FRINGE: Snoring Mangos

Posted on by Thor

Snoring Mangos is an Improve Sitcom in the Brown Venue. Claudia from Cuba and Ian, a fantasy writer tried desperately to repair a broken door. Ian is not much of a do it yourself-er but her tries the repair himself but someone always walks through the door before the repair is done. A third character thrown into the mix was a postman. The show was just 30 minutes, so I had to work fast on the sketch.

At times the scenes gelled seamlessly at other times there were awkward paused as the actors regrouped allowing the story to take an unexpected turn.

Maybe because I was sketching and my attention was fractured, I didn’t find myself laughing out loud.

At the start of the show the audience was asked to name a famous comedy routine which the actor could incorporate into the show. A Carol Burnett scene was mentioned in which she sashayed down the step of her mansion wearing large drapes. With such a visual prompt from the audience I wondered what the improv actors might come up with. If the scene was mentioned or referenced, I managed to miss it. In terms of wardrobe malfunctions, Claudia had some issues with her high heels.

Tickets are $10 with a Fringe button. The remaining show times are: Tuesday May 20, 7:45pm, Friday May 23, 10:15pm, Saturday May 24, 6:40pm.

FRINGE: Giselle’s Florence Silver Foster Jenkins Schuberlade Review

Posted on by Thor

Giselle’s Florence Silver Foster Jenkins Schuberlade Review was a strange tribute to the infamous soprano Florence Foster Jenkins. The young singer Giselle Bellas had a really good voice but she expressed her doubts while getting encouragement from the disembodied spirit of Florence Silver Foster Jenkins. The spirit of Florence would be projected on the screen as an undulating light form.

Various acts such as dance and other solo singers would perform and I became confused as to how it all was meant to tie together. Perhaps the chaos was the point.

This was the very first FRINGE show I saw and it was very fringe.

The show centered around a single recorded performance by Florence in which she was absolutely tone deaf. Critics of the time thought the performance was a prank. She was described as having great difficulty with such basic vocal skills as pitch, rhythm, and sustaining notes and phrases. Her performance was so bad that it added up to quite a good evening of theater. The young singer laughed at the recording and then Florence scolded the young singer for her callousness. Despite the tiff, the spirit of Florence was always encouraging the the talent of the aspiring Opera singer. There was so much talent on the stage, but the overall impression was scattershot.

Tickets to Giselle’s Florence Silver Foster Jenkins Schuberlade Review in the Pink Venue are $15 with a FRINGE button.

Remaining show times are: Wednesday May 21, 8pm, and Saturday May 24, 5:10pm.

FRINGE: Breakup Variety Hour

Posted on by Thor

The Breakup Variety Hour was a solo show themed around a six point recovery program after a hard breakup. Ariana and the rose had some rather hilarious accounts of her experiences dating followed by some incredible singing. She reminded me of Lady Gaga, just with bad audio.

The lyrics to the songs she sang however I could not make out. The volume was up so high in the venue that the speakers buzzed and vibrated making the acoustics garbled.

Ariana with a red rode pinned to her right breast, had a great singing voice but it got lost in some horrible volume levels. Hopefully tech will resolve this issue before the full run of the show.

Tickets are $10 with a Fringe button. Show times: Sunday, May 18, 3:35pm, Wednesday May 21, 9:50pm, Friday May 23, 7:45pm, Saturday May 24, 11:05pm, Sunday, May 24, 4:05pm.

FRINGE: Corsets and Cuties: Fin

Posted on by Thor

Corsets and Cuties has been an Orlando institution for 10 years. This year they take to the huge Orange venue for a grand finale. The final show on May 26 at 9:40pm is to be their last.

I have been sketching Corsets and Cuties performances for years and always fall in love with the humor that they bring to burlesque.

At this press preview show the funniest performance came from a dancer who whipped a giant 7 foot wiener out of a bun. It had a boa of yellow mustard spiraling along it’s surface. She held the wiener over head and spin enthusiastically. Her costume which came off with enthusiasm had a retro 1920s feel. By the end she lay on the ground and hugged the wiener between her legs. It was a hilarious routine.

Barbie Rhindstone performed as a demonic bride which was also hilarious. Two aerialists performed on an exotic synchronized routine on the suspended ring.

There were cabaret tables on the floor for the more daring audience members and Ed Anthony was the only person to be daring enough to sit up front. He was rewarded with an up close and personal attention from dancers.

Show dates:

Saturday May 17, 8:30pm, Monday May 18, 7:25pm, Saturday May 24, 5:50pm, Sunday May 25, 9:40pm.

Tickets are $15 but just $6 on Sunday May 25the when they plan to full the venue and go out with a bang. It is a grand finale you do not want to miss.

Fringe: Liquid Sunshine

Posted on by Thor

My favorite FRINGE show so far has been Liquid Sunshine featuring Internationally known local singer-songwriter Zelda Grey.

She was quietly strumming her guitar and singing as the audience made it’s way into the Brown Venue. Zelda has a way of acknowledging every person in the room so that you feel like she is singing just for you.

Her song, “I’m not playing by Your Rules” felt like an anthem for living life with absolute honesty on your own terms.

After finishing the sketch, I decided to put the sketchbook aside and lean forward and listen intently. I hung on every word. She music spoke to me in a way I didn’t expect, mesmerizing me. Her acoustic music has a way of seeping deep into your soul.

This small little venue is the perfect space to experience her music since the intimate room allows for a chance to escape the noise of life and focus on her words. Her final song, “10,000 Tiny Birds” was written while she was alone in the woods. She allows herself to feel deeply and that shines through in every song she sings. This humble folk singer is my FRINGE Crush for 2025.

Fringe: Get a Clue, A Murder Mystery Who Dunnit Stage Combat Extravaganza

Posted on by Thor

At the Orlando International Fringe Festival some venues are not inside a theater. This show put on by Live Action Novelty Combat Entertainment (LANCE) takes place between the Orlando Science Center and Princeton Street.

Most of the audience was seated to my left. One man shouted out to me, “Are you doing a courtroom sketch of the performance?” I shouted back, “Yes, You all are the jury.”

In the show, a corrupt businessman is murdered along with two others. The narrator set the scene for the audience. As she spoke, 3 members of the cast dropped to the ground. Then she said, would you kindly move to where you actually died? All three got up and moved to a new spot.

The premise of the show is that the murders are recreated using objects that are set about the stage. There is plenty of staged fighting and murder. Once the scene was complete and the three actors lay in their spots, one would lean up and point out that the murder as described was completely wrong.

The whole scene would be reset and the scene would be replayed with a new villainous soul committing the murders. At times the stage fighting was quite unnerving with loud hits and narrow misses. The emotional impacts were helped by cast gasping and reacting in horror.

But the end of the show it had started to drizzle. I put away my unfinished sketch and popped my umbrella. If afternoon rains persist, the number of shows might be impacted.

Show times are:

Saturday May 17, 6pm, May 17, 8:30pm, Sunday May 18, 6pm, May 18, 8:30pm, Saturday May 24, 6pm, May 24, 8:30pm, Sunday May 25, 8:30pm.

The show is 45 minutes and tickets are $8 along with a FRINGE button. You need to be prepared to witness plenty of violence.

Grinder

Posted on by Thor

Back in January of 2025 payment was made to have this giant six foot high root ball ground down. Paul the tree service guy, said he needed to gang up several jobs since he needed to rent the root grinder for the job.

The job was rescheduled so many times it is hard to count. On May 9th the job was finally begun. The job was begun at the height of the hottest point of the day. Paul had two assistants. One moved wood chips aside once in a while while the woman sprayed the root ball with water to keep it from igniting from all the friction of the ginder.

The grinder worked differently than I thought it might. I thought it would grid horizontally from top to bottom like a record turntable. Instead it was more like a circular saw and it would be rotated horizontally along the tree stump that was lying on the ground. It made quite a racket and wood chips flew everywhere.

The workers surrounded the air conditioner unit with a piece of plywood and a garbage can. The goal was to keep wood chips from flying into the AC unit.up. Surrounding the AC Unit as they did however ended up cutting off air flow to the unit and the house started to heat up. Time was spend messing with the air conditioner control panel, but cool air didn’t flow again until the obstructions were removed.

Work was stopped when a huge rain storm rolled in. The one rain barrel I had st up filled almost instantly and started to overflow. Gutters clogged with dirt despite all the attempts I made to keep pine needles and dirt from getting to the downspouts. I took pictures of the lake that instantly formed in the back yard. The hope is to fill inn the lowest sections of the yard with mulch. Conveniently the stump grinding job left behind quite a bit of mulch which just needs to be shoveled to other lowest sections of the yard. It is a hard job best done in the early morning of evening as it cools off.

Toyota Dealership

Posted on by Thor

The “Needs Service” warning light turned on in my Prius. I figured it would mean a quick oil change to reset. I stopped by the Orlando Toyota Dealership around noon and I was still sketching two hours later.

Granted there was an oil change of 5 quarts, but then there were so may other adjustments. Tire pressure was checked, and there was a multi point inspection. The engine air filter was replaced, The cabin air filter was replaced, the evaporator core was cleaned, an engine induction was performed, there was a fuel induction flush, and a brake fluid exchange, the coolants were exchanged and there was and there was a 4 point tune up.

The guy seated right in front of me earned a visit directly by the mechanic working on his car. The mechanic showed the client a video of his engine running and it was running real rough. The woman seated in front of him was on the h=phone with her sister discussing family history.

I started this sketch drawing the woman seated at the high top table. She was entertained for well over an hour watching whatever she had playing on her phone. During the course of the sketch, people came and went.

When I picked up my car it was very clean. The wheel rims were more clean than I have ever seen. The drive back was smooth and braking was smooth as well. I’ll be driving to Orlando every day during Fringe, so it is good that the car is in the best shape possible. I will probably be teaching out of the Prius as well during Fringe using my phone as a hot spot. I am sketching and endless stream of shows and will only stop to walk back to the car and offer a class. Hopefully that will all work out.

Waiting

Posted on by Thor

I got sick right after attending a graduation ceremony in an arena filled with 10,000 spectators. I stood in the nose bleed section with my back too a wall so no one would be breathing down my neck, but someone in my section had a respiratory virus and I caught it.

I suspect what I have is RSV or the flu. I still have a lingering cough. I went to Doctor Angle Ho on Mills Avenue today and she prescribed two medications that she says will knock down the effects of the infection. One is Benzonatate and the other is Oseltamivir phosphate.

Benzonatate is a prescription cough suppressant. It calms your cough reflex to help prevent coughing for three to eight hours after taking a dose. My cough has died down so I might not need this right away.

Oseltamivir an oral anti-viral drug approved for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated influenza in patients whose flu symptoms have not lasted more than two days.

So the sketch above was started in the doctors waiting room which was completely empty. That is why there is a medical Caduceus on the TV screen. I only stated blocking in the lines of the empty waiting room when I was called back. I was weighed, my blood pressure was taken and then a sonogram was used to take my pulse in my ankles. I’m not sure what my ankle pulse had to do with my chronic cough but hey, I’m not the doctor. The doctor never determined exactly what virus I had.

Since the doctors visit had flown by so fast, I decided to go to my Toyota dealership since my Prius has had a warning light on for the past month or so. I stated drawing right on top of the unfinished doctors waiting room sketch. Both scenes were using 1 point perspective so in many ways the two scenes lines up. I started the dealership drawing because I was fascinated with a woman who seemed to be wrestling with her hair. Eventually her friend helped her get the knot into some semblance of a workable form.

I managed to finish this sketch with plenty of time to spare before mechanics decided to make any assessment of what work they might want to do on my Prius. The sketch is a sloppy artists version of a double exposure. I had to rush back to the Lake County studio to teach several online art classes. With the long commute I was running late. The dealership got me a free rental but regardless I was going to be late for class.

Princess and the Pea Bed

Posted on by Thor

By Thomas Thorspecken

The studio I am renting in Lake County Florida already had a bed frame and mattress. Since I have a mattress and box spring, I simply stacked them all on top of one another. To get into bed I have to step onto my flat file and then roll on in.

When I had my surgery several months ago that neutered me sexually, my sister came to the studio to be sure there were no horrible side effects. We agreed that I shouldn’t be performing a high jump to get into bed so she slept in the Princes and the Pea bed.

My sister is a bit older than I am and it took some coaching to convince her it was easy to get up into the bed. Once she was up for the first time, she felt more comfortable. Getting out of bed is far more easy, you just slide off the ledge and end up in a standing position. She enjoyed the process of getting out of bed, it makes the morning routine more of an adventure.

I work all day at my Disney desk, or out on location sketching. I just return to the bedroom to collapse and sleep. Drawings and art keep stacking up on top of the flat files. The stack hasn’t reached the ceiling yet so there is plenty of room for more art. To do this sketch I sat in a small reclining chair that I was using for the first time. It has a back massage settings, but I turned that off while sketching since it would have been distracting.

My life is in a strange limbo right now, so there is no reason to unpack every storage crate. Everything might go into storage in an instant, or I might commit to finding a home/studio of my own. I am committed to renting the Lake County Studio through the end of May. In June I need to decide where “home” might be. I have been working non stop since I got here and haven’t had the time to discover the local arts scene. Home could be anywhere I decide to start sketching next. My life could literally turn in any direction. I have no ties. I am a tumbleweed.