Judah LeBlang at Elgin Fringe Festival

Judah LeBlang performs "One Man's Journey
Through the Middle Ages" at Elgin Fringe Festival 2017.

God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone."

We have a primordial urge to know and be known by another, to be understood and accepted, to belong; and yet we must understand and accept ourselves first. It's a human predicament that Judah LeBlang's therapist probably discussed with him.

Like several other Fringe artists this year, LeBlang employs his gift of storytelling not just to fascinate an audience, but to work out personal issues by connecting with people through detailed remembrances of his formative relationships that were never fully satisfying. In his "One Man's Journey Through the Middle Ages," he ties together a Baptist funeral, a deaf uncle, a Saturday night in Provincetown and more, to illustrate a life experience that's overcast by feelings of inferiority and accustomed to unmet expectations.

Equipped with powers of vivid and sensitive description, LeBlang delivers autographical vignettes that are powerfully relatable, and his story structure, word choice and timing are paired with just enough movement and costume effects to hold your unbroken attention for a full fifty minutes. The script is verbose, but nicely segmented and never repetitive.

You may think you could never relate to an aging, single, gay Jewish man, but this piece will make you feel like marrying one.  Get to know Judah LeBlang Saturday, Sept. 16th at 6pm or Sunday, Sept. 17th at Noon.