Rehearsing for the Fringe

While the Fringe performers are getting their acts together in preparation for August, I'm trying to do the same thing as an audience member.  I've been attending some pre-Fringe showcases, and it's time to tell you about them.

But first, I want to riff on this thought for a few measures:  Even with the comparatively languid tempo of pre-Fringe activities (for audience members, anyway), I have learned that I have to watch my pace, or I might find myself running out of breath.  (And being a horn player, that's not a good thing.)  I'm a glutton for all kinds of artistic stimuli, and sometimes don't know when to ease off when there are so many goodies on the table in front of me.  (Of course, one look at the girlish figure I HAVEN'T been able to keep will tell you that I indulge in multimedia gluttony!)

But, food metaphors aside, I found myself taking in too many artistic events, Fringe and otherwise, in the last few days.  And I recall vividly that the opportunity for that is way greater during Fringe week.  So, see all you can, but not when you're too worn out to enjoy it!

OK, onward:

My First Fringe Showcase

I went to see the first showcase on July 2 at "Patio Nights at Minnesota Museum of American Art", a new Thursday-Friday evening OUTDOOR venue high above the Mississippi in downtown St. Paul.  (Check it out at http://www.mmaa.org/pationights.html.)   (I was predisposed to attend this showcase because I had just performed a gig on the Patio the night before, as "Bruce Has the Talking Stick", a self-accompanied bass clarinet solo band.  But enough about me... for now!)

The most memorable music-related act, for me, was Before Dark, by the Live Action Set.  They did a couple of excerpts from their Fringe show, one of which involved two leery dancer/acrobats, and a cellist, who played a minimalist, minor key accompaniment, in fits and starts, as a counterpoint to the dancers' physical fits and starts.  A wordless call and response, full of music, silence, expression, and physicality.  Delightful!

Also on the music front:  Dean J. Seal and Steve Anderson did excerpts from An Empire Disguised as a Nation -- a clever and pointed dark political comedy.  Part of Dean's contribution was some hilarious songs, which he also peppered through the evening in his role as Fringe preview M.C.  He treated us to La Bamba in Norwegian, with references to Haagen Dasz and Husker Du.  And a country-western satire encouraging Mexico to take back California and Mexico, which the U.S. "appropriated" some time back...  More on this one later.

I also need to mention The Driving Instructor, a hilariously seductive solo rant and romp, which included a tent-revivalist session with a wild man preaching pop culture as religion, as he exhorted the audience with cries of "Elvis lives!".

We also heard from Allegra Lingo, who gave us some enjoyable excerpts from her spoken-word reminiscences of a trip to Italy (part of a show called Agog, I believe), and the Flower Shop Project, who acted out part of a ghost story called Drowning in Velvet (which looked intriguing, but needed better miking of the actors, who were competing with Taste of Minnesota noise from across the river).

Keep in mind that these folks were all good enough to take time out of their rehearsal schedules to give us a taste of the Fringe, and that what we saw was a full month before the Fringe begins.  They sure whetted my appetite!

Damn, there I go again.  Note to self:  Enough with the food references, already!  I'm the Music Man, and I'm searching for the Fringe Heartbeat, not its stomach rumblings!

Coming soon: My report on Leslie Ball's stunning vocal comeback at the Dakota last Thursday, and on the Fringe Showcase at Leslie Ball's Cabaret last night.