Text by Juleana Enright Photos by Ellen Dahl Lawson of the Minneapoline & Christian Erickson
Fashion-forwards and stylish Minneapolians didn't let the heat index spoil their rooftop soiree last Wednesday evening. The guests of Flourish gathered atop Crown Plaza's chic and serene skygarden, dressed to impress, wielding Vitaminwater ZERO-fused cocktails and primed to enjoy a creative fashion competition between a handful of the cities' most innovative and talented designers. Seven eclectic designers were each given a bottle of a new flavor of Vitaminwater ZERO for inspiration and then pared against one another in a Project Runway-esque challenge to create a high-fashion look that represented a unique, conceptual interpretation of their flavor.
Emceed, styled and co-produced by l'etoile's own Fashion Editor and freelance fashion stylist, Jahna Peloquin, Flourish delivered a visually sassy runway fashion show judged by local fashion experts, MNfashion Executive Director, Anna Lee; METRO Magazine's Fashion Editor, Mary O'Regan; and Aveda Institute guest coordinator, Keisha Harris. The show featured fashion designers, Laura Fulk, Kerry Riley (Needle & Black), Calpurnia Peach, Max Lohrbach, Emma Berg, Ivan Idland and Danielle Everine and jewelry from ROX by Robyne Robinson.
After sending their looks down the runway for inspection, the dress, model and designer then returned to the stage for a quick Q&A with Peloquin to chat about their design aesthetic.
The looks:
For her flavor “Revitalize,” made with naturally sweetened Green Tea, Danielle Everine showcased a well-wrought pant/vest combo of feathers, velvet and burlap. Her outfit, which she dubbed as “renegade-loner-call girl,” was influenced by the old West and the styles of Chinese immigrant railroad workers.
Ivan Idland's translation of the lemonade flavor, “Squeezed,” was delightfully unsublte: yellow-charged balloon shorts with dirndl detailing he described as an upside down basket of lemons. Adding a corset to the shorts gave the look the impression of being squeezed. He joked that he wanted to make his model look like she was on the verge of passing out from constriction. Mission accomplished, Idland. Although, thankfully, no models were actually hurt in the making of this piece.
Max Lohrbach's flavor was the orange-flavored, “Rise.” The designer – who was MIA at Flourish due to a wedding – took the audience (via Idland) through his design, element by element, starting with the gathered rille which represented the vitamins and minerals loaded inside the bottle. The splash of orange color represented the “Rise” flavor, and the vinyl overlay represented the “semi-eternity of plastic bottling,” a clever yet muted dig.
Calpurnia Peach fitting had “Recoup,” the peach mango flavor, and CP half, Luci Kandler expanded on the elements in their “light and juicy” design describing the digitalized print as a fuzzy-peach-esque texture with hand done beading – a first in Calpurnia Peach's fashion annex.
For Emma Berg's “Mega C” flavor, Berg created a purple and white striped, asymmetrical couture dress, that was both flirty and whismical. Her design vision was inspired by Édouard Manet's “Luncheon on the Grass” painting and Vivienne Westwood's '95 collection – very cool reference points.
In true Fulk boldness, Laura Fulk's black gown paired with a goth-y cape with burgundy insets– inspired by the “XXX” flavor – was a fierce mix of dark enigma and literaltry. She described her model's look as one “not to be tampered with” and as she demonstrated to guests how the cape opened into a giant “X” train, she asked if she had gone too far. Never Ms. Fulk, never. But in the end, it was Kerry Riley's interpretation of the “Go-Go” mixed berry flavor that bowled over judges with a piece they felt was beautifully constructed, ready-to-wear, and interestingly incorporated the branding with a red patent leather belt that spelled out “Go-Go.” The burgundy, mixed berry hued dress sported a ruffled train, a deep plunging neckline, a beaded inset and mesh-covered red patent buttons. Riley described it as “flamingo on the go.” Sounds good to us!
Amid possible thunderstorms, cloudiness, and sunshine (yes, the weekend weather forecast is a bit all over the board), the Twin Cities will still be booming with a multitude of fantastic outdoor festivals. From folk fests to flea markets to pizza-fueled block parties, we don't think you'll have much to complain about in regards to your entertainment needs - just be sure to bring an umbrella, er...some sunscreen, or...heck, just fly by the seat of your pants! We're sure you'll survive and be better for it!
On Thursday morning, sculpture/installation artist Leslie Kelman and dance artist Emily Gastineau will embark upon a 36-hour collaboration spanning the five floors of 1419. Using found materials and movements created on the spot, the pair will create and tear down multiple shelters throughout the space. Exploring the distinction between expendable labor and necessary tasks (i.e. food, rest, and waste), “Builld, Eat, Repeat” aims to show what effect a building can have on the daily existence of two people with a lot of time on their hands. And as the artists became acquainted solely for the purpose of collaboration, the dynamics of two individuals getting to know each other in an entirely untraditional manner will also come in to play throughout the project. Stop in to 1419 any time Thursday and Friday to gawk – er, see what structures have accumulated.
Where would our talented local artists be sans the help of generous scholarships? With financial woes outta the way, artists are free to dream and create at a moment's whim, paving the way for others and leaving behind art gems to be enjoyed by the masses. Tonight, show your gratitude while peeping awesome art from scholarship recipients and U of M alumns including Claire Anderson, Sarah Baker, Drew Peterson, Work of Art contestant (and exhibit curator) Miles Mendenhall, and more! Fittingly titled, Appreciation, the exhibit features site-specific and collaborative works produced solely for this exhibit that celebrate the University of Minnesota Arts Scholarship Program. Not to mention it's your chance to tell Miles he got shafted on Work of Art!
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY ART PICK: FLASHMOB.COM
Don't lie - we know you've always wanted to participate in a flash mob! With this week's link you'll be able to find out where such fun "performance art" pieces will be happening locally and beyond. In case you don't know what we're talkin' about, imagine this: you’re going about your day – running errands, commuting to or from work, waiting in line for a latte – and out of nowhere a mass of people burst in to song and dance. Or start laughing hysterically at nothing in particular. Or freeze in mid-motion. From making a political statement to reclaiming public space to reminding us of the joy a little carpe diem can bring, Flash Mobs are of as many intentions as they are of shapes and sizes (The “impromptu” group rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at Target Field in April, anyone?) – so be on the lookout - or start your own! Check the link below for upcoming mobs worldwide (there may or may not be one planned for right before the State Fair parade on August 28th).
@ The Gallery at Fox Tax 501 1st Avenue N. Minneapolis
6-10 p.m. / Free
We'll admit pop surrealism is one of our favorite art genres. Andy Warhol meets Dali, what could be better? So we're deliciously excited for Fox Tax Gallery's latest exhibition, Sticky Sweet, curated by mplsart's Emma Berg. Featuring the work of Minnesota-based artists Rudy Fig and Jeff Warner, Sticky Sweet is a chimera-esque exhibit that straddles the border of real life and the ever-vivid imaginary. Take a peek at Fig's colorful, escapist Alice in Wonderland-esque oil paintings, and Warner's sugar-high, kudos-to-innocence painting experiments and revel in fantasy.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY AUGUST 13TH
Miyagi’s Second Anniversary Party
@ Miyagi Salon 411 E. Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis
7-9 p.m. / Free
Miyagi Salon is turning 2! This Friday the hip Northeast salon is keeping their doors even later, handing out homemade cupcakes and giving away a slew of cool prizes. Stop by to celebrate with the salon team by joining them for refreshments, music, snacks and revelry. Plus, Miyagi is kicking-off their new referral program including drawings for gift cards and Aveda packages. This may be one of your last chances to get your hands on a limited edition print by TOOTH (whose work is featured in the current exhibition at Miyagi). And while you're there, make an appointment to get your hair did - we swear by the Miyagi stylists for our cute 'dos! Not to mention, they've always got a killer soundtrack playing in the background thanks to Chris "Twitter Kidney" Strouth.
BONUS: Make an evening of it: Northeast artsy neighbor Fox Tax Gallery is hosting an opening just a block away (see listing above).
@ Urbanoucity 558 Vandalia Street, Suite #202 St. Paul
7:30 p.m. / Free
In his personal work, artist and curator Christopher-Aaron Deanes examines human identity through highly metaphoric and symbolic works of neomannerist portraiture. The last show he curated was an ode to the relationship of Afro Cuban traditions to Black American culture and identity and featured a mash-up of different art forms, from dance to music to poetry. Now, three years later, Deanes is at it again: his latest curatorial effort, “Big Blaq Art Show: The End of Aquiescence,” features the work of black artists across all mediums, including some of Deanes’ own work. The show aims to helping foster and develop community focus and breakdown gallery stereotypes, so show your support at the opening this Friday at Urbanoucity. As the event promises: “Be ready to get swallowed up by art!”
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY AUGUST 13TH
Whale Disco Ocean Party
@ Art of This 3506 Nicollet Avenue Minneapolis
6 p.m. / Free
Whale. Disco. Ocean. Party. Four of the greatest things ever collide in this full sensory, one night collaborative installation exploring the intuitive. Investigating metaphors of dream and aquatic space, Minneapolis-based artists Roxanne Jackson and Pamela Valfer (side note: check out her Roadkill Quilt – fascinating, and exactly what it sounds like) present an “ambient nonsensical cosmic clash,” with DJ Andy Ducett providing a reactive/interactive soundtrack. Expect more papier-maché than you’ve probably ever seen – including a giant whale!
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
FRIDAY AUGUST 13TH
Devotio Moderna
@ Chambers Hotel Eden Courtyard 9th & Hennepin Minneapolis
10 p.m. / Free
You may have heard about Devotio Moderna already, and thought to yourself, “What the hell is this?” Well, ladies and gentlemen, we can confidently tell you that it is one of the coolest new monthly DJ events to hit the scene (and not just because we’re sponsors). Indulge in the night's signature cocktail made all the more intoxicating with absinthe — a previously illegal spirit and the drink of choice for tortured artists such as Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh. It should make you feel pretty cool that you can enjoy the same drink for $7 against the backdrop of the aptly named Eden Courtyard at Chambers, with music from Bach666, Upgrayde, and Ricky Biggs. The night will also feature half-off beer and rail drinks and $5 glasses of wine. With these last few remaining weeks of summer, you hardly need an excuse to get out and experience some of Minneapolis’s finest...but if you do need an excuse, let this be it.
Get your disco dancin’ shoes out this weekend, Street Sounds is back this month for another bout of boogie-down beats! Join local vinyl kings and mix masters (like Mike 2600, King Otto and Attitude City) in First Ave’s secluded Record Room as they spin tons of classic rollerskate-worthy dance tunes aaaaalllll night.
We recently found this hilar detailed article/mini-journey into the land o' heartbreak written by culture commentary-ist, Gavin McInnes. And while we always kinda knew these foxy babes of indie rock were totally out of, well, anyone's league really, McInnes' guide is a witty reminder of the melancholy that's inevitably in store if you fall for this specimen of goddess/musician. On the off-chance you ever run into any of these delicious lady rockers, you'll know to swiftly turn and make your exit lest you spend the rest of your hipster days obsessing, or god forbid, making her mix tape after mix tape. Don't do it, darling. It's not worth it. Thanks for the heads up, McInnes!
@ Cult Status Gallery 2913 Harriet Avenue S. Minneapolis
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. / Free
This weekend, Cult Status is transforming their big parking lot into a giant arsty flea market. Spend the weekend perusing through one-of-a-kind pieces, unique trinkets, traditional flea market goods and vintage oldies from over fifty Minnesota-based art gurus from all around the state. While you're there, be sure to pop into the gallery to check out the Blood in, Blood Out exhibit that opened last weekend - it's fantastic!
@ Shuga Records Parking Lot 165 13th Ave NE Minneapolis
11 a.m. to 10 p.m. / Free
This Saturday, The Front Porch Sitters have teamed up with Shuga Records to bring you their version of a family flea market—complete with folky tunes, nummy food and vinyl records galore. Shuga Records has transformed their parking lot into an outdoor party spot to raise money for Sheridan Arts School and St. Stephens Human Services. Stop by to swap around your favorite vinyl, sip on some foamy brews and participate in tons of outdoor festivities (from silent auctions to face painting!) Music will be playin’ all day in the p-lot and inside the 331 Club from bands like Audience, Jack Klatt, The Rest Easys (feat. members of Black Blondie), The Men With Hollow Bodies, The Dropsteppers and TONS more.
@ Pizza Lucé Uptown 3200 Lyndale Avenue South Minneapolis
Noon to 10 p.m. / Free
Summer in the city means block parties every other weekend, and while this weekend may be particularly scorching, it would be such a shame for you to miss what promises to be one of the best block parties of the season. Just check out this lineup: John Swardson & Get Gone, Caroline Smith and the Goodnight Sleeps, City on the Make, Wild Colonial Bhoys, Dessa from Doomtree, Guzzlemug, Pink Mink, Proff with Rahzwell, Red Pens, Lookbook, and Brother Ali. It's not often you can see this many amazing bands in one space on the same day for the extremely reasonable price of free. Seriously. In addition to the music, you’ll be able to enjoy Pizza Luce pizza, brats and veggie brats, and Summit beer. We're in.
If you haven’t strolled down the Loring Alley yet, you're definitely missing out! The twisting, Chinese lantern-lined corridor by Nick + Eddie and Bar Lurcat is the closest thing to Parisian charm in the Twin Cities – and it’s paved in cobblestone, too! But enough gushing. This Saturday, the heavenly little spot plays host to Loring Alley Party, an all-day jam featuring live music galore and on-site beer trucks from Surly and Pabst. Curated by Ryan Olson of GAYNGS and Totally Gross National Product, the lineup includes local bands Slapping Purses and Voyager, and the DJs responsible for BOMP!, Get Cryphy, and Moongoons will also keep the energy bumpin’ trashy European club style. After the last band plays, head inside Nick + Eddie for an after party hosted by electronic hardcore collective Marijuana Deathsquads. Bring your own baguette/liquor sponge – this is one party worth sticking around for, all night long.
Location, Volume Two: Adam Caillier + Michael Mott
@ Location 1618 Central Ave NE Suite 227 Minneapolis
7-10 p.m. / Free
Location books second collectible volume features a collaborative experiment between photographer Adam Cailler and conceptual artist Michael Mott. Using a camera lens in place of an extended-space-scanner, Mott and Cailler together created 2700 individual pages of artistic wonder. The exhibition-in-a-book is a collection of one-of-a kind three-dimensional collages. Peep some art, mingle with the creative set and stick around for a book sale and signing with the artists. This tome - curated and produced by local luminaries Ruben Nusz and Scott Nedrelow - is one art book that you simply must own.
Click HERE for this art event and more at mplsart.com
SATURDAY AUGUST 14TH
Attitude City Yacht Club
@ Boom Island Park 700 Sibley Street NE Minneapolis
Boards promptly at 8:30 p.m., returns at 1 a.m. / $35
Last year, we named the Attitude City Yacht Club the "Best Party of 2009" and we totally weren't lying. This fantastical voyage down the mighty Mississippi is always packed to the gills with the most fashionable of local socialites dancing their asses off. The boys of Attitude City pull out all the stops to create a decadent party environment for their minions by chartering a 96-foot pearl-white luxury yacht - the largest in Minneapolis in fact. Dance the night away to sexy disco jams, make eyes at that stranger across the bow, and make some sultry summernight memories with Attitude City. There are still a VERY LIMITED number of tickets left online (e-mail attitudecity@gmail.com to secure yours and pay with a credit card) and a few left at ROBOTlove in Northeast. We suggest you get up on it a.s.a.p. if you want to be "On a Boat" this Saturday!
BONUS: Bon Voyage drinks at the Northeast Yacht Club just up the street at 7 p.m.
Veteran Minneapolis diners and art hounds will remember the New French Cafe, now a sadly abandon spot (which still sports the original signage, btw) on the edge of Downtown. Known for its sleek bohemian vibe and delish French nouvelle dishes, the New French was THE hang out for creative types back in the warehouse district's hey-day. Tonight, join NFC lovers and the legendary artists that made the spot an oh-so-hip place to hang for an epic reunion. Celebrate the restaurant's shining years with food, drinks, fascinating people and a lesson on Minneapolis art history. Viva la New French!
Photo by the late, great Gus Gustafson: Mayor of the Warehouse District
L'ETOILE NEWSWIRE
Save the SooVAC!
Longtime fixture on the local gallery scene, Soo Visual Arts Center, is in a bit of a crisis. With mounting construction costs on the new space and with the added issue of not being open for four months, the gallery is in dire need of your support. $35,000 needs to be raised by September 20th if the gallery is to stay open. Click HERE to read about the problems the Soo is having and find out how you can help. And while you're there read a heartfelt testimonial from local art staple, Amy Rice.
Losing the SooVAC would be a huge loss to the Lyn/Lake neighborhood -- we absolutely can't let that happen! Peeps have been tweeting and Facebooking today in support of the gallery - and you can help by spreading the word and simply by becoming a member (with some cool benefits) for as little as $35. We just did!
Just think, for the price of a few cocktails you can help keep arts alive in the Twin Cities. And how good will that make you feel? Better than having a hangover, we'd expect. Do it now, or we'll disown you.
Keep up with the SooVAC on Facebook to find out about upcoming fundraisers and news!
Vote for Jake Rudh!
Remember last year when Jake Rudh was in the top tier of contestants for the Mad Men Casting Call Contest, then got totally shafted when the website crashed for the last few days of the contest and a bunch of randoms who weren't even in the top somehow got into the finals? We remember it, bitterly. Anyhoo: the Transmission kingpin and general party starter (he's the one who throws the Mad Men party at Jax Cafe!) is not giving up. This year he's back once again for the online voting-fueled competition, which awards a male and female winner the coveted prize of a walk-on role on Mad Men. Visit site everyday HERE to vote for Jake. You needn't sign up for anything, just click "vote" - it's that easy. All personal l'etoile love for Jake aside, he REALLY would be great for the show. Just look at his picture: old-timey AND foxy!
Join l'etoile and the Minnesota Opera's Tempo group on Saturday, September 18th as we explore the depths of the Inferno and travel through the circles of Hell. You will indulge in luscious wines, nibble on tasty morsels and be seduced by the sounds of the Minnesota Opera's Resident Artists. myTalk107.1's Jason Matheson and Alexis Thompson will guide us on this perilous journey, which takes place on Saturday September 18 at the Minnesota Opera Center.
Tickets are available online for a well-worth-it $50: Includes wine, appetizers, and performances by the Minnesota Opera's Resident Artists. Sponsored by l'etoile!
Editor in Chief: Kate Iverson // Contributors: Juleana Enright, Tara Sloane, Lauren Gantner, Natalie Gallagher, Kate Iverson, Robyn Lewis, Jahna Peloquin
Well, I suppose it had to happen. I finally saw a Fringe show that, in its current form, I can’t recommend.
And I blame Lino Lakes.
You know, the town who passed their little “English only” language ordinance. You see, language seems a hot-button subject with some people and they give in to fears and insecurities about the other, especially when communication is occurring that they don’t fully understand.
But the truth is, that when we don’t give in to our fears a little mystery not only is fun, but we tend to seek it out. All we need is a little hint, a clue, a hook on which to hang our own speculations. Think about the first time you saw Shakespeare performed after trying to decipher the “English” reading it in class; all you needed was a summary of what’s going on in each scene and you enjoyed figuring out the rest while the actors emoted and action unfolded.
I wanted to like Carlo Gicala’s Inferno in its current form. Not that I knew what to expect. Was it a quirky take on Dante or literal reading? It is the latter, bit I’m a sucker for great literature and a daring try at that could work. The problem is that Inferno just isn’t daring enough--precisely because Gicala tries to be too accommodating.
Gicala gives a very dramatic reading of the first few cantos of Inferno, at each point from a single spot on stage while on the large screen a video rolls. The backdrop is visually arresting - the work of Gicala’s collaborator, the gifted videographer Renata Sheppard - but the graphic hardly changes. This is to facilitate subtitles in English of the entire text being read, just so those who cannot understand Italian can follow along.
This is information overload. The summary leading into each canto is sufficient; I found I could make the production tolerable by not reading the English, instead just shutting my eyes and basking in the almost incantation-like mystery and beauty of the Italian. It reminds me of how another Italian, the brilliant writer Umberto Eco, willingly challenged his readers in bestselling novels like in The Name of the Rose, a medieval detective story laced with untranslated Latin. Readers might pause to look things up, but were even more likely to save it and just speculate on the exact meaning, based on whatever background knowledge we had and the context. It is a mystery, after all.
So all I can do is hope Gicala doesn’t shelve Inferno but refines it to be more aggressive and less accommodating. That he just broadcasts the canto summaries and maybe an occasional literal passage, instead letting Sheppard have free rein to use images. And that he allows himself to walk or pace or even stalk the stage as he sees fit; I sensed the passion in his voice was only the surface of the energy of his whole body if he cut loose.
In short, I wish Carlo Gicala had given himself permission to scare us a little.
This is a trip into Hell, after all.
Oh, over in Lino Lakes they still probably would have hated it. But for them facilis descensus Averno.
Inferno hits the stage once more before the end of the Fringe Festival on Saturday, August 14th at 2:3opm at Intermedia Arts. Click HERE for more info and tickets
You’d think that’d bode badly for my liking her piece. But see, Rachel Teagle is a storyteller. And for that matter, I’m not sure whether she even believes in ghosts herself.
That’s the whole idea people would do well to learn about storytelling and myth. (And by the way the original word mythos simple means “story.”) Stories are crafted to tell a truth, not necessarily to be literally true. So long as someone’s not pulling the wool over our eyes--or admits they might’ve temporarily pulled the wool over our eyes to get us to think--a mythos is immortal.
Storytelling is also an art we’re blessed to see a lot of at the Fringe but too little otherwise. It’s got its quirks if you want to pull it off.
I've been to a lot of open mics in the past decade or so. A LOT of open mics. Poetry open mics, musical open mics, stand-up comic open mics. And do you want to know the most curious thing I noticed? If you want to be appreciated for what you do, go to an open mic that has more than just what you do. And look for the person who does something else to come up and be doing the appreciating. Maybe that's partly from competiteveness. Poets, for example, aren't really there to listen to other poets, they're there to have other poets listen to THEM. (Watch how fast they bolt some time when the list is too full to get them on.) But another big factor is just that too much of the same thing, even when good, even when GREAT, is still just...too much.
The Fringe time slot is one killer advantage to make storytelling work. Instead of using the 90-minute feature as a target, 45 minutes works better. Still, 45 minutes of just doing a "reading" in the same way will cause the audience to tune out, so the best storytellers weave in variety. A variety of sounds and music, a variety of images, even if it's where they move or stand or sit. And a variety of kinds of story, a variety of topics and tones.
The only trick is that this still needs to have one or more connecting threads. Rachel Teagle, in Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts, weaves back and forth through a beautiful range of stories types, showing just how much can be connected to the common thread of--surprise!--"ghosts!"
She opens with a Southern belle kind of tale, using the balcony of the Rarig Experimental stage and stalking around in a hoop skirt until she descends below us as if into Hades. It was a chilling, Beloved-like feel that segued into the brighter, modern memoir of her moving to Georgia, and maybe having a ghost in her new home. This meandering yet oddly sensible way she goes traverses her own experiences and classic stories--even her experiences as a girl reading classic stories--from the South to Minnesota to California. She goes back and forth between the present and the past (including the infamous Winchester house supposedly haunted by those killed with the Winchester repeating rifle). And she interweaves the macabre and the funny, the gothic with the modern, and going-along-with-it credulity with genuine skepticism, not giving short shrift to any quality.
Some interpretive dance movement and rotating guest artist near the end are unnecessary--just because they distract from her tales--she's that good.
I still don’t believe in ghosts. But I’m starting to believe in Rachel Teagle!
Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts has one more run during the Fringe Festival on Saturday, August 14th at 2:30pm on the U of M's Rarig Xperimental stage. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.
The word “sophomoric.” You say that like it’s a necessarily bad thing? Saturday Night Live and MadTV have made an institution out of it. And if you really think back to all your friends in high school and college, at all those parties, improv-ing all sorts of silliness--yes, you may look back with a groan, but odds are you split your sides laughing at the time. Weren’t those laughs worth it?
Two shows in one day, both sophomoric. And no, I’m not saying it like it’s a bad thing.
Neither The Sad Carousel nor Happy Sauce has a joke in it that anyone would label profound, and the sketches that’ll make you laugh out loud are sometimes a little groan-worthy, though they work to hold the laughing parts together in a way that I see no way to improve--or need to. The laughs meanwhile (which can be especially gut-busting in Happy Sauce) are worth it.
Oh, the jokes might be politically incorrect, particularly in A Sad Carousel, but given those jokes are by a B-level insult comic it’s perfectly keeping in character; this is both a homage to insult comedy and a parody of it.
The Sad Carousel
As well as both an homage to and parody of the Fringe. Keep in mind that the Fringe is representative of the full range of performance, from standard plays to poetry or storytelling to dance and beyond. What makes the comedians of Pommelhorse in A Sad Carousel most effective is a very judicious use of breaking the fourth wall, as well as exceptional performances of what otherwise might be pedestrian characters. Sam Landman is perfectly cast and costumed as Herschel, and Peter Ooley in multiple roles works wonders. But the most standout performances are Matthew Glover in an understated role as Herschel’s nebbish nephew, and Lindsey McDonald Dorsey as the bimbo with a heart of gold, who exudes tremendous sex appeal with spot-on movement and stance.
Happy Sauce is the even more “sophomoric” of the two. Again, not a bad thing. Whether it’s Ben Gansky as Felix flipping out with messianic revelations after tasting the sauce; Eric Powell Holm beaming with pollyanish enthusiasm for the recipe or the girl he loves; Maren Searle (also being an unusually sexy love interest) suddenly stirring up the denouement to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing;” Joshua Fazelli as Mr. Turtle expounding on his self-made used-car-salesman venture capital philosophy, or Ben Lewis as Tommy Bottles just being, well, an exaggerated douche-lord of a friend; these are parts and performances a million people--including you--could probably pull off for their friends. And you know what? You’d laugh just as hard.
Happy Sauce
The difference is they put in the work to give it to you in an organized way. Look at all the cast members SNL has had over the years, does the fact that many people can pull similar things off make it any less funny? Maybe all it takes is somebody to dare to do it, and to organize and compile them into a whole performance. (Without overextending themselves. Skits, especially live skits, even 45-minute compilations of live skits--good. Feature films ranging around “real“ world sets? Not so much.)
I appreciate that. The stress relief of good laughs, no matter how lowbrow, can’t be faked. The human interaction with real performers doing it can’t be faked in a movie house, no matter how good the 3D.
You know, come to think of it I loved my sophomore year. Bet you did too.
A Strange Carousel has two more shows on the fringe schedule. Saturday, August 14th at 1pm and Sunday, August 15th at 5:30pm at the U of M's Rarig Center Arena. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.
Happy Sauce has one more performance on the Fringe schedule. Saturday, August 14th at 10pm at U of M's Rarig Center Arena. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.
Don’t get me wrong. Great comedy is hard. Gets short shrift among big awards. But why are high school plays usually comedies? Why are most people’s formative attempts at YouTube videos comedy? Why is the first thing out of your mouth at a casual gathering a joke?
Because if you fuck-up, people laugh. A laugh won’t kill a comedy.
So, generally most theater companies are afraid of doing drama. They won’t even try it unless it’s a big production with a lot of money, or at least a script by an already renowned writer. I like the Minnesota Fringe for many reasons, but one of the big ones is that companies aren’t afraid to do drama.
This year’s particular production of Alexander at Delphi isn’t without its issues. So how can I give it a perfect score?
Because, boys and girls, the script is that good.
And it’s a script by the director.
A tall claim. After all, the history the theatre stretches back to ancient Greek drama, coming up from there through Shakespeare, and so on. People who we not only see in performance but read in literature classes, poring over the fine points of themes and philosophy, arguing about hefty matters like fate and free will. But Minrod Mier’s writing shows he understands these things, even enough to hold his own among the giants.
The structure of the play mimics classical Greek drama, complete with song and actors working in chorus. The Fates open the play, original fixtures in Greece yet at the same time reminiscent of Macbeth. This will be an exploration of ambition and hubris, only in this case it involves Alexander the Great. Alexander, before he conquered Persia, was known to have visited the Oracle at Delphi seeking a prophecy. No one knows just what the Oracle told him, but Mier here gives us his take on it--a take that also like Macbeth has a twist.
The only hint I’ll drop is that when we‘re taught about Macbeth it doesn‘t necessarily seem to fit the formula of tragedy: the protagonist sees the light and is redeemed, only too late. How is Macbeth redeemed? “Lay on, MacDuff.” In the last few moments, Macbeth may have become a monster, but now goes his own way, regardless of what is fated, not caring whether the card deck is stacked for or against him. An often unsung feature of heroism, compared to going through life like a video-game player with all the cheat codes.
The unfortunate flaws in Mier’s production are that he understands these parallels and nails them in the script, but doesn’t trust the audience will get it. He splits the difference between his lead being like the real Alexander and too-obviously like Macbeth in look and mannerisms. The historical Alexander was a mix of ferocity and drive with boyish naivete, a rash talent like a star athlete, not a ruthless but wickedly careful businessman. All the important parallels hold up in the script alone, even if we were given a historical Alexander in look and feel, but Mier’s Greeks are attired like Romans, and in the lead Chris Dexter gives it his best try, but he’s just too respectably lantern-jawed to be Alexander.
This no doubt will have many reviewers ready to play senator to Mier’s Caesar and slip out their knives. Once people have been forced to read things like Shakespeare, hating it, and then see how vibrant it becomes in performance, something flips; theatre folk tend toward the position the performance is the real key, as if a great producer or actor could make something out of your grocery list.
Thinking it doesn’t all start--and even sometimes end--with the writing isn’t the key? Now that’s comedy! Check out Alexander at Delphi at the U of M Rarig Center Proscenium on Wednesday 8/11 8:30 p.m. and Friday 8/13 7:00 p.m. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.
Ah, social media. There's a lot of criticism of it; there always will be things worth criticizing. But it does prompt people to write. And at the same time it does rein in people like me who are often a little too...verbose.
Not everything that's good needs an encyclopedia to argue for it anyway. My Facebook status the other day? "More Fringe reviews to crank out! But the one for Bite Me Twilight! should be short and easy. Just how much elaboration does 'I and everyone else laughed our asses off the whole way through!' take?"
Well, that, and a little side of "Hell, with that much enjoyment it'd be a success even if it'd been a drama."
What? You'd like at least a little more?
Well, OK. Let's say the formula with this success starts with a smart choice: you can never go wrong with a parody of something that's wildly popular, especially if, despite its popularity, it splits the public into a love it/hate it dichotomy. This won't make most Twilight spoofs great by any means, since Twilight is one of those properties that's almost its own parody to begin with. But at least its an interesting start.
The next step is where it really gets interesting, however. A whole cast spoof is probably easy, since for any given character there's no shortage of talented young people wanting to give it a shot. Bella, Edward, Jacob...Between the people who love the character and try their hand at an impression, and the ones who hate that character and want to tear it down, a whole cast parody would be easy to put together. A single talented actor/comedian who can pull it off? AND give us that love-the-character/hate-the-character synthesis? Now you’re talking! Not enough can be said about the sheer physical gifts Tom Reed has for an entire range of impressions and caricatures. The way he alters his face, his movement, his mannerisms, and his voice is astounding.
Still, that would all make a good parody, but what about more, what about something intelligent enough to be satire? The key factor piece here starts with something quite functional. Reed emphasizes that no one in the audience needs to have read the books or seen the movies, and he's right. He chooses which dialogue for his caricatures to use extremely wisely and ties these snippets together in a seamless narrative. Those who know the original might get a kick out of the comparison/contrast, those of us who don't might wonder on a detail if he's taking something literal from the storyline and parodying it, but everyone's happy. I even think those of us who don‘t know the original are better off by a little bit.
Finally, let's not forget the little embellishments. While this could have been a total one-man show, the addition of a keyboardist Jill James and the unobtrusive contribution she makes is very nice. Reed also will surprise you with twists like a physical prop to describe Edward's sparkliness, or ripping open his shirt, Jacob-like, with the abs he needs for the move and all the sweat that he's been building up from the intensity of his performance and the hot lights.
And...! Damn. "I and everyone else laughed our asses off the whole way through!" What more do you need?
Check out Bite Me Twilight! at the Mixed Blood Theatre on Monday 8/9 10:00 p.m., Saturday 8/14 7:00 p.m. Sunday 8/15 5:30 p.m. For more info or to purchase tickets click HERE.
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