The Fourth year of the Denver fringe fest has kicked off with a bang! I had the fortune to be able to go to five shows so far. Here’s what I saw.
Johnny Jane by Finn Benham
The first show I hit was Johnny Jane in the Mercury Cafe’s second floor, the ballroom. Johnny Jane follows the titular Johnny (Finn Benham), a trans teenager, helping to care for their guardian angel (Kim Nuzzo) with a heroin addiction who has fallen from heaven while a mysterious entity (Valerie Nuzzo) appears, looking for revenge.
Johnny Jane
The show deals heavily in LGBTQ+ identity, with Johnny embarking on an emotional journey through their own inner turmoil to come to terms with their traumatic past and their very identity. The Angel and the Mysterious Stranger represent Johnny’s masculine and feminine sides, even referring to Johnny by different pronouns. The story also deals with other themes such as addiction and religion with the angel grappling with his own mess of issues (most notably heroin addiction.)
With strong writing and impressive acting (particularly from the young lead) Johnny Jane will appeal to many, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community who will be able to relate to Johnny’s struggles. Overall, a solid start to the Fringe fest.
Next showing: Saturday, June 10 at 5:30 p.m. — Mercury Café Ballroom
Camping with Dad by Carter McGrath
Have you ever wanted to relive the good ol’ days with the old man? Or maybe you’ve got unresolved daddy issues you need to work through. Either way, Camping with Dad is a great time for all.
As soon as I entered the fascinating venue that is the Immersive HQ on 26th Street, I noticed a small campfire with six sleeping bags and tents surrounding what appears to be a firepit. I was then instructed to sit at one of the sleeping bags and make myself comfortable. Once the rest of the six-person audience piled in and chose their sleeping bags, we were greeted by our dad (Carter McGrath.)
Camping with your dad is not your normal uninvolved production where you watch in silence as actors perform scripts. No, Camping with Dad makes the audience members the actors by having them roleplay as the six children of this man you’d just met. Carter McGrath does an impeccable job as everyone’s father as he improvises various quirky Dad-isms with a touch of genuine fatherly advice making for a wholesome, funny, and warm time for everybody involved. Nobody will leave the immersive HQ without a smile on their face with this one.
This one ended Friday so you’ll have to wait to see if it comes around again next year.
Don’t In-FRINGE Upon My…
Don’t In-FRINGE Upon My… is a unique burlesque show starring an all-BIPOC cast. It does a terrific job at nurturing a fun atmosphere among the audience complete with hoots and hollers that thrives in a space as lively and colorful as the Mercury Cafe Ballroom (the nearby bar assists in this as well.)
As soon as the show begins you’re met with a boisterous host (ALLurrr’em VelvIT) to welcome each act. There is a twist to this one though, being that after the first few acts, things get a little more serious with heavy discussion of issues plaguing the U.S. today (indigenous peoples murder, police brutality, transphobia). It still manages to blend the good times with serious discussion nicely as they offer a mix of legitimate political discussion with fun burlesque (a notable standout being the two- part drag show performed by Enzo Benzo.)
I’d consider Don’t In-FRINGE Upon My… to be an experience for the ages with tight performances and thoughtful discussion but be warned, the performers do expect tips.
They Break Up at the End by Katy White
They Break Up at the End is a very real, emotional look at something nearly everybody has had to deal with at some point or another: a relationship just not working out and slowly falling apart.
The two leads (Katy White and Gabriella Dubois) aren’t given names or even genders so as to create as relatable an experience as possible. It is painful to watch a relationship slowly crumble as they desperately try to pick up the pieces by any means necessary. The show likes to play around with time, skipping from major fight to major fight showing the toll it slowly takes on the leads’ mental health and overall well-being. It’s like watching a timelapse of a tree slowly decaying, knowing that there’s nothing you can do to fix it.
They Break Up at the End really shines with outstanding writing, written over the course of four years by Katy White after her own painful breakup. It also bolsters outstanding acting from the two leads that lets the audience really feel and understand their pain. While it may not be a good idea to take a first date to this one, They Break Up at the End is a must-see for any dramatic theater enthusiasts.
Next showing: Saturday, June 10, 5 p.m. at Savoy Flex
Fare Thee Well by Emily Maverick Shankman
I had a good-ass time at this one. LA-based funny woman, Emily Maverick Shankman, took us through a surreal and hilarious journey of her zany characters and her own miraculous experiences (which she confirmed to me after the show are all true).
The show is pure wacky, goofy, nutty, kooky silliness — and that is perfect. With blends of toilet humor and genuinely clever gags, not a single audience member wasn’t laughing, including Emily herself who was having the time of her life with her extremely infectious laughter. There is plenty of audience interaction to keep everybody engaged with the most notable example being my buddy, Lukas, who she chose as her love interest as she brought him up to dance with her and referred to him flirtatiously throughout the show. He loved it.
If you like comedy and you have to only see one show at the Fringe Fest (which you shouldn’t do as there are way too many good productions here.) I would recommend Fare Thee Well for a fun night.
Next showings: Saturday June 10 at 8 and June 11 at 6:30 p.m. at River North Media
More to come as I head out for Saturday afternoon and evening productions!
Andy Miller is an avid theatre-goer who lives and writes in Highlands Ranch.
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