Disenchanted: Bitches of the Kingdom

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Disenchanted: Bitches of the Kingdom is having an extended run through August at Mama Mia’s because performances kept selling out. Word of mouth travels fast and these Bitches are rising fast. This hilarious production features the songs of Dennis Giacino and is directed by Fiely Matias. I have loved this production ever since I saw it at the Orlando Fringe Festival. The incredible Michelle Knight has reprised her roll as a saucy Snow White and she shines in the spot light. She started out the show belting out a note and holding it so long, the audience started screaming, laughing and clapping endlessly.

The room had a small semi circular stage big enough to hold Dennis behind the grand piano and the princesses.  The audience filled the small room seated around small tables. The cabaret style show suited the intimate space. Jenny Lee Stern began as Belle who sang Insane! Her hair was tightly pulled back and her eyes fluttered wide and bewildered as she watched the other princesses perform. As The Little Mermaid, her hair came down and she added an unexpected hard edge to the part with a biker chick attitude and tattoos. I ended up sketching her twice by mistake. This production is still in development, but it is destined to be an off Broadway hit in 2013. The show is moving to  Missouri next. Auditions are being held Friday, August 24 for its production at Stephens College in September 2012.

Fringe Poetry Smackdown

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The Poetry Smack Down happened at the Fringe outdoor stage. Tod Caviness was the host. Judges included Beth Marshall, Michael Marinaccio, Eric Yow and several other producer-directors. Tod lead off the event with a spoken word piece about Orlando called Swamp. It makes Orlando sound like a pretty cool place to be. None of the poets at this event relied on sheets of paper or iPhones. Their words were deeply rooted in their memories and the cadence, beat and flow were well rehearsed. These were monologues from the heart, some raw and some humorous.

A heavy set woman got on stage and she knocked any preconceptions to the ground as she spoke passionately about her queef.  This is a word so seldom heard, or uttered, that my computer insists it is spelled wrong. At first the audience was in shock, but soon everyone was roaring with laughter. Beth gave high marks for this passionate poem about a woman’s right to let go. A male poet followed her with his passionate poem about how he would like to f*ck the whites from his woman’s eyes. He later spoke of religion and intolerance with insight and level headed reflection. You never know what to expect at a smack down.

My wife was covered in gold. We had been to a James Bond themed party earlier that day. With her Gold Finger, face, hands and sequined dress she fit in perfectly on the green lawn of fabulousness. She sat with her literary friends while I sketched. The face paint was starting to make her uncomfortable however so, as soon as I was done with my sketch, we had to go.

Pepe

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Pepe made an appearance on the outdoor stage at Fringe. Pepe is flamboyant and colorful. His spiky red Mohawk could be spotted from across the lawn. He spoke with a thick rich Spanish accent calling everyone, mommies and poppies. Logan Donahoo joined Pepe to talk about the Fringe show he was directing called, Cannibal! The Musical. Pepe is always funny. He made fun of the fact that he had been reduced to performing on the outdoor stage.

Ruby Darling, dressed in a Star Trek uniform got on stage to promote Skill Focus Burlesque. She performed a sultry dance number and the uniform went flying. She then told Pepe she had a superpower. A male performer got on stage with her and she said in a commanding voice, “Take off your clothes.” He complied. Pepe perked up and shouted his glee. Women in the audience screamed and laughed. Skill Focus burlesque had been called to perform at the Fringe at the last minute when another show canceled. For this reason, they weren’t even in the printed program. They had to rely on word of mouth and a little skin to promote their show.

I went to a performance of Hysteria Repeats Itself! Mike Maples was in the cast and the executive producer, Kelly Rands introduced himself when Terry and I entered the Blue venue. I knew that Hysteria would be a series of fast paced skits, so for once, I left the sketchbook closed. This was the first night’s performance and unfortunately there were fewer than ten people in the audience. Much of the show was political satire. The performance was funny and intelligently written. Several Sondheim show tunes were given new lyrics that were fun and fast paced. Terry was laughing loudly. Later Mike commented that her loud laughter made up for the size of the audience. The next performance was sold out which made perfect sense.

On the Nose

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As people filed into the Fringe Green Venue at the Rep Theater, Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell began to set up a movie screen. Mark walked off stage through a doorway and Sabrina followed with the screen. The screen slammed into the door frame stopping her. Together they struggled to set up the screen which was missing parts and seemed to resist their every effort. The screen crashed closed so loudly that I jumped in my seat. Finally with it set up and the audience in their seats, the film rolled. It was projected about four feet too high. Only a sliver of the image was on the top of the screen, but it lined up perfectly with the fabric screen already hanging at the back of the stage. Embarrassed, they put the home movie screen away.

On the Nose was part physical comedy and part documentary. The production took assumptions about clowns and turned them on their heads. Directed by Elena Day, the show redefined what a clown means world wide. In America, a clown is quickly associated with birthday parties with screaming children and twisted balloon animals. In Europe however, clowns are considered artists and are a respected form of adult entertainment. This reminds me of how animation is considered as children’s fair in America, yet in Europe, it is a serious form of entertainment.

Interviews with female clowns were particularly insightful. It had been considered “unfeminine”  for women to be funny. When Mark and Sabrina did a pie routine, a young boy in the audience shouted out his pleasure since he wanted to see a pie in the face. Sabrina leaned forward and said to Mark, “Pie me.” The implied sexual connotations made it funny for adults, and the young boy was squirming and delirious with anticipation.

Sabrina put on an electronic helmet and was given a quiz to see if she could identify clowns. Ronald McDonald flashed on the screen. She guessed, “Clown” and she reacted to an electric shock given by Mark’s remote control. Stephen Colbert flashed and she guessed, “Not a clown” shock again. He is a clown. The red nose was considered, the smallest mask by many of the clowns interviewed. This show was lively and very enlightening. Send in the clowns.

Connected: An Interactive Experience

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Connected: An Interactive Experience was sold out. Aradhana Tiwari directed the show, and Holly Harris was the choreographer. I had a ticket but unfortunately didn’t have one for Terry. Jimmy Moore decided I could start sketching the space early so long as I used my artists stool. I picked a seat in the second row and saved a seat for Terry. All the seats in the theater had been set up with audio ear buds. This was a huge undertaking to set up in the 15 minutes or so before the house opened. Wired had to be duck taped to the floor and each audio connection tested. Terry and I were going to share a set of ear buds. The cast circled up in the center of the black box theater. Cole NeSmith said, “We are asking the audience to take chances, and I hope we all step up to take those chances with them.” He climbed into a three foot square box and he shouted to me, “Don’t look Thomas!” The stage manager shouted, “One minute to house open!” People shouted back, “Thank you one!”

The audience rushed in, and sure enough every seat was taken.  An announcer or guide, addressed everyone asking them to raise their hands if they could hear him. Everyone raised their hands, but I was sketching, my hands were busy. The show began with an isolated spotlight on the box, center stage. A light emanated from a hole at the top of the box. Two dancers circled and interacted with the mysterious box and then Cole, as Jacob was pulled out. Jacob’s mouth was taped shut and he wore sunglasses and earphones. Jacob was shut himself off  emotionally from the world around him.
As he faced moments from his past that caused him to isolate
himself, he was awakened to deeper levels of intimacy in his current
reality. The Guide invited each audience member on a
unique, introspective journey into their own past. This illuminating process of discovery welcomed the
audience into introspective and interactive moments that were
risky, challenging, humorous and healing.

Jacob was in several scenes in which his hurtful past was dredged up. He was usually focused on some small undefined task as others argued and interacted around him. His mom berated him constantly. The small boy was meek and introspective but the elder Jacob shouted, “NO! Stop!” Everyone  in the audience had been given point lights. They were asked to illuminate the light if someone had said hurtful things that forever stayed with them. The room was aglow with point lights. Terry shifted and my ear bud fell out. As I fumbled it back in my ear, the guide said, “See you are not alone, we all face the same fears and challenges.” Dancers walked on diagonals occasionally freezing in their hectic life as Jacob studied them. Audience members were invited to pose on pedestals along with Jacob. Long colorful paper ribbons were handed out to the audience and they were unfurled from person to person. A black light illuminated the ribbons and they glowed brightly in the dark room as dancers pulled them back in. Like Jacob, I was focused on a task. Sketching in the darkened theater was a challenge. With my earpiece constantly popping out, I gave up on it and sketched furiously. Without the guide, I was observing but very much isolated from the emotional involvement of the show. The performance rushed by and I struggled in the dark to catch a moment.

Paul Strickland: Jokes, Songs, a Hat, Etc!

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Beth Marshall was the producer of Paul Strickland‘s show at the Orlando Fringe Festival and she suggested I see and sketch the show.There was a line of people outside the Brown venue in the Shakespeare theater and I muscled into line. A volunteer scanned my ticked and then asked, “Do you have a button?” I said, “Of course.” and pointed down at my bag that was covered in buttons. Looking down, I realized my Fringe button had fallen off. Thankfully she didn’t notice.

I sat at the center of the top row of the bleacher seats. Jeremy Seghers and members of his cast from Mysterious Skin sat around me. The author of the play had been sent a link to the blog post and apparently he loved the sketch. I was flattered. A green light from the lighting tech booth illuminated my sketch as the room grew dark. Actress Sarah Villegas was visiting from out of town with her boyfriend. She had been in Fringe shows since she was 14 and this was the first time she came as a visitor. She said she missed Orlando and the Fringe in particular.

Paul’s show combined comedy and music in a perfect blend. Many jokes centered around his feeling old at 30 yet they resonate even more when you hit 50. The woman seated directly in front of me laughed so loud that she set off a chain reaction of laughter. I identified with that strange feeling he got when a child stared at him. For some reason, children always stare at me on airplanes or in supermarkets. It is unnerving. Anyway he decided to warm up to this particular child and he made cute faces and said “Where can I buy one of you?” That would be fine he realized, unless the child was black! He performed My Way which is a song any artist who forges their own path can identify with.

You have one more chance to catch his show today, Sunday May 27th at 12:30PM. Tickets are $11. This show can be an exclamation point to your Fringe experience.

Classically Demented

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Yow Dance brought Classically Demented: A Darkened Fable of Storybook Characters You Thought You Knew to the silver venue at the Orlando Fringe Festival. Several days before the Fringe opened, I went to the Rep Theater to watch the Tech rehearsal and several run-throughs of the show. Eric Yow was half way back in the theater seating counting out the beat as dancers went through the blocking. The dance company presented classic storybook characters, like Snow White, Cinderella, Bo Peep and many others in a darkened vision of the fairy-tales.

Mother goose was spry and graceful.  In one twisted dance number, a dancer cloaked in black entered holding an egg. The egg was split open over a bassinet dripping blood inside. At the foot of the stage there was a black board that was used to keep track of the casualties. Dancers collapsed  and were dragged off stage by their feet. The death tole rose. The costuming for all the dancers was elegant and beautiful. A dancer cut her toe on an exposed nail on stage. It was hammered down and taped over.

When it came time for the full run through, Eric shouted, “Have a great run dancers, Merde.” I had never heard that term before. Apparently back in the early days of ballet, the
companies used to use live animals in performances. Well, whenever one
of the animals would dump on stage, someone would yell “MERDE!” from
stage to let the dancers know to watch out so that they wouldn’t slip!
And I suppose that they said it so much that it just came to mean good
luck! Addicted to Love  played behind one of my favorite dance numbers. Who wouldn’t want to see zombie princesses devouring each other as they hunt for love? Eric himself performed as the evil queen. Michael Marinaccio, the Fringe producer stopped over to say hello before the second run through. He had his child with him and wanted to be sure the show was family friendly. I assured him there was nothing risque. As the dance began I began to wonder if a child would be upset by this darkened fable… Nah.

Show times:

Today, Saturday May 26th at 3:00PM

Sunday May 27th at 8:45PM

The show is in the Silver Venue at the Rep. Tickets are $10.

The Sparrow and the Mouse

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The Sparrow and the Mouse: Creating the Music of Edith Piaf was a solo Fringe show by Melanie Gall from Ottawa Canada. She performed as Edith Piaf’s half sister Simone. A black and white photo of Edith sat on the dressing table along with an accordion. I just knew of Edith’s beautiful singing from a scene in Saving Private Ryan. Edith and Simone’s friendship spanned 25 years. Simone was raised by prostitutes. The two grew up poor together and they earned enough to by a scrap of bread by singing on the streets of Paris. Edith always dreamed of making it big with her singing. They worked in a club where Edith performed as a leading singer, but Simone had to dress in a slinky burlesque outfit when she sang for the men. Money was so tight that they shared the same bed.

Edith’s tempestuous passions lead to her having a child which wasn’t great for business. Melanie gave a hilarious performance where she tried to sing for change as a baby in her arms cried. Edith was eventually discovered by a talent agent who saw her singing on the streets of Paris. He insisted she change her name to Piaf which means sparrow.  At first she didn’t like the name, but joking with Simone, she said, “If I am a sparrow, you are the mouse.” These artists lead a tragic life with simple pleasures. Men came and went, but their friendship endured. Having seen The Sparrow and the Mouse, I now understand the deep yearning sadness in Edith Piaf’s voice. Melanie’s singing performances were memorable, yet I always yearned to understand the French lyrics. Time to learn French. I’ll put that on my bucket list.

Show times:

Saturday May 26th at 6:00PM

Sunday May 27th at 11:30AM

The show is in the blue venue. Tickets are $11.

Mysterious Skin

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Mysterious Skin is a play by Prince Gomolvilas based on a novel by Scott Heim. This Fringe production was directed by Jeremy Seghers and produced by James Brendlinger. The show’s promotional materials left plenty to the imagination showing a black and white photo of a mans naked belly. When I ran into Jeremy, I shouted “I’m ready for some Skin!” He laughed and said “Calm down.”

The show follows Brian Lackey, (played by Anthony Pyatt Jr.) as he seeks the truth behind a childhood memory that forever haunts him.  In the opening scene, he sat center stage withdrawn and introverted. His mannerisms vividly reminded me of a nephew of mine who committed suicide. I was mesmerized. Avalyn Friesen (Marcie Schwalm) sat on her bed talking to him. She was a firm believer that aliens had abducted her when she was a child. Brian began to believe this might explain the memories of his past.

Neil McCormick,  (Michael Martin) New York City found himself draw to gay men and began to “turn tricks” which it turned out is a dangerous, and ego crushing way to make money. After seeing an old little league photo, Brian realizes that Michael played a part in the fractured memory of his child hood. Brian eventually finds Michael. Brian is awakened to the truth that he wasn’t abducted by aliens when Michael shows him their baseball coaches abandoned home. The image triggered a flood of memories. In a moving scene near the end of the play Avalyn wrote Brian to describe her abduction. Her intense recreation made it seem that she and Brian had experienced a similar fate. When Brian finally faces the truth, his legs give out.

There is no clean resolution or moral to the story. The characters and their plights lingered with me. The play was haunting and hard hitting. Anthony, Marcie and Neil gave amazing performances. This play certainly got under my skin.

Show times:

Friday 5/25 at 9:15PM

Saturday 5/26 at 3:15PM

Sunday 5/27 at 7:15PM

The show is in the Orange Venue and tickets are $10.

Closet Zombies!

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The smallest theater of the Orlando Fringe is in a closet at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. The closet was turned into a puppet theater by Jeff Ferree. The title of the play is “AAAAAAGGGHHH Zombies!!! … Because Zombies Sell.” Jeff won a small grant to help with the expenses of building the set and puppets. Performances are free with a small cardboard box outside the theater for donations. A small poster of a rabbit creating a shadow puppet of a human hand declared the closet to be the Jamie Mykins theater.

On the opening night of the Fringe, I found myself trapped inside the shakes because it began to rain really hard outside. As I relaxed in the lounge area, I overheard that the first performance in the closet would happen at 9pm. That gave me an hour to piece together a sketch. I opened the closet door and got to work. I was seated in a narrow hallway and volunteers had to squeeze around me. Ed Anthony, one of DEM Guys was first in line for the show. He stepped inside and looked around.

The walls were covered in canvas with violet and green brickwork. A make shift wall stood in the corner of the closet and a green zombie puppet hung limp out of the stage opening. Glow in the dark zombie faces hung from the ceiling along with what looked like lime green sea weed. There was a bag of those foam floaty rods in front of the stage. The line for the theater grew longer. Purple “Brain” cupcakes were served to audience members waiting in line. Jeff squeezed into the tight space behind the curtain and Jamie  declared the theater open. Jamie helped Jeff with the audience interactions. Together they broke the 4th wall. At least ten people must have crowded into that tight space, looking like an insanely crowded subway car or elevator. The theater door was closed. An important rule to remember at Fringe, is that if you leave a theater during a performance, there is no re-entry. If you are claustrophobic or zombiephobic then this might not be the show for you.

I stayed in the hallway, continuing to add color washes to my sketch. I heart laughter and shouting from inside the closet and kind of wished I had pressed inside. After the show, Jeff complained that a few cues were missed and he got nervous when he saw that theater critic Seth Kubersky was in the audience. All I heard however was laughter at the dead pan jokes. Gina Yolango was in the hallway and she was moved to tears when she began talking to Jamie about a Fringe show she had just seen called “Medicine” by T.J. Dawe . The Fringe has it all, from light hearted puppetry in a closet to theater moments that can affect your deepest emotions.

Showtimes:

Thursday May 24th at 9:00PM

Friday May 25th at 9:00PM

Saturday May 26th at 9:00PM

Performances are Free in a closet near the Fringe Volunteer’s office at the Shakes.