The Scarlet venue at the Orlando International Fringe Festival seemed too large for The Black Jack Show. I suspect the puppeteer is used to performing for one or two people at a time. Jack and Black are two hand puppets that host a variety show that included torch songs, shadow puppets, a dog, a vampire comedian, a lion dance and two white gloves that performed between acts.
The white gloves were in my mind that stars of the show. They were entertaining and played off one another magnificently. After a puppy marionette pranced around the audience one of the white gloves popped up with puppy ears on. There was something magical about the simplicity of those two gloves. They had a humerus shtick that played off of every other act.
A COVID-19 puppet came out 3 separate times to sing cabaret numbers. Since I animated a film about COVID-19, I know that audiences are not that receptive to being reminded about how humanity, and America in particular, is ill equipped to handle an outbreak. As the COVID puppet performed her songs, I could see people in the front row begin to shut down. One person was literally nodding off. Since people during the height of the pandemic refused to accept reality by saying the virus was a hoax and vaccines carry microchips, they certainly don’t want to be reminded that COVID is now endemic and will always pose a threat to our immune systems. I was rooting for the singing COVID puppet, but her performance was accepted like a lead balloon. She left the stage saying, “I’ll be back.”
The little puppy marionette was cute, but it really didn’t have any performance potential other than sitting on its hind legs and panting. The puppeteer, who looked suspiciously like Rasputin paraded the puppy up and down the aisles of the audience. Very few people could see the puppet, so they sat wondering what was going on. It would have been nice if there was a much higher, eye level stage the puppy could have performed on.
There was a shadow box with white frosted Plexiglas on the front of it. A flashlight and shadow puppets were moved around behind the Plexiglas. The light from the shadow box illuminated about 5 people in the audience. From where I was sitting, I could not see what was being shown. From my vantage point, I was watching the puppeteer struggling to find the silhouette figures and juggling the flashlight. The flashlight kept falling as he searched for the next shadow puppet.
The lion dance puppet was much like the little puppy. Few people could see it since it was on the floor rather than up on a stage. The lion dance marionette just jumped up and down. I was just left wondering why?
Overall, this puppet variety show left me confused rather than entertained. A few drinks consumed at the beer tent before the performance could make the puppetry more palatable.
Remaining show times for The Black Jack Show by the St. Vetus Theater Company Orlando Florida. The show can be found in the Scarlet Theater in the Orlando Family Stage (1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803.) It is rated for 13 and up since there were some mature themes but no puppet sex. The show ran for an agonizing 60 minutes. Tickets are $12 and be sure you have a Fringe button.
Friday May 22, 7:15pm
Saturday May 23, 1:15pm
Queer! Celebrates Latinx Queer resilience at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The cast, each in turn, tells stories if growing up and feeling different that those around them. One female even conformed and lived the life of a mom. Deep down she knew she was stifling who she really was. Some stories were told through music, movement and projections. Some were spoken word which often resonates with me.
This post is sponsored by a very delicious mango flavored prosecco consumed on the Green Lawn of Fabulousness that left me floating in a wide zig zag pattern across the lawn not sure if my feet were touching the ground.
The New Players Company of Oviedo Florida presents MacSchrek: The Comedy of Orgres. This at this years Orlando International Fringe Festival. was a fun parody that mixes Shakespeare with the animated feature film Schrek. The combination is hilarious. If you are well versed in Shakespeare you will laugh at the comedic rewrites of his classic lines. If you have no clue who Shakespeare is you will laugh at the comedic timing and fast paced staging.
The very first Orlando International Fringe Show I saw this year was with local Orlando legend Chase Padgett at the Renaissance Theater. The Renaissance has had a crazy year with the City of Orlando insisting it close while renovations were done to bring all aspects of the venue up to code. Over the course of renovations, the venue stayed afloat only through donations and a few shows staged at other venues. This was my first time returning to the venue and in my humble opinion the sound system is spectacular. 
In the second pass at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater poster for Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France, I removed the mail hood that made her had look cylindrical. If I wanted to make it clear this warrior was a woman, I needed to let her hair flow. The armor was changed to me nor angular and chiseled in look. Putting a sharp edge across the chest made it clear that a woman’s anatomy would fit and it also added a hint of pride.
The final version of the Orlando Shakespeare Theater poster for Becoming Othello focused on the actress, Debra Ann Byrd playing the male lead in the Shakespeare play. The poster became all about the bright white tunic against the dark background. I added gothic architecture in the background. Since the play is about the “Black Girl’s Journey”, I felt the need to show the actress as a woman, so an inset was added.