Fringe: Once Upon a Traitor: Faithfully Ever After

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Sista Steph Productions from Orlando Florida presented Once Upon a Traitor: Faithfully Ever After at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s a traitor after all? Co-written by Derick Taylor-White and Danielle Ziss, this show featured classic Disney animated heroes and villains who competed against one another for a grand prize of pressed pennies.

Alexander Mrazek as the Magic Mirror, hosted the chaotic proceedings. Teams of “faithfuls” and “traitors” were assembled at a green cartoon castle. The Disney characters had to call out each other in a cut throat bid to win the prize. This is similar to a TV show called Traitors hosted by Alan Cumming. I have never seen that show so any inside jokes were lost on me.

The sage was constantly full of 12 or more characters, so individual performances had to be caricatured to stand out in the crowd. At one pint dark hooded monks held a somber séance. Danelle Ziss performed as Alice in Wonderland and Teresa Levin Smith made for a very evil queen. I was a little confused about how and why the two camps of characters were pitted against one another, but that might be because I never say the TV show. I thought Disney World was supposed to be the happiest place on earth, but it seems more like the land of discontent where a turkey leg would cost an arm and a leg.

All in all it was campy fun and the show held a long run of sold-out shows. I can vouch for the fact that the show was hard to get into. In one show I tried to see, there was only 1 seat left in the theater and I didn’t sprint fast enough to get to it.

Alexander Mrazek as the Magic Mirror Host won a Fringe Award for Individual Performance in Comedy for his role in Once Upon a Traitor: Faithfully Ever After. The Orlando weekly noted that he was, “by far the best reason to see” this “pixie-dusted spoof of both theme parks and reality television.”

I sometimes forget that I live in a theme park town, but so many of the actors I love to sketch have worked at the theme parks which helped inspire this fun parody.

Fringe: Heated Ribaldry: An Opera of Musical Proportions

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Opera Del Sol from Orlando Florida presented Heated Ribaldry: An Opera of Musical Proportions at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The director of the show, Eric Pinder was seated in my row, so I got to see his reactions to the hilarious moments on stage. The opera was introduced by a playful video of Eric who introduced the premise as if he was enticing us all to an exotic vacation retreat.

Heated Rivalry is a TV show which was the inspiration for this opera. I haven’t seen the TV show, but I don’t think I missed many inside jokes. The opera stands well on it’s own. It was about a hockey team which had a new superstar player join it’s ranks. Two of the players became attracted to one another in a series of musical numbers. Heated Ribaldry also delivered with very strong vocals from all the performers who belted out the numbers with absolute clarity and class.

A musical dance number featured the hockey team dancing a finely tunes choreography with their hockey sticks. Jokes kept coming so fast it was hard to catch a breath between laughs. The two men who fell in love also had trophy girlfriends which would seem a necessity for the hockey club PR. Both girls knew that their men had unique passions. When the two player finally embraced and had a long passionate kiss at center stage, the theater audience went wild hooting and hollering. I love that a show that celebrates passion can be so warmly embraced in Orlando.

In short, I had a wonderful time. As Lauren Michaels said at the 2026 Tony Awards acceptance speech for Schmigadoon, “So another musical comedy, “Sometimes singing, dancing, a lot of jokes, and a happy ending is really all you need.”  Heated Ribaldry delivered everything Lauren was talking about and more. Ribaldry isn’t a show for the kids, with nudity, and plenty of sexual innuendo, but the message of following your heart is universal whether it is on the ice rink or on the stage. I give Heated Ribaldry 10 very stiff hockey sticks.

Fringe: Fool of Grace

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Andrea Barello from Los Angeles California presented Fool of Grace a the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The premise was pretty straight forward, Fringe patrons could enter this sanctuary for a less than traditional religious experience.

Father Andrea walked on stage while crossing himself in a random pattern. I believe a Catholic will cross their heart from top down left then right to mark a cross on their chest. The father crossed himself in all manner of random patterns. He took a particular delight in sprinkling holy water on the audience. Being in the second row, I was in the splash zone. I leaned forward and shielded the sketch with my body. Working in watercolor was risky in this Fringe parish.

The whole show left me laughing. I am not Catholic, but I have seen enough services to understand how the father was twisting and mocking the service for our entertainment. As the father started, he wrestled a music stand to hilarious comic effect. It seemed that the father wanted to conduct a holy and sacred service but things kept going wrong. Holy water was held in a sacred Darth Vader cup. When conducting blessings for an audience member, the father was playing a tic tac toe game with his hand gestures.

The subtle physical comedy just kept coming. To add some musical punch to the service, he didn’t rely on traditional hymns. He chose excerpts from Jesus Christ Superstar to add some inspiring punch to the service. When. it came time to pass the basked among the sheep in the audience, The hit song, Money from the musical Cabaret loosened up the audience pocket books.

For audience participation, the father invited anyone on stage who wanted to confess their sins. The Ten10 Brewing theater space fell silent for the longest time. The father remained silent and soon enough someone got on stage to confess. This seemed a risky moment since the confession was heart felt and honest. The father offered assurances before finding a way to bring comedy back onto the mix.

So many religious services involve call and response and telling the sheep when to stand and when to sit. Since I was sketching I couldn’t keep standing and sitting, it would interrupt the flow of the sketch. When the father insisted that the parish all stand and start doing the Macarena, I had to follow along and swing my hips, sketch be damned. Any service that involves dancing in the aisles along with plenty of laughter is a service worth attending.

Bad Santa and the Angry Elves Blitzkrieg Maxine’s

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Bad Santa and the Angry Elves have been performing their rebellious, punk-rock twist on Christmas tunes around Orlando for some time. These shows were short high octane sets. Bad Santa has been expanded into a 90 minute show that builds on the premise that this Santa aka, Kris Kringle IV, is the son of THE Santa and he is trying to win his fathers respect by promoting the idea that Christmas should not be one day a year but should be celebrated every day of the year with small acts of kindness generosity, joy and giving. This radical idea caused a family rift.

This dress rehearsal was held in a beautiful lake front home in Winter Park. This was actually my old stomping grounds. I lived a few blocks away for a summer and did a series of paintings of the sunsets at the lake. The home owner is an avid art collector and he gave me a tour of his collection. A large flip board display in a bedroom showcased classic pin up art along with pop art from such pop art giants like Roy Lichtenstein. In the living room there was an original Soviet propaganda poster that showed a woman half in darkness with the dark representing the past while the light hinted at a positive future. I loved that I got to sketch amazing art along with the live performance.

Much of the early music in the show is based on one of my favorite bands, Pink Floyd. It was very fun singing along to the new Christmas themed lyrics to very familiar dark and moody Pink Floyd tunes. The eclectic mix of edgy tunes kept coming. If people go to the show expecting a saccharine sweet Christmas show they will not know what hit them. Santa started out the show all decked out in his full hot red suit but as things heated up, the winter suit and hat were pealed off with gusto allowing his jiggling belly ample room to breathe. Santa is very athletic as he acted as the hard core lead singer in this Angry Elves band. One of the microphones was misbehaving but the energy of the show never faltered.

One rather tall elf had on a muscle bound tee shirt that gave him the appearance of washboard abs in contrast to Santa’s belly. This elf in his green suit was all over the stage, sometimes singing back up and sometimes on guitar. I had trouble deciding where I should place him in my sketch. Santa was indeed angry as he sang about brotherly love in a world where conflict out shines compassion.

There is a constant driving energy to the show that had me whooping and hollering. Bad Santa and the Angry Elves with be performing excerpts from the show at at Maxine’s on Shine before they bring the show to Edinburgh Fringe later this year. There is a show on July 20th with doors open at 6PM and show at 6:30PM. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

A rebellious and loud Christmas should indeed be celebrated every day of the year.

Fringe: We Got Got

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Kerry Ipema from Brooklyn New York presented We Got Got at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Kerry Ipema and KK Apple with their black ties and red white and blue business attire opened the show with a peppy business pitch where they pushed every corporate buzz word in their   thirst to bring profit to their theatrical endeavors. With so much enthusiasm how could they go wrong? As a matter of fact they were well on their way to achieving their corporate goals but then their accountant stepped in and ripped them off.

Rather than accepting this injustice they began to plot a complex revenge heist. Police simply shrugged off their complaints so they needed to take matters into their own hands. There is an addictive chemistry between Ipema and Apple that convinced me that they could pull off even the most convoluted attempt at getting their money back.

I felt a certain pleasure in hoping that their revenge fantasy could possibly come true. Perhaps it is a fantasy to think that blue collar thieves might be held accountable for their blatant thefts. The present administration in office makes it seem like theft is the American dream.

The fast-paced banter and at times syncopated delivery is what makes the show tic. It is also inevitable that an audience would want to root for the underdog. These two struggling actresses had been wronged and ther must be some way for justice to prevail. The show itself is proof that being ripped off by (redacted) did not slow the roll of these two creative power houses.

In sketching the show, I could not decide in one pose for each of the actresses. I started to sketch them multiple times since they were all over the stage. The show was an absolute joy to watch, and I got to meet Ipema and Apple multiple times on the green lawn of Fabulousness. They are joyously curious and endlessly funny.

Fringe: In Their Footsteps

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Infinite Variety Productions from Brooklyn New York presented In Their Footsteps at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. When anyone asks me about my sketching project in Europe, I always say, that I was following in my father’s footsteps in WWII. With that said, I could not resist going to see In Their Footsteps. This show was about five woman who served as nurses, librarians or members of the Women’s Army Corps during the Vietnam was.

When I entered the theater I picked a front row sketching vantage point. On the seat next to me there was a bandana which I thought someone might have left when they got up to leave the previous show. I made a note to myself to bring it to lost and found when I left after this show. Then a woman sat in the seat and put the bandana around her neck. That was odd I thought. She arrived late. Was she steeling someone’s bandana?

When the play started, she walked on stage. She was one of the five female nurses. To start the nurses talked about being excited to travel to the exotic country of Vietnam. The dialogue in the show was built from many oral histories from the actual women who served near the front lines. The women were actually direct targets for enemy fire. The enemy felt that if they killed a woman, then the men would become demoralized. None of these women were killed in action.

The women were also warned not to fraternize with the men. One nurse offered a ride to a soldier back to base and when her supervising officer found out, she got reprimanded. The isolation lead to the women building friendships amongst themselves. The gritty reality of the war cut off all the early optimism. Each woman just hoped to get home away from the harassment and enemy fire.

Toward the end of the show each woman held up artwork of the woman they were portraying. It was a clear reminder that these were very real stories being told. Some of the art work was lost in shadows because the portraits were not held right to catch the light. I guess when you look to the past some people are clearly seen while others recede into the shadows. This show helped showcase the bravery of these woman. The emotional impact lingered.

Fringe: 1-Man No-Show

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Zeek Tech Productions from Toronto Canada presented 1-Man No-Show at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In the lobby as people lined up to go in the theater, Isaac Kessler the performer was shouting to the crowd in a scratch battery powered microphone speaker system that he wore on his chest. I couldn’t understand a thing he said. At the time I didn’t realize her was the performer for the show I was about to see, I just thought, “That’s odd.”

It is rather hard to define what 1-Man No Show is. For the longest time I thought I was watching a pre-show where Isaac was warming up the crowd. Everything felt quite unscripted. Audience members were brought on stage for chaotic bits which were funny yet confusing.

The show was billed as a solo clown meltdown where high art meets high stupidity and that seems an accurate description. Another Fringe performer, Martin Dockery and his mom were in the audience and Issac fixated on them to comic effect. He seemed to want Martins’ approval while wanting to protect Martin’s mom from any of his raunchier unhinged bits. He invited the audience to heckle his show as it ran off the rails.

Issac wore a black beret and dark clothing seeming very formal for a clown. On bit involved absolute stillness with an excruciatingly long pause. After a while the audience began to laugh. Was this a comedic silence or was the audience just uncomfortable and looking for some form of expression.

I was laughing for the full length of the show, but I am not sure exactly why. I would go to watch the show again since I know there is no reproducing the chaos that transpired on that stage. If you are open to seeing a show that leaves you saying WFT did I just see, then this was the show for you.

 

Fringe: Hollywood Horror Story

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Ingrid Garner from Hollywood California presented A Hollywood Horror Story at the Orlando International Film Festival. This show was about Vampira, the first host of horror movies on TV. Vampira was a legend before her time. She created the character on her own with costuming she had on hand. She built her persona before punk or goth was a fashion trend. She based her look on the evil queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Ingrid’s performance as the Horror goddess was sultry and enticing. She managed to bring the mistress of the dark back to life. The show was both funny and very sad. Vampira’s popularity was brief yet her legacy lives on to this day.

The actress, Maila Nurmi who created Vampira, moved to Hollywood with the hope of becoming an actress. She got several small roles she then went on to create the Vampira character. She hosted a TV series called simply, The Vampira Show, from 1955 to 1955 on KABC-TV. When the show was canceled, she retained the rights to the character.

She later appeared in Plan 9 from Outer Space directed by Ed Wood. That low budget film is now considered a classic because of how campy it is. Tim Burton made a film to celebrate Ed Woods Campy universe.

Maila’s intimate relationship with young actor James Dean was something I wasn’t aware of. She understood him in a way few others did but in the end she was unable to protect him from himself. She claimed to have had an affair with Orson Wells and she had his child, which she gave up after birth.

She appeared in a few other films after Vampira was canceled but she had to fall back on laying linoleum to bring in cash. She then opened a boutique shop where she sold handmade jewelry and clothing.

In 1981 KHJ-TV wanted to revive the Vampira character for Television. She worked with the producers as an executive producer. Then she left the project after the station cast a comedic actress, Cassandre Peterson, that she felt was just not right for the part. The TV station could no longer use the Vampira name so Cassandra became Elvira. Elvira used the same sultry black dress and used all the same graveyard puns. Vampira sued for copyright infringement but lost. The court felt the likeness was simply a close resemblance. Elvira went on to become a massive cult hit in the 1980’s. The show reached millions of viewers every weekend in dozens of markets nationwide. A film was made built around the character called Elvira Mistress of the Dark. Elvira’s legacy has proven timeless and she remains popular at horror conventions, and she retains rabid fans to this day.

My mother’s name was Elvira but she died a decade before the name gained its goth horror cult notoriety.

I love any show that introduced me to someone who deserves to be recognized for her creativity. I left feeling that Vampira should have received royalties or a lump sum buy out for having created the character that Cassandra imitated.

Fringe: The Dress

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Ana Cuellar Productions from Davenport Florida presented The Dress at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In the halls of the Shakespeare Theater someone explained to me that Anna saw this particular dress in a window, and she felt she had to have it. She was bound to that dress by destiny. The dress was her muse for years.

The dress was worn by Ana at performances around the world. The choreography in this show expressed love, lose, longing and gratitude. I was familiar with the dancer Dion Leonhard DiDonna, so it was exciting to see her dance through the range of expressive emotions. Dancer Elaine Hoxie was the one who got to wear the dress itself. She spoke about the emotional bond between the ballerina and her dress.

Video was projected on the backstage screen which showed the dress being designed. When worn while dancing the dress came alive like an undersea creature surrounding and enveloping the dancer. Sorrow turned to pure joy. The dress maker, Ricardo Zuccolini was in the audience only a few seats away from me for this performance. Someone had pointed him out to me in the lobby.

As I was leaving the theater I noticed another choreographer who was in the audience was wiping tears from her eyes, because she was so moved by the performance.  That was a true testament to how solidly the dance choreography landed. Dion in particular put everything she had into the performance which was at times super human. I loved that the dress was a major performer in the show.

There is magic in a dance performance being able to touch an audience so deeply. As an artist I hope someday to find a muse, animate or inanimate, that is as moving as the dress. The performance lay bare every artists daily struggle. The play was about the pure joy found in creation. Art isn’t easy, but well worth the effort when everything aligns, even if imperfectly.

The Dress won a Critic’s Choice Award as an Outstanding Dance Show.

Fringe: WTF Fringe Cabaret

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Orlando Fringe presented WTF Fringe Cabaret which was a late-night show that was free to all Fringe artists and Fringe Volunteers. Fringe guest performers would spin the wheel of fate to determine what they would be performing.  It was a variety, improv, cabaret with unexpected hilarious results.

Marisa Ashley Risque, a talented actress and burlesque dancer was the hostess although in the ensuing chaos it grew hard to tell who was running the show. When Disney Princesses from Once Upon A Traitor: Faithfully Ever After came on stage, I started sketching furiously. The evil queen, Theresa Smith-Levin, had to wear a big inflatable orange jumpsuit that made her look like a blimp. Despite the inflated weight gain she sang with gusto. I also caught Danielle Ziss who plays Alice In Once Upon a Traitor.

Sarah Hester Ross is a powerhouse singer from Las Vegas and she was asked to wear a strap on penis. Why on earth did they give Sarah such a flaccid looking strap on. Maybe she just put it on upside down. This is what I love about Fringe. Even the most accomplished performers join in with the crazy hi-jinks in this late night cabaret.

This was a chaotic sketch opportunity since each performer was only on stage for a few minutes. I did my best to try and capture just a fraction of the insanity. There were songs, sonnets and plenty of silliness.

I had never sketched these late-night shows before, but the unexpected chaos of this show was such a joy to witness. I was laughing the whole night. It felt good to drive back late at night to my Air BnB and collapse after a long day of sketching at the Fringe.