So, before the Big Net Blackout of Aught-eight you, my Indy.com friends, left me bound for a dear friend's wedding in San Francisco, which just happened to be during their Fringe festival, which just happened to be during my withdrawal period from our own Fringe… remember that… oh how long ago it all seems now. Original post can be found here… http://www.indy.com/posts/11482

Anyway, I had one day… one solitary day to get my fix. To see if the left coast really did Fringe style theatre all that much better than we do it in the heartland. I was able to purchase some tickets in advance. (You can purchase 50% of the available tix online.) So, I knew what 4 of my 5 choices were going into the experience. I was gambling with my 5th. I knew I wanted to see It Is What It Is but over half the tix were gone online so I would have to chance it and stand on line and see if I could make the cut.

First up an "original musical", The Endless Frontier. The promotional materials boasted "a magical, experimental-musical journey" with puppetry. OK… I'm down wit dat. I love me some puppets. Especially some experimental-musical ones… this puppet was a big brown tarp covered in junk thrown over a ladder with holes for hands to come out. A "mountain" representing "manifest destiny" the show was full of allegory and analogy but for me little of it worked because I was to busy being beaten in the head with the anti-urban sprawl message. I felt like a dead horse on my exit and the out of tune folk music ensemble that accompanied the show did not help matters. The saving grace was in the performance of creator Niki Selken, a lovely voice and presence but that alone could not make this Frontier not truly seem Endless. www.kolabs.org

Next was the wild card. So, off to stand on line to see if I could get tix. I found the San Fran folk and interesting mix. They were either VERY eager to talk or taken quite aback at the fact that some outsider was here for THEIR festival. I found that especially odd in the folks connect to the companies. (Since being a Fringe presenter myself I was hoping to do a little networking…alas no…but wait.) I get tickets for It Is What It Is, a show that "incorporates multimedia via texting, email, cel phones to illustrate the simultaneous dialogues we have" it is the story of three adult siblings dealing with memories over their father's deathbed. A real toe tapper, right? Well at this play I meet the playwright and another producer and make fast friends. She is charming and a gifted talent. From the opening moment of this play I found it challenging, moving, funny at times, a thoroughly crisp new look how we communicate and an honest representation of how adult siblings grow apart and together in the face of mortality. A+ Don't be surprised if you see that title here in Indy sometime in the next year or so.

Now to SONDERKOMMANDO (hereafter referred to at SK).Originally this show was 150 minutes long instead of the 50-60 that most Fringe shows are. It was cut down to 65 after the times were posted. Thank goodness. It was very challenging. I don't know if I could have handled 150 minutes of it. Nor could I have ever imagined how the actors could have done it for that long. Presented by the Pangs Theatre, the production used the physical style developed by Artistic Director Wolfgang Thompson, which incorporates choreography, patterns of body movement, and exploration of the physical space. Thompson also plays the SK. An SK was a Jew in a concentration camp that was given special privileges in exchange for certain duties that usually involved things like leading inmates to the gas chambers and cleaning up the bodies after. For this the SK would get to wear their own clothes, bread and vodka, and separate housing. This "play" or "Experience" concerns one particular SK that is tormented by 3 Dybbuks. A Dybuk is a tormented soul that must complete it's uncompleted work on earth by attaching to a living being. The text for the show is from late 19th century expressionistic poet, Georg Trakl, The Book Of Isaiah, and Martin Luther's The Jews And Their Lies. It is the sort of piece you just have to let flow over you. If you go trying to pick it apart you will just not enjoy it. "Ride the SK horse." I had a blast. It was challenging and definitely not for everyone. The 2 old ladies that could not make up their minds about where to sit before the show (that kept me from reading my program….grrr) Left 20 mins in. It was a good spooky time. Hard work…very hard work. www.pangstheater.com

Marie 21 And Flying was a wonderful look at what San Francisco was like in the '60s. A former guitar player for Steve Miller, David Denny could have taken this in a "that was the way things were back in the day-memory lane kind of trip." But, much to my and the packed house's pleasure it was a uniquely musical retelling of his stumbled into "manipu-lationshp" with a one-night-stand waitress named Marie he met in Texas. Only to get a call from his roommates, several stops later on tour, that… "Marie" had shown up on his San Fran doorstep. Who is next on the doorstep but, her mom, little brothers, and their trashy Texas menagerie. This coupled with tales of flying fears, wonderful strumming, picking, and dynamic vocals made me wonder why he chose to back Steve up and never headline for himself. I was flying as I left the theatre… thanks for sharing, Dave. Wanna see some?...

My final treat for the looooong day of theatre was Peg-Ass-Us. (First off… if you are unfamiliar with the term Pegging you may want to Google it.) The venue for this show was the theatre at The Center For Sex And Culture. Nuf' said? Promo line: "Sex-Ed mixed with burlesque, song, puppetry and of course, mythical creatures." How could I NOT see this show?? So, off I trot to this theatre that is a pretty far hike from the other areas and the walk was worth it! This real-life couple use humor, dance, hilarious puppetry, and honest theatrical moments to talk about a subject that some my not view as something you could base a show on. However this little theatrical workshop on sex, relationships and intimacy was informative, amusing, clever, touching and sexy all rolled up in an hour. And you could not ask for two more engaging tour guides through these waters. John Leo and Sophie Nimmannit together exemplify the give and take relationships should be all about. Sharing from his own life amidst the fun and clowning John reaches a sincere place of "the why" explaining with clarity many of us can only wish we had in our lives. They win the prize for best promo materials… let's just say it was water soluble. www.packofothers.org

Since SONDERKOMMANDO was shortened by an hour I was able to see a shoe I had not planned to… or eat….hmmm. I chose to eat at a show. And where else could I eat but to see my buddy Matt the Monkey Poet: Big Brown #2 in the Cabaret Space. Armed with my Brie/Garlic/Roasted Red Pepper Sourdough I sat in front and anticipated… He comes out and does his thing in the dark. Lights up…"Holy F&%k IT'S TY FROM F%&*#NG INDY…WHAT… You... Anyway…" It was good to see him. He said San Francisco had been treating him well. They love him there. How could you not. He takes no prisoners. He truly is in a class by himself.

Why was I there… oh yeah… the wedding… awesome. Ceremony in the city hall rotunda… trolley ride round the city for pics… dancing at the Harry Denton's Starlight Room… http://www.harrydenton.com …dinner at Millennium. http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com

What a great trip.