Single White Fringe Geek - Just As Delightfully Weird As It Sounds - 5 stars

Lately, when I need to be reminded why I still like theater, I’ll go to a Sheep Theater production.  I honestly don’t even need to know or understand what they’re doing before I attend.  If they’re doing it, it’s a fairly safe bet I’m going to end up amused and inspired.  So I’m in luck, and so are you, because they’ve got a show going on right now (and another gearing up as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival in August).  The current production, making inventive use of the full space at In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater, is The Minotaur or: Amelia Earhart Is Alive And Traveling Through the Underworld.

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Cherry and Spoon - Fringe Festival 2017: "Pinocchio"

This hilarious alternate universe Pinocchio is narrated by Jiminy Cricket (Michael Rogers in a beautiful green velvet jacket), who in this version is just a cricket forced into being a conscience for the wooden boy. Geppetto (Jacob Mobley) is a former gangster who now wants nothing more than to love and parent the puppet Pinocchio (a truly creepy and dead-eyed Robb Goetzke) that his deceased wife, the blue fairy (Iris Rose Page), brought to life. But since he has no feelings, Pinocchio turns to the dark side and joins with his father's enemies (Joey Hamburger and Michael Torsch) as they create "Pleasure Island" - a sinful place full of big cigarettes, booze, and gallivanting. In typical Sheep Theater style the show is clever and funny and goofy, and a whole lot of fun.

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City Pages - 'Good Boy' is a tale of pro-wrestling, redemption, and slapstick humor.

The Good Boy and the Kid is one of those shows where you want to be onstage instead of in the audience, because everyone up there just seems to be having so damn much fun. Every performance, however silly, is also completely assured. From the ferocious Wrolson on down, everyone’s committed to the bit — even when the bit, as in Hamburger’s case, turns out to be a ball gag.

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