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Trying to figure out what shows to see in

? Check out these reviews from some seasoned pros:

Samantha Veldhouse is the stage manager of "

" is a comedy featuring the city's mayor, it actually made her cry.

Seth Lepore has traveled to the Twin Cities several times as well as around the country to perform his one man shows in fringe festivals; his latest production is "

," a tribute to his Italian grandmother. Lepore notes that he's seen a theme of aging and death emerge at this year's Fringe, as people remember loved ones, or recount stories of near-death experiences.

Southerner Paul Strickland offers trailer park stories with a magical realist twist in his production "

," and when's he's not performing, he's sought out some other one-man shows.

Bruce Robbins retired from his position at 

 on July 1, and he's taking advantage of his newfound free time by picking up a Fringe Ultrapass and biking to shows all over town.

Robbins, like Seth Lepore, also enjoyed "

;" as someone with a great deal of experience with death and dying, Robbins said he felt Candy Simmons captured the emotions really well.

Fringe Fanatic Carol Gawthrop (whose picture I forgot to take - whoops!) has been an "Ultrapasser" since 2008. She says she's seen five shows so far, and there's not been a bad one in the lot. She was so impressed with Transatlantic Love Affair's "

" that she predicts they'll steal one of the encore slots at the end of the Fringe this year.

" by Natalie Rae Wass, which sold out its opening show - a bit of a rarity in the Fringe.

UltraFringer extraordinaire Scott Pakudaitis

 (whose photo I also forgot to take - hey, it was after midnight at this point!) claims "

" has "the best fight scene ever." He also really enjoyed Guittar Productions "Clocked."

Pakudaitis notes that several of the productions in this year's Fringe have already been staged elsewhere in the Twin Cities, which has helped him to narrow down what he wants to see. He also observes that he's seeing a lot of people wearing 

What have you observed at this year's Fringe? Your comments and reviews are always welcome...

Arts and Culture

State of the Arts Blog

Marianne Combs

Author

Trying to figure out what shows to see in the remaining days of the Fringe? Check out these reviews from some seasoned pros: Samantha Veldhouse is the stage manager of “The Education of Murray Sanderson.” She says while “RT + MPLS: The Legend of RT Rybak” is a comedy featuring the city’s mayor, it actually…

The reviews are in for the Minnesota Fringe, part 2

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