On May 14th the Orlando International Fringe Festival begins. It will be 14 days of fun and theatrical fancy. Fringe is the longest running Fringe Theatre Festival in the United States. It is founded on the principle of being 100% uncensored, unjuried, accessible, and inclusive. 100% of ticket sales are returned to the performers. To Fringe you need to get a Fringe Button, necessary to get into any show. No button = no entry. Tickets are around $12 and most shows run for about an hour.
The first show I saw was A Showgirls Musical presented by JMEG Theatrical, Winter Garden, FL. The show featured sequins, sabotage, and sex in the pool. Nomi Malone arrived in Las Vegas with a dream of being a famous showgirl. When she arrived, she caught a ride from a stranger and immediately had all her possessions stolen. She took her anger out on a random car and in the process met a girl who took her in.
The first club she worked in was a total dive. When told to show her breasts she said she wasn’t getting paid enough and stormed out. She changed her tune over time – for the money – and she did a disgruntled lap dance for a customer. As a 20-somethinglearning for the first time, she yearned to fit in on the strip. She saw a woman walk by in a dress she loved. She wanted the dress, which she bought with money borrowed from her friend. It was $900. Though she bought it, she didn’t bother learning how to pronounce Versace. “Ver-sayse!”
A musical-sex-in-the-pool number brought an audition opportunity and advancement. But, even a better showgirls’ troop was far from ideal. There was plenty of glitter and cat fights in the dressing rooms. She fought her way to the top only to find it wasn’t really what she had even wanted.
The press preview I saw had technical difficulties, in that the mics kept cutting out, so I didn’t hear half of what some characters said. That said, This is still a show I would recommenced for fun dance and plenty of sass!
Tickets for the remaining show dates. The show is in the Orange Venue in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Don’t forget to get your Fringe button as well.
10:00 PM
8:00 PM
10:30 PM
8:15 PM
6:30 PM
10:15 PM