Beyond the Fringe

Tapman

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Monday night's special press preview of the third annual St. Lou Fringe Festival was everything I have come to expect from the Fringe. Which is to say that it was filled with the unexpected.

In a fast and furious hour and a half, we were treated to nearly two dozen short (2-3 minutes) previews—some on video, most live—of some of the 35 acts that will be appearing on the Fringe stages this year. Highlights included:

- St. Louis actor Chris Limber riffing a bit of '50s-style "beat" poetry accompanied by Michelle Isam's sax, as a preview of Chris's cabaret show "Riffs in a Set of Ten"
- An unbearably sad little vignette with a broken puppet by First Time Puppet Theater and The Helix Effect; the full show is titled "Landslide"
- Some funny improv comedy by The Creepy Basement Players and Not Quite Right
- A fun duet for didgeridoo and oboe by Michael Hagmeier and a member of the Illumine Ensemble, from their "Terra Camera" show
- A sparkly Jamie McKittrick of Salt House Collective in an oddly endearing promo for her act, "Sparkle-Ta Daaa!!!"
- St. Louis's own burlesque comedy troupe The Randy Dandies in an (ahem) unbuttoned rendition of John Prine's rudely hilarious "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian" (from their production, "A Pastie Home Companion")

Landslide

There were also some impressive-looking videos from comic magician Christopher Bange's "More Bange for Your Buck," Tapman Productions' "The Adventures of Tapman" (the tap-dancing superhero), "In Full Swing" (virtuoso swing dancing) by The Four Fronts and, of course, a teeth-rattling live opener from St. Louis Osuwa Taiko.

From its humble beginnings as a loosely organized experiment back in 2012, the St. Lou Fringe has come a long way, baby. It's now a five-day extravaganza (June 18-22) that includes ten national performers along with the many local individuals and groups who, as always, make up the backbone of the festival. There are now six indoor performance venues in the midtown/Grand Center area (including The Stage @KDHX) plus "Street Fringe," a collection of free family-friendly outdoor performances at Strauss Park.

The Fringe has garnered national media attention and has also formed partnerships with many local arts and education organizations. No wonder festival founder Em Piro got a special award from the St. Louis Theater Circle back in March for the Fringe's contribution to the local performing arts scene.

Tina Farmer and I will be covering the Fringe for KDHX this year, but don't wait to hear what we have to say before jumping in yourself; you might miss the fun. Some of the shows only have two performances and none has more than four. The indoor shows all run no more than 45 minutes or thereabouts, so you can get a lot of entertainment in a short period of time. You can find a complete Fringe schedule and ticket information at stlfringe.com.