By Liz Eichler
Appalachian Song Catcher by Hannah Sage (Atlanta, Georgia)
There are Fringe shows that are loud and kinetic, and then there are shows that are quiet and joyful. This is one of them.
If you love bluegrass music, came from a small town, or have ever had to leave a place you loved, you’ll likely find yourself drawn to Hannah Sage. Blending banjo tunes, traditional songs, and original music with honest, personal storytelling, she shares what it was like growing up physically different and queer in rural North Georgia. Throughout it all, her supportive parents reminded her that she was special and loved exactly as she was.
She opens with the delightful “Cuckoo Song” and performs roughly ten songs over the course of the show. One standout is the rolling, wistful “I’m Coming Home.” But she really captures your heart with both the story and song of “My Mother’s Coming (Up Over the Hill).”
By the end, I was hooked—and immediately followed her Instagram.
Remaining performances at First Lutheran Church:
- June 6 at 4 p.m.
- June 7 at 4 p.m.
- June 9 at 6:45 p.m.
- June 11 at 6:45 p.m.
Champagne Dreams by 3 Sticks (Auburn, Alabama)
This is a Fringe show that stands out as something entirely different.
Incredibly inventive and genuinely hilarious, Champagne Dreams is an alcohol-fueled fantasy of a 1980s timeshare salesperson trapped in the middle of winter.
As you enter, you’ll notice a green screen, a movie screen, and a live-action camera setup. What unfolds is a multilayered multimedia extravaganza of delightful absurdity. The show’s heroine appears simultaneously as a live performer, a flat puppet, and a marionette as we follow her through a dull sales job and the monotony of hotel life. Inspired by a postcard, she drifts into dreams filled with the “Decadent Duchess” cruise ship, dancing crustaceans, the Euphonium Club (yes, a tuba), a polka band, and much more.
The technical elements all work beautifully, supported by excellent sound design. Best of all, the team approaches every bit of this silliness with absolute sincerity, which only makes it funnier.
Highly recommended.
Remaining performances at the Puppet Pit:
- June 6 at 4:15 p.m.
- June 7 at 7 p.m.
- June 10 at 8:45 p.m.
- June 12 at 7 p.m.
O’Fringe is the New Black by Wit’s End Productions (Newport, Kentucky)
This very funny short-form sketch comedy show also has something to say.
Beginning with The X-Files theme, we meet a pair of aliens studying Earth and debating whether humanity is so miserable that the planet should simply be blown up. What follows is a rapid-fire series of sketches exploring just how depressing, ridiculous, and absurd modern life can be.
Highlights include:
- A Dark Lord straight out of the Darth Vader playbook whose every minute is managed by an overbearing assistant.
- A recurring gag involving someone swiping right on an ICE agent who is spectacularly unqualified for the job.
- Men insisting they have no emotions.
- Yoga in Washington Park and all the distractions that come with it.
- Interacting with ChatGPT while it drinks alarming quantities of water.
The quick sketches keep coming and consistently earn big laughs from the audience.
The company includes Gauravi Shah (writer, director and producer), Dave F. Powell–the improv icon, Sarah Spurling, Elizabeth Enderly, Nathan Tubbs, and music director/accompanist Peter Boylan.
Get tickets now to the remaining performance at Gabriel’s Corner:
- June 9 at 8:45 p.m.
A Hollywood Horror Story by Ingrid Garner (Los Angeles, California)
Ingrid Garner is a brilliant writer. The script for A Hollywood Horror Story is intelligent, thoroughly researched, compassionate, and deeply human.
She is also an excellent performer. Her hands alone become a ballet of emotion as she tells the story of Maila Nurmi, the woman behind Vampira. She glides across the stage, seamlessly moving in and out of costume pieces while incorporating video clips that enrich the storytelling.
Mocked as a child for being “other,” Nurmi transformed her uniqueness into fame—for a while. Eventually, however, the Hollywood machine pushed back, and she lost nearly everything. Along the way, she formed friendships with some of Hollywood’s most fascinating outsiders and icons, including James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Orson Welles.
Her life took dramatic turns: from success and celebrity to sleeping on a concrete floor, and then back into public consciousness when the punk band the Misfits embraced her legacy. She is a legend for hosting KABC’s late night B movie series, creating a brand and a valuable time slot. Their record label took its name from Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space—often called the worst movie ever made—which featured both Vampira and Bela Lugosi. Once again, Nurmi became an icon.
And yet she never forgave those behind Elvira, a character she viewed as a direct appropriation of her creation and brand—one from which she never received a dime.
Garner fully delivers on the show’s considerable buzz. This is a must-see.
Remaining performances of A Hollywood Horror Story at the Know Mainstage:
- June 9 at 8:30 p.m.
- June 12 at 8:30 p.m.
