Fringe Wrap – Day 2 Roundup

It was a full weekend! Now that I’ve fixed my schedule so I’m not bike-racing the clock after every show, I have settled into the familiar Fringe routine of a mostly solo Fringe attendee. Sometimes I sit in the lobby and scroll through my phone, sometimes I chat with fellow Fringe goers between shows, and we’re now far enough into the fest that faces are getting familiar.

Since I saw a lot of theater this weekend, I have starred my favorite shows below. I tried to limit myself to two faves a day, so a show is likely still worth seeing even if it isn’t starred.

                                                                                                              Friday

After spending the first half of my Friday in the lazy river at Cascade Bay, I am primed and ready for the Fringey part of my day to start. The bike rides from Bryant Lake Bowl to Open Eye Theatre to Mixed Blood and back home are the perfect length to let me stretch my legs and let my mind wander over whatever show I just left.

It’s a diverse set of shows, starting with sketch comedy, moving on to a man talking about his deceased father, and concluding with a one-person cabaret that I found particularly, personally resonant.

I don’t know if you can kick off the first Fringe weekend better than that.

Open Tab (Bryant Lake Bowl and Theater)

Although the Chicago-based sketch group gets points for creating two Minnesota-themed sketches (presumably) for the Minnesota Fringe, they also opened letting us know that three of their six members had somewhere more important to be than the Minnesota Fringe Festival. One was recently cast on a TV show (which the audience cheered for), the other was on a camping trip, and I think the third was at a wedding? I remember thinking that they all seemed like good reasons, but it’s frustrating to see a Fringe slot go to a group that can only convince half its members to show up.

The audience I was a part of started off supportive, but our energy waned quickly. When I was unlocking my bike after the show I heard someone say, in a tone of forced optimism, “There were some funny bits…” which his theater buddy echoed with a sighed “…yeah…” of his own. Maybe the three remaining members were stuck doing sketches they weren’t used to or maybe they just weren’t used to being on stage for a full hour, but the energy of the show was off.

This is categorized as a show that includes LGBTQIA+ content but the only queer element at the show I attended was when they said that one of the missing members of is a lesbian. Some of their troupe will join them later in the festival, so maybe there will be more queer content then?

I recommend Open Tab for people who believe in second chances (I do) and like sketch comedy.

Remaining Shows:

8/6 – 8:30 PM
8/7 – 10 PM
8/11 – 2:30 PM

I Favor My Daddy – A Tale of Two Sissies (Open Eye Theatre)

Jaime Brickhouse has brought a poignant, comedic, impeccably crafted one-man show to the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Brickhouse begins his act directly addressing the audience, keeping the house lights up for just long enough to let us know that he sees us and to ask us a few questions, setting a tone of community and shared experience.

I Favor My Daddy: A Tale of Two Sissies is a story of familial love and self-discovery that loops back to an empathetic look at Brickhouse’s father – a man who might not have been able to live the life that he wanted, but who was happy to see his son thrive in ways that he never did. Brickhouse’s southern cadence, the nostalgic set he crafted (which he explains at the end of the show), and the funny, heartfelt nature of his story all make I Favor My Daddy a show well worth attending – even if you think Open Eye is too far away.

Yes, I have heard rumblings about Open Eye Theatre, but this is the closest theater to my house, so I’m going to die on this hill: please see shows at Open Eye!! This venue fits I Favor My Daddy especially well – the intimacy of the theater combined with the elegance of the brick arches at the back of the stage make a perfect backdrop for Brickhouse’s act.

I recommend I Favor My Daddy for queer folks, people with complicated relationships with their parents, and anyone who appreciates a little southern charm.

Remaining Shows:

8/5 – 5:30 PM
8/8 – 7:00 PM
8/10 – 10 PM

Transmaculine Cabaret, Starring Vulva Va-Voom (Mixed Blood Theatre)

Before Transmasculine Cabaret begins, the audience finds a person already on stage, vocalizing behind a large, gilded mirror. When the lights finally go down and the show begins, the person behind the mirror, who introduces themselves as Vulva Va-Voom, welcomes allies and potential enemies alike, letting allies know that seeing this show will assuage their liberal guilt and letting enemies know that a purchased ticket is still a purchased ticket.

Vulva Va-Voom then launches into a parody of “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, which neatly summarizes the potentially triggering content of the show. With that, I was pretty much sold for the duration of Transmasculine Cabaret. Vulva Va-Voom dances, sings, and interacts with pre-recorded material that covers internal monologues, banter with a heckler, and a running conversation with the European metal band that is staying in their house. A running laugh track punctuates many of the jokes and is often echoed by Vulva Va-Voom’s own manic laughter. Over the course of the show they slowly shift their presentation from feminine to masculine: changing clothes, removing a wig, and redoing their makeup until they finally deem themselves ready for their drag show.

I heard that the preview promised tears and although I did not actually cry, I did tear up multiple times. Stories about people who fall outside of the binary are still vanishingly rare and hearing someone else admit, with a familiar sense of internalized self-deprecation, that they’ve had a meltdown because a shirt was too ruffly or a ring was too sparkly resonated in a very particular way. This is a chaotic, interesting show that will either offer you a reflection of yourself that you didn’t know you needed or open your eyes to a different lived experience. 

I recommend Transmasculine Cabaret: Starring Vulva Va-Voom for anyone who likes good sound design, appreciates a stretching of their sensibilities, and is interested in the lives of people who fall outside the binary.

Remaining Shows:

8/5 – 7 PM
8/9 – 7 PM
8/10 – 10 PM