Oyster Boy Blamed for Problems in Bed

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Haste Theatre from London invited the Orlando Fringe audiences to their darkly comic world where everything may not be as sweet as it seems. The show, Oyster Boy, is based on a story idea from Tim Burton while taking liberties. It followed the tale of Jim and Alice as their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of their first son, born with an oyster for a head. The production mixed puppetry, clowning, and a very naughty barbershop quartet.

Jim was Italian and Alice was an American Tourist.  They fell in love at first sight and Jim’s Italian and broken English instants wins Alice’s heart. The seaside romance was accompanied by the romance of breaking waves recreated simply with a blue sheet. Their son’s huge oyster shell head offended everyone but the adoring parents. The one thing oyster boy was good at was swimming. Two little girls befriended him and went for a swim, but when the girl’s parents found out, they were forbidden to ever see the boy again.

 This was a light hearted production that harkened back to silent film acting. It used a very simple puppet to bring oyster boy to life. The entire cast were women, even the pot bellied Italian husband. This was used to comic effect as they played male characters using pasted on handlebar mustaches that often fell off. The tale doesn’t end happily for Oyster Boy, but love prevails.

Waiting in the Fringe Line

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The John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center has an odd tower that is two stories high and the room is about eight foot square. A compass is incorporated into the floor tiles and a large banner is usually suspended from the ceiling.

Between shows during the Fringe festival there was an art installation consisting of hula hoops and cardboard tubes covered in strips of fabric. Everything was suspended on strings to create a mobile. I made my way inside so that I could sketch a Fringe line as it formed. The line was for, Bless Me Father For I Have Danced and it snaked from the theater entrance out the door with half the people having to wait outside. It is fun to see friends as they meet and hug. Half the fun of the Fringe is meeting people in line and comparing notes about what amazing shows HAVE to be seen. I decided what shows I should sketch based on tips from strangers I met in line. All the reviews in town couldn’t beat good word of mouth.

This is a rare case of a sketch I didn’t have time to finish. My wife Terry texted from another line suggesting I join her to see the show she was waiting for. Often we saw shows together but sometimes we went our own ways. I could only go to the Fringe every other day because of work commitments and on those days Terry was on her own and she would let me know what she had seen that I had to sketch. It was like having a field corespondent scouting out the talent. I don’t know who created this kinetic art, and once the Fringe was over, it was replaced by a table and chairs.

Taking Out the White Trash

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The Fringe show, Taking Out the White Trash  presented by Peemypants Productions featured Sherri D. Sutton, as she spilled the south’s dark secrets in the intimate brown venue. This was a hilarious show that had me laughing the whole time. When asked to describe a Waffle House, Sherri said, “Imagine a truck stop restroom, but with waffles.” Now, anytime I drive by a Waffle House, I laugh. She said being accepted as a lesbian comic has been hard since there is a stereotype that lesbians are always angry. She then performed a joke as an angry lesbian with expletives to hilarious effect. She said, “The thing about stereotypes is that they are often true.”

Much of the show then was built around the southern stereotype. From Walmart, the KKK, to convalescent care, no topic was sacred. Having been raised in the south, much of her material came from first hand experience. Growing up lesbian in a conservative southern town can’t be easy. She joked about southern names and that certain names guaranteed an infants trials or success in life. This show was a pleasant surprise and it was good to see lesbian couples cuddling in the audience. It made me hopeful that love can be cherished in all it’s forms someday.

Seasons The Musical

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Seasons the Musical was without a doubt the most dramatic and moving show at this years Fringe Festival. I sat right beside Elaine Pechacek the shows co-writer, Music Director,  and accompanist. She co wrote the show with Katie Hammond. It was staged in the Venue (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL). I went to the show with no preconceptions other than knowing that a friend, Deena Beena, was the Marketing and Production Manager. The show was moving and heartfelt on every level.

It followed two separate stories, one of Mrs, Jones (Beki Herrback) who has just been told that she has cancer and she has to share the news with Hope, her daughter (Katheryn Fabbroni). The other story follows Helen (Tiana Akers) who was dating Peter (Erin Robere) and they find out that she has accidentally become pregnant. Peter is madly in love with Helen and he asked her to marry him. She consents given the situation but she isn’t sure she is actually in love. As she folded her clothes, she sang a song questioning love and it’s pains and struggles. Peter enters just as she wonders aloud weather he is the one for her. Peter gave all he had to try and win her heart but still she remained reticent.

As the couple ironed out their troubles the mom sang a beautiful song to her daughter expressing her love and hope that her daughter would never take life for granted. This lullaby was the final song in the show and I could hear people in the audience openly weeping. They just weren’t wiping away a stray tear, they were overwhelmed. I did wipe aside some tears but had to finish the sketch so I kept myself in check. All the actors sang beautifully with emotion. I hope this show gets funding and is expanded to become a runaway hit. It explored love openly and it deserves all the  love it gets in return. A show this beautiful will find its way to getting produced just as a seed always struggles to find light before it reaches full bloom.

Flight: A Crane’s Story

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

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

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

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

20 Nothing

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

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

Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife

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

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

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

RobotMan

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

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

Under the Rainbow

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

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

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

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

Bless Me Father For I Have Danced

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

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

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