Saturday, September 17, 2016

Jeremy Schaefer at Elgin Fringe Festival

The first introductory line from storyteller Jeremy Schaefer reveals he has a grasp of structure and sequence, which is the backbone of any great story.

In his four-part piece that begins and ends in the Arizona desert, Schaefer examines the origins, artificiality and even the merits of the modern institution of marriage, illustrated by scenes from his own personal experience. The material is well-researched, nicely composed, and delivered with superb timing and musicality that color each moment with the right shade of comedy or melancholy.

Jeremy Schaefer performs and Elgin Fringe Festival.

The tempo is fast and word-heavy, with occasional excursions into overthinking, but Schaefer's language is fluent, witty and conversational, with memorable nutshell lines like "I'm a skeptic, not an asshole."

His argument that marriage is not an essential part of love and commitment is summed up in the title, "What's a Wedding Got to Do With It?" Pulling references from 90's music, Mormon theology and evolutionary psychology, his analysis is as persuasive as it is amusing.

It's a great story, bro, and he'll tell it again Saturday, Sept. 17th at 1:30 pm and Sunday, Sept. 18th at 6 pm.

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