Today we made it to only a single Minnesota Fringe Festival show, probably the last we’ll see this season.
Is That Why? is one of those shows that has to work to find its home, and the Fringe is probably that home. In this show, Ari Hoptman, who teaches classes concerning the German language at the University of Minnesota as his day job, presents a number of interesting, unconnected facts and explanations – or mysteries – about linguistics in a rapid fire manner for a good hour. I don’t know where he gets the energy for this, because I was exhausted but fascinated when he finished. He covers mostly Germanic languages, such as the true difference between High and Low German, but also occasionally treks off into Finnish and more obscure corners of the linguistic world. If this sounds interesting and you’re considering seeing his final show for this season’s Fringe, which is tomorrow (Sunday 16 August), be warned this is only of smallest venues of the Fringe, so show up early and put away that claustrophobia doll – there’ll not be room for it.
