Truth or Dare with Pepe
By Rob Ward and Superfreinds
Brown Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

This is the raunchiest show of the fringe, and it leans heavily on harassing hapless audience members foolish enough to sit in the front row. Mild-mannered Rob Ward turns into the flamboyant Pepe in his blue wig, sequined jump suit and leopard skin shoes. A panel of “special guests” from other shows drifts out on stage, and Pepe plays truth or dare with them and the audience in turn. This was the last show of the run, and diminutive Ben from VarieTEASE gave a very impressive lap dance while Chris Gibson of Bric-a-Brac danced with danger. The weirdest thing I can write about is the demon possessed man who was turned on by an armpit sniffing demonstration. Truly weird, and not for the easily embarrassed.

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

Vivian Penmark’s “Parlour Games”
By Kathryn Davis
Carbon Productions
Brown Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

What makes the perfect woman? In “Parlour Games,” it’s a combination of House, Husband, Children, Cooking and Etiquette. Call it fashioned, but that combination still makes enough people happy to keep society going. Mrs. Vivian Penmark (Kathryn Davis) interacts with the audience - tying up the guys, using virgin’s blood to soften the hands of the girls, and passing out prizes for their inconvenience. She offers enough world weary information to prepare any young lady for adult life in the suburbs or the Country Club.

Most of her tips were thrifty and useful. Using a vodka spritz to eliminate smoke smells, applying lemon and cucumber as beauty products, and easily removing baby by-product stains with peroxide made good sense. The section on using cyanide to quietly kill off offensive men at bars was less so, and her Garbage Nazi tirade reminds us why Home Owners Associations are a double edge sword. “Parlour Games” off beat tupperware party atmosphere serves as a timely introduction to the Modern Woman for old fashioned young men.

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

Amanda’s Mix Tape
By David Strauss
Directed by Paul Castaneda
Greater Orlando Actor’s Theater
Red Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

Let’s slide back to the 90’s - no cell phones, VHS tapes, and Zombie movies rule the screen. Scott (David Strauss) and his buddies Razz (Rob Delmedico) and Jack (Kevin Sigman) spend their days drinking, playing softball and speaking almost exclusively in quotes from movies. They’re at that age where commitment and steady sex is beginning to appeal, and Scott gets lucky first. His main squeeze is Amanda (Elizabeth Loftus), and they get along well enough until he reverts to his self-centered guy mode and forgets to call her from a softball tournament when she had mall plans. This is enough to upset their apple cart, and when Amanda’s dad has a heart attack, she has a valid excuse to move out. Scott’s heartbroken enough to reject an approach by Kelly (Kim Luffman) in favor of a spectacular stunt to reclaim Amanda. Somehow, I think this will set the mood for their entire future.

The stakes never seem high enough to make Scott’s stunt seem worthwhile, and the pop culture references make long stretches of the story hard to follow. Still, there are plenty of gags, and Larry Stalling steals the show at the end as the Angry Fruit Deliveryman. Strauss and his company do seem stuck in the 90’s - you get the idea they are classic slackers almost ready to grow up, and all the women surrounding them are hoping to help them make the change. Ultimately, neither will be happy.

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

Reefer Madness
By Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney
The Warren Acting Company
Silver Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

This is so frustrating. More than a few Fringe shows have forgone programs this year. If it’s a one man show or there’s a web site, no problem, figuring out who wrote and acted is obvious. But in this 12 person full blown musical, I have no idea who played what, or what songs were sung in what order. Ganja does that, I hear.

This spiffy musical riffs off the 1936 anti-dope film shown endlessly at midnight movies during the 70’s. The writing credentials are sound, author Kevin Murphy was head writer for Mystery Science 3000 for several years. The story concerns a young man who has everything to live for - a cute girlfriend, healthy sports program involvement, and he gets along with his folks. Then one day, an evil mobster tricks him into visiting a combination speakeasy, smoking den, and whorehouse where the first joint is free. Our hero soon falls in with the sleazy and decadent life style, commits a few murders and then falls into the gutter. I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson here.

“Reefer Madness” draws you in, entertains, and then like a long night of drug abuse, leaves you on the sidewalk thinking “Whoa, dude! What just happened? Who were all those people?”

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

Bites of Broadway
Directed by Steve MacKinnon
Choreography by Danielle Lang
Broadway Class Act
Brown Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

Anyone who can squeeze 22 singers onto the microscopic stage in the Brown Venue AND pull off the elaborate choreography of Broadway Class act is OK by me. This energetic and enthusiastic troupe sings the big hits of Broadway, beginning with the classics from 42nd Street era. They quickly launch into the more modern hits, scrounging material form Wicked, Drowsy Chaperone and the Wedding Singer. Nearly everyone gets a solo - Bruce Costella does a great job with “Great Big Stuff” from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The witty “Song That Goes Like This” from Spam-A-Lot features Noelle Sundreen and Ben Tyson heading for the middle 8, and Emma Broming belts out the sappy standard “Tomorrow” from Annie. Some of the voices on the other numbers felt weak, which may have been due to my seat way up stage. This group has promise, but I think about half as many people on stage would have made for a more visible show.

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

The UnNaturals
Directed by Clare Mullen
With Ron Pearson, Molly Pearson, Tom Pearson
Silver Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

There are two competing spiritualist shows this year, with The UnNaturals the slightly quieter, slightly creepier version. This Canadian based family looks like they’re in the business for the long run, and while father and M.C. Ron Pearson occasionally seems to lose his place in the script, daughter Molly and son Tom keep a steely eyed professionalism. The show was lucky to have some demonstrative people in the audience, and the always impressive “pick a number and get a magic square” trick drew gasps. A later illusion of using a watch to pick envelopes with names of the living or the dead almost failed when the audience volunteer braced her arm so tightly the watch refused to swing or sway. They recovered nicely with their Spirit Box illusion, done with Ms. Molly bound and enclosed in a cloth bag. Adding to the creepiness was a minor key sound track and rather gloomy lighting. It’s a good solid show, and while it’s not over the top spectacular, it’s solid entertainment.

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

Crown Hill Cemetery
By Lisa Haas
Directed by Jocelyn Sawyer
Creative Evolution
Blue Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

Little Lisa Haas grew up next to a brand new cemetery in the suburbs of Denver. Proximity to the graveyard and her family’s fixation on death and tendency toward suicide has made her a bit apprehensive about the afterlife. Losing pets along the way didn’t do much to soften the blow of her grandfather’s demise, nor did her uncle’s hobby of photographing deceased relatives on their way out. Little Lisa never buys into “It’s just like going to sleep.” Youthful skepticism - don’t you just hate it?

While the monologue has some funny material, it drags more than it soars. Her explanation of the difference between “good” funeral food and “bad” funeral food is the pinnacle of the story. It seems Ms. Haas realizes the weaknesses here, she offers to stop the stuff about death any time and pull a “happy” story out of a paper bag. We had one such reprise - a story about ferrets and a litter box was kind of cool, but what we all really appreciated were the cheese flavored Doritos she passed around. The injunction of no food or drink in any of the Shakespeare theaters seems to relax a bit more each season.

More information about Creative evolution may be found at http://creative-evolution.comThis show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/ <p

Flamenco Con Fusion 08
By Ricardo Garcia
Orange Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

There’s a stereotype of Spain - slicked haired guitarists playing for fiery women in Cuban heels who chews on roses and flatten the manhood of anyone foolish enough to fall in love. Ricardo Garcia sits upstage and fulfills the first of these roles - his fingers seem enchanted, and his guitar issues more notes than you can count, but the music is deliberately breathtaking without becoming breathless. La Canela (Leticia Jimenez) flounces out in a staccato of heels and arm waving, her white dress suggestively transparent in the back lighting, and we are transported to old Valencia. But this Andalusian spell is broken by BGirl Bounce (Jen Casimir), who break dances like a Mentors ad set in Time Square. There’s a curious correlation between the two styles, but if I had to vote, La Canela is the better dancer. She’s also the woman most likely to make you miserable, and love her for every miserable minute.

I found myself drifting off occasionally. The Flamenco seems stronger than the break dancing, and more surprising. The women taunt each other, then settle it with dance but picking a winner is left to the audience’s imagination. Mr. Garcia may be the real winner - when he’s in control of the sound track, its magic on stage, and when he adds an odd chord to the R&B soundtrack, it seems like he’s in alien territory. A half hour of Garcia and Jimenez might be better than a goatskin full of Vino Tinto.

More information on Flamenco Con Fusion may be found at http://www.flamencoflow.com
or http://www.ricardogarciaguitarist.comThis show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/ <p

Boom
By Andrew Connor
IL Productions
Blue Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

Bombs get such a bad rap - find one in a grade school, and you’d think the world had ended. But according to the Bomb Makers Credo, bombs should not be used for anything other than their best and highest purpose. In the world of master bombster Louis Calvin, bombs can effectively rid fields of unwanted butterflies, paint a wall, and teach his niece Rosa important life lessons. A new Space Port is slated for New Rockwell, and while the city is seduced by the prospect of high paying jobs, Louis regards the whole escapade as a futile waste of time. An old school chum returns and offers him a high paying job building bombs to crush the space port’s competition. Desperate for rent money, he agrees but isn’t happy, and it takes Rosa to make him see the error of his ways.

Despite the Precocious Child conceit, Mr. Connor tells a touching story and keeps his half dozen characters separate enough so we never get bogged down in book keeping. Bombs aren’t really for exploding here, but simply serve as a metaphor for any specialized skill that could be applied for good or evil. Best of all, this show ends about 5 minutes before you think it will. I almost wanted it to keep going, but a crisp ending is so rare these days -positively refreshing!

Find out more about Boom at http://www.infinitelaughs.com/html/boom.html This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/

Totem Figures
By TJ Dawe
Big Sandwich Productions
Orange Venue, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival

TJ Dawe makes his living on the Fringe Circuit. Don’t ask him what he’s planning to do with his life; he’s been at it for a decade. His life revolves around thinking, traveling, and talking, and while he may never be rich, he enjoys the life of a wandering monk. This year’s show sounds suspiciously like he’s been reading Joseph Campbell, although that’s not a name he mentions in his 18000 word monolog.

What he does mention is his place as an outsider, just like Luke Skywalker and Bilbo Baggins and Charles Bukowski and Jesus, and how the outsider is the one cursed to make art and change the world. If you’re in the inside, why change what’s comfortable? While he might be an outsider to the world of non-actors, he’s clearly an insider in the Fringe Festival Zone. He rattles off the routine of arriving, advertising, performing, socializing (OK, I talked to him for 75 seconds) and moving on to the next show. That’s his reality, and he uses nothing more than words and a few pauses to absorb us into it, if just for an hour. There’s a reason he’s a success in this alternative universe - he’s GOOD at what he does. See him while he’s in town.

More information on TJ and his wanderings may be found at http://www.tjdawe.com/

This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/