Janice Joplin brings her amazing voice to the Fringe.

Posted on by Thor

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)

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

Poe follows the last days of the master of the macabre.

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This year’s Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival
has just begun. If you haven’t been before, you are missing thirteen days of non-stop theater at venues all around Lock Haven Park. Fringe plays are selected by lottery.Fringe is… 100% UNCENSORED, 100% UNJURIED, 100% ACCESSIBLE, 100% of $ from ticket sales go directly to the ARTISTS. Anyone can Fringe.

I went to a rehearsal for Poe presented by Theater Downtown in the Green Venue which is in the black box theater of the Rep. It seemed fitting that Poe, Written by Stephen Most and directed by Frank Hilgenberg, should be staged in a black box. The play follows the final tormented days of the author of “The Raven” and “The Tell Tale Heart”. Chris Prueitt breathed life into the tortured poet.  Before the rehearsal started cast members joked and wrestled playfully. It is a shame some of that playfulness never seemed to play a part of Poe’s life. His pompous airs didn’t impress towns folk and as he recites one of his poems he is beaten and robbed. His father considered him a lazy vagrant. Their contentious relationship comes to a head as Edgar imagines himself murdering his dad and hiding the corpse below the floor boards.

Biographical fact mixed with fiction is retold through the authors own tales. Darci Ricciardi did the shows choreography. Before the rehearsal, she welcomed me dressed in a whispy white dress that made her look just like Marilyn Monroe, all that was missing was a subway grate. The dress made sense when she and three other dancers moved in mystical fluid motion around the fallen poet. Bawdy prostitutes and violent thugs haunted the poets life. Family life offered little solace.

Poe fell madly in love with a young cousin played by Jolie Hart. Their happiness was quickly cut short when illness struck and Jolie lay motionless on a platform like Sleeping Beauty. The poet couldn’t accept her death, believing she would return to him. Had she been buried alive? She ultimately did return in dreams wearing a white expressionless mask. Darci and the dancers also wore white masks and black gowns and danced in a scene that managed to make my skin crawl. The show has it’s horrors, it’s tortured misgivings. If darkness you seek, it might be quite thrilling.

Tickets $11 plus required Orlando Fringe button (available at Fringe box office).

Green Venue – The Orlando REP (Black Box theatre to the left of The Rep main stage)
1001 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL.

Thursday 5/14     9:00pm
Saturday 5/16     10:30pm
Monday 5/18      9:00pm
Wednesday 5/20 5:30pm
Thursday 5/21     7:30pm
Saturday 5/23      8:45pm
Sunday 5/24        11:30am

A Fringe mural dies.

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Last year Scottie Campbell contacted me about doing a mural on the facade of the Fringe offices. The building had been painted black which made it a heat magnet. I had done a sketch of Orlando for a mural that was later painted by drunk patrons of a Downtown Orlando Arts event. Needless to say, that painting didn’t turn out as expected. It hung in the lobby of the hotel for a while and then disappeared. I decided to resurrect that sketch for the Fringe facade.

My plan was to paint the wall white and reproduce the sketch with only the sky as a painted element. That assured that the mural would be as bright as possible reflecting away any heat. The problem was that the Fringe had no budget for the mural. United Arts of Central Florida has a crowd sourced fundraising page called Power2Give which is similar to Kickstarter. The advantage of Power2Give is that funds go to the arts organization even if 100% of the funds are not raised. The disadvantage is that United Arts takes 12% of the funds. A page was set up to raise $5000 for the mural’s creation. I set up a progress chart that showed the funds raised. At the end of the campaign only half the funds had been raised. Then came the nail in the coffin, a developer plans to demolish the Fringe offices, the Thursty Topher and several other buildings to make room for a high rise condo.

George Fringe Wallace, executive director of the Fringe, asked me to hold off on reporting the condo debacle until the deal was public knowledge. About a year from now, all the warehouses along Alden Road will be
demolished to make way for a mixed-use development with 585 apartments
and buildings as tall as nine stories. Developers said that they want to honor the area’s roots by incorporating art
studios, performance space and an industrial feel into its design. Artists in the area however doubt they will find a home in the new development plan.  I am not sure yet where the Fringe offices will relocate after they make way for the wrecking ball.  I’m thankful work never started on the mural because it would be hard to see my work destroyed. Murals are only as permanent as the walls they are painted on. Hopefully the several thousand dollars raised will be used by the Fringe to continue bringing cutting edge and sometimes weird theater to Orlando. At least the Fringe building has been painted white which means a cooler summer as the Fringe searches for a new home. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the mural. My proposed mural depicting sky rises will be replaced by  actual highrises.

Division The Trayvon/Jordon Project opens a discussion on bridging the divide.

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“Division The Trayvon/Jordon Project” was one year in the making. John DiDonna co-wrote and directed the production in which his students conducted about 140 hours of interviews with people who were intimately involved in the aftermath of the two killings. The students had to learn the important art of listening. Most people only listen with the intent of coming up with an abrupt response. With some interviews the students might have wanted to argue points being discussed. As one character in the production noted, “You have to check your shit at the door.”

This is the second installment in a trilogy of theatrical productions that examine these Central Florida events. Part one was a Beth Marshal production called “The Trayvon Martin Project” which was staged in the same Valencia Black Box Theater in October of 2014. Division is the second installment and the third will be a production called “Hoodies” which will be staged at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival.

What was incredible about this world premiere, is that many of the people interviewed showed up to see the production.  Francis Oliver is the Sanford activist who managed to bring in 50,000 demonstrators into Sanford as people reacted to Trayvon Martin’s death. She sat in the front row with her blond curly locks setting her apart from the crowd. John DiDonna told me several times about what a beautiful person she is. It turns out that her son is moving into a home right next to John. Avis-Marie Barnes plays Francis’s part in the play and her steadfast determination echos throughout the production.

Photo Journalist Barry Kursch is played by Dean Walkuski in the production. He started taking pictures for the media at the tender age of 17 but after years of documenting violence, he has grown tired of documenting the dark side of human nature. The media have become more interested in clicks and views on the internet. Stating an opinion is now more important than accurately covering the news. He shot photos of all the demonstrations in both Sanford and Jacksonville.

Also in the audience was Ron Davis, who is the father of Jordon Davis who was shot and killed while seated in the back seat of a car in a gas station because Michael David Dunn didn’t like the music that was playing.  Ron Davis was born in Harlem. His son saw a photo of Trayvon with a hoodie on and he said, “Dad, that looks like me.” Six months later, Jordon was shots. Ron Davis has been fighting the stand your ground statute. “It has brought us back to the dark ages” he said. People with guns have no responsibility to retreat. It was first written with the intention that a gun in a home would keep you safer. Then it was extended to people having guns in their glove compartments in their cars. Whenever shots arc fired, there is often collateral damage, people are killed who were innocent bystanders, like a girl who was recently shot in a club in downtown Orlando. Stand your ground means families of people shot for no good reason can not seek criminal or civil damages. Ron wants us to seek to change the statute from “Stand your ground” to Duty to retreat.”

This show addresses stereotypes and Florida itself has become a national stereotype. A student who was considering going to college in Florida was told by friends, “don’t go there, you’ll get shot.” People from all walks of life were interviewed for this play. What emerged was a very human story, not just a black and white issue. Ron found that other countries consider the United States is guilty of human rights violations. We need to teach the next generation the principles of love and acceptance. We are all traveling through life on this tiny sphere together. We are stronger when we work together rather than being divided. This play had me choked up quite a few times. It is a good first step towards opening a dialogue towards change.

WHAT:
“Division: The Trayvon/Jordan Project”
A World Premiere Docudrama

WHO:
The Valencia College Theater
Written and Directed by John DiDonna
Written in collaboration with Valencia students

William Adkins, Aidan Bohan-Moulton, Carolyn Ducker, Phillip Edwards,
Nathan Jones, Anneliese Moon, Elina Moon, Dennis Ramos, Stelson Telfort,
Michael Sabbagh.


WHEN:
Only 2 Performances Left
Feb 14 and 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Feb 15 at 2 p.m.
WHERE:
Building 3, Black Box Theater
Valencia College East Campus, Performing Arts Center
701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando, FL.

TICKETS:
$12 general admission
$10 for Valencia students, faculty, staff and senior citizens
Box Office: 407-582-2900
Online: www.valenciacollege.edu/arts

Seasons continue to sweep through Central Florida

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Seasons the Musical had a huge impact at this year’s Orlando Fringe Festival. It won multiple awards and  it returned to the Orlando Shakespeare Theater for two performances on September 27th and 28th. The book, lyrics and music were written by Katie Hammond and Elaine Pechacek. Elaine accompanied all the musical numbers by performing on piano. The play mostly follows two relationships, the strong bond between Mrs. Jones (Beki Herrbach), and her daughter Hope (Kathryn Fabbroni) and then the unplanned coupling of Helen (Renee Morico) and Peter (Erin Robere).

All of the characters lives change because of unexpected moments. Helen has a few too many drinks at a high school party and decides to sleep with Peter if he plays his cards right.  That night resulted in her pregnancy. When Peter finds out he proposes marriage. Hope has also been proposed to, and she dreams of her future of happiness. At the same time, her mother has been diagnosed with cancer. The two stories unfold, each with their uncertainties and anguish.

The music propels the story forward with 23 numbers in the show. Sadness is offset by humor and laughter offset by pain. Helen isn’t sure she loves Peter, but she hopes in time that she will. When their child arrives, she finds a focus for pure unquestioned love. Hope’s mother collapses during the wedding and then Hope remains by her mother’s side in the hospital. When Hope sang of her selfish need for her mother’s love, and how she wasn’t ready to let go, I welled up. Mrs. Jones sings an incredible song to her daughter when she realizes she hasn’t much time left. She wants Hope to know she will always be loved and she tells he to never take a single moment for granted.

Not every story has a happy ending. Life is short and bitter sweet. But all of the characters made the choice to love and be loved and that makes all of life’s difficulties worth living. The show ends with a lullaby that lingers long after the show is over. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Mark Your Calendars! Seasons will be returning October 17th and 18th at the Moonlight Players Theatre (735 W Minneola Ave Clermont FL) at 8pm.

The Creative Mind Project was the Birthplace of Dog Powered Robot

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At Fringe two years ago, I was invited by Jessica Mariko to be part of the Creative Mind Project. A select group of artists were given the same music and told to create a theatrical presentation based on what they heard. I decided to edit together a series of sketches to create a video montage paced to the music.

On the opening night, I had to be backstage as the Creative Mind project was presented. My only responsibility was to walk out a projector when my piece was to be presented. I also had borrowed a film screen that I had help setting up. From backstage I peeked out from behind the curtains to see the other presentations.

This sketch is of Tisse Mallon and a cross dressing male performer right before they went on stage. I never actually saw their performance. The cardboard buildings they are standing in front of are set pieces for Dog Powered Robot. When it was Dog Powered Robot’s turn, the audience went wild with laughter.

 Evan and Christie Miga had build a simple blue cardboard robot with a square head that rotated with wild abandon. A center chest compartment opened to showcase their adorable Pomeranian dog named Fisher. As the music played, Evan as the narrator waxed poetic about his childhood dreams of living in the city. Then a loud nuclear warning clamored, and Dog Powered Robot walked out into the cardboard cityscape. Like Godzilla in a cheap B grade sci-fi movie he began to destroy the city. The odd sight of this cute dog powering the robot’s rampage was hilarious and people in the audience shouted “Dog Powered Robot!” with delight as they laughed. I only saw glimpses of that first performance from backstage, but the riotous audience was easy to hear.

Dog Powered Robot is still going strong today. They staged their own Fringe show twice and just this week, they made an appearance at the Maker Fair in the Orlando Science Center. I’m convinced that someday the stars will align and Dog Powered Robot will become an international cult sensation. Kids love these cardboard robots but adults can’t get enough. Jessica Mariko is still bringing together creative minds by hosting Local Arts Nights at Drip (8747 International Dr #102, Orlando, FL) every 4th Thursday of the month.

Proposed Mural for the Ivanhoe Village Offices

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Scottie Campbell the Executive Director of the Ivanhoe Village District asked me to consider doing a mural on the facade of the Fringe and Ivanhoe Village offices. The building was painted black which makes the offices a furnace in the summer. I created this composite sketch to suggest an overview of downtown on the facade. There wasn’t a working budget for the project, so George Fringe Wallace created a Power2Give fundraising page to raise the $5000 for the mural’s creation.

I like the idea that anyone in the community can contribute a small amount to make this idea a reality. As of this writing 2% of the needed funds have been raised. In 80 or so days I find out if this project will become a reality. Donor benefits include…

$1-99, a personal thank you on the Orlando Fringe and Ivanhoe Village Facebook pages.

$100-249, a digital photograph of the mural once it is completed (plus the above benefits)

$250-499,
an invitation to the public unveiling of the mural, including a meet
and greet with Fringe  and Ivanhoe Village Executives and the artist
himself, Thomas Thorspecken. (plus the above benefits)

$500 or more, a plaque at the site of the mural with your name on it as a donor (plus the above benefits)

The Local Fringe Pieview offered Hilarity and Drama

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On April 14th local production companies had two minutes to showcase their Fringe shows at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s Margeson Theater (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL). I go each year to get a feeling for which shows I can not miss. George Fringe Wallace and Michael Marinaccio acted as the MCs while Brandon Roberts acted as the Shepard’s hook to stop any acts that went over two minutes. Brandon was dressed in a giant fluffy diaper and had angel’s wings and a Cupid’s bow. I was hoping each act would run a bit long just to see what he would do next. He even tried to become part of the act when Enui, a circus arts acrobatic troupe took center stage. He stood tentatively on a teeter board but ran off when the acrobats bounded in.

The program had thumbs up and thumbs down symbols for easy future reference.  Acts I gave a thumbs up to, included: The Downtowner’s The Real 50 Shades of Gray (Hair). These plucky seniors aged 66 to 99 sang songs of love, lust and life with passion. A plant in the audience got up and stripped as they sang. The audience ate it up.  I liked, Camino Flamenco, The Aqua Saga and Jekyll N’ Hyde: a Rap Musical. I was saddened to hear that the the lead actor in Jekyll N’ Hyde, Carl D. Kirkmire just recently died at the age of 32. His performance at the Fringe preview was stellar and a real talent has left the stage.

Jeff Ferree introduced his puppet show, The Girl Who Fell Up the Chimney” by riding a tiny clown sized bicycle around the stage and shooting silly string at the audience. Last year he juggled spaghetti. His previews are always an inspired mess. I tried to sketch the puppet show at the Fringe. It was in a small closet which for some reason had a fire place. You had to lie on your back with your head in the fireplace to see the show. Unfortunately, the button to turn on the lights didn’t work no matter how many times I hit it. I’m sure it was a great sketch opportunity lost. Squeaky Wheel productions presented a song from Seasons which was incredibly sad. This show is my pick as the show that should go all the way to Broadway.

All together, 41 shows previewed that night offering an amazing variety of possibilities. Sometimes a preview can be alluring but that hint is lost in the final hour long production. For instance I loved the tender tall of love found in a Vietnamese karaoke bar, but Reincarnation Soup, ended up being confusing to follow since the actor jumped between so many different personalities in the final production. I felt shanghaied. Then other times it is nice to go to a show at the Fringe with no preconceptions and be pleasantly surprised. That is what the Fringe is all about, discovering something new and unexpected at every turn.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson Hits the Orlando Fringe Hard

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By The Way Productions presented Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Orlando Fringe Festival. Based on a book by Alex Timbers and with music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman the show was a pop rock musical that showed the bloody history often overlooked by whitewashed history book in high school. The show was produced by Ashley Willsey and directed by Adam Graham. I went to the show because I bumped into Christie Miga on the lawn of fabulousness and discovered that she created the large flag that hangs on the set. This show got an award for the most aggressive and visual marketing campaign which was designed by Ashley. Live music was provided by Hey Angeline.

This was a huge show staged in the tiny Rep black box theater. I sat in the front row and several times had to pull back my crossed legged drawing stance to keep from tripping dancers. This was an edgy high energy production that portrayed Jackson (Ross Neil) as a rock star hungry for the adoration of the American public. The female cast worshiped Jackson’s populism like crazed Beatles fans. In contrast, the narrator was a nerdy woman in a wheelchair (Anitra Pritchard) with cat eyed glasses and a stuffed pug in her lap. She reminded me of the Dr. Scott from Rocky Horror Picture Show.

While Jackson ordered the slaughter of the Indians, his popularity grew. It is possible that this Indian purge resulted in more deaths than the Nazi concentration camps. Jackson’s wife (Jacqueline Torgas) didn’t want him to go into politics and yet he couldn’t resist the adoration of the American public. The campaign ripped his wife’s reputation to shreds and she died of a heart attack before he took office. She was married to another man when she met Jackson and that fact was used by his opponents in the presidential campaign. Ambition left him loveless yet popular. Two thumbs up for such an ambitious Fringe production.