Fringe: Liquid Sunshine

Posted on by Thor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Show times are:

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

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

Orlando Fringe: Danny Feedback to the Future

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The Orlando International Fringe Show, Danny Feedback to the Future was unexpected. I think the premise was that Marty and the Doc from Back to the Future are playing guitar and at one point Dick Tracy performed on the drums.

An interactive component of the show consisted of passing out tiny vials that contained a scent. Since I was sketching I never picked up a vial. Besides I was wearing my trusty N95 mask, so that last thing I needed was to removed the mask to take a big whiff of community breath.

At one point doc was stripped down to his drawers. I am not sure why. The Feedback in the title refereed to a shrieking guitar performance where lots of foot pedals on the floor amplified the guitar feedback.

I think the show was part comedy. The audience definitely wanted to laugh. I am not sure what I experienced. It was certainly an unexpected assault on the senses. So, Back to the Future is a great movie, definitely worth seeing again.

I didn’t sketch the Fringe Awards ceremony since I am crunching on next season’s theater poster art for the Shakes, but I am so happy to see so many of the vibrant talented artists I got to sketch winning awards. Fringe is a wrap.

Orlando Fringe: Eleanore’s Story, Life After the War

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Ingrid Garner is such a dynamic force as a story teller. Actually she is more than a storyteller, she is a cast of thousands.

Eleanore’s Story: Life After the War follows a show I got to experience and sketch back in 2018. In that show we followed the life of an American family who were stuck in Germany as World War II broke out because one member could not return to America.

In this sequel we got to feel the relief as the family prepared to get out of the largely leveled Berlin which had been carpet bombed into oblivion. Somehow every member of the family had survived.

However the United States would not pay for Eleanore’s mom to return. The family agonized but her mom insisted they go and she would find a way out later.

The steamer trunk was packed and the family left with mom still in Berlin. The view of the statue of Liberty brought tears to the eyes of every one. Americans were so different that the Germans they left behind. They were well fed and moved with drive an purpose.

In the American high school the bell announcing the change of classes reminded the young girl of bomb warning sirens. Flashbacks happened in quick succession. I might have drawn Ingrid in a quiet moment as she face the audience but se was in constant motion, reenacting every horror and joy.  A kiss from an American boy brought back a memory of Soviet soldiers kicking in the front door and making themselves at home. Every woman knew what would happen. Eleanore tried to avoid the possibility by looking sickly. Her mother on the other hand, took pride in her beauty. When the inevitable moment came her mother shouted that they were all Americans. Amazingly the threat of raping American allies, diffused the situation.

The show is based on a published memoir by her grandmother. I really want to read it now to learn more.

Orlando Fringe: The Estate Sale

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The Orlando Fringe pre-show for The Estate Sale was pure genius. Kelly Dee had several folding tables set up with estate sale items for sale. Everything was for sale and people purchased items on mass. Genevieve seated in front of me had purchased more items than she knew how to carry.

This one woman show covered 40 years working with her mother in estate sales. Kelly left Central Florida multiple times to go to the big cities like New York and LA, but she kept getting drawn back.

Oh, and if you are wondering what she is holding in my sketch, that is an item everyone would want if they knew it existed. It is a beautifully carved dildo with an inlay  sculpture of Jesus Christ up the shaft. Lets face it every bed stand needs one.

I loved the big ceramic Owl lamp base. The home-studio I am renting has an owl sculpture on a garden wall in the front yard and it would be nice to be further surrounded by owls. I heard one the other night hooting from across the lake. I think it was hooping at the planes flying overhead.

As they say, one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure and Kelly shared her love and life lessons in this hilarious one woman show. I wish I could promote the show, but The Estate Sale has cum and gone. If you do happen to see a Jesus dildo at an estate sale, do let me know. I might be starting a collection. I give The Estate Sale 4 Big Jesus Dildos.

Orlando Fringe: Grease Too!

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I sat first in line for 1001 Red Flags early in the Fringe. As I waited, Megan Phillips came up and handed out the flyer to her show Grease Too! She then gave an exuberant pitch. She then sand one of the numbers as we waited. As I sketched other shows I was advised to see Grease Too twice by Fringe die hards.

Then I sketched a Visual Fringe Story Telling hour produced by Bobby Wesley of Orlando Story Club. Megan Phillips told a story during that program and it was intimate and visceral. She teared up letting us all know this was the first time she was relating the memories. By the end of her story I was welling up and felt a deep respect for her journey.

Back to Grease Too which was a high energy romp where she related her insights into two of the campiest films ever made. I had seen Grease 1 but never saw Grease Two. After her insanely fun commentary, I feel I have experiences both films from a vibrant new perspective.

Producer Bobby Wesley was seated beside me which put me at ease, because I am often concerned that the glow of my iPad screen might distract any audience around me.  A box of Oreos were being passes around during the show. I had one in line and one during the first act.

Megan had one knee high bobby sock on her left leg. I desperately wanted to paint a white bobby sock on her other leg but that leg was bare. Megan was playing a very young girl at the equivalent of a pajama movie viewing party. A persistent bully at school tried to make her feel small, but her love of these musicals let her spirit soar and she lifted our spirits along with her own.

As she was making her final announcements, the Fringe Festival producer Tempestt Halstead came in and announced that Megan’s show had won the blue venue patrons pick award. The audience went wild and Megan stood and jumped in place with her hands to her face. I feel so lucky to have been sketching as Megan felt the sharpest knives of memories stabbing their way back into her consciousness and then the absolute joy of being recognized for her joyous talents. Life is bursting at the seams as I quietly sit and sketch. As an artist my hear swelled.

Grease Too! has one more show tonight.

Sunday May 26, 12:20pm

The show is in the Blue Venue and rated 13 and up. It has a run time of 60 minutes and tickets are $15. There will also be another show scheduled since she won patron’s pick. Trust me you will have a blast and discover a new summer love.

Fringe: The Curve

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The Curve at the Orlando International Fringe Festival features, Genie Carter, a San Francisco bases circus performer. She used simple projections to note the sections of the show such as the prologue.

As a child she entered a Chinese acrobatics class and fell in love. One of the masters however warned her that the curve of her back would hold her back. That didn’t stop her from wanting to become a seasoned acrobat.

She compared the practice to classic gymnastics. She did a classic gymnastic tumble with the typical arching beginning and end poses. With the new practice the tumble was similar but with jazz and so much more flair.

The show is a mix of so many elements, like mockumentary style advertisements, sock puppets, and most important an intimate view into her journey as an artist. I loved when she realized that she had spent so much of her career hoping for someone to pluck her out of obscurity to fit her into their project. When she realized she could create her own projects she blossomed. Even if a number doesn’t quite work out as rehearsed, if you take a big bow, the audience will love you for the effort. Any flaws make the performer all the more appealing. I give the show 4 cartwheels.

The Curve is in the Blue Venue in the Orlando Shakes. It is rated for all ages with a run time of 60 minutes. Tickets are $15.

One showtime remains…

Saturday May 25, 3:05pm

Fringe: A Drag is Born

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I loved the opening minutes of A Drag is Born at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. After the usual opening introductions, one of which was by a Fringe volunteer, wearing a pink flamingo hat, who had no idea she would end up on stage. The house grew silent. There was a glorious lengthy instrumental fanfare and then again a long silence.

People in the audience began to clap which would fade and then come back in another enthusiastic wave. I soon realized someone seated in the front row at house right was starting the clapping waves. I was trying to draw the guy in the baseball hat and he kept looking in that direction, so I stopped drawing for a while.

The guy in the front row was indeed the performer, Canarian artist Edu Diaz. I just learned this today, but the Canary islands  belong to Spain but are geographically in the north of Africa. He tried to make a break for the exit but a spotlight caught him. The audience had to encourage him to get up on the stage, which he did reluctantly. He leaned in towards a microphone and was shocked when he sounded like a seasoned female Broadway  musical actress.

What followed was a glittering and glorious performance as he pealed away layers to show off vibrant outfits in various colors of the rainbow. He understood the burlesque art of pealing off a glove with slow deliberateness. He never uttered a word but the audience was 100% behind him and wanted him to succeed. At times there was audio of a crowd muttering which I took as judgement which he learned to ignore. The show was part vaudeville, part clowning and part a celebration of brilliant fashion and individuality. The performer transformed from an awkward guy in a drab hiking outfit, into a diva that gained the love of the audience. At the start his expression was sad, and frightened but by the end his faced beamed with confidence and joy. The audience stood for a long standing ovation.

After the performance, Edu said that this was his first time leaving the creative bubble of New York City and he loves the energy of the Orlando Fringe. You should go, it is a fabulous time. I give the show 5 outfit changes.

The show is in the Pink Venue at the Orlando Shakes. It is rated 13 and up with a run time of 60 minutes. Tickets are $15.

The remaining show times are…

  • Thursday May 23, 7:55pm
  • Saturday May 25, 7:10pm
  • Sunday May 26, 10:45pm

Fringe: Whore’s Eye View

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Whore’s Eye View presented by Old Pros from New York City is an eye opening show about the 10,000 years of history of the oldest profession as told by Kaytlin Bailey who was herself a sex worker. In the stool beside her was a burbon which she sipped whenever the audience clapped.

The history itself was astounding with men throughout history finding ways to demonized women to the point where it is unsafe for a woman to walk a street alone even today. From Hammurabi to Trump history just keeps repeating itself. In June of 2022 the supreme court overturned Roe V. Wade effectively removing a woman’s right to an abortion. In the past, strong willed woman were burnt at the stake. Taking away a woman’s right to choose is much the same practice.

I was amazed to find out that the first woman to run for President in the United States was a sex worker. No it was not Hillary Clinton. Her name was Victoria Clafin Woodhall and she ran for president back in 1872. She was an activist for women’s rights and labor reforms. Woodhull was also an advocate of “free love”, by which she meant the freedom to marry, divorce and bear children without social restriction or government interference.

The show is part comedy and a large part lecture, but that might just be because I had so much to learn. For instance I learned that a woman’s clitoris is not just the little nubbin men have been told to tickle, but rather it is the size of a hand. Whoah!

When Katlin got married she couldn’t help but think that her husband was getting a really good deal.

The show was such a whirlwind of information and it left me wanting to learn more. It is backed by Amnesty International, The World Health Organization, Human Rights Watch and UNAids. They all agree that decriminalizing sex work is the only policy that reduces violence.

I highly advise you see this show. You will leave the theater wanting to make a difference.

Remaining show times…

  • Thursday May 23, 8:00pm
  • Saturday May 25, 7:30pm
  • Sunday May 26, 3:00

Fringe: Hyde

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Push Physical Theater of Rochester New York presents Hyde at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Hyde is being staged at the large Peach venue in the Orlando Family Theater.

As the performer was introducing the show he got a phone call from his mom who was late to the performance. He held a finger up to put the audience on hold and tried to convince his mom that she should be able to use google maps to find the venue. Visibly shaken he handed off his phone to someone in the audience and told them to get on stage and hand it back the phone should it ring.

A dynamic immersive physical performance began where he was tumbling with another performer. At the height of the piece, the phone rang and the audience member ran on stage to hand the phone back. The mom on the phone wanted to turn back, she had already missed too much of the show. The performer was crushed. He asked if there were any mothers in the audience and needed to know if there love for their child was unconditional. What would Hyde’s mother be like?

In the recesses of the stage, illuminated in a green light, a mother sat opposite her son who looked sunken and devastated. She slowly got up and walked behind him and put her hand on his shoulder and leaned over to rest her forehead on his head. Cut to black.

The PUSH Company engages with undeserved populations in areas of some of the highest  poverty rates and little access to the arts. The show abstractly addressed an underlying cause gun violence in America. Americans seem content to ignore gun violence until it happens in their back yard, even then thoughts an prayers are offered and nothing is done. Physical theater is being used to try and wrap its arms around the root causes of violence. If people have a creative outlet, they might not need a gun.

Hyde is rated 13 and up. The show is one hour long and tickets are $15.

Remaining show times:

  • Wednesday May 22, 6:00pm
  • Friday May 24, 7:10pm
  • Saturday May 25, 2:10pm
  • Sunday May 26, 8:00pm