Flight: A Crane’s Story

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Ibex Puppetry, founded by Heather Henson, presented Flight: A Crane’s Story at this year’s Fringe in the orange venue which is the largest in the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. The show Explored nature’s deepest mysteries and the spiritual essence of life on Earth through the story a crane names Awaken. After human interference affected their environment, Awaken’s family left on migration without her. The young crane friend had to learn to fly and navigate to find her family and her destiny.

I had quite a challenge sketching the show since the house lights went dark for most of the show so I couldn’t see the page. Also there was nonstop action with kites constantly on the move. I focused my attention on the young crane most of the time ignoring the immense kites. Awaken was first shown as an egg just beginning to hatch. The indigenous North America music was performed live at house left. The woman sang beautifully while the other performer beat the drum. Awaken grew up through a series of puppets. By the end of the show there was a huge crane that would be worthy of being featured in the Macy’s Day parade. I kind of wish I had waited to catch that huge apparition, but I was already committed to the sketch I was working on.

The kites were amazing, swooping down to within inches of the audience before sweeping back up into flight. Costuming was also amazing with some performers wearing costumes that made their arms like huge wings. Movies were projected on the circular screen at the back of the stage offering views of sunsets and the intricate courting dance of the cranes. I would love to see the show again, so that I could focus on some of the truly stellar moments that slipped past me as I rushed to complete the sketch. I envied the others in the audience who could simply relax and enjoy the moment without the obsessive need to capture the moment on a page. This was an amazing show and Orlando is fortunate to have Heather Henson as a unique local artist and entertainer.

The International Crane Foundation is committed to a future where all crane species are secure; a future where people cooperate to protect and restore wild populations and their ecosystems. 

20 Nothing

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Last Minute Panic Productions from Winter Springs, Florida presented 20 Nothing, a Fringe play that satirized and celebrated the general population of today’s 20-somethings, The show highlighted this generation’s downfalls, celebrations, struggles, and adventures with comedy and honesty. It aimed to point out the outrageous and inspire, not only in 20-somethings, but also the generations that have come before and came after. That said, the shows themes went right over my head. Perhaps I’m getting too old. I talked to a 30 something on the green lawn of fabulousness however and she felt the same way about the production, that it missed the mark.

There were moments of hilarity like the couple who texted each other constantly yet were impatient and out of touch with each other, not typing what they really thought. Or the Woody Allenish scene in which yoga practitioner’s inner thoughts were broadcast to hilarious effect. More serious scenes seemed out of place like a late night discussion about death followed by a round of beers. On a whole the production left me cold and often confused without any characters that I could identify with. The scenes were disjointed, forwarding no particular plot or developing the characters. Perhaps the company’s name, Last Minute Panic Productions hints at why this was. Or perhaps the disjointed alienating quality of the production was the point. But I think any good production should offer the life raft of some reaffirmation that the struggles we all go through are in some way heroic and add depth to our experiences as we make our way through life. The show left me thinking 20 somethings are soft with no meaningful direction in life, or perhaps I’m just an old codger.

Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife

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Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife was a one man Fringe show from comedian Stewart Huff. His show is about his lesbian sister, her wife and helping them get pregnant.Actually, that is just one story in an an amazing laughter filled hour. Much of the material had to do with being raised a redneck in the south. Neither he or his sister fit the mold. His show became intensely personal when he spoke about wise another sister was who was born with complications that resulted in her brain not getting enough oxygen.

Donating sperm was awkward because he had to donate in a very unappealing bathroom while trying to aim into a tiny Dixie cup. He wasn’t so sure he could aim that precisely. Ultimately however his sisters wife did conceive and they are loving moms.

He spoke for quite some time about his admiration for men who first tried to fly. It must have taken some true faith and nerve to stand on a roof of a barn with two winks taped to arms. Honestly you have to be a bit insane to get into some of the early contraptions that people thought might fly. When he acted out what it must have felt like to try and fly a clothes washer with wings, I was laughing so hard I almost hurt myself. Once the Wright Brothers succeeded, the adventure and mayhem ended. If you ever see someone walking down the street wearing aviator goggles, be sure to follow them because the might be up to doing something weird and wonderful.

Santiago’s Bodega

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I had an hour to kill before getting to The Venue to sketch a rehearsal, so I decided to stop at Santiago’s Bodega (802 Virginia Drive Orlando FL) to try their tapas. Right after the collapse of Disney Feature Animation, Kathy Schoeppner a feature animation artist decided to rent this space as a gallery. For a while this space exhibited the art from some of the most talented artists from the studio. Kathy would suggest a different theme each month and artists would create work inspired by that theme. I was proud to exhibit my work being surrounded by so much talent. Unfortunately an art gallery on Virginia drive wasn’t a profitable business venture at the time, and Kathy had to let the gallery go. She moved to Los Angeles following the talent and money that flooded out of Orlando at the time.

Anyway, back to the Bodega. The art on the walls was less than inspired. A sad theatrical mask painting behind the maîtra d’ station greeted people as the entered. I ordered a beer and some tapas all of which tasted great. I’m not much of a foodie, so I didn’t take note of the delicate tastes. I just wanted a quick munch before heading out to sketch. I can say that I’d gladly go back and this place is within walking distance from the Fringe so I will be doing just that quite soon. The entry area had a few chairs where people could sit while waiting for their significant other, or a table.

The waiter at my table took quite an interest in the sketch and he kept inviting more staff over to take a look. A commotion broke out at the table next to me. A bee had flown through the open entry door and it was buzzing and accosting the women. The braver of the two was swatting the bee with her menu while the other woman screamed and laughed. The bee just wouldn’t die. She finally trapped it in her napkin and handed it to the waiter who had run over to help. She warned him that the bee was still squirming inside the napkin. He walked away with the trapped bee and I choose to believe he set it free.

RobotMan

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The outdoor entertainment tent at this year’s Fringe Festival rocked. Jessica Pawli organized all the bands and she brought in some amazing talent. There were times when I was between shows and I just had to stop, listen, sketch and enjoy. RobotMan had a fun jazzy sound with plenty of energy. Frankie Messina was sitting in the front row and I asked him how long the group had been playing. He said, “Probably not much longer, but I’m glad I am here to catch them”.

I always agonize that I might not have enough time to do a sketch, but I jumped right in anyway. The fast paced music slipper notes helped carry me along. Sometimes faster is better and accuracy can be replaced with spontaneity. The music reflected that thought as did the sketch. What a fun surprise to catch RobotMan in action on the lawn of fabulousness.

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Saturday June 7, 2014

2pm to 5pm Free.  Artist Day at Snap! Space 1013 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Fl. Join artists Fahan Sky McDonagh, Elise Bloom and Sydney Cash (Sydney via Skype NY) as they walk us through their work, their process, experiences and answer any questions. It is the last day of our ‘Edge of a Dream‘ exhibit. www.snaporlando.com

4pm to 6pm Free. Red Bull BC One Orlando Cypher 2014. Full Sail Live, 141 University Park Drive, Winter Park, Fl. Red Bull BC One was founded in 2004 in Biel, Switzerland. Over the years, the championship has moved from Germany to Brazil, South Africa, France, the USA, Japan, Russia and South Korea. Today it remains a key event in Hip Hop culture, pushing the art forward to new levels while holding true to the original one-on-one battle format.

Last year marked the biggest year yet for Red Bull BC One, with its eight past champions competing against eight new challengers. Millions tuned in from around the globe to watch the battle go down in South Korea, where Seoul’s own Hong 10 took home his second World Champion belt.

RedBullBCone.com represents the largest online network of B-Boys and fans; and the event is home to the biggest Facebook community in the scene, with more than 1.2 million fans. The Finals and World Final will be live-streamed at redbullbcone.com.

6:30pm to 9:30pm Free. Singer Levi Jardim’s “The Road” EP Release and Benefit Concert. The Venue, 511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL. Experience the Young Talent’s Powerful Vocals with Proceeds to Support RIPPLE Africa and The Road Foundation. After two years of hard work in the studio and five years of dreaming, Central Florida singer/songwriter Levi Jardim is ready to release his extended play (EP) and kick off his exciting philanthropic endeavor “The Road Project” combining music and giving.  Backed by an all-star band of top local musicians, Jardim will take the stage and perform his powerful original songs with his signature alternative rock sound including the album’s moving title track “Stay Strong.”  Show proceeds support the organizations RIPPLE Africa, which serves to better a Malawi community through education, housing and other environmental efforts, and announcing The Road Foundation led by Jardim, which aims to encourage kids to use their creative talents to make a difference and will give back to local and national causes.

Sunday June 8, 2014

10am to 6pm Free. Fashion Square Art Fair. Orlando Fashion Square 3201 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Fl. On the 2nd Sunday of every month Gallery Fresh Art Markets and Orlando Fashion Square Mall proudly present our “Fashion Square Art Fair.” This is an indoor event showcasing 30 to 60 artists and fine crafts persons located throughout Fashion Square Mall.

4:30pm to 6:30pm Free but buy a beer or two. Open-Mic Comedy. Red Lion Pub 3784 Howell Branch Rd, Winter Park, Fl. an evening of hilarity hosted by Ivon Dee . Pros, first timers, drunken fools, everyone is welcome to grab the mic and give it a shot. I can’t promise you won’t be heckled by Erick Feiling though. Ha! No cover, cheap beer and a fun, laid back atmosphere.

9pm to 11pm Free. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee and Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000

Under the Rainbow

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Under the Rainbow written and composed by Alen Gerber was the one operatic performance at this year’s Fringe. The show began with a young mother holding her infant son in a rainbow colored blanket. Crystal Lizardo, who played the mother was surprisingly petite yet her voice filled the huge Rep Theater. She sang a beautiful song in which she imagined her son’s bright future.

Years later, her son is a grown man and he leads a human rights march for marriage equality. A church group lead by the minister of the mother’s church is out to appose the march.  When tempers flair, a member of the human rights group is shoved to the ground. Sarah Purser played Grace, the injured activist and when the minister, Ricardo Dominguez, offers to help her, they sing together about what message, or lack thereof, the bible offers on gay life.

The mother conducts a chorus in church and then laments her son’s sexuality. Being religious, she wants to protect her son from sure hell-fire, but she also wants to see her son to find happiness here on earth. Whereas most parents never accept a child’s homosexuality, she finds solace in a hymns verse, “Where there is charity and love, God is there.” In the end, she accepts her son as he is, and they embrace.

I went into the show with no preconceptions and was pleasantly surprised. The woodwind player unfortunately didn’t check his reeds and thus he kept missing notes. The music as a whole was beautiful but not particularly memorable.  The main musical theme of the show was the exact chromatic inversion of the melody of Harold Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow“. The shows message of open minded acceptance transcended any technical issues. There was a well deserved standing ovation.

Bless Me Father For I Have Danced

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Bless Me Father For I Have Danced was presented by Yow Dance at this years Fringe festival. This was a blockbuster show that had a cast of over 30. The show presented amazing song and dance numbers form some of Broadway’s best musicals. The show was tied together by a storyline about a young boy who desperately wanted to audition for a show, but his religious parents refused to let him follow his dream. When the boy goes to church and talks to the priest he still is as enthusiastic as ever and the song and dance numbers are used as evidence to present his case.

A sassy and sexy Bob Fosse dance number honestly swings the balance and the priest sees the boy’s point to comic effect. The boy’s parents aren’t as easy to swayed until a secret is uncovered. The boy’s mom was once a dancer and she gave up show business when she became a mom. As strict as the father was, he also ends up doing a song and dance. A couple of singers voices didn’t hold up in the cavernous Orange venue, but as a whole the show had legs. There were dancing angels, patriotic sailors and bespangled female dancers and show stopping numbers from so many shows so that you definitely get your monies worth.

Word of mouth spread fast and there were incredible lines to get into this show often winding out the Shakespeare Theater door leaving people lined up outside in the heat. No single green room  could hold this huge cast and one day I saw them all behind the Shakespeare theater doing makeup and costuming in the tent set up for a piano near the beer vendor. Of course I couldn’t catch the whole cast dancing, so I focused on the boy and surrounded him by dancers in a cross shaped pattern with a Sexy dancer at the base of the cross. This was without a doubt the biggest production at this years’ Fringe and everyone wanted to see it. This was an ambitions show for Yow dance and the entire crew that payed off. If you didn’t go, you missed a hell of a show.

Tappin’ and Yappin’

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International superstar Cindy Starr took the Fringe audience on a whirlwind journey through her career in stage, film, TV, and more. The show featured stories, songs, and more from America’s beloved Tap Dance Queen. From her humble beginnings in Chicago to the triumph on the Silver Screen, Cindy and her accompanist, Johnnie Ivories, had the audience laughing and singing along with her best known hits.

John B. deHaas who plays Johnnie Ivories came up with the idea for the show. He was fascinated by tap legend Ann Miller and her larger than life persona. He knew Joy Anderson since 1999 and decided she would be perfect to play Cindy Starr. Johnnie Ivories seemed based on Liberace with his golden suit studded with sequins.

Cindy kept the jokes coming. An ongoing theme seemed to be that she was always pursuing men who had no interest in women. Several times she had audience members get on stage with her so she could teach them some steps. The results were hilarious. Andrea Canny directed the show, and at one point, she gave gummy bears to everyone in the audience. The pre-show announcements by Michael Marinaccio and George Fringe Wallace always ended with, “if you have any candy, Unwrap it Now!” It therefor became quite comical as Andrea struggled to open the large bags of candy in the back of the theater.

The show was fun and entertaining. As promised, there was plenty of tappin’ and yappin’ along with a couple of Swedish guests who mixed it up on stage.

The Secret

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Martin Dockery from Brooklyn, New York is a consummate story teller. When asked what he does, he doesn’t like to say ” storyteller” because it brings up the assumption that he tells stories to children. His stories are very adult themed. His delivery is energetic to the point of being maniacal. He sort of reminds me of the character Dennis Hopper played in Apocalypse Now,  with a touch of Kramer from the Jerry Seinfeld show. As the audience filed in, Martin sat on stage left talking to people in the front row. He explained to everyone that when the show starts, the lights would go dark and he would be standing just off stage, he would walk on stage in the dark and sit down. Only then would he bathed in light. The fourth wall was broken, artifice stripped away. It was just him telling us his story.

Martin’s Fringe show told an incredible story that showed how strange and disconnected his family could be.  About this same time Martin and his girlfriend were going through a rough patch. Martin wants a child but she wasn’t ready. In his mind, she might just not be ready to have his child. They weren’t married, he doesn’t believe in the institution so there wasn’t really any commitment. If either of them met someone else, that would be cool, at least in theory.

So anyway, Martin’s father had moved to Vietnam, a country where he had once gone to fight a war. Martin decided that a vacation with his girlfriend might smooth over their differences. His father had a secret and he let Martin know that he would tell all when they got to Vietnam. Now Martin’s brother knew the secret so they had a long drawn out conversation full of trivial small talk before Martin got to the truth. His father had married a Vietnamese girl and together they had conceived twins. Martin had a younger brother and sister he had never met. Meeting his siblings was magic. He played imaginary games with them and a bond was set in place that could never be broken. His father was impatient and argumentative and watching him deal with two small children brought back all the memories of his own childhood. He had to forgive his dad for his unchangeable faults.

Martin and his girlfriend were exploring Vietnam as tourists and they decided to heighten the experience by dropping acid. Martin became a super tourist seeing the way the sky ignited with vibrant color. He became obsessed with shooting photos of a palm tree. He explored it by shooting pictures of it from every angle. He imagined that National Geographic would marvel at the series and create a coffee table book that would be a best seller. Martin had lost track of his girlfriend. She had wandered off. He searched for her but found a native boy that he photographed obsessively.

When Martin did find his girlfriend, she was in tears. She felt that he didn’t love her the way she used to. She had found someone else, a successful theater producer.  Looking back at his photos, he realized she was in many of the shots of the palm tree. In each successive shot, she grew smaller until she became pixelated and disappeared. While one door in his heart opened, another closed.