By Kirk Sheppard, LCT Guest reviewer
I love a good character-driven theatre piece. This year, at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, I’ve seen four shows with unique, unexpected, and well-written characters – all of them worth seeing.
Papa — Madeleine Rowe (Minneapolis, MN) Gabriel’s Corner
Frankenstein’s Monster isn’t just a creation. He’s somebody’s son. That’s the premise of Madeleine Rowe’s new clown show, and it’s remarkably simple. That’s why it works so well. The audience already knows the story. The plot isn’t the point.
Rowe plays the creature with physical precision and a sweetness that makes you root for him from the jump. Jay Eisenberg plays Assistant Doctor Fritz — an Igor-like figure who operates more like Teller of Penn & Teller, silent and indispensable — and the two of them build something that’s deeply silly, unexpectedly moving, and performed with the kind of specificity that only comes from serious training. The way they make the tiniest gesture, the subtlest of sounds — all of it is so absurd. But also utterly brilliant.
I generally hate audience participation. Don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, don’t pull me out of my seat. But Rowe has a gift for making you feel safe enough to play along. The audience is never the butt of the joke — you’re part of the world, not the target of it. Rowe pulled off the same trick in “Knight, Knight” a couple of Fringes ago, and they’ve only gotten better at it.
A note: the performance I saw was the show’s first time in front of an audience. I’ve heard it has evolved since — which is exciting, because what I saw was already remarkable.
What’s the Fringiest Thing About It? EVERYTHING. A clown show about Frankenstein’s monster that’s secretly about what it means to be somebody’s child — delivered with total emotional commitment. Only at Fringe.
Remaining Performances at Gabriel’s Corner:
- Weds June 3 @ 7 pm
- Fri June 5 @ 8:45 pm
- Sun June 7 @ 4:15pm
Modern Butchood — Molly Gloeckner (Los Angeles, CA) Miami University Space
Molly Gloeckner has a very specific energy — imagine Hannah Einbinder from “Hacks” meets Fleabag. She uses every ounce of it in this smart, funny, surprisingly dark solo show.
Butch is the sardonic girlfriend of a semi-famous lesbian TikToker named Riley. The show starts as a comedy about relationship dissatisfaction and queer identity, and I settled in thinking I knew where it was going. I didn’t.
Gloeckner’s script is well-constructed — and like Papa, it’s about a monster. Just not the one you expect. The humor is sharp, the performance is fearless, and by the end you’ve taken a ride through a strong narrative with real depth. Directed by Charlie Towle III, who gives Gloeckner room to work while keeping the pacing tight.
What’s the Fringiest Thing About It? A solo show in a storefront, and a dance sequence after some unexpected news. Context is everything.
Remaining Performances at Miami University Space:
- Tues June 2 @ 7 pm
- Thurs June 4 @ 8:45 pm
- Sat June 6 @ 8:45 pm
- Sun June 7 @ 7 pm
The Boy from Bantay — Jeremy Rafal (New York, NY) Know Theatre
Jeremy Rafal’s autobiographical show is a warm, moving piece about a young boy from the Philippines and his journey with the piano, Saturday morning cartoons, and the classical music hiding inside those Looney Tunes and animated classics he loved. Rafal holds a doctorate in piano from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, so when he plays, you’re hearing the real thing. He’s also built an acting career that includes FBI, Law & Order, and Raising Kanan — a journey from concert pianist to actor that’s not the focus of the show but makes the combination of skills onstage feel rare. The show earned a 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Asian Arts Award, and it’s easy to see why.
Using ancient technology — discreetly modernized — Rafal plays those cartoons on an old television set (he also uses an old slide projector) while exploring cultural identity and grief with a lightness of touch that never diminishes the weight of what he’s really talking about. Inhabiting various characters, the throughline is easy to follow and charming.
The show could use some tightening, but Rafal is so genuinely likable that you’re with him every step of the way. I was affected in ways I didn’t expect.
What’s the Fringiest Thing About It? A projector, a piano, and one man’s childhood — told through the cartoons that shaped him.
Remaining Performances at Know Theatre:
- Tues Jun 2 @ 8:30 pm
- Weds June 3 @ 6:45 pm
- Thurs Jun 4 @ 6:45 pm
Memento Holly — Zoë Peterson, First Lutheran Church Basement
Two people who haven’t spoken in three years find themselves sharing a car, a destination, and the memory of someone they both loved. This is a two-hander, and a good one. Zoë Peterson (who also wrote and directed) and Sawyer Pardo are locked in from the first moment, fully present and playing off each other with the kind of trust that makes you wonder how much of it is in the script and how much is improvised. Pardo is a captivating actor with a nice singing voice and Peterson is an accomplished multi-disciplinary artist who is authentic and vulnerable on stage and off.
The show is both sweet and sarcastic; I’m a sucker for Peterson’s writing and unique point-of-view — and in this piece, their gift for dialogue and mixing humor with heaviness is on full display. There’s a gas station scene where they compare snack hauls that had me laughing out loud. There are other moments that had me holding my breath.
What’s the Fringiest Thing About It? A large, Fringified car on stage as a set piece, minimal lighting cues, and some shadow puppets mixed in.
Remaining Performances at FLC Basement:
- Thurs Jun 4 @ 7 pm
- Fri June 5 @ 8:45 pm
- Sun Jun 7 @ 4:15 pm
- Weds June 10 @ 7 pm
Frankenstein’s monster. A TikToker’s girlfriend. A boy and his piano and his cartoons. Two friends and a vase full of ashes. All very different characters, but all of them worth getting to know.
Kirk Sheppard is a proud member of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association.He is also a playwright, novelist, and professional counselor who writes about art, life, and what it means to be human. His new novel, Rope Burn, releases June 16th. Pre-order now wherever books are sold or at ropeburnbook.com.
