Minnesota Fringe – Day 6 Round Up

My schedule is finally easing up. It’s a two-show day for me, which makes me feel like I am swimming in spare time. I start at Mixed Blood, stop by my apartment to feed the cats and fold some laundry, and then make my way to Strike.

At one theater, I find myself deep in a conversation with a pair of men, one of whom has seen nearly as many plays as me, and the other of whom is now on his third. In typical Fringe fashion, somehow I have only heard of two or three of the ones they have seen so far, and vice versa.  They had been trying to decide if they should go to I Favor My Daddy, which of course I recommend, and a conversation about how cute Open Eye Theatre is ensues.

At the other theater I find myself wondering if Fringe is no longer turning late patrons away at the door. I can see both sides. I’m grateful for more butts in seats, but watching (and listening!) to more than ten people grope for seats in a darkened theater with squeaky floors is annoying. A woman in front of me literally turns on her phone flashlight to find her seat and, after getting settled, realizes that her family member is sitting on the opposite side of the theater. After wildly waving her arms to no avail, she crosses the theater to bring the family member back to her – narrowly avoiding being trampled by an actor. Not to be that person, but come on.

Still, both plays are easy recommendations today.

Playing Dead (Mixed Blood Theatre)

Playing Dead is a dramatic comedy about grief, family dynamics, and moving on. Katja (Laura Carlson) returns home from New York to attend her grandmother’s funeral and figure out how to divide the things left to her sister Sigrid (Natosha Guldan), her mother Lena (Meri Golden), and herself. Tensions grow as the trio struggles to compromise and things only get worse when Katja begins masquerading as her grandmother. The script and the staging keep the answer to the underlying question ambiguous: was Katja actually possessed by the spirit of her grandmother? did she suffer a mental break? or was she just pretending the whole time?

Regardless of the answer, Playing Dead is a highly effective play, directed and produced by playwright Kari Heistad. Carlson is a perfect Katja, from her over-the-top theater kid energy to her waddling, interfering grandmother performance, to her severe Lady Macbeth. Meri Golden and Natosha Guldan are also incredibly effective. Golden delivers ones of my favorite lines, “Your help feels like a burden” with a quavering rage, and Guldan embodies the stick-in-the-mud to snapped pipeline beautifully. Dialogue is often performed at a pace that would make the Gilmore Girls proud, so be prepared for that.

This is one of the few non-LGBTQIA+ plays that I was able to fit in my Fringe schedule and I am so glad that I did.

I highly recommend Playing Dead, especially for people who are dealing with grief, appreciate a little ambiguity in storytelling, and like stories that deal with complicated family dynamics.

Remaining Shows

8/9 – 10:00 PM
8/11 – 8:30 PM 

Love Lies a Bleeding (Strike Theater)

Love Lies a Bleeding is a Jacobean era story that has been reworked for a modern audience and, y’know, Fringe time limits. The original (written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher) is over three hours long and was adapted by Vee Signorelli into this Fringe masterpiece. Not only did Signorelli get rid of two hours worth of story, they but also slipped in a little extra violence, a little extra queerness, and way more making out (and kink!) than you’ll find in the original. Love Lies a Bleeding covers complicated love triangles, hilarious shenanigans, and a classic last inning reveal that I should have seen coming and somehow did not.

Love Lies a Bleeding is a funny, campy romp that strikes a perfect balance between Jacobean England and modern day America. It has a strong cast, great design, and was nearly fully packed at the 10 PM show I attended, so maybe pre-buy a ticket?

My only critique is that I would have liked to see a couple venue-specific tweaks after moving into the space. There is quite a bit of action that takes place on the floor, which is difficult to see from 75% of the seats at Strike. The theater is also small enough that I found some of the shouty bits to be overwhelmingly loud. But that’s obviously small potatoes for an ultimately delightful piece of theater.

I highly recommend Love Lies a Bleeding, especially for people who likes Shakespearean language, queered classics, and a teeeeeny bit of audience participation.

Remaining Shows

8/9 – 5:30 PM
8/10 – 8:30 PM 
8/11 – 4:00 PM