Our third day is where things really got rolling. Up way too early in the morning, we took a trip to Northern Brewer to take advantage of the 25% off glass carboys and to drop off State Fair entries. Then off to 7 Corners area for the first of many shows! We arrived a bit early and had time to stop into Republic and say hi to one of our friends, Emily.
The next many hours are a blur of lights-on, lights-off, monologues, comedies, drama and music. We saw six shows in one day, but had to take a break to eat dinner at Town Hall again. Avoid the surly bartendress there.
A quick run-down of shows:
The Complete Works of William Shatner (abridged) This was a pretty funny show in which Shatner from the 50's and several of his well-known characters are transported to a world filled with hollow rocks and lizard men. Most of the actors in this are very involved with Convergence so we knew they would be a good bet.
Font of Knowledge: A fun noir telling of the secret story of the discovery of the Helvetica Font and the fight to prevent the 1950's Communists from using it to destroy the world. Sound wacky? Yup, but well acted with a lot of quick witty dialog and excellent fight choreography. I'd certainly recommend it.
Going Down on the Queen of Minneapolis: Not as dirty as it sounds... A fun situation comedy about a Minneapolis based company that has booked their office party on a boat, in which people get drunk, fired, promoted, and drugged. Not necessarily in that order. I wasn't so sure during the first 15 minutes, but was really enjoying it by the end.
Romeo & Juliet on the Moon: This was a purposefully cheesy remix of R&J set on the moon. Before the viewer can get annoyed by this concept, several audience members including a snotty theater critic, a militant feminist drama teacher, and a nerdy Star Trek fan all take turns talking over the drama and giving their own take on it. A very clever way to spice up a show. I really felt the end was the high point.
Scarborough Fair: This was a pleasant show by two somewhat odd-ball musicians bent on bringing music by Simon and Garfunkel back to the masses. The banter between the two was funny and a bit awkward...reminding me a bit of Flight of The Conchords. Some songs were done very well, others were deliberately mangled for laughs. Not a bad show.
Class of '98: This was my stand-out for the day and is currently in the lead for Fringe favorite. Two geeky adults answer and add in the paper to try out a new time travel device and go back in time to their high school in 1998. In their attempts to change their own futures and be less nerdy, the pair cause all kinds of paradox problems and hilarity. The acting by the adults and the teens was fantastic and I honestly would have been happy if this went on for another hour.
After the long day of Fringing, we decided to try out Fringe Central at the Crooked Pint. A lot of the actors and fans hang out here as an after party. We had a pint and congratulated a few of our favorites. And then went home because we are old and have a long drive. Staying out until after 1 is for young punks!
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