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My parents babysat for the girls tonight and Ed and I went to two decidedly non-kid-oriented Fringe shows. The Tyranny of God's Love is playing at the Center for Intermedia Arts and, like Hansel and Gretel, started with a funeral scene. That's about where the similarities ended. Tyranny of God's Love made a lot less sense, but was a whole lot funnier. Three of the scenes were bits of the same story, and I kept trying to relate the other bits in without success. Probably the funniest segment came near the end and involves four young people having an exhuberant meta conversation. ("That looks like an expensive and time-consuming activity you're engaging in. I like activities that are expensive and time-consuming." "Thank you for noticing that I am engaging in an expensive and time-consuming activity. That makes you awesome! Let's be friends!")
Macbeth's Awesome Scottish Castle Party is a bring-your-own-venue show; they're playing at the Black Forest Inn (in the banquet room) three times a night through the festival, I think. In the notes on the program, the director and writer noted that a few years ago he saw Titus Andronicus at the Globe Theater in London, and they had the actors going out into the audience and addressing audience members as if they were ancient Romans, and he thought, "You know, this is kind of like Tony and Tina's Wedding, only with more violence and racism!" And started mulling over the concept of Shakespeare as interactive theater.
It is hysterically funny. I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The three witches are played by a single witch with two witch hand puppets; Duncan, Banquo, Macduff, and a couple other characters are played by a single guy who runs in and out in different colors of shirt. He's also the straight man, the one who insists on speaking the actual Shakespearean lines.
Both shows were really good, but if you just want something that will make you laugh really hard, go see Macbeth's Awesome Scottish Castle Party, which totally lives up to the eye-catching name.
On tap for tomorrow: at 7 p.m. I'm going to see Witnessing to a Murder at Manna Fest at Augsburg College -- this is unaffiliated with Fringe Fest but in a similar vein. All the plays have a spiritual, ethical, or religion-oriented theme.
Macbeth's Awesome Scottish Castle Party is a bring-your-own-venue show; they're playing at the Black Forest Inn (in the banquet room) three times a night through the festival, I think. In the notes on the program, the director and writer noted that a few years ago he saw Titus Andronicus at the Globe Theater in London, and they had the actors going out into the audience and addressing audience members as if they were ancient Romans, and he thought, "You know, this is kind of like Tony and Tina's Wedding, only with more violence and racism!" And started mulling over the concept of Shakespeare as interactive theater.
It is hysterically funny. I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. The three witches are played by a single witch with two witch hand puppets; Duncan, Banquo, Macduff, and a couple other characters are played by a single guy who runs in and out in different colors of shirt. He's also the straight man, the one who insists on speaking the actual Shakespearean lines.
Both shows were really good, but if you just want something that will make you laugh really hard, go see Macbeth's Awesome Scottish Castle Party, which totally lives up to the eye-catching name.
On tap for tomorrow: at 7 p.m. I'm going to see Witnessing to a Murder at Manna Fest at Augsburg College -- this is unaffiliated with Fringe Fest but in a similar vein. All the plays have a spiritual, ethical, or religion-oriented theme.
