The Champ

FIRST THINGS FIRST -  tickets for the 2018 St. Lou Fringe are now on sale. Go to https://www.stlouisfringe.com/ and buy, buy, buy!       

So anyway, the winner of Act Your Pants Off by audience acclaim was Melissa Allen. Steamy, bursting with energy and, well, not at all shy. It was AYPO, after all, and she was one of the few performers who removed more than shoes and socks. She is also an aerial artist and will be performing at the festival next month.

The Indomitable Donna Weinstein

Another personality from Act Your Pants off. The judges declared Donna Weinstein the overall winner. Decades of experience have given her a powerful stage presence. She acts like she owns the place and I think she did. Age has its privileges and the only clothing she removed was a strand or two of those big beads.       

The Selkie

This show had its charms but was a bit off my wavelength. Who these people are isn't very clear from the Festival program. I think the small group of people call themselves Rusalka. The meaning of the term The Selkie and the identity of the principal performer is not at all clear. The group is from Ashville, North Carolina, and had Appalachian themes woven into the music, most of it in minor keys.

The interesting touch was the shadow puppet show that was part of the performance. It was mysterious and suggestive, not at all explicit. It reminded me of writer Archibald MacLeish's line a poem should not mean but be.