Saints, Sinners and the Moral Spectrum in-Between.
The oft described “eccentric” Seattle storytelling team Animal Saints and Animal Sinners is back with live and streaming performances of Going in Circles until Aug. 25. To call them “eccentric” is an understatement as are an outstanding team dealing with extremely abnormal subjects which even Twilight Zone would have found too weird. But Scot Augstson, Kelleen Conway Blanchard and Bret Fetzer have been enthralling audiences at 18th and Union for years and is one of the most unique acts in town.
Opening with The Poor Man and his Moustache actually delighted me because that very afternoon, I was plowing through Bel Ami, a novel by Maupassant about a man like the Poor Man in Bret Fetzer’s story. The two characters share the same trait; their only redeeming quality is that they are both endowed with appealing moustaches. In Fetzer’s story Moustache man goes on an Odyessy, which does not turn out well. Bret Fetzer’s writing and old-fashioned delivery was superb.
Next up was Kelleen Conway Blanchard, with The Town that Cursed the Moon. Life in this dull crime-ridden small town held many surprises for a quasi-agoraphobic resigned to a tepid sex-life with a neighbor on a strictly occasional schedule… until one night an intruder visits her. Kelleen has a super dramatic delivery with suspense, off-hand remarks and detailed descriptive language.
Her second piece, For Science, a tale which will resonate with all those of us who feel different (and who actually feels “normal”) is bone chilling but ends on a high –note.¸
Scot Augustson’s When is a Stork not a Stork was a disappointment, due to the poor delivery. His reading lacked dramatic punch and the story seemed to go in so many directors that I kept loosing track of the narrative, and only picked up a few jokes here and there. Perhaps he was having a bad night, as I have seen better performances from him.
All in all it was another entertaining interesting evening of storytelling.
Going in Circles, Animal Saints and Animal Sinners. Bret Fetzer, 18th and Union.1406-18th Ave, 98122 Central District. Seattle, Fri, Aug. 18, 7:30 . Streaming available to Aug. 25.
Tickets: https://18u.thundertix.com/
N.B. Parking is plentiful. Buses #48 along 23rd Ave, Bus #2 from downtown or the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.