Tommy's 2010 Fringe Top 10

Once again my 12 year old son Tommy is blogging his Top 10 list. Tommy "only" saw 15 shows this year because we had family commitments. This is his 10th year of fringing (although he doesn't remember much from the year 2000).

Hello! This is Tommy writing, and I'm about to give you my 2010 Fringe Top Ten! Here it is!

10. Princess Jessica and the Kingdom of Boogers

This play, about an ordinary boy named Squats who goes on an adventure to save Princess Jessica of Tissuetopia from the evil Emperor Snotso, ruler of the Kingdom of Boogers, was a very good, funny show. It has a unique sense of humor, but there weren't as many jokes as I thought there would be.

9. Paul Bunyan: An Unlikely Beginning to a Tall Tale

What if Paul Bunyan was a computer programmer in 1986? This show answers that question with well made puppets, workplace jokes, and a morning routine done over and over again throughout the course of the show. I have no criticism for this show, it's just that there are so many good shows this year at the Fringe that I couldn't give this a higher spot.

8. Fartosaurus Rex

Who knew that there was such a thing as smart poop jokes? This show, about a dinosaur who switches to eating veggies after eating just about everyone in the world(with VERY stinky results), is best seen with an audience filled with children and has Muppet-style puppets to tell the story with.

7. Benny the Illusion

Benny the Illusion is a fine magician with well-done magic tricks, a good sense of humor, and a warm friendliness. This guy is very comfortable with performing his tricks in front of an audience. If you're looking for some magic, and only magic, then this is the show to go to.

6. Untold Lies

Now let me get this out of the way: this is more dramatic and adult than some of the other shows on this list, so if you do bring your kid to this show, he might be bored. But I like to watch this type of stuff from time to time, and let me tell you this: this is worth your time. With excellent singers and a good story, this is a show that you'll like from beginning to end.

5. Waiting for Biffy

Remember that Silent Poetry show and it's sequel that I talked about in previous Fringe Top Tens? Well, you may as well call this Silent Poetry 3 because for one thing, it's done by the same people and it's done in the same style as those other two shows. The best skits are TGIF and the titular skit. My only criticism for this show is that the ToonCon skit lasted longer than it should have.

4. Story Time Time Bomb

This is a show about two people named Chris and Tim, who write books for children. Tim decides to use a theater so that the audience can create a book. He hires actors to act out the story being created. The audience creates the story, and most of the time the kids tell their the ideas for the story, which are then used. All of the people in the cast are excellent improvisers. Children will like this show because they'll use their imagination often. So, go see this show and make sure that you bring the kids.

3. Open and Affirming Fairy Tales

This show tells four stories which all have the same message: just be you. The stories are all well told and have a lot of funny moments spread through them. My favorite is The Frog Princess. The show has lots of funny gags that will keep you laughing. Some of the adults in the show played the kid characters, and they acted like kids without making fun of them. Overall, you should see this show.

2. Kill Will

All right then, let me get this out of the way: THIS SHOW IS NOT FOR KIDS. IT IS MORE SUITED FOR TEENAGERS. Now, onto the actual thoughts on the show: This was downright excellent. I picked this show because I like Shakespeare. The couple that did this show were excellent. Basically, they do all of the death scenes from as many Shakespeare shows as they could possibly fit in the running time. Some of the scenes contain audience participation, and they are masters of it. I was able to participate in one of the bits, and it was fun to do. On top of that, you get a free T-shirt if you do participate. Overall, this is a downright must-see.

1.Can Michael Come Out and Play?

This show is awesome, and has joined the ranks of excellent Fringe shows from previous years. It is a tale of self-realization, with enough humor and charm to keep you interested. I love a good story myself, and the guy who does it is an excellent storyteller. If you can only see one show in the Fringe this year, it should be this one.

Honorable Mentions and Worst Shows

Honorable Mentions

The First Five Minutes Are Slow: A very fun, imaginative show. It gets better the more I think about it.

If the Shoe Fits: A fun-to-watch modern version of Cinderella told through dance.

Mismatched: A nice, fine show. Has some very good audience participation moments.

Dracula's Castle: I wasn't able to see this show to the very end(I wasn't feeling well but I recovered quickly), so I'll just give this an Honorable Mention. What I saw was very good, though.

Worst shows

Status Update: The plot is kind of weird: numerous boarding school students get sucked into Facebook and have to get out before time runs out. The main problem is that a romp through Facebook should be fun, but the show ends up becoming an anti-Facebook statement. Something tells me that whoever directed this hates Facebook.

Garage Band: There are numerous problems with the show. The story never went in the direction I wanted it to go. The music is meh. I wanted to like this show, but I just could not like it at all.

Waiting for Biffy

Waiting for Biffy is a show for listed as For ages 7+ Clowning/mime, Comedy. Don't let the word "mime" scare you. My children look forward to these shows each year. Last year, Dean Hatton and Kirsten Stephen's show "Silent Poetry 2" was #4 on Tommy's top 10 list. Mime is cool.

This year's show is fresh and fun. The classic bits are there-the chase, the escalator, the "mime hits a wall". But the addition of Renee Howard allows for more play. Trios and duos alternate with solo works. Using their bodies and faces and every bit of the Jungle stage they told stories of porta-potties, uncertain love, and learning to fly. Stephens' solo romp through the sensory-overload of the State Fair. (I'm convinced that it was the Great Minnesota Get-together. ) Howard as a bird hatching was beautiful. Stretching and contracting, dancing and arching, speeding up and slowing down, she became the bird.

"There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see, something to hear. In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot." -John Cage

If the Shoe Fits

If the Shoe Fits is an energetic piece of theater for kids, by kids. My 12 year old liked this show a lot. There was a three year old sitting near us having the time of his life. Cute as a button, I think the little guy thought he was in the show.
The story is a loose interpretation of the Cinderella story told through dance. The cast is made up of boys and girls from about kindergarten age through high school students. The pacing was very uneven-there were huge gaps between scenes and the story didn't always come through clearly. There was a fairy godmother type character who changed her costume a lot and a young man (the prince?) who was expected to play football but wanted to dance. (Fact: We have seen 3 kids' fringe shows with a boy who doesn't want to play football.)
I was really glad to see a dance group step out of the recital format and try something new. The strength of the show is the dancing-especially the tap numbers. There were so many talented young people in this cast. I hope to see what they do in the future.

Fartosaurus Rex

Fartosaurus Rex is a smorgasbord of scatological humor. Aimed at the Captain Underpants set, the show is packed with puppets, poop jokes, and a big green Tyrannosaurus. A quick 35 minutes long, this is a good choice for "first Fringe show". Don't overthink it. (Vegetarian Diets led to global warming and the mass extinction of dinosaurs? Really?) Just enjoy the performance of Fartosaurus Rex himself, and the best fringe mascot cameo ever.

The First Five Minutes are Slow

The First Five Minutes are Slow is a quirky show for older children and adults. Kathryn Jorgenson is Mary, a bedraggled office slave. Everything after that is open for interpretation. Mary's daydream takes her on an adventure where she comes into contact with a strange bird, dead fish, battling squid, guys singing the strangest version of Danny Boy, and an annoying guy who spoils the ending to movies. She rides a train, toils through the desert, and enters the coolest cave ever. The cast of 3-Jorgenson, Brant Miller, and Mark Rehani rely on pure imagination and a few props from Office Max to invent a wacky world. I would recommend it for ages 10+.

Story Time Time Bomb

Story Time Time Bomb is whiz-bang fun. With plenty of help from the audience, the cast creates a story to present to "The Publisher" (William Marth) at the end of the show. Artist, writer, and show co-producer Christopher Jones (Chris) sketches the story from just outside of the audience's sight line. His writing partner Tim Wick (Tim) works the audience for ideas and narrates the story. Chris and Tim trade silly banter back and forth, resulting in giggles.
Actors Jen Scott and Matt Allex, along with the unseen hero "Sound Guy" (Butch Roy) improvise a silly adventure to feudal Japan. Our audience-named heroine Carrie (played by Scott, who ad-libs, "But I wanted to go to the prom!) and her tiger friend travel through toxic mist and caves and evil goldfish and Pokemon jokes to battle evil Toyotas. For all ages.

Open and Affirming Fairy Tales

Tommy and I kicked off Fringe Day #1 with Open and Affirming Fairy Tales: The FaBUlous Fables of RainBeaU Bay . AWOL productions has created a playful, traditional piece of children's theater with an open heart. Although the show proves that GLBT-friendly kids' theater is not an oxymoron, that isn't the focus of the show. It isn't preachy or precious. It's for kids. Yes, it's about valuing all families. But most of all, Open and Affirming Fairy Tales is about having the courage to be yourself.
The show is divided into four short stories-three classic fairy tales and one new one. Each tale is told by adult actors with simple props. In Fisher and the Fish, a parachute becomes a pond, a cap with a stuffed fish transforms an actor into a fish. The Frog Princess, who happens to have two Dads, meets a new friend. A boy finds the Golden Goose and wins the attentions of the prince. And the Queen lets them go on a date. The new tale, The Mayor Who Outlawed Jellybeans, introduces a pompous Mayor who makes ridiculous proclamations that affect the whole village. The children are the heroes who must find a way to make things right.
At the end of the show each child is given a button withe the letters B. U.. Kids love swag, and it is a nice souvenir of a fun afternoon at the Fringe.

Fringe 2010

The 2010 Fringe has begun. Tommy (my 12 year old "hardcore" fringer) and I already have four shows under our belt. There are 10 "official" shows for kids this year; however, there are many more that are certainly appropriate for older children. For the first time we won't be able to see everything that captivates their interest. It isn't possible.

Here are my Top 10 Picks for Family Friendly Fringing (remember-the beauty of the Fringe is that is an unjuried festival; I have not seen these shows in their entirety).

1. Princess Jessica and the Kingdom of Boogers Because of this video. Brought to you by the guys from Lick, perhaps the last year's most juvenile adult show.
2. Story Time Bomb Improv for kids. My favorite 3 minutes of Fringe-for-All 2 at the Ritz.
3. Open and Affirming Fairy Tales Tommy and I saw this last night at the Rarig. Loved it. Traditional, playful kids theater with an open heart. Full Review to follow.
4. Can Michael Come Out and Play Mahmoud Hakima, who brought Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon to the Fringe last year is telling stories for all ages this year. This was Tommy's favorite artist at the Kids' Showcase.
5. Dracula Presented by Top Hat Theater, a kids' fringe institution. They have evolved from an entertaining group of kids doing theater for kids into a strong musical theater troupe that does original work. The cast is led by professional singer-actors Josiah Gulden and Angela Walberg.
6.Waiting for Biffy We saw this last night. The only reason it isn't higher on the list is that I know not all kids can sit through a silent show for 50 minutes. Full blog post to follow.
7. If the Shoe Fits at the Southern. We also saw the show last night so I can guarantee it is suitable for all ages. There was a three year old sitting near us having the time of his life. Cute as a button, I think the little guy thought he was in the show. An energetic example of theater for kids by kids.
8. Benny the Illusion We enjoyed this young man's magic tricks and interactions with the crowd at the Kids' Fringe Showcase this year. He also defeated the noisy cappucinno maker at the Woodbury library. As an added bonus, this show is at Bryant Lake Bowl. Come early or stay late for some bowling.
9. Fartosaurus Rex It has farting AND dinosaurs. What more could a kid ask for?
10. Kill Will (12 and up) "Murder. Revenge. Suicide. Cannibalism. The new Tarantino movie? No, it's Shakespeare! A riotous romp through the canon that asks, "How many characters can you kill in one hour?" It doesn't sound like a kid's show, but I have older kids. Their artist's page describes the violence level as "“The Three Stooges” with swords." Like hiding vegetables in your children's artificial canned ravioli-like lunch product, Kill Will slips some Shakespeare into their theater diet.