the bar for a drink before the show and get dinner after - or vice versa. Hope to see you there!
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Bethany and I went to see Penumbra Theater's production of A Raisin in the Sun at The Guthrie yesterday. I'm sure you ALL know this, but the title and much of its theme are based upon the Langston Hughes poem "Harlem" which goes like this:
-
- What happens to a dream deferred?
- Does it dry up
- like a raisin in the sun?
- Or fester like a sore
- And then run?
- Does it stink like rotten meat?
- Or crust and sugar over
- like a syrupy sweet?
- Maybe it just sags
- like a heavy load.
-
- Or does it explode?
Not much to it, but it's clearly written by someone who was a literary activist for civil rights during the Harlem Renaissance in the early part of the 20th Century. This is a guy who represented people who didn't have two nickels to scrape together. So, am I completely nuts to be offended by the use of such literature to advertise "wealth management" to the snooty, white patrons who are coming to get their dose of theatre art? Now, to be clear, I have absolutely NO problem with these organizations giving money to the arts. Granted, I'd rather have them give it to the small theatre companies that could really use it, but Penumbra does incredible work and is entitled to every dime they get. On top of that, the show was GREAT! I freakin' loved it. There were things I thought were weak, but as a whole, it was a powerful and well-balanced piece of art. I just don't understand how RBC felt it was acceptable to take such a piece of literature and aim it toward rich, white people? Again, am I nuts?
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...tried to guilt me into giving him "a couple bucks."
So, I was crossing 3rd Ave at Franklin and a black man with a cane was blathering at me saying "This is where I prove if you're racist." His pronunciation wasn't good enough for me to catch it the first time so I stopped, walked up to him and said, "I can't understand what you're saying to me."
To which, he replied, "Oh yeah, I said this is where I see if you're racist. Look, I need a couple bucks." I shook my head, and started walking away. No response. He said, "See, you're racist!" I just kept walking.
Now, here's the issue. First of all, pal, I made no assumptions about you except that maybe you're missing a couple of teeth critical for proper execution of the English language. You, however, made several about me. - (the obvious one) You assumed that I didn't give you cash because I was racist.
- You assumed that I was racist because I was white.
- You assumed that I wouldn't give you the money, simply because you wouldn't have brought up my blatant racism otherwise.
Here are a couple other possible assumptions you might not be aware you were making: - (the other obvious one) That I had cash.
- That all white people are racist unless they give people cash.
- That all white people HAVE cash to give.
- That I only diss black beggars.
- That you are an acceptable representative sample of black culture, and that your not getting cash when trying to guilt unsuspecting, non-cash-carrying white people into giving it to you makes them racist.
- (the really big one) That race had absolutely anything to do with my not giving your aggressive, pan-handling ass cash I DIDN'T FUCKING HAVE!
So, in response to all your assumptions, I'll now say what I should have said at the time. FUCK YOU! I hope you enjoy the two-inch-thick mattress you have at the shelter tonight asshole, because your bullshit behavior toward me certainly didn't get you anything better.
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Guess who's back! So, it's been over three months since I last posted. That's a first. It wasn't intentional, but shit got hectic. Here's a brief recap.
- Bethany got cuffed and illegally detained by the Minneapolis Cops on election night for peacefully demonstrating. The cops got lectured by their superiors and she was released. I almost had a gun pulled on me in the process of trying to obtain her whereabouts.
- We had a play - Three Sisters - which ran the first three weekends of November. Sorry if you missed it, 'cause it was goooood!
- I wrecked my car (yes again) on Thanksgiving Day. I thusly learned the beauty of the Twin Cities public transit system.
- Bethany and I moved in together. It's the most awesome apartment ever built!!! I'm living with a wonderful girl.
- I got the car back. Still insist on busing whenever possible.
- Bethany's [soon-to-be-sold] jewelry & summer clothes got jacked from our storage unit the same night Sam's house got broken into. The claim is still open on that one as we're trying to get receipts from the jeweler in Oregon.
- I was required to do overtime for the entire month of December. Douch-bags.
- I had a very unfortunate misunderstanding with a person I used to think very highly of. Shit sucks with her now. Might cause me to be short on bank for the Fringe application...
- I'm putting in a Fringe application!
- Oh! And I finally have internet for the first time in a month and a half.
And now for the upcoming:
Cromulent Shakespeare Company
presents The Mid-Winter Repertory
February 6-28 at the Minneapolis Theatre Garage
Featuring an ensemble cast in ...
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
adapted by Mitchell Bucky Fay
directed by Leah Cooper Richard III
by William Shakespeare
directed by Timothy Jopek Plus readings of three new plays by local playwrights. That's a ton of theater, at Cromulent's super accessible prices, all packed into three weeks of alternating rep. Mark your calendar now! Starring:
David Beukema, Muriel Bonertz, Sarah Broude, Kevin Carnahan, Helen Donnay, Mitchell Bucky Fay, Bethany Ford, Noah Hildebrandt, Matt Kraft, Claire Lloyd, Mallory Martin, Ben McGinley, John Middleton, Scot Moore, Kyle Orf, Elizabeth Palmieri, Caitlin Ray, Valerie Rigsbee, Kevin Scott Ross, Anthony Sarnicki, Anna Sundberg, Scott Taulman. Design and production team: Jesse Corder, Steph Drinkard, Chris Gennaula, Andrea Heilman, James Kirwin, Rae Lundquist, Mark Palmer, Liz Robinson, Kelly Schaub, David Schneider, Jodi Trotta. New plays:
Nerissa’s Ring by Marcus Anthony Downs, directed by Paul von Stoetzel, February 9
Bards by Nick Ryan, directed by Paul von Stoetzel, February 16
Connected, written and directed by Dave Ash, February 2 Where:
Minneapolis Theatre Garage, 711 W Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55405
Tickets:
Mondays through Wednesdays performances are free to the public. Thursday through Sunday performances are $12 - $15.
Reservations:
(612) 326-3289
When:
February 6-28, 2009
Richard III on Wednesdays and Fridays 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
New play readings Mondays at 7:30 p.m.
Audio description:
By Rick Jacobson. Hunchback on February 26, Richard III on February 27 More info:
www.cromulentshakespeare.org
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I'm trying to keep the auction up. I put it back up this afternoon, but every time eBay emails me, it's with a different story about what I did wrong with the listing, which is starting to sound very fishy. I'll let the tinfoil hatters take off with that one. All they had to do was email me and say, "Hey, can you fix these three things, then you'll be good to go..."
But they didn't. Instead, they pulled the plug altogether without warning me first. This would be one thing if the bid was at $100 or something like that. But, it wasn't! The bid was up to (hold your breath) $7,100!!! Cromulent's whole budget for the rest of the season is something like $7,200. At least that's all they need to raise in advance of the Mid-Winter rep, and we had it PAID-FOR! Still, eBay was not interested in exacting any level of customer service at all, and just pulled the plug on a shit-load of money that was going to a non-profit.
Now, James Janega of the Chicago Tribune and Shamus Toomey of the Chicago Sun Times have been more than accommodating in trying to help me figure this out. They've stuck by their source and not left me high and dry like that rightly could have. The links I've just posted in their names go to the SECOND story they've each posted about me in the last two days. They're both great guys, and I sincerely hope that eBay gets their customer service figured out before they make an awful lot of people really frustrated (if we're not already).
To add to that list, there's Bill Hudson from WCCO who did a great job with the interview this morning, Spike O'Dell from WGN radio (link to audio of that interview), Carol Mayer [producer] from ESPN First Take, and a few others who have had enough faith in the story to give Cromulent some free, much-needed publicity.
However, the thing I want to address the most is that I've been pretty stressed out and crabby the last couple days, and the person who has had to bear the brunt of it is Bethany. She even went and got me coffee at Caribou before the interview on WCCO this morning. She's been patient, wonderful, and has kept reminding me to breathe. I'm new to the press thing and I took it on the chin from a low-life radio loudmouth yesterday afternoon (who will remain unnamed as he's not receiving any Christmas cards from me). She reminded me that he doesn't deserve the time of day.
Not only Bethany, but all my friends who have sent me emails and messages of support (even tried to get me on Fark) have been great. Thanks to everybody who has paid attention to this thing and to everyone who still believes that entertainment should be for everybody not just the wealthy.
Anyway, that's my piece for now. I hope the auction finally stays up this time, but I guess I can't guarantee anything when eBay keeps changing their tune. Here's hopin'!
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So, for those of you who live in Chicago (and those of you in the Twin Cities close to a decent newspaper dealer), you might want to pick up copies of the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times tomorrow. I'll be in BOTH for my eBay auction of my loyalty to the Cubs. For a preface, see the previous link.
If I can get the links, I'll try to post them tomorrow. Admittedly, the Sun Times article might not come out until later in the week, but the Tribune article will definitely be out tomorrow.
Also, WCCO contacted me and indicated that they may be interested in the local angle of the story. I haven't heard from them by phone yet, but I'm hoping they'll do so prior to the end of the auction on Monday. Fingers crossed!!!
I'll try to keep you updated.
EDITED TO ADD (10/08/08 6:31am)
Here's the Chicago Tribune link (currently on their website front page under "local").
And, here the Chicago Sun Times article. The comments are amusing (and I'm sure will get more amusing as the day goes on).
I'll be on WGN radio in a few minutes, and WCCO-TV tomorrow morning - WATCH FOR ME!! KARE-11 also contacted me and I'm starting to wonder if we're really hard-up for news. However, if it gets press for small theatre companies, then I won't complain about its newsworthiness!
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...For a good cause. If you or anyone you know is interested in bidding, here's the link. But, to give you some more details, I'll elaborate. Here's the listing info for the link-o-phobic:
I hate to say it, but I think the time has come. What time, do you ask? Time to place another hex on the lowly Chicago Cubs. Granted, I've only suffered through 30 useless seasons of our "loveable" north-siders, but I've taken all I can take. On Thursday night I watched the best-hitting team in baseball spend 6 and 2/3 innings swinging at pitches in the dirt. I'm sorry, but professional athletes should be able to watch what's going on and adjust. Carlos Zambrano did, and he WALKED his first time up to the plate. The PITCHER walked! Why? Because he made the adjustment. On Thursday night I watched professional athletes, some of the best fielders in the major-leagues, bobble balls like a 9-year-old's little league team. They BACKED UP from batted balls. What do you think is going to happen when you do that? It's fielding 101, and you learn it IN LITTLE LEAGUE! On Thursday night I watched (hopefully for the last time) millions of hearts break because of the combined ineptitude of over-paid professional athletes. Maybe it wasn't ineptitude. Maybe it wasn't even lazy play. Maybe these men just don't care. They certainly didn't play like they care. They played like they were afraid of it. They played like they wanted to lose. Let me say that again. They played like they WANTED to lose.
So, I have a proposition. In the interest of sparing my emotions from one more gut-wrenching season, I am auctioning off my loyalty to the Chicago Cubs. Now, since I realize that seems somewhat fatalistic, I will also make the provision that I will accept bids from ANYONE, even Cubs fans. That means that my loyalty will go to the highest bidder, even if that means I have to get my guts scooped out every year for the rest of my life (as a result of a winning Cubs bid). Selfish? Childish? A stone-cold publicity stunt? Not quite. I will not personally take possession of ANY of the funds. The winning bid will be accepted by me on behalf of two non-profit theatre organizations in Minneapolis, MN, whose mission is to provide accessible entertainment to low-income households; The Cromulent Shakespeare Company, and Prufrock Theatre. The owner of the winning bid will receive a receipt for their tax-deductible donation.Here's how it will work: My goal is to hex the Cubs for another 100 years for their cruel treatment of their fans. Therefore, I will accept bids from fans of any team. If no Cubs fan can beat their bid, I will relinquish my fandom of the Chicago Cubs FOREVER. I will never wear Cubs paraphernalia, or watch their games, or root for them again. I will show loyalty to my new team in the following ways. I will burn my Cubs paraphernalia (admittedly not much at this point - a couple hats and a Sammy Sosa figurine). I will buy hats and jerseys of the new team and, whenever they come to play the Twins, I will show up to at least one game per series and scream like crazy for them. Proceeds will go 100% to the two theatre companies mentioned above. The owner of the winning bid will be given two lifetime passes to every show these two companies perform, and when they travel to Minneapolis to see the shows, I will personally escort them to dinner and the performance. If the bid goes over $50,000.00, this will also include a foot wash & massage (not kidding). This money will be used to make high quality theatre accessible to low-income households. The hex is aimed at over-paid, under-performing, "professional" athletes, not fans. The benefit far exceeds the loss.
I will not apologize for this decision. I'm doing this on behalf of people who have been screwed out of theatre by companies who charge too much to recognize they exist, and on behalf of Cubs fans who have been too loyal to know they deserve better. It pains me to do, but it needs to be done.
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So, it's been almost a month since the Fringe and we're just now wrapping up the blogging. Some of it took some time to stew, and Bethany has decided she only wants to comment on one more piece. So, I'll just run down the final 8 shows so she can get to the one she wants to review.
Saturday, 08/09/2008
Libertarian Rage is a piece about political apathy in America presented by Phillip Low. Like so many other pieces in the Fringe it did an awful lot of shouting about things of which we should be aware, but offered precisely no responses, alternatives, or solutions. Just a note for the issue-minded artists out there: People who go to art are already politically-minded and are familiar with your premise. Quit preaching to the choir and start offering some solutions. Other then that, there was a really amusing zombie bit. 2 out of 5 stars.
We stuck around the Theatre Garage for the next performance, Mike Fotis' An Intimate Evening With Fotis: Part II. Like last year, Mike delivered with some wonderfully written comedy, and Jen Scott cleaned up on bass. This is high quality sit-down comedy, but that's all. I don't know that I needed to see two years of it, but I certainly laughed a lot. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Oens happened. Interact sucks as a performance space. This show gets one star for two things: 1. It may have not offered solutions to the political and cultural struggles it discussed, but the desire to discuss them came from a genuine place, and 2. for dealing with that performance space. Everything that was there should have been moved to the Bedlam.
We then shuffled over to the old Guthrie Lab space (now conveniently named, The Lab Theatre) for Meet the MacBeths, a goofy, 1950's take on the Scottish play. In short, they had some really clever stuff going on in the first half by interpretting into the 1950's framework they had set up, but slipped back into the original text too much, which lost the established cleverness. The performances were great, however, and it was VERY well executed. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Among the "bring your own venue" shows was a piece at Kieran's Irish Pub called A Wake For Change. Just a note to the writers, if you're going to use the word "wake" in your title, and it's at an Irish pub, you sure as hell better involve a corpse and some heavy drinking. That being said, this was a heavily over-produced show. Huge cast, expensive effects, and little pay-off. I may not have been paying attention, but I didn't catch the relevance if they were going to be drawing a parallel from the 1960's folk-music revolution to today's political climate. So, why did I need to see it? It's been done, and overdone, and now it's just an opportunity to try to make money. Meh, I was bored. 2 out of 5 stars. That being said, I did have some AWESOME artichoke dip!
The last show we saw on Saturday was Among the Oats by Jared Reise. Despite the fact that I was VERY tired and had seen too much other theatre that day, I really liked this piece. It was clean, neat, and had some really wholesome things to say about mental health, companionship, and the nature of healing. Normally, I don't get down on that lovey-shit, but this did it in a quirky way that didn't make me want to gag. I'd say it earned a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Also, I've seen Mark Benzel in a few things now and I'm really liking what he puts out. Nice work, all.
Sunday, 08/10/2008 We biked over to the Bryant Lake Bowl on Sunday before noon to catch the last showing of Shift performed by Jonas Goslow, and written by Nick Ryan. This turned out to be the best show of the Fringe for both of us, but I'll let Bethany explain why. First, however, to fully appreciate the show, the viewer had to have had some knowledge of cancer or been touched by it in some way. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have some knowledge of the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, which is governed and operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The Lhc is a particle accelerator that is intended to study the type of energy produced micro-seconds after the big bang. In the wake of the discovery of the types of experiments they would be doing there, some scientists and protesters (mostly Xtian in nature) have tried to stop it from becoming fully operational. Why? Because they believe that accessing this type of energy will produce micro black holes which could eventually become actual black holes, that could destroy the Earth. Nevermind that there isn't enough matter in our entire solar system to produce a black hole. But, since when have those crazy Xtians ever needed logic to make their arguments...? And, now for the review of the play. Bethany?Nick Ryan is an amazing writer. Amazing. He is a member of Four Humours Theatre Company, and he was also one of the writers for Mortem Capiendum (one of my top 5 in this year's Fringe). Jonas Goslow is an amazing actor. This is the first time I've seen him on stage, and for an actor to wow me like that on one performance, they've gotta be damn good - he's damn good. Nick Ryan + Jonas Goslow = amazing, Amazing, wow-me, damn good play!
Before I continue, I have to say that my complete theatre experience was assisted in part by the super-yummy soy mocha and vegan breakfast scramble at the BLB. Thank you, BLB.
The play opened with Goslow in front of the stage curtain, wearing a pair of short shorts, dorky socks, and a t-shirt. He had a box of action figures that he employed to engage in the ultimate battle of good vs. evil (good = Creationists, bad = Evolutionists). He was playing a brainwashed 7-year old so well that (for a minute) I actually thought Nick Ryan had written a piece showcasing a mentally handicapped actor. Not so. After the righteous Creationsit Hans Solo doll vanquished the evil Evolutionist Voltron doll, Goslow disappeared behind the curtain. When he was next revealed, he was a husband who has just discovered that his wife, Alice, has left him. Next, he donned a face mask with mesh material sewn to look like the eyes of a fly. He became a member of "The Hive," a group of militant activists-turned terrorists who plotted to save the world from black holes by destroying the Large Hadron Collider. The fourth character in the story, played by Goslow, was an elementary school teacher in a suburb of Houston, TX, whose job is threatened by new legislation that cuts school funding and prohibits the teaching of Evolutionism.
Throughout the play, Goslow moved between the three adult characters and the storylines began to converge. The husband reveals that his wife is dying of cancer, which originates at the base of her spine and is spreading. The teacher receives an ignorant, threatening note from the parents of one of his students. The Hive destroys the Collider and sets science back 10 years. A failed attempt to remove the tumor kills Alice. The teacher loses his job. As the play's metaphor is revealed to the audience, the crushing reality of our current culture also becomes undeniable.
In the play's final three minutes, Goslow again appears in front of the curtain as the young child. He talks to the audience about his teacher who was fired because he believed in the evil Evolutionists. I felt sick. What I had found cute and silly at the play's beginning was sickening and repulsive by its conclusion. My own acceptance of ignorance - my willingness to laugh at the child's naivetee rather than recognize the danger of his ignorance was laid before me and I had to see it for what it was - my small contribution to the kind of ignorance that spreads like cancer through a society.
This play was everything that theatre should be. Most of all, it was both entertaining and thought provoking in a way that made me look at the world just a little bit differently after leaving the theater. 5.5 out of 5 stars for this piece - easily the best thing I saw at the 2008 Fringe.
The last piece we saw was In Rehearsal, which probably should have stayed there. No names, no links, as I don't want to hurt anyone. This show was a self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing opportunity for the actress to show off how un-loved she feels, how bendy she is, and what types of condoms she wants her next lover to use on her.I have no idea what rating to give it, but Bethany made a very good point. We saw a couple decent one-woman shows at the Fringe this year (namely Sarah Martin and Allegra Lingo), but several were whining, self-pitying attempts at getting people to pay attention to them. The only one-MAN shows we saw were absolutely fantastic, because they weren't about the actor. They were about the art. This has nothing to do with sexism, but everything to do with women feeling they have to put on a show about what people expect them to say. Men have freedom to not do that. Allegra and Sarah saw no boundaries in front of them in regards to their material, so thusly didn't use them. Nice work, ladies. And, that's it for Fringe '08. I hope you got something useful out of all of this. If not... keep scrolling.
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So, after a long week of auditions, work, and just general craziness, we're back to the reviews. Now, we know some of you may be thinking, "But, Scot and Bethany, why are you still reviewing when it doesn't do the audience any good? The Fringe is OVER!" And, you're right. The Fringe is over. However, some artists look for info and reviews about their shows months after the Fringe is done, in search for ways to either improve or just generally get a feel for things they may want to change. So, that being said. We're going to give you three last Fringe posts. Starting with:
Friday, Aug. 8
NOTE: I will be entering reviews first, as Bethany is still unavailable to blog. But, she'll add her $.02 later, so be sure to check back for the edits.
 The Gypsy and the General would turn out to be the 4th in a string of SEVEN-STRAIGHT good shows. That's really hard to do at the Fringe, and it took some driving around to do it, but it was nice to have. Personally, this was 2008 Fringe top 3 for me. It was absolutely tight. The movement was intent-filled, and geniously choreographed. The effects were carefully articulated and executed, giving you the distinct impression that this was simply NOT a Fringe show. This show (along with two others I'll reveal in our final post) goes on my list of top-three shows that should be given full-length time and opportunity, and I'll be first in line to see it!!! 5 out of 5 stars (I'd give more, but that's just tacky). As a final note, I felt the guitar-player was absolutely brilliant, and was perfectly fitting with the nature of the piece (not to mention wildly and limitlessly talented).
 Next on Friday was Allegra Lingo's show Tipping the Bucket. Now, I mentioned last year that I Hate Kenny G was one of my favorite shows of the Fringe, so I was eagerly anticipating this year's installment. Not only that, but the subject revolved around how the Catholic church deals with homosexuality, so I found it rather apt that my father (an Episcopal priest for those who don't already know) was in town to catch it. I wasn't as blown away with this year's show as last years', however, there was less music so I guess that may have had something to do with it. I find myself in a conundrum about her methodology. I respect how she never really explained (in full detail) how it made sense for her to be Catholic and gay, because it's a personal thing that everyone has to understand on their own terms. However, the show was billed on that premise, so it was a little frustrating to feel unrequited in the search for the info. Still, the show was a solid 4 out of 5 stars, and a viewing of a wonderful storyteller to boot!
 We then traversed the treacherous Rarig Center stairs to hit the Thrust for Horse Trade Theater Group's The Pumpkin Pie Show. This was #6 out of 7 good shows. Why? Because it wasn't your usual storytelling. It was storytelling with a gimmick. They have 14 possible shows that can be selected, but instead of leaving it up to the audience to choose, they decide by way of the only real, ultimate authority - CHANCE! Each story has a card, and they pick at random (granted, with veto authority). I'll keep it short. The stories were never just sad or funny. They were sad with moments of levity, and funny with moments of gravity. For the cleverness of the format and the all-around richness of the storytelling, they get 4.5 out of 5 stars.
 And, our last show of the evening (sounds like "...and for my final trick...") we made it to No Refunds Theatre Co.'s production of Sun Tzu's Art of Basketweaving War. Adeptly narrated by a baggily-clothed John Middleton, this take on the ancient art of mortal combat is a clever attempt at making technical reading fun. The three actors depicting the diagrams Middleton describes (Christopher Howie, Mike Postle, and Kiseung Rhee) are trained in various forms of martial arts and, knowing that, I felt a little cheated when those skills were seldom-used. Admittedly, I may be a little biased because I knew that was coming and was therefore hoping for more of it, but if you have ninjas, why not use them? Their physical comedy was welcome, however, and I felt the show was quite a refreshing brain-recharge after some of the heavier material of the day. Another 4 out of 5 stars.More to come...
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 On Thursday at 5:30, we headed to Rarig for An Inconvenient Squirrel. This was my first experience with a Scrimshaw show, and I loved it! I'm a big fan of Children's Theatre, and this was a wonderful example - engaging for all ages, fast-paced and high-energy, clear, and based around a valuable lesson: be yourself even if that means admitting that you don't know who you are yet. 4 out of 5 stars.
Yep. I dig. Normally, when I go to theatre, I get crabby at the audience members who are making noise and distracting from the show, but The performers in this show were loud enough and articulate enough that even hordes of children couldn't drown them out (though they occasionally tried).
We would have seen another couple shows on Thursday at 7pm and 8:30pm, but my folks came into town, so we sat down to dinner first.
 However, for the 10:00pm show, we treated ourselves to one of the better things we've seen this Fringe, Monica Rodero & Daniel Schuchart's Gone, Gone, Gone. Hey, it kept my parents awake after a five hour drive across Wisconsin, and it's dance, so it must be good, right? The first thing I noticed about the piece is that we had a couple of slender, lanky dancers, who still managed to produce some wonderfully short, tight movements, as well as the long, languid movements generally associated with more slender dancers. In other words, these two have worked insanely hard at their craft to be able to do what they want with their bodies, not what their bodies may have been predisposed to do. They work their way, beautifully, through a series of difficulties in communication, all clear enough to get a feeling yet open enough to allow for interpretation. Admittedly, there were some things I didn't get, and I guess it's my difficulty with dance, but it gets a 4.5 out of 5 stars, and is certainly worth seeing again if they ever come to town for a full-length show!I loved this piece! The movement was phenomenal, and phenomenally original! The music selections were fantastic as well! The pair explored the theme of relationships from a number of angles, and so when our party of four discussed the show, we found that each of us saw different things depending on our experience/perspective. My instinct is to give this 5 out of 5 stars - simply because the piece managed to play every emotional note, take risks, and succeed flawlessly.Up next: Friday's fab four performances!
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We went to see Stupid Face at 5:30.
 As previously stated, I am very much NOT a fan of therapy theatre. Why would I pay you money and give my time to hear you talk about yourself? That's something that you pay a therapist to do.... for 50 minutes, not 60. I often wonder if artists are aware of the sucky sucky economy, and the fact that this sucky economy is sucking money from an already struggling art form. Now more than ever, theatre needs to be all about the audience experience. If you think for one second that people want to get up off their couches, drive to the theatre (on $4.50 a gallon), pay for parking, and pay for a ticket so that they can help you work through something, you're dead wrong. And what's more, your inaccurate assumption is damaging to the rest of us who are trying to win the investment of potential audience members. If someone goes to see your therapy show, and comes out thinking "boy, I guess I won't be doing that again," then you are responsible for the lost revenue that patron could have brought to other companies, and the artistic fulfillment the patron could have enjoyed if they had gone to see something better. That may sound harsh, but this really is not the decade to be doing "me" theatre - that was Greenwich Village in the 70's, and I'm sure it pissed people off then, too.
The entire hour was a chronological account of the artist's experience with Bell's Palsy. I found nothing in the story that I could apply to my own experience, or that of anyone I know. I found nothing that made me consider the universe and my place in it. Nothing that made me want to know more about world hunger, global warming, politics, minority issues, or even Bell's Palsy. I saw on stage a young, upper-middle-class white female who got her BFA in Acting from the Guthrie. She was telling me about how her life had changed over night and that she had learned to cope, overcome adversity, endure..... a mildly distracting facial imbalance. Okaaaay..... and I'm waiting for the catch. I'm waiting to hear about how you were inspired to perform in the streets to raise money for Operation Smile. No? Well then tell me a story about how you toured American hospitals, recording the testimonials of other people whose lives had been changed over night by illness or injury. No? Okay, then I'll listen to another track of your CD, and check my watch. 2 out of 5 stars.
I'm not a big fan of "therapy theatre", myself. However, I would have to say that this is one of the better versions of it I've seen, as the performer did come to an understanding about how her malady isn't such a horrible thing, and how she'd come to live with it. For that, I give her credit. Also, she has a great singing voice. One which is clearly well trained and has excellent control even at low volumes, much like Judy Garland. Sadly, that's the best I can say. Other then that, it's pretty much the same "therapy theatre" story of, "...my life sucks/sucked because of X/Y, and here's how I deal/dealt with it..." After hearing such phrases (metaphoric or otherwise) I want an offering. What can you give to me, the audience? For the singing voice and the mildly less depressing outlook on life, this "therapy theatre" session gets 2.25 out of 5 stars. Perhaps this would be better as a motivational speech for high school girls with image issues?
 We took an extended dinner break and conveyed ourselves over to the Bryant Lake Bowl for the first time this Fringe to see Elephant Shoes & Olive Juice, produced by 20% Theatre Company. THIS is what people should be paying money to see - entertainment! This show has something to offer in the form of analyzing how people communicate with each other, and how we fail when the method of communication is considered instead of the message itself. It had more to say then that, but within the first five minutes I was hooked by the premise of six people saying "I Love You" in six different ways, and each recipient being oblivious as a result of their receptor mechanism being limited A) a different form of communication and B) by paying more attention to their own misinterpreted communication. Freakin' genius, I say! This play has a lot to say about social interaction and does so without all those obnoxious words. Beautiful. I would like to have seen more of Katie Kaufmann's clowning brilliance, and maybe an expansion on the opening concepts, but it was one of the better things I've seen. 4.5 out of 5 stars!Totally agree. The entire cast was phenomenal, and each piece was beautifully executed. I just wanted them to go on and on! My favorite bit was a parody of intra-office communication, and how a tech-team overcomes impossible odds to retrieve an offensive e-mail! I can't give it quite the same score as SLOTD or Dipped in Love, but definitely nips at their heels! 4.75 out of 5 stars. Thank, 20%!
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It's taken us a while to solidify any sort of schedule, but Bethany manufactured a handy way of manipulating the master schedule from the Fringe newspaper, and it seems to be working pretty well. Here's what we've got through Friday.
Wednesday, Aug. 6
5:30 Stupid Face, presented by Courtney Roche
Venue: U of M Xperimental
8:00 Reefer Madness, presented by Young Artists Council
Venue: Bryant Lake Bowl
10:00 Elephant Shoes & Olive Juice, presented by 20% Theatre Company
Venue: Bryant Lake Bowl
Thursday, Aug. 7
5:30 An Inconvenient Squirrel, presented by Joseph Scrimshaw Productions
Venue: U of M Thrust
7:00 A Wake For Change, presented by A-Change
Venue: Kieren's Pub
8:30 School of Rockstars, presented by What Happened Productions
Venue: U of M Thrust
10:00 Gone, Gone, Gone, presented by Monica Rodero & Daniel Schuchart
Venue: Southern Theatre
Friday, Aug. 8
4:00 The Gypsy and the General, presented by 3 Sticks
Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune
5:30 Tipping the Bucket, presented by Allegra J. Lingo
Venue: U of M Arena
7:00 The Pumpkin Pie Show, presented by Horse Trade Theater Group
Venue: U of M Thrust
8:30 Sun Tzu's The Art of War, presented by No Refunds Theatre Co.
Venue: U of M Proscenium
And when Saturday morning rolls around, we'll reassess what's left and plot out Saturday and Sunday accordingly. See you there!
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Well, we're slowly ramping back up to solid Fringing, but still didn't fill all 4 slots tonight... Okay, that sounded dirty. At any rate, we saw three shows.
 The first performance we caught tonight was Charlie Bethel's Beowulf or Gilgamesh: You Decide! I'm going to start with the rating (4 out of 5 stars) and then explain. First off, I think Mr. Bethel's performances are something that all aspiring storytellers should be required to attend. He's warm and inviting without being detrimentally casual. He engages the audience without making them feel uncomfortable. And, he is the epitome of precision. He enunciates clearly, he applies appropriate breath support, and distinctly varies all those elements of performance we learned in high school and college forensics. So, the question is, what went wrong with the piece? Nothing, really. This is just a matter of opinion. I've noticed that many storytellers don't seem to take their craft as seriously from an appearance and presentation standpoint as they ought to. While Mr. Bethel's vocal and energy aspects were highly professional, there was just something about seeing it in an un-tucked shirt, jeans, and loafers that detracted from the piece. Tux? No. But something more befitting of the material.
Charlie Bethel is a phenomenal performer. Last year's Tom Thumb was easily the best one-man show I've ever seen. Beowulf was very well told in Charlie's crisp, precise, highly charismatic style. I particularly liked the way that his formal language would occasionally give way to modern-day lingo with a wink at the audience. (I would have loved to hear Bethel include a few lines of the original text, but that's the English major geek in me.) The performance was less disciplined than Tom Thumb, but I think Bethel performed Beowulf exactly as he intended to - deliberately delivering a high-falootin' text in an accessible, enjoyable way. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
 We skipped the 7:00 in favor of dinner, and then headed to the Ritz Theater (have I mentioned how much I fucking love that space?) for Lili's Burlesque Review, or The Underpants Show. Given Lili's reputation, I expected to be wowed. Alas, no. The good: some of the dance numbers were phenomenal - particularly the UPS guy who danced with his dolly! In fact, each individual act had something really valuable to offer. The bad: 8 minutes late on the start time. Fringe audiences are accustomed to the tight schedules, so when the band played yet another lead-in song, everyone was wondering what we were waiting for. Also, a general lack of energy, and some sloppiness in the group numbers. I got the feeling that Lili's hadn't done a ton of prep as a company, though individuals obviously did their homework. I give it 3.25 out of 5 stars. HEY! Women took their clothes off, how could you possibly be disappointed?! Okay, I agree with the starting late thing. While the show only ended 2 minutes late, I was concerned with the late start as we needed to get to Mixed Blood in a hurry. When I thought we were going to be watching a band concert instead of burlesque, I think I might have started to foam at the mouth. However, I was quickly put at ease when the singing started. I really enjoy the vaudeville format, and was wowed by two performers in particular. The delivery guy with the dolly was wonderful and totally unexpected, and the salsa dancing woman in black left my jaw on the floor in respect for the control she had over her hips. I'd say 3.5 out of 5 stars, as I don't believe this was really intended as a Fringe show. I think it was intended as an investment in marketing. How many people were exposed to Lili's that had never been to burlesque before?
 Then, onto our final performance of the night, JACK by Eric Van Wyk. I'll be perfectly honest with you, I have my reservations about puppetry. For some odd reason, the image of a possessed John Malkovich doing the mediocre bidding of John Cusack always comes to mind whenever someone brings it up. Normally, though, my fears are quickly put to rest and I'm reassured by the clever and crisp performances of the puppeteers in question. Long story short, that was not the case this time. The piece is sorely lacking in polish. There are massive gaps in time where something could be happening. There are times when the puppets don't react to what's happening. Keep in mind, there's only one puppeteer. I can understand if there were two or more, that sometimes one will not see what another is doing, but when it's only one person... On the plus side, some of the puppets are beautiful and the unit-set is quaint and fascinating. There was just too little polish and too much space for this to be enjoyable. Great concept, but I'd like to see it a few months from now. 1.5 out of 5 stars.
Same rating for me. I think this show was either under-rehearsed, or short one puppeteer. The director really needed to give the artist help in precision and timing. However, the concept was interesting, some of the materials were beautiful, and there was Tom Waits playing in the background so it had a few merits.
Ooh! Look at that! It's 1:30 in the AM. French Silk pie and vodka cranberry are digesting in our tummies and making us sleepy. Time to say "G'night, Fringe! See you tomorrow!"
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Monday, Monday, Monday!!
I had a brief conversation with Allegra Lingo in which she indicated that Fringe Monday is usually the lightest day of the Fringe, as it's hard to get people out after a long weekend and the beginning of a brand new work week. I had to admit that we, too, took it easy today, only seeing two shows.
 The first piece we took in today was New Theatre Group's American Sexy. Since the show was promoted by referring back to last year's hilarious romp Killer Smile, I spent entirely too much time comparing, and was disappointed. However, since Bethany hadn't seen last year's piece, I'll let her take this one on her own.
I was not impressed. The play was misogynistic (yes, I see that it was written by a woman. So was last year's Shelf Life of Sympathy). and unrefined. The end payoff was minimal, considering that nine tenths of the play was a series of Theatre-101 scene studies about girls who humiliate themselves for attention. Had the play addressed the fact that girls don't behave this way from birth, that they are conditioned by a patriarchal society to degrade themselves in exchange for the semblance of approval, then I might be more inclined to give it a favorable review. I wonder if the author was relying on the aptitude of her audience? Did she expect us to make those connections ourselves, without the help of text? If so, then I'd say her expectations do not serve her art. The acting was decent, and so I'll give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.
 Next, we headed across town to the Ritz Theater (gorgeous space!) for The Chasm. This is one of those cases - a very strong production of a play that I am not able to connect with. The show features Spanish poetry with English subtitles projected on a huge wall behind the actors. Using fabric and mirrors, a ensemble of beautiful women in white dresses tell their story in movement and spoken word. I was overcome by the beauty of some of the stage pictures, but as someone who is unfamiliar with the poetry of Gabriela Mistral and unfortunately monolingual, I felt like I was watching this piece from the outside. I'm going to defer to Scot's rating on this one. By the way, please raise the subtitles above the actors heads so that audience members can read the text.I have to admit that I'm a bit of a dance "outsider" at times. However, I have seen very few performances of dance pieces that I didn't like, so I'd like to claim that I'm a great appreciator of dance. For this one, though, I have to throw my hands up and admit, "I don't get it." It's very well rehearsed, and remarkably polished, so for those who "get" the poetry and dance involved better than I, you will certainly enjoy the piece. I enjoyed it, but didn't process much. One thing I do want to critique is the mirrors. Great concept, but there are times that concept has to take a back seat to audience comfort. Aim those things away from the audience, folks. I think I'm still seeing spots. For the preparation and the aforementioned stunning visual aspects of the show, it nets a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars.And we'll be back on Wednesday morning with a recap of Tuesday night's entertainment. We apologize that we haven't been updating with our schedule in advance as we had hoped, but there have been rapid schedule adjustments that we just didn't anticipate. Thanks for understanding.
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Sunday.
 We went to the 1:00 PM performance of Boom, written and performed by Andrew Connor. I loved this show - loved it. Andrew's writing is complex, cerebral, and fully human. If I get a chance to go back for a second viewing of any show, it'll be Boom. The show is quite layered, and there are intricacies that can be better appreciated the second time around. Andrew plays 13 (or more?) characters - each one is distinct and realized. My favorite is 6-year-old Rosie, a prodigy bomb-maker in training. My instinct is to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, but I really don't know what I'd be docking the half-star for.
I do. The show didn't knock me out of my seat. The pacing is very consistent, almost to the point of lulling the audience into complacency. It is very impressive to watch one actor put out that much energy for that long, but the breaks are too few, and too far apart to qualify as the variance in tempo. That aside, there's nothing I can really complain about either. The 4.5 sticks.
 This next review is the most difficult one for me, and I'm going to tread carefully. Allison Broeren gives an extremely personal performance in her veteran storytelling production, I'll Marry You for Health Insurance, and Other Shocking Revelations. The first thing I thought upon leaving the Rarig's Experimental space after the show was, "How authentic and raw!" However, after further processing, that thought changed to, "Have I just been manipulated?" Not with any ill intent, mind you, but manipulated nonetheless. It's very difficult to be critical of a show that is this personal, but as a piece of theatre/storytelling, we have to be. Allison is a wonderful storyteller, but there is a difference between sharing something personal in the context that it can help us forward our lives and the lives of others (like her section on the B.S. that is the U.S. heathcare system), and sharing something because the performer feels like venting their own personal struggles. Had she kept the presentation within that context, and not delved into coffee-house confessional, I think I would have felt less manipulated. I'd say it's a 3.5 out of 5 star performance, and certainly one that all Health-Insurance executives should be forced to see.
For the aspects of the performance that dealt with the U.S. healthcare system and corporate policy, I give the show 3.75 out of 5 stars. For the lack of discipline that lead Allison off track on tangents about her childhood dreams, etc... I have to dock 1.5 stars. Theatre is and should always be about the audience - NOT the performer. The performer is the delivery device. The performer's job is to serve the material, which should always strive to connect with/affect its audience. My score: 2.75 out of 5 stars.
 Next, we took a Pizza Luce break (needed to satisfy the pizza craving that began at Saturday night's performance at the Southern). Side Note: Thank you, Pizza Luce, for your vegan Lil' Gracie! I love you! After satisfying the pizza-need, we headed back to Rarig for Bedlam's You're No Fun, a West-Bank musical about West-Bankers who put on a musical. I give it 4 out of 5 stars for being funny and well-executed. 2 out of 5 stars for being yet another spoof on the musical-comedy formula, and yet another musical about the making of a musical. So, my grand total is 3 out of 5 stars.
Okay, that grading system got too complex for me, so I'll just go with the 3 out of 5 stars. Here's why. As well executed as the production is, it's just a premise. There's no explanation as to why the relationship between the two main characters ended, and no resolution to the relationship at the end. All it's about is a woman writing a musical about an ex. I need a "why" and some sort of payoff for the story, other than just seeing guys in drag.
 The Rarig Thrust hosted us for the whole night, next yielding The Cody Rivers Show Presents: Stick to Glue. First and foremost, this production is a clinic in preparation, timing, precision, and just plain hard work. For any of the lesser, ill-prepared shows of the festival, take some time out of your week and SEE THIS SHOW! It will give you some idea of how preparation alone can help you to stand above the rest. I missed their show last year, so I was pleased to squeeze it in early this year (as show #16). These guys rehearse like fiends, prepare like maniacs, and put out like $2... well, let's just say they give you more than your money's worth as far as energy goes. It's a 5-star show all around.Totally agree with Scot - this is an amazing demonstration of skill and precision. Honestly, I liked Boom a little better, because I always prefer shows that appeal to me on an emotional level. I was completely wow-ed, but it didn't get at my gut. I give it 4.5 out of 5 , just 'cause I can't give it a better score than it's little sister, Boom.
Now, a tangent. What IS it with Minnesotans who stand up like $2.... well, let's just say that Minnesotans need to seriously reevaluate the qualifying factors for a standing ovation. People, don't stand up because it's shiny and expensive-looking. People, don't stand up because you're "I'm oh-so-cultured" buddy tells you that it's best art in the country. People, don't stand up because your grandchild is taking his/her bow. And for the love of all that is sacred. People! DON'T stand up because everyone else is standing up and you can't see the curtain call, or god forbid people should think that you didn't "get it." A Standing Ovation is a high honor that should be reserved for truly sublime performances. You should be compelled to stand because clapping alone cannot express your gratitude for the incredible gift you have just received. If you go to 20 shows per year, and stand once every two or three years, you're doing it right. And if you are the only one standing, that's absolutely fine because you are standing for the right reasons. Tangent complete.
 After the Cody Rivers show, we got right back in the ticket line for the 10:00 PM Four Humors presentation of Mortem Capiendum. 4.5 out of 5 stars. These guys are great, and the script is wonderful. All three actors create absolutely wonderful characters. After 4 days of Fringing, I was tired and hungry and a little cranky - it's fair to say that even a decent show would not have held my attention. But I was totally engaged in this performance for every minute of it. Like Boom, the script is layered, and so audience members might benefit from a second viewing in order to fully understand the story. The script is fairly well worked, but has some logistical holes it never fills in, and it invites conversation which is derivative but irrelevant to the intention of the piece. After the nitpicking, I'll concur with the 4.5 out of 5 stars. Four Humours regularly puts up a remarkable Fringe offering, and this is no different. Great work guys.
Oh, then we biked home in the pouring rain. Two thumbs down and -5 out of 5 stars to the asshole Minneapolis police officer who followed us across a BICYCLE bridge and nearly killed us when he refused to honk prior to passing. Jerk. 5 out of 5 stars for the key lime pie that made it all better. ;-)
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