Open Wardrobes

My final show of the afternoon yesterday (before prepping for my own two-performance marathon) was Allegra Lingo's new one-woman show Crescendo. I'd heard of Allegra from past Fringes, but had never made it to one of her shows before, an oversight I decided to correct especially after meeting her several times in the course of all the Fringe previews. She's one of those down-to-earth, personable individuals who is a pleasure to speak with, and just so happens to be an incredible artist to boot.

I was captured from the very beginning, as we sat in darkness listening to Allegra call the show into existence in a moment of creation, Aaron Copeland's music in the background. She weaves together two main threads: a retelling of the Greek myth of Icarus and her own process as an artist struggling with the act of creation. As a writer/actor myself I can definitely relate to the internal struggle and moments of self-doubt that accompany the process of putting words down on the page, let alone before an audience. The retelling of Icarus too was beautiful. It stayed true to the essence of the myth while not being bound by it, giving a glimpse of what may have happened next. The parallel between Icarus' flight too close to the sun and the artist's act of creation was nicely drawn. And like any good soundtrack, the music of Copeland added to the mood without distracting from the performance. Lastly, the stories about James the dog were delightful. All in all an amazing piece and one well worth catching. I am only sorry that it took me so many Fringes to finally see this talented performer in action. 5 out of 5 stars

My second show on Saturday, sticking around the U of MN's Rarig Center was The Tenth Muse, written and performed by out-of-towner Elisa Korenne. I met Elisa recently at one of the library showcases and enjoyed the show she performed there, so I wanted to be sure and catch the full show.

The focus of the show is songs about oddballs in US history, from a lightbulb eater to cheerleading nuns. I loved the songs, nicely written and well-performed, and the people they were based on were definitely interesting. Elisa has a very nice stage presence and is clearly in her element when singing and playing. The framework of the tenth muse didn't work for me as much, as I would have preferred more background on the historical characters. (A more cabaret-type format would probably work better.) The people ARE very interesting and the song format only provides so much room to talk about them. Still, all in all I very much enjoyed the performance. With the sing-a-long element this is a great show for families. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Now that the Fringe has started and I've been able to see a few shows, it's time to start reviewing them as well. First up yesterday was A Cynic Tells Love Stories written and performed by Katherine Glover, presented at the Rarig Center:

Katherine weaves a touching tale of her own experiences and relationships. More than simply a series of monologues, the piece flowed nicely. The writing was excellent, as was the performance itself, both poignant and humorous. My favorite part was the final segment, a tragic story told so genuinely. Kudos to Katherine was being able to present such personal stories in such an engaging way. 4 out of 5 stars.