Autobahn shines it’s headlights on the drama of road trips.

Posted on by Thor

Handwritten Productions presented Autobahn written by Neil Labute, in the Red Venue of this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. It presented five one act scenes with the audience voyeuristicly looking through the windshield at couples in the front seats of their car. The show began with headlights shining in the audiences eyes. The first scene featured a young woman, (Kristen Shoffner) in a black skull T-shirt slouching down in the passenger seat. Presumably her mother, (Candy Heller) sat stoic and silent behind the driving wheel. The young woman chatted non-stop while the driver never spoke and always seemed a bit annoyed. It became clear over time that the young woman had beer released from a rehab program. She had learned how to give the staff all the right answers. The one thing she had learned is that she needed to have one person she could always confide in. She informed the driver that it was her lucky day because she would always confide in her. What she confided however was that she couldn’t wait to start using again. She missed the rush, the heavenly high. It was clear that the stoic driver wasn’t pleased, but she must have had a checkered past as well because the passenger felt no one would take the driver’s word were she to try and turn the young woman in.

A boy and girl sat in a car with a bench seat at a lovers point. The girl, (Jillian Gizzi) was on edge because she thought the boy, (Adam DelMedica)  might want to break up with her. Instead then began to make out. When they come up for air she tells him  about the last boy who broke up with her. She sought revenge by mailing dead mice to his house from different locations. She rejoiced in the fact that police were unable to stop her. The boy’s face turned pale as he heard about her fatal attraction and unending need for revenge. He had been happy with their relationship, but now he clearly wanted out but was to frightened to broach the subject.

The scene that hit closest to home for me featured an older man behind the wheel, (Lucas Perez) and a young girl curled up in the passenger’s seat (Marisa Nieves Hemphill). From their first interactions I presumed this was a father and daughter. He chastised her for her behavior in a rest stop where her temper tantrum had gotten him quite upset. However, the more they spoke, the less close they seemed. I kept trying to guess her age. When she was curled up in the fetal position she seemed like such a young child but as they spoke she seemed to mature. The drivers affection for the girl seemed fine when I imagined he was her dad but when it became clear he was a stranger, his affection became menacing. He was her driver’s ed instructor and he was taking her to a secluded cabin. I wanted to shout out, “Get out of the car!” But instead she chatted amicably seeking forgiveness for her outburst at the rest stop. He spotted a deer on the side of the road, and she begged him to turn around so she could see it. He refused. He was now clearly in control. She curled up again. He asked, “Can I touch your hair?” She asked “Why?” “Because I want to.” he replied. The lights dimmed as he ran his fingers through her hair. Marisa, the actress in this scene, resembles a friend of mine who once confided that a relative had sexually abused her. This is more common than I ever imagined here in Florida. Another friend, who later committed suicide confided that her brother had done the same when she was very young. She had blocked that memory for years. When it resurfaced, she couldn’t live with it. This scene sticks with me because I wish that the inevitable tragedy could be averted.

The plays title comes from the last scene in which the woman says that perhaps the Germans had it right with their Autobahn in that there should be no speed limits and we should speed through life never having time to see the people speeding past us. We are all in a mad automotive rush, but to what end, what final destination? I can’t shake this play which first appeared at the Little Shubert Theater in NYC on March 8, 2004. This is what Fringe does best, five one act scenes that will linger forever. This was the Patron’s Pick in the Red Venue so there is one more performance.

Autobahn

Last performance: Monday May 25,  12:30pm to 1:30pm

Length: 60 minutes.

Venue: Red (Shakes behind through the courtyard and up to a second floor theater)

Rated: 18+ for language and sexual themes

Tickets: $11 (+service charge)

7(+1) Samurai is high energy fun at this year’s Orlando Fringe.

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Actor David Gaines thanked patrons standing in line for his solo show, 7(+1) Samurai. His show is in one of the largest venues which is a good thing because word of mouth will result in even larger lines. On his own, David acts out the movie 7 Samurai, playing all the parts himself. The result is at times mysterious, and often hilarious. His impression of a frightened farmer running through his field is worth the price of admission alone.

Sound effects play an integral part in every scene and he created them all with his voice from the flump of a falling body to the swipp, chunck, jigga jigga jigga of an arrow slicing through the air and hitting its target.  In many ways it felt like the movie was being projected quickly like in the silent film era. The masks were used to represent the villain and then the quiet and stoic hero samurai who helped the villagers learn how to defend themselves.

As an artist, I had to glance down at my sketch sometimes, and when I looked up, David had become another character. Fight sequences might find him changing character 7 times or more every minute. It was a non-stop fun whirlwind that didn’t stop until his open hand with radiating fingers representing the setting sun,

lowered behind his extended arm and the lights faded to black.

This high energy romp is one of my top picks from this year’s Fringe Festival. It is a show that must be seen to be believed.

7(+1) Samurai

Only one show remaining: Sunday 5/24 3:45pm to 4:45pm

Tickets are $10 (plus a service charge).

Rating: 7+

Run time: 60 minutes.

Venue: Orange (The Margison Theater inside the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center)

Hoodies opens a much needed discussion about racism in America.

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Penguin Point Productions and Beth Marshall Presented the World Premiere of

Hoodies written
by Paris Crayton III and directed by Beth Marshall at this year’s Orlando Fringe. It is the third in a series of productions addressing racism following the Trayvon Martin shooting. Beth was driving home from a 17 hour long Fringe day setting up for the Hoodies premiere., As she said, “I get pulled over by
O-Town’s finest. Apparently, I was going 7 miles over the speed limit at
one point and swerved a little. (NOTE- I have not had one drink in god
knows how long) When the cop is shining his flashlight in the car, he
sees the Hoodies posters and asks about the show. I proceeded to tell
him about the year-long Trayvon Martin Project and that Hoodies is part 3
and do my pitch. He says” So you want people to come
to a show about “cops doing their jobs” (a line that is said a LOT in
the play by our cop) for the betterment of the community.” To which I
reply, the death of black teens is never to the betterment of our
community, sir. He went off to run my information and then 2 other cop
cars pull up to check on him and come over and to see the Hoodies
flyers. As they take them, I say- I have another show at Fringe that you
might like better- ha! (meaning Cosmolyrical) and handed these two cops
the flyers. Then they all come back over and the cop gives me a warning
for my “speeding and swerving” and makes a joke saying “here’s a
warning for doing a show about bad cops”… I was not amused. Then one
of the others said, begins talking about how he once did South Pacific
in some community theatre in one of the Carolina’s. Again, I was not
amused…. Then they said they were “gonna try to make it to them”. I
asked if I could take a photo of them with the flyers and they said no.
HAPPY FRINGE!”

Hoodies presents the story of  “Hooper” Williams, (Stelson Telfort) a seventeen year old black teen who is energetic, smart, and full of life. He is exceptional at
basketball and a popular student at his high school. The genius of this play is that you learn to love Hooper through a series of scenes with his family and friends. Much of the cast consists of theater students from Lake Howell High School.  This makes perfect sense since the story is about the senseless shooting of a fellow student.

 The scenes don’ t happen in chronological. In one of the funniest scenes, Hooper confides in his mom, Alice (Shonda L Thurman) that he is nervous about asking a girl to the prom. Mom suggests he ask her as if she were the girl in question. Then she starts asking questions about the girl so she can “get in character”. As she explains, she is a method actor. When he confides that the girl is white, she says, “You’re making this difficult on me.” She does play the part however, as a stereo typical Valley girl to hilarious effect. When he finally does ask her out, she replies simply, “No, I have plans.” “Mom!” he shouts, and then she explains what he did wrong.

Students discussed the insane action their school took to ban hoodies. A young black student had been shot by a police man while wearing a hoodie and this was the schools knee jerk reaction to protect the student population. Jenny (Momo Earle) a soft spoken Caucasian girl lamented that changing what students wear isn’t a solution. Only an open discussion and real change could stop the killing. She had been close to the boy shot and was still devastated by his senseless death. In another scene, Hooper and Jenny meet in the school hallway and they struggle to talk in an awkward exchange. Hooper finally builds up the courage to ask Jenny out and her simply “Yes” eases the tension. They both gleefully shake in delight when they walk away. From that moment on however, the audience knows that Hooper will be shot.

“The Talk” parents have with black teen boys is different than the talk Caucasian parents have with their boys. Rather than “the birds and bees” Hooper’s parents explain how he must act when being confronted by a police man. They tell him that he must keep his hands visible at all times and never raise his voice. He should never give the policeman any reason to escalate the situation. “But what if I didn’t do anything wrong!” he shouts. “It doesn’t matter.” he is told that just the color of his skin makes him a suspect in racial profiling..


Frank Stevens (Stephen Lima) is a Caucasian male who is new to the police force. In a conversation with his wife, Katie (Chelsey Panisch) he finds out that she is unhappy with the
way that their marriage is going and can’t handle the new pressure of being so closely
involved with the death of a young teen. “You think I’m guilty” he tells her. “It didn’t have to end the way it did” she replies. “I was doing my job!” he shouts. As an audience member, you can’t help but recall how many Germans after World War II also confided that they “were just following orders”.

Hooper was shot the night before prom and Jenny came on stage in a beautiful purple prom dress to explain that she would never go to prom. Hooper’s mom was so overcome with grief that she couldn’t stop crying. Her husband, Jonathon (Barry White) confided that he couldn’t stand to see her in so much pain. He felt helpless in the wake of so much pain.

What makes this play so powerful is that you see every characters strengths and flaws in each scene. I recently traveled to Turkey and some people felt I should have bean scared. Ironically a Turkish taxi driver confided that America is a far more scary place. No where else in the world are so many unarmed youths killed. Police in America kill citizens at over 70 times the rate of other first world nations. Hoodies addresses this problem in a very human way. It is theater at it’s best because it forces us to took at ourselves and realize that chance will only happen if enough people raise their voice. The cast and crew of Hoodies did an amazing job and I hope the show will find a larger audience. After the show, the theater lobby was crowded full of students holding signs of protest. Don’t miss Hoodies!

Where: Silver Venue (Orlando REP, Bush Theatre) 1001 East Princeton Street (Loch Haven Park) Orlando FL

Tickets: $11 + service charge.

Remaining Shows:
Saturday, 5/23- 8:30pm
Sunday, 5/24- 12:30pm

Weekend Top 6 Orlando Fringe Picks.

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Saturday May 23, 2015

A $10 Fringe Button is needed for entrance to all shows. Available at the Shakes box office. (good for entire 14-Day Festival.). Anyone can Fringe. I will be at Fringe from 10am to 4pm all weekend doing a Fringe Sketch Tour. If you spot me, be sure to say hi.

11:45pm to 12:45pm $11 + service charge. Moonlight After Midnight. Green Venue (Rep Black Box). 60 minutes. Rated 7+ years old. “A beautiful woman meets a mysterious man in a midnight hotel room.
Starring Martin Dockery & Vanessa Quesnelle”. I have seen Martin Dockery tell stories on the Fringe stages for the past several years and I am always spellbound.

2pm to 2:55pm $11 + service charge. Tales Too Tall for Trailers. Brown Venue (Shakes inside former Philharmonic rehearsal space). 55 minutes. All ages. “Comedian / Storyteller Paul Strickland  and Erika Kate MacDonald  join forces in this off-kilter musical family
comedy! Funny songs, strange southern stories, shadow puppetry, a pet
named “Peeve” and more. The final installment in Paul’s trailer park trilogy.” I saw this show and was delighted with it’s humor, innocent and clever use of shadow puppetry and wit.

4:30pm to 5pm $5 + service charge. Judy Garland. Orange Venue (Shakes Margison Theater). 30 minutes. Rated 18+. “That Judy Garland show from last year that sold out four times and
wasn’t even listed in the program is back in a bigger venue with cheaper
tickets.” This show had me laughing out loud last year, and I have to see it again.

Sunday May 24, 2015

12:30pm to 1:30pm  $11 + service charge. Hoodies. Silver Venue (Large Rep Theater). 60 minutes. Rated 13+. “The third piece in our Beth Marshall Presents: The Trayvon Martin
Project year – long exploration of racism, profiling, gun control and
the tragic loss of too many black teens. A raw and powerful
socio-political play delving deeply into the core of race relations
between blacks and whites today with the purpose of greater
communication, healing and celebration of diversity.” Theater at it’s best. That opens a raw and much needed discussion of race in America.

3:15pm to 4:15pm $11 + service charge. Autobahn. Red Venue (Shakes back courtyard and then upstairs) 60 minutes. Rated 18+.  “From the playwright of reasons to be pretty, Neil LaBute’s Autobahn is a
provocative, darkly comic portrait of America – “from a make-out
session gone awry to a kidnapping thinly disguised as a road trip” – set
within the confines of the front seat of a car, a gritty fable about
the words we leave unsaid.” Incredibly compelling theater. One of my favorite shows this year.

4:20pm to 5:20pm $11 + service charge. Janis Joplin, Little Girl Blue. Gold Venue (In the Orlando Museum of Art theater). 60 minutes. Rated 18+.  “Kaleigh Baker and an all-star band of Orlando’s finest musicians,
including director Andy Matchett, present an in-depth and passionate
look at the life, music and untimely death of one of Music’s greatest
icons: Janis Joplin. Baker swells in volume as she moves from a solo
rendition of “What Good Can Drinkin Do?” to an explosive 8 piece band
backing her on hits like Peace of My Heart and Get It While You Can.” Kaleigh is the one singer who can truly capture the spirit of Janice when she sings. At the rehearsal I was transported back in time.  If you also see Autobahn the same day, you will literally have to run across the parking lot to catch this show but it is worth the effort.

Bubble Gum Party blows up the Brown Venve.

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The Bubble Gum Party is a splash of color at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. The  Silver Dollar Productions singing trio consists of Robbie Bubble (dad),
Debbie Bubble (mom), and
Abby Bubble (daughter). They sing sugar sweet pop songs with a twist. The show stars Summer Aiello,  Sarah French, and Keven Kriegel. The book and lyrics are by Kevin and Sarah, and the music by Ned Wilkinson. I met the cast briefly before the show and Kevin gave me a “Blow Me!” button that I proudly sport on my art bag. Blue Estrella had invited me to the show.

The show is billed a wholesome family fun, yet every song has hilarious double meanings. As the poster says, “Fun for the whole family” and “Not suitable for children”. Sarah was adorable as the child in this high octane Partridge family. Dad dropped hint after hint that he enjoys a muscular mans body while Debbie seemed oblivious to his wandering lust. Sarah announced that she likes “sexting” but to her that is any text with some hip urban attitude.

Every song in the show was laugh out loud funny and the audience was on there feet clapping and dancing. The show began with Sarah shouting out to the audience, “Who’s been to a Bubble Gum Party before!” The audience sat silent. “Well who hasn’t been to a Bubble Gum Party before!” The audience cheered. “Yay!” From that moment on, the energy never dropped. Abby wondered how many bubble gum balls she could fit in her mouth.  Debbie thought two balls were enough for her, but Robbie could fit or dreamed of fitting far more. What followed was a fun hour of laughter and sexual innuendo. I laughed so hard, that at times it was hard to draw.

The sock puppets that represented stereo typical racial types made me a bit uncomfortable but they were so un-pc that I had to laugh.  Robbie held a guitar but clearly couldn’t play. Perhaps this was a poke at lip syncing divas. This boisterous family did however know how to sing into their brightly colored mics! If you love laughter and having a good time, this is the show for you.

Bubble Gum Party

Remaining show times:

Friday May 22,  9:45pm to 10:45pm

Saturday May 23, 3:15pm to 4:15pm

Sunday May 24,  3:15pm to 4:15pm

Venue: Brown (Shakes former Philharmonic rehearsal space)

Rating: 13+

Length: 60 minutes 

Tickets: $9

Nick Paul’s Impossible Feats of Fake Magic offered comedy and Magic.

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Nick Paul’s Impossible Feats of Fake Magic in the Fringe bronze venue inside the Orlando Museum of Art was a highly entertaining hour of magic. Nick is an Orlando native and this was the first time I had to sketch his act. A helium balloon was suspended in the middle of the stage. Nick eyed the balloon and with a flourish decided to cut the ribbon that held the balloon to the stage. Amazingly the balloon remained hovering where it was rather than floating to the ceiling. He then waved his hands around the balloon to show that there were no rods or supports holding the balloon in place. Next he tried to move the balloon by pushing and pulling it with no effect. I actually used to show a YouTube clip to my Full Sail students in which a mime tried to move a helium balloon. Darko Cesar, a former Disney Animator turned me on to this entertaining piece. We used it to show students how an animators job is to imply stress and strain by using exaggerated poses. When done right the unbelievable becomes plausible.

Nick asked an audience member to pick out a long word in the Fringe program. An envelope taped to the back of the trunk was opened and somehow that work was written on the sheet of paper inside. I tried to figure out the trick but in the end enjoyed simply being amazed. Nick’s wife joined him at the end of the show and somehow she was quickly transported inside a small box when behind a curtain for a minute. Her hand waved from a small hole in the box and that was the end of the show. People didn’t know if they should leave. At the exit several audience members approached Nick, concerned that his wife was still locked away in the box.  I don’t know if she ever got out. Of course all magic is fake, but Nicks physical comedy and audience participation made it a fun and entertaining show. He performs magic regularly at Walt Disney World where magic is expected.

Venue: Bronze

Length: 50 minutes

Rating: 13+

Tickets: $10 (+service charge)

Remaining Show Times:

Wednesday May 20, 2015  5:30pm to 6:20pm

Sunday May 24, 2015        8:15pm to 9:05pm

Valence explores the psycology of touch through dance.

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I thought I had sketched every dance company in town, but Explore Theatre and Dance Company from Winter Park presenting Valence at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival was new on my radar. The show began with the entire line of dancers walking in slow motion towards the audience, then an elegant and solidly built female dancer pivoted at a 90 degree angle to the stage grid. What followed was dancers balancing and supporting each other in a slow abstract choreography. Bonds seemed to form and then break apart.

Between scenes audio recordings would showcase a dancers insecurities, doubts and accomplishments. I kind of dreaded these audio prologues since I couldn’t sketch in the dark and I didn’t have anything for my hungry eyes to soak in. When the lights came up, each dance was fluid and focused on relationships and isolation. It seems like isolation always won in the end. I loved that not all the dancers where thin. Every imaginable body shape and size moves in fluid elegant ways. Even the dance company’s founder,  Chris Gonzalez, is a solid brick of a man who is willing to experiment and take chances. I love sketching dance despite the challenges, so I was a kid in a candy shop. You might notice that sitting in an audience is not my MO. I like being on the outside looking in, a voyeur to the whole theatrical experience. Perhaps that is why I identify with the theme of isolation in the show.

Remaining Show Times:

Thursday May 21  7:00pm

Thursday May 24, 7:00pm

Run Time:

60 minutes

Venue: 

Red  (behind the Shakes, 2nd floor)

Rating:

13+

Tickets: $7 (+ service charge)

Janice Joplin brings her amazing voice to the Fringe.

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Andy Matchett the show’s author and director invited me to a dress rehearsal for Janice Joplin, Little Girl BIue starring Kaleigh Baker.  The rehearsal was in Castle Door Recording Studio on Kentucky Avenue in Winter Park. This was the perfect setting for this show. From the moment I entered the recording studio, I felt like I had stepped back into the 60s.

 As I approached the sound studio on foot, I saw costume designer Sara Grey struggling to push a tall rack of 60’s outfits towards the entrance. The wheels caught on every bump in the pavement causing her to have to pause every few feet to lift the rack up. Because of her I knew I was in the right place. I helped her get the costumes through the door. It turns out that Kaleigh and a band member had to perform at the Fringe opening ceremonies that night, so that gave Sara an hour to hand out costumes and make any adjustments. When Andy arrived, he offered me a Yuengling  before the rehearsal started and I felt the
thrill of being in a recording studio with so much raw talent. I had
sketched Kaleigh Baker before at smokey dives like Tanquerey’s downtown and I knew that she is the one person who could sing like Janice.

The show presents an in-depth and passionate
look at the life, music and untimely death of one of Music’s greatest
icons: Janis Joplin. Baker swells in volume as she moves from a solo
rendition of “What Good Can Drinkin Do?” to an explosive 8 piece band
backing her on hits like “Peace of My Heart” and “Get It While You Can“. Laura Joplin (Amanda Warren) sat and spoke about her sister Janice. She painted a picture of Janice as a child that never fit in who was bullied and harassed by fellow students. There was a hint of envy in her words and I loved that Janice had overcome her past and her music helped her soar.

The scene that I saw rehearsed several times involved Jimmy Hendrix (Pascal Sacleux) taking the place of one of the guitarists on stage (Jeff Nolan).  In shock the guitarist walks off stage. The following instrumental performance blew the roof off. Hendrix exuded confidence and he made love to Janice with his guitar with wild abandon. By the end of the performance he lay the guitar on the ground and caressed its strings like an out of control lover. After one performance in which Janice sang her heart out, a band member shouted out “I don’t know what that was, but it was out of control!” “Damn right!” I thought. “That was absolute wild magic!” I thought the scene had ended and I laughed and shouted in delight. The scene hadn’t ended I had forgotten this was a rehearsal. For a moment I was in the studio with the real Janice Joplin and I wanted her to burn bright. I loved how she could let go.

Magic happened in the studio that night. Janice Joplin will blow your mind at this year’s Fringe Festival.

Venue: Gold (in the Orlando Museum of Art)

Length: 60 minutes

Rating: 18 and up 

Remaining shows:

May 19  8:15pm to 9:15pm

May 22  10:00pm to 11:00pm

May 23  10:00pm to 11:00pm

May 24  4:20pm to 5:20pm

Tickets: $11 (+service. Charge)

Anne Frankenstein strikes the Orlando Fringe like lightening.

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Anne Frankenstein written by Michael Knight and directed by Adam McCabe melds the worlds of horror and 70’s grind house films. In the opening scene Dr. Sylva Steffel, (Meghan Mitchell) harnessed the power of a lightning storm to re-animate the dead body of Anne Frankenstein (Lauren Culiver). The theater lights flickered and sparked as the body twitched and then slowly sat upright. Anne was killed by Nazis in a concentration camp but she and her sister were put on ice. Anne was re-assembled using some of her sister’s body parts.

Anne was brought back to life to be a super human Nazi killing machine much like the vengeful female protagonist in “Kill Bill.” The “Igor” in this tale (Rob Mobley) explains to Anne how he helped re-build her. He shows Anne her printed diaries and she is shocked to find out millions of people have read her words. She vows to kill every living Neo-Nazi.

Heinrich Von Arschloch  (Michael Mikanite Knight) is the leader intent on finishing Hitler’s work. He incites his thugs by telling them simplistic lies about how Jews are running America. At the heart of this insane lie is Einstein Bagels. Heinrich’s daughter Pamela (Danielle Miller) is as evil if not more evil than her father. Her weapon of choice is a cinder block at the end of a bat that creates a hammer that even Thor might envy.

Anne quickly kills the Neo-Nazi thugs that are torturing an Einstein Bagels costumer.  To get to Heinrich Von Arschloch however she has to battle the imposing Pamela. The play moves at s thrilling pace. The single set piece rotates between the Neo-Nazi den and the Doctor’s laboratory for quick efficient scene changes. The tech rehearsal I sat in had many stops and starts to adjust lighting cues and sound effects. I do suspect that Anne Frankenstein will  have long lines of ticket holders waiting to see the carnage. Believe the buzz. It’s Alive!

REMAINING SHOW TIMES:
Sunday, 5/17- 10:00pm
Saturday, 5/23- 10:00pm
Sunday, 5/24- 6:00pm

LOCATION:
The Orange Venue (Margeson Theater)
Orlando Shakespeare Theater
812 E Rollins St,
Orlando, FL 32803

TICKETS are $10 w/ Orlando Fringe Button
($2 off with legal proof of Jewish heritage!)

Lay Ms parodies Le Miserables set in the swinging 60s.

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Lay Ms written by Paul C Tugwell and lyrics by Brian Rewis used the songs from Les Miserables and changed the lyrics to tell the story of BDSM, porn and gay rights in the 60s. It followed the story of a young girl who decided she needed the money that a strip club could offer. The club lead to her downfall but her child found a protector. Trying to compress the plot of the epic Les Miserables into 90 minutes resulted in a somewhat rushed production. Set changes came at a break neck pace after every song. Each time the theater went black, I had to stop sketching. Having only seen the movie version of Les Miserables, I had a hard time assimilating the characters French names. I would have kept better track with Dick, Jane and Harry. The premise of Lay Ms is genius and at times I did sympathize with the plight of gay and transgender characters who were not treated as equals.  Gay bashing is sadly still prevalent in America.  The songs resulted in several inspired performances but the off stage synthesizer didn’t offer much in the way of back up.

One scene involved actress and director Tara Rewis as Eponine a lesbian who is forced by her scheming parents to star in a heterosexual porn film. A bartender, who was a long time friend offered to help out. The scene featured the only nudity in the show and her performance singing the song, flat on her back and her head leaning over the edge of the bed was admirable. She tolerated the heterosexual sex while trying to imagine her female lover. When she straddled him, she took her bra and placed it over his breasts and then cupped his breasts in her hands with eyes closed. It was an inspired and hilarious scene.

When the revolution culminated in the Stonewall Riots the crowd sang the battle cry in unison with flags waving and protest posters highlighting the continued inequality. Marriage equality now exists in 37 states. 13 states remain in the dark ages. 40% of gay youths commit suicide. Changing attitudes takes time so the battle rages on. I found myself humming the tune for the rest of the day although I didn’t remember the lyrics. The show had some rough edges which is to be expected since this was a rehearsal. Some of the dialogue seemed forced as if to rush the plot along to get to the next song. The overall premise is fun and the music kept me thinking about the battle for equality long after the show was over.

Remaining Performances:
Saturday, May 16 – 12:30 PM — 2:00 PM
Monday, May 18 – 8:45 PM — 10:15 PM
Tuesday, May 19 – 7:00 PM — 8:30 PM
Friday, May 22 – 10:00 PM — 11:30 PM
Saturday, May 23 – 4:00 PM — 5:30 PM
Sunday, May 24 – 8:00 PM — 9:30 PM

Length: 90
Venue: Silver in the REP
Price: $9 (+service charge) and Fringe Button!
Rating: 18+ – Nudity|Language|Adult Content|Some Violence

Restrictions:
All Patrons Over Age 13 Must Have a Fringe Button
No Late Entry Show-All Shows Start on Time
No Re-entry Into Any Venue
No Refunds or Exchanges
100% Of All Ticket Sales Are Returned to Artists