Review: At Tampa Fringe 2022, Tales of Mild Interest is way more than mildly interesting – Creative Loafing Tampa

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Photo by Jennifer Ring

Meet 'Swampy Gunderson: Dracula Hunter.'

To be honest, thats how the incredibly entertaining Tales of Mild Interest didnt make it onto our list of 10 cant miss shows at Tampa Fringe 2022.

The premise sounds absurd. When they finished their narration, I still wasnt convinced that I needed to see this show.

The following week, on an unusually lively Monday evening in Tampa, I walked into HCC Studio Theatre and sat in the front row, a couple seats down from Tampa Fringe co-founder William Glenn.

Photo by Jennifer Ring

The set for Tales of Mild Interest is almost elaborate for a Fringe show.

This is the type of show we have Fringe for, Glenn told me in the five minutes before Tales of Mild Interest began their third 2022 Tampa Fringe performance.

It makes sense. Fringe is all about showcasing non-mainstream theater, and radio serials stopped being mainstream in the 1950s. Back then, it was a sound-only experience.

Radio theater takes original stories inspired by 1930s radio serials and brings them to the stage for an experience that is both audio and visual. Here, actors (typically voice actors) don costumes and dramatically read from a script.

Technically, its a staged reading, Garraffa told CL.

But when Tales of Mild Interest takes the stage, it feels more like a nontraditional comedy show, kind of like 10 physical comedians coming together to tell several laughter-worthy jokes and stories.

Hutson became interested in radio theater after seeing it live on stage in Chicago. It was the first time hed seen a radio serial performed in a modern way, and he couldnt wait to try it himself. "Tales of Mild Interest" gave their first live radio theater performance at the inaugural Tampa International Fringe Festival in 2017 his is where they first introduced Tampa audiences to The B-Team! and Swampy Gunderson: Dracula Hunter.

This year, they present Tales of Mild Interest Episode 2, a funny and charming collection of alternative superhero stories.

Photo by Jennifer Ring

Episode 2 of 'Tales of Mild Interest' opens with 'The B-team.'

Photo by Jennifer Ring

While the B-team tries to save the world from an evil cicada (no really), cast members take turns at the sound effects table.

Photo by Jennifer Ring

Swampy Gunderson: Dracula Hunter, hunting down a shape-shifter whos terrorizing the town.

Photo by Jennifer Ring

The Noble Gases, another team of superhero misfits out to save the world from evil.

Live radio theater isnt the easiest thing to describe. If I give you too many details Ill spoil it, which is why you really need to go see Tales of Mild Interest while its still on stage at Tampa Fringe. Trust me on this one. Erica Garraffa and Jesse Hutsons Tales of Mild Interest is just the kind of laugh we need right now.

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Review: At Tampa Fringe 2022, Tales of Mild Interest is way more than mildly interesting - Creative Loafing Tampa

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