Fringe: The Breakfast Reunion

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Grinning Cat Theater Company from Orlando Florida presented The Breakfast Reunion at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show revisits the cast of The Breakfast Club movie only now it is 25 years later and they meet the night before their High School reunion. One of the kids hit it big in the tech boom becoming a tech billionaire while others found local hometown jobs including becoming a teacher in the school where they were once held in detention.

Each character in turn unveiled their middle-aged angst. A marriage was on the rocks and jobs were not exactly gratifying. I kept trying to figure out who was Molly Ringwald all grown up. In general, I never married the older characters to who they were in high school. The show did keep me engaged. Like the movie, the characters were locked in the library for the duration. It is possible that the lock failing might have been intentional to force the former high school deviants to spend the time needed to rehash old times and show their new lives of normalcy.

Vulnerabilities from high school remained with each adult. The same fears and concerns just resurfaced in each new decade. Were friendships forged leading into the future? It seemed rather that these former students who exposed their weaknesses in detention 25 years prior were just ships passing in the night. When the doors locks were opened they each rushed out to the routines they had forged as adults.

I watched this show on my birthday which was a special treat. 1980s nostalgia drew me in. The years are passing for me so I felt it would be good to see how the high school princess, bad boy and weirdo had grown.

Fringe: Haunting Co. A Live Ghost Investigation

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the Crisis Collection from Orlando Florida presented Haunting Co. A Live Ghost Investigation. Ed and Liz (Andrew Sandoval and Lex Bentley) from a small local paranormal company introduced themselves with video promotional materials. They had built a name for themselves on a popular YouTube channel. The footage was shot around Lock Haven Park where the Fringe is located. At one

point they tentatively approached an electrical box which I recognized since it has appeared in some of my sketches. There was trepidation that the box might be haunted, it most certainly was a shock hazard.

In theaters there is a tradition of placing a single light center stage at night to ward off ghosts. The intrepid Haunting Co. investigators used some high-tech gear to contact any spirits in the room. The young investigators awakened two very pointy ghosts who were once performers on the stage.

Perhaps because I was so focused on sketching in the dark, I wasn’t too frightened by the apparitions. When the lights dimmed or when out, I was simply anxious that I was loosing precious sketching time. Sketching what I could in the dark, the audience appeared ghostly as a frantic wash of color. Detail could only be deciphered in small isolated spots.

I am a big fan of late-night ghost investigation TV shows. My hope is to catch a glimpse of some subtle figure as it appears briefly or causes some object to move. Subtlety and mystery is what I felt the ghosts in this investigation were missing. The makeup and costumes were spectacular, but the ghosts were very much flesh and blood and bound by gravity.

With so much horror appearing in the news cycle every day in America, I felt hard pressed to get worked up about several lost souls.

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: Josephine

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Dynamic Lunchbox Entertainment from Orlando Florida presented Josephine at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Powerhouse, Tymisha Harris starred as Josephine. This show is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

As a child, Josphine Baker discovered her love of dance when she entered a talent show. Performing in America however had its drawbacks since racism kept her from even entering some venues. These deep rooted American racist setbacks vanished when a talent scout invited Josephine to perform in Paris France. In France she was deeply beloved and became an international star.

Josephine is most famous for her dancing while wearing a banana skirt. Tamisha performed this sensual dance with abandon. She was tough to catch on the sketch page since she was in constant motion, and when she wasn’t she was hidden behind a stage screen doing a costume change.

Josephine lived with passion. Besides her skyrocketing career, she also told us about the many men in her life. Having a live band on stage helped the show feel like it was from the luscious vaudeville era. There was a moment where Josephine posed for artist Frida Kahlo. From the intimacy of the moment I wondered if Frida and Josephine might have been lovers.  Both women were celebrated, openly bisexual icons who fiercely defied the rigid cultural, racial, and sexual boundaries of the early 20th century.

I cursed myself for not choosing that moment to sketch Josephine, There was enough time in that still moment where I could have slowed down enough to produce a well observed sketch. Oh well, life moves on. Keep making bold choices and live without regrets. I am sure that is what Josephine would have told me if we were to meet in Paris before or during WWII.

Fringe: Sororicide

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Lavender Moon Productions from Orlando Florida presented Sororicide at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This campy murder mystery was written by Rheanne Walton and Savana Petranoff who first met as stage managers at Florida State University in Talahassee.

While waiting to get into the theater, I met the mom of one of the performers and she had a beautiful black and white Husky with sky blue eyes by the name of Quinn the Pomsky. A Pomsky is part Pomeranian and part Husky. Quinn is mostly Husky in appearance with a Pom dash of fluffy cuteness. This adorable pup is a bit of a star who has performed in commercials and other important roles in film. Quinn has run on the star-studded Hollywood walk of fame and proudly posed on the red carpet before screening premieres.

Sorocicide is built around the premise that the Delta Nu Sorority is raising funds for a pup rescue campaign. Quinn had a walk on role in the show but there are permits that have to be obtained along with other red tape that held up the pup performance. Quinn had to watch the show from the audience. Christina Breza who plays Hanna in the show is Quinn’s god mother. She came out just before the doors opened and gave Quinn a reassuring hug.

The show was chaotic to start. Sorority sisters walked all around the room meeting one another and chatting with members of the audience. Gradually they gathered around three long tables for their meeting. However the meeting could not start because the Sorority sister president was missing. She was the one who usually presided over these meetings. One sorority sister had been seated right beside me, but she wasn’t Chelsea.

The show is a who done it. A few phone calls reaching out to friends soon revealed that Chelsea, the Sorority sister President had been murdered. The fundraiser meeting then turned into arguments among the members about who might have killed Chelsea and why. One of the sisters was studying criminology, so she tarted interviewing people to try and get to the bottom of the mystery. The audience was also invited into the investigation.

College student stereotypes played a roll in the performances. One girl kept posing and shooting selfies while puckering her lips and tossing her hair. There were several Christian zealots who opposed any form of drink or partying, yet they too could be suspects. There were a couple of random party jocks at the end of the table who made light of the situation and bragged about their exploits.

Though in a position of authority in running the charity, Chelsea wasn’t liked by many. Everyone seemed to have had a confrontation with her at some point. The goal was to figure out who had the motive and opportunity to like totally kill Chelsea.

All I know is that Quinn the Pomsky did not kill Chelsea and might have sniffed out the suspect in record time if allowed on the stage.

Fringe: Masquerade of the Red Death

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Big Bang Boom! Collective of Belle Isle Florida presented Masquerade of the Red Death at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show was directed by Sean Holloway with Aurora Fable (costumes) and Foxy D’Ville (Choreography). The show was built around Edgar Allen Poe’s story, The Masque of the Red Death. It is an allegorical short story about Prince Prospero’s futile attempt to escape a deadly plague, the Red Death, by secluding himself and his court in a fortified abbey, only for a mysterious, masked figure representing the plague to appear at a masquerade ball and kill everyone, proving death is inescapable.

Prince Prospero sealed himself and 1,000 guests inside a fortified abbey to wait out the plague. He hosted a masquerade gala for his guests which became a burlesque fantasy. While individual dancers performed glittery flesh filled routines, there were also some well-rehearsed group numbers that were well choreographed. A skull masked guest wove her way through almost every scene.

The Masquerade of the Red Death showcased sensuality and grandeur but under all that flesh on display was the inevitability of death. As the show progressed the prince began coughing more in every scene. This was rather unnerving so soon after the worst of the COVID pandemic. I wondered if Prospero was a deep RED State Republican who refused to understand that the plague might be airborne. A prince cannot understand what he can not see.

Masquerade of the Red Death won the Critics’ Choice Award for Outstanding Individual Performance (Musical). Lead performer Tymisha Harris won this award for her trifecta of roles across three shows, which included her featured dancing performance in Masquerade of the Red Death.

The show also won a Tech Award. The production’s backstage crew and technical team won a special Orlando Fringe Tech Award for their work on the show.

Fringe: Vagina Monologues

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CnC Productions of Orlando Florida presented the Vagina Monologues at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The intimate stage at Ten10 Brewing was filled with a phalanx 0f female performers. Each woman in turn got up to relate their bold and unapologetic story about their vaginas. Eve Ensler’s script took various interviews into monologues that are read aloud by the large, cast of women.

One woman related a story of how her man insisted that she shave downstairs and how itchy and uncomfortable that was. Each testimony was honest an sincere. Women are often taught to hide their monthly cycle. If men experienced the same thing each month you can bet that they would be very vocal about the experience. But the patriarchy insists that women pretend that nothing is happening.

On woman was a sexual coach and she recreated the sounds that woman make as they near orgasm. She was hilarious. If you take Meg Ryan’s diner scene from When Harry Met Sally and multiply that scene times 10 you, might get a sense of how funny and endearing the performance was. She recreated the faint breaths and squeaks to the guttural moans that verge on shouting.

The production felt like it was empowering for the performers and woman in general. Sexuality should be celebrated rather than hidden away. Though not technically a comedy, this show had me laughing the loudest of any production I saw at the Fringe. Though the monologues might have been from interviews with different woman, the rapport among the cast and the way each reader embraced their lines made it clear the feeling expressed were universal. When given the freedom to do so, every woman loves to talk about their vaginas. It is just that no one ever asked before.

I saw a black tee shirt with white lettering all over the fringe with descriptors of, Kitty Meow Meow, Lady Garden, Pink Taco, Cootchie, Va Jay Jay, and more. The Splash Awards allow the local LGBTQ+ community to vote for their favorite shows, directors, and performers. The Splash awards gave an award for Best Supporting Actor, Xoey Dillman-Giewont, Best Director, Lady James Dillman, and the Best Show, The Vagina Monologues.

The staged reading benefited One Heart Women and Children.

I give the show 10 out of 10 vaginas.

Fringe: Then, Eve

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The World of Billy Jane from Orlando Florida presented Then, Eve at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. God created Adam and then Eve was left to create herself. In one awkward moment the lights in the theater went black and Eve had to figure out how to procreate with Adam. From the grunts and painful silences, it seemed that the encounter was a failure. Eve never needed to see Adam again.

Eve was eternally curious and went about spending her time naming the species of animals, including thousands of beetles. She learned all she needed to know from her animal companions. She was dressed a bit like an explorer in a loose white garb like Laurence of Arabia with a hip satchel.

Eve’s monologues were centered around how humans can best spend their time on earth. Her curiosity kept her from ever experiencing a dull moment. With so many facets to creation she wanted to see and learn all she could.

She discovered a caterpillar which then spun a cocoon and later emerged as a butterfly. Eve imagined that she too would experience a metamorphosis. Though she could not spin a cocoon, she did morph in how she saw herself in the world. The play is largely about personal growth and learning each and every day to alter a naive a limited world view. The show was often laugh out loud funny while being tender and insightful.

Coming at the Biblical story of creation from my Sunday school upbringing, I assumed Eve was the world’s first woman. It wasn’t until very late in the show that I realized that Eve was Transgender. My affection for the character didn’t change but my mind exploded.

The show was named one of the “Best Shows of the Fringe Festival” by the Orlando Sentinel and received glowing praise from the Orlando Weekly for its fluidity and gut-punch emotional depth.

Fringe: The Suitcase

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Ayni Performing Arts of Orlando Florida presented The Suitcase – La Maleta at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This solo show starred Peruvian artist Gio Quezada who also wrote the show directed by Jorge Bazalar. The Suitcase was inspired by Quezada’s own journey immigrating to the America from Peru and explored themes of resilience, identity, and the immigrant experience.

With the current administration, immigrants all across America are being terrorized by ICE Agents who violently pull them from their jobs, courtroom and the streets and detain them in concentration camps. Living in constant fear makes the American dream a distant memory for all.

Gio gave a voice to all these people who are struggling to survive today. The character she portrayed was named Lucia, a graceful ballet dancer. The arts in America are also under attack so her idyllic profession makes surviving in America even harder. Before arriving at the festival, The Suitcase production was backed by a United Arts Individual Artist Grant, which makes me particularly happy.

Besides her own story, she related stories of Latin Americans from other countries who had uprooted their lives to come to America. The journeys are often insanely dangerous, but they all hope the American dream might still be alive.  This show was so important to see given the temperature of hatred and intolerance being spread in America today.

The stories told were true hero’s journeys. The souls brave enough to make the dangerous journey are also the souls who are brave enough to build a life here. Yet today there are so many stories of children being separated from parents and other atrocities that make it clear that we are living in inhumane times. The inhumanity helps distract from the presidential criminal actions that define the news every day.

After the performance I walked on stage to look at the suitcase which was open. It was filled with so many family photos from a family struggling to make a life here in America.

On the Statue of Liberty…

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free!”

Does this mean anything anymore when ICE agents are detaining people who are immigrants or citizens?

The “golden door” seems now to be a crude detention cage. I feel that The Suitcase was the most timely, important and brave play I saw at this year’s Fringe. Through personal stories it illuminated the dark heart of America today and the loneliness of trying to survive in a capitalist society. Even as a privileged white American, I identify with her story.