By Alan Jozwiak
Every year when I am planning which Cincy Fringe shows to see, I look for two different categories: must-see shows because of the previous track record of the Fringe artists and what I call “hidden gems.” “Hidden gems” are those shows which might fly under the radar but are promising because of the artist, concept, and/or medium of expression being used.
This year’s Cincinnati Fringe Festival runs May 30 through June 14, with Know Theatre as it’s headquarters. Performance spaces include: Gabriel’s Corner, Coffee Emporium OTR, 13th & Vine, various venues in First Lutheran Church, and Know Theatre of Cincinnati.
Eleanor’s Story: Life After War
For Cincy Fringe 2025, my must-see shows are all solo-performance pieces by returning Fringe artists. Leading the list is Eleanor’s Story:Life After War by Ingrid Garner, the second installment of her Eleanor chronicles. The first installment, Eleanor’s Story, won the Cincinnati Pick of the Fringe award in 2024. It is a powerful one-woman show about the performer’s grandmother who survived life in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. I loved the show last year and this sequel about her grandmother trying to live a normal life back in the United States after her war experiences sounds equally compelling.
Tea Time and American’t
Also must-sees are Erika MacDonald’s Tea Time and Jon Bennett’s American’t. I have seen MacDonald and Bennett perform previously and they are masters of the art of storytelling. Both approach their storytelling differently. MacDonald, from Covington, KY, tends to be more artful in the way that she constructs her stories. Bennett, from Adelaide, Australia, is a more of a raw and confessional storyteller. Each present meaty and engaging pieces of theatre.
Alan’s Previews for Cincy Fringe 2025: Hidden Gems
As for my hidden gems, I have chosen three puppet shows and three non-puppet shows that I think are going to be worthwhile seeing. Will these shows be the stars of this year’s Cincinnati Fringe Festival? Maybe–but they are on the list because they sound like really cool engaging shows.
Ben and Justin Presents: 1 Gay Wedding and Absolutely No Funerals
1 Gay Wedding and Absolutely No Funerals by Ben and Justin Presents is my first hidden gem. Last year, Ben and Justin Presents Waiting for Laura was the last show I saw. What a show! I was ever so glad I saw it because it was so funny due to the writing and the performances. Everyone should include 1 Gay Wedding and Absolutely No Funerals early on their Fringe schedule to talk it up because it should be buzz worthy!
Arsenic and Old Spice by Liz Coley
Another repeat performer worth considering is A Silver Linings Production of Arsenic and Old Spice by Liz Coley. Full disclosure: I know Coley. Both she and I are on the board of Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative (CPI). As with the other work I’ve seen of hers (including last year’s sold-out Castaways), solid scripting and storytelling will be joined with expert actors to produce a rare thing in the Cincinnati Fringe–a script where the playwright is not also a performer, but producer. This dark comedy of a theatrical confection sounds really fun and engaging.
Muttnik: A Play About a Dog
Finally, I want to call attention to Muttnik: A Play About a Dog by Bruce Ryan Costella. Costella was here last year as part of the team (along with Amica Hunter, who will be in the Fringe as part of the conceptual Fringe) which brought us SeaMAN, which was both silly and fun at the same time. Costella is turning their attention to a show about the first dog shot into orbit, the Soviet’s Laika. (Historical note: the US shot some fruit flies into space a few years before Laika went up into orbit, being the first country to shoot an animal into space). Costella is a physical comedian, so I am assuming there will be plenty of dog pantomimes, as well as a dose of history on the space race.
Alan’s Previews: Fringe 2025 Shows Love for the Art of Puppetry
Before going into my puppet pics, I wanted to point out that there are a LOT of puppetry shows this year (7 in total). That is a sizable number and I know that some Cincy Fringers turn up their nose at puppetry, thinking puppets are “kid’s stuff” and that bas-a## die-hard Cincinnati Fringers don’t “do puppets.”
Au contraire. Here is a quick breakdown of my response to some of those misconceptions:
Misconception #1: Puppetry is not really for adult audiences.
Like comics (my other main love in life), puppetry has been relegated to the realm of children because there is a long-standing tradition of seeing puppetry in the United States as “kid’s stuff.” In actuality, puppetry is a medium that can accommodate any age range, from children, teenagers, adults, middle-age adults, and senior citizens.
Several of the puppet shows in this year’s fringe are for general audiences. The skill of a puppeteer in these shows is to find common ground between children and adult audiences so that there are entry points for each audience and takeaways that each audience will appreciate.
Misconception #1: Puppets are really simplistic media.
Like masks, puppets deliberately simplify, as well as amplify and condense certain elements of a character to highlight traits and emphasize ideas that the puppet is expressing. Unlike masks, puppets also use their action in complex ways to portray different elements of a story. Even the most basic-looking of puppets can operate in ways that reflect an adult sensibility.
Misconception #3: Puppet shows can’t convey developed ideas for adult audiences.
Puppetry is a medium, a vessel which any sorts of ideas can be poured into. Some of the shows that will be presented in this year’s Cincinnati Fringe have a decided adult sensibility that might not be suitable for children. I am testament to that fact, since I was part of the team which produced “Extreme Puppet Theatre” for the Cincinnati Fringe Festival many years ago. It was a decidedly adult puppet show.
Without further ado, here are my top three puppet shows to see:
The Family Crow by Pucking Fuppet Co
The Family Crow by Ontario’s Pucking Fuppet Co. is high on my list of puppet shows. It combines several interests of mine: puppets, murder mysteries, and comedy. This performer has a long Fringe pedigree, so we are lucky to get the lone puppeteer Adam Francis Proulx to come to Cincinnati. The premise of the piece sounds like an engaging mystery that will appeal to a large audience.
The Squid and The Octopus by Jim Julien
Second on my list of hidden gem puppet shows is The Squid and The Octopus by Jim Julien of Drexel Hill, PA. Like Proiulx, Julien is an experienced puppeteer who has been on the fringe circuit. This show seems like it will be using lots of shadow puppets. If so, shadow puppets tend to be for an intimate audience because it requires a screen to project the puppets. If you get a chance to see this show, I would advise you to sit up close to see the full range of puppets.
The Green Moon/La Luna Verde
Last on my list is a puppet show listed as part of the Kid’s Fringe, The Green Moon/La Luna Verde by Cincinnati’s Gabriel Martinez Rubio/Dos-Corazones Productions. While billed as for children, this Kid’s Fringe show also gives a nod to an adult fringe experience. It combines shadow puppets, dance, and the poetry of Federico Garcia-Lorca spoken in both Spanish and English. Rubio is a local theater artist who has combined what sounds like a winning combination of elements to produce a unique fringe show.
That concludes my list of must-sees and hidden gems. I hope to see you at this year’s Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
Alan’s Previews: Get your Passes to Cincy Fringe Early
Get your tickets to the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and see the full schedule click HERE.
