Puppy Macbeth
I am a big fan of Shakespearean plays that are deconstructed and reimagined. So imagine my surprise when I walked into the Arden Theater and saw the cutest Macbeth ever! A stage of laid down newspaper is easily transformed into the Scottish heath and Dunsinane. Pepper's interpretation of Macbeth is both harrowing and adorable, while Mitzie's Lady Macbeth is snuggly and a revelation ("Out damn spot!" takes on a whole new meaning here). The other puppies are unbelievably cute and believably effective as the Scottish thanes. I especially liked the casting of three Siamese cats as the witches. Type-casting? Maybe, but brilliant. Don't miss this!

TV in Your Living Room
One of the most original pieces this year. From Prague comes Art-enstein, a group commissioned to put on a new piece in this year's festival and they do not disappoint. The show takes place in your living room, of all places, on your own couch. You start off by turning on and watching TV. As time wears on, you become engrossed in whatever it is you are watching, eventually forgetting that you are in a Fringe show. That's when the brilliance of the piece hits you: you are art without ever leaving your home! Tickets are $25.

If Trees Could Talk Would Anyone Listen?
Capitalizing on last year's hit "If Trees Could Dance Would Anyone Watch Them on a Reality Show?" Splinter and Shade Arts Collective returns to the Fringe with their most audacious piece yet, a debate between a pro-choice Oak Tree and an Ikea designer who may or may not be Hitler. It's a fascinating peek into the world of trees, the Holocaust and furniture design. Insightful and well written, it leaves you "pining" for more.

Smells
The renowned olfactory designer, George Whoyaknow, makes his Philly Fringe debut with "Smells." The audience gathers in the back room of an Italian Market butcher shop and spends the next hour inhaling the aroma of rotting offal, sweat and chicken poop. It's quite a nauseating experience. This production is currently Sold Out.

Dance Show
From New York comes Dance Company's production of "Dance Show." In this show, people, men and women, dance. For about an hour. Sometimes they dance as a group, sometimes individually. Sometimes only 2 or 3 at a time. They dance both to music and without music. Their bodies are amazing. The night I saw it, the audience loved it. So did I.

Gimmik!
From Switzerland comes Switzer-kind, a group of Swiss Art School students with the most amazing show ever! "Gimmik" is just that, a gimmick. In fact it's a new gimmick every performance. When I attended, the gimmick was the performers watched the audience, the night before they interviewed a car, I heard they once did the whole show naked! You never know what you're going to get but you can be sure it'll always be "Gimmik!"

Sonata for a Slam Dance in Seattle
From Karen Getz comes her newest comedic ballet featuring some of Philly's best actors and slam dancers. Follow Jen Childs and Mitch "Asshole" Kelly as they guide us through the exciting and sometimes frightening Seattle of the '90s. Dave Jadico steals the show as a Kurt Cobain figure who just wants to sing and make art, while Bethany "Punchy" Berkowitz shines as his Courtney Love, a lover/mother/dealer/pool cleaner figure. The crowd surfing section is one of the most amazing moments in the show, just try not to laugh and cry at the same time. Karen's next show "Bollywood Blood Brawl" is already gathering buzz for next year's Fringe. Don't miss this show!

Original photo by Flickr user cloneofsnake