Weekend Top 6 Fringe Picks

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Saturday May 18, 2019

3 PM to 4 PM $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Black Wood. Gold Venue in the Orlando Museum of Art 2416 Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803.

Carpenter Aunt Productions, Orlando, FL

It’s 1967, and Caroline
Logan has just joined the cast of TVs top supernatural soap opera. But
will nervous network censors and a vampire with line trouble derail her
career before it’s begun? Probe the dark shadows of dysfunction in a
hilarious and poignant new comedy written by Fringe fave Steve Schneider
(Escape From Baldwin Park, Ominous George) directed by Dave Russell
(president, SAK Comedy Lab), and starring a cast of top O-Town talent.

13 and up – Strong Language, Adult Content

8 PM to 9 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. A Showgirls Musical. Orange Venue in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.

JMEG Theatrical, Winter Garden, FL

Sequins. Sabotage. Sex in the
pool? Based on every one’s favorite career killing cult classic, JMEG
Theatrical takes you to the 90’s with a parody musical that is sure to
have more than just your eyes popping. Nomi Malone arrived in Las Vegas
with just a suitcase and a dream. So pack your ice cubes, hitch a ride,
and wear your best Versayce!

18 and up – Nudity, Adult Content, Strong Language

This show includes strobe lighting effects.

10:30 PM to 11:30 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Corsets and Cuties: #Celebrate. Black Venue in The Venue 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. 

Corsets and Cuties, LLC, Casselberry, FL

Fringe veterans Corsets
& Cuties have made their home at The Venue since their sold-out
debut August 2014. Sponsored by Premier Couples Superstore, the Cuties
personally welcome guests and attendees to their shows and the troupe
intends to light up the night this May in the Black Venue. With a
different guest star each night you never know what’s gonna happen with
this troupe. Be a part of the Cutie’s party and “have a good damn time.”

18 and up – Strong Language, Nudity, Adult Content

Sunday May 19, 2019

3 PM to 4 PM  $12.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. Black Cow Jumps. Purple Venue  in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. 

Banks Helfrich, Clermont, FL

Multi-vignettes that place the
human back into humanity. Visceral reflections of how we perceive
ourselves when we remove our veils, and shift into authenticity. An
observation of reality in a performance space to create a clarity and
frankness that we all crave, if only we are willing to see ourselves in
others. An invitation to pause long enough to experience our Ah-ha
moments in a room full of people desiring connection. Life soup.

18 and up – Strong Language, Adult Content

5:30 PM to 6:25 PM  $11.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. The Hammered Dog. Red Venue in the

Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.

Freeline Productions, Orlando, FL

Starring Fringe favorites Sarah
Lockard, Steven Johnson and Todd Allen-Long! From the creative team of
2016 Purple Patrons Pick Murder Sleep. Shy, insecure and emotionally
fragile Sandra meets the handsome, sexually possessive Ted at a
nightclub where a chance interaction quickly leads to an intense,
volatile relationship. Under the strain of her obscure past and Ted’s
emotional manipulation, her life takes a fateful turn. Some wounds never
heal.

13 and up – Adult Content

9:45 PM to 10:55 PM $10.00 plus a $10 Fringe button. How to Eat a Bear. Brown Venue  in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803.  

Crafty McVillain, Orlando, FL

Best friends Dave and Mark
decide that they will stop at nothing to satisfy their inexplicable
craving for bear meat and find out the hard way that their quest will
lead them down every path except victory.

13 and up

Jon Bennett: Fire in the Meth Lab at Fringe

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Jon Bennett from Melbourne Australia wrote a play about his brother called Fire in the Meth Lab. His brother is in jail and in various letters he warned his brother not to write the show. In general this on man show was a coming of age story. We all have had siblings who acted like bullies. His brother was a life long bully. He showed us a clip from the Wonder Years, a TV show in which most people identify with the young boy Kevin. His brother identified with that young boys jerk of an older brother, Wayne. The older brother is picking up the younger brother after a date. Each time the younger brother reaches for the car door his jerk of a brother pulls away. The date watches the nonsense and the lad is mortified.

Jon’s brother did far worse, like sticking his dick in his brother’s ear. I can’t imagine. Things got silly when Jon shared clips from his brothers favorite pop star.  It was some Australian singer and the lyrics left little impression. He read some cards from the pop starts board trivia game and the answers were obscure and impossible to guess. Only a rabid fan might have a chance.

Things got serious when his brother decided to start a meth lab. A fire broke out and rather than leave the product to burn, his brother went in to save the meth. He then drove away before police arrived. When he was later picked up the police ordered him to get out of the car. He couldn’t. He had third degree burns and his flesh had melted onto the car seat effectively gluing him in.

Jon lost his pet dog and then befriended a dog down the street. He felt so close to this dog , that he decided to take him home. On that trek, a neighbors dog barked violently. He turned to the dog at his side and barked as well, in his mind saying “It is us against the world.” The dog misinterpreted his barking and lunged for his face, violently biting him and intending to kill. he woke up in a hospital bet with multiple stitches, deeply wounded. The dog was put down. Only much later did he learn that his brother had followed him on that day and saved his life from the attacking dog. His brother might have treated him like a jerk most of his life, but in the end brothers stick up for each other.

For Love Sir: Letters of Life, Love, and Sacrifice

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Mikael A. Duffy of Bent Book Productions wrote For Love Sir: Letters of Life, Love, and Sacrifice and she invited me to a rehearsal at Dragonfly Studio and Productions, (133 W McKey St, Ocoee, FL 3476.) This Fringe Production was built around real letters home from service men and women.  “For Love, Sir” is a beautiful and poignant piece following the lives of
three service members and their families as they experience the
hardships and lifestyle of active duty. This story is inspired by real soldiers
and their families over the course of American History.

Two young lovers have to separate as he goes off to service, a mother has to leave her daughter behind and a son leaves his loving mother. Their stories unfold as they write home. Ideals turn to the gritty reality of the senseless violence to the point where the son can no longer write the truth of his new reality. Though staged in modern day fatigues and uniforms, the language has the romantic flair that existed when people wrote letters rather than 140 character tweets. Only at the end of the play does it become clear that these letters were written during the civil war, World War I and Vietnam. It became clear that the overriding themes of love and loss never change with time. The sacrifices remain the same.

When the mother and daughter tearfully ran towards each other to be reunited, a chair got in their way and they couldn’t decide which way to get around the obstacle to embrace. It was a funny but very real accident of staging that I hope remains in the final run through. Being an early rehearsal there were a few kinks yet to be worked out. But it was was very clear that this production has heart.

Tickets are $12 along with the purchase of a Fringe button which is needed to get in any play during this 13 day festival that runs from May 15th to May 28th. For Love Sir: Letters of Life, Love, and Sacrifice is in the Red Venue inside the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 East Rollins Street
Suite 300 Orlando, FL 32803).

The remaining show dates are:

1:00 PM 

8:00 PM 

8:00 PM 

8:45 PM 

6:30 PM

Do you Fringe? If so, I will see you on the Loch Haven park Lawn of Fabulousness. Let me know which shows I absolutely HAVE to sketch.

Winter Park Paint Out: Peacock Junction

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In a small suburban neighborhood south of Michigan street in Orlando. peacocks roost each night in this live Oak tree. I had just gotten back to Orlando on a red eye flight from Las Vegas and taught an Urban Sketching course at Crealde. This year I am participating as one of the 25 artists in the Winter Park Paint Out. When I got back in town, I read an e-mail from Rachel Frisby the Albin Polasek Museum curator, and one of her suggested locations to paint was this neighborhood. Though running on fumes, I decided to immediately head that way to check it out.

The sun was setting as Pam Schwartz and I arrived. We could hear the Peacocks before we saw them. They resembled large looming vultures when we first saw them in the tree. It had rained earlier in the day, so there were puddles of water to sip. Neighborhood cars would slow and drive around the birds which were in no rush to get out of the way. One car parked in front of me while I sketched and the driver shouted out, “You can take a few home with you if you like!” He then pulled into the driveway of the blue home I was sketching. His daughter later came out to introduce herself. She was an actress who I had sketched in a murder mystery ghost show. In that performance he was dresses like a rocker chick with a Mohawk, so I didn’t recognize her at first. I believe she will be in the cast of “Patrons Pick For Murder” at the Orlando Fringe starting May 18, 2018. Tickets are on sale now.

A small puppy was being taken for a walk. He was unfazed by the peacocks, some of which were much larger that him. The front door of the tan home opened and an entire bucket of bird seed was thrown out in the yard. Soon there had to be at least 50 peacocks crowded around the seed. Two males strutted around the yard with their tail feathers in full display shaking their booties. One female wandered too close and she was hypnotized by the display. In an instant he mounted her and the entire encounter lasted only seconds. As it grew darker more and more peacocks wandered en mass towards the tree. This street is located between two small lakes and the birds probably came from the water to this location to roost for the night, there being protection in numbers. Their calls sounded like, “HEEEELP MEEEE.” I asked the actress how she slept at night and she claims that you get used to the noise over time. That seems unlikely to me because the noise is deafening. Any time a car dives by with its head light on the entire flock starts screaming out, “HEEEEELP MEEEEE.”

The 10th Annual Winter Park Paint out is happening this week through April 28th. Admission to the Polasek Museum (633 Osceola Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) is free for the duration of the event. Hours from Monday to Thursday are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday April 27, the hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday April 28th, the hours are 9 a.m. to noon. My work created this week will be hanging in the gallery. Artists are always painting in the museum gardens which are beautiful. Come on out and see all the new art. I might be standing near this painting subtly screaming out “HEEEELP MEEEE!”

Show Up at Fringe.

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Pete Michael Marino from New York City, grew tired of seeing solo Fringe shows about a person’s life. He decided to instead create a show built around the lives of members of his audience. He pointed out a quote by Woody Allen that said “Showing up is 80 percent of life. Sometimes it’s easier to hide home in bed. I’ve done both.” Since we had shown up for his show, he felt we were all 80% of the way towards an amazing and entertaining show.

Pete picked out a cute young woman from the audience and he dubbed her his stage manager. Her job became to reorganize the chairs and table for each scene. On the back wall of the theater there were large post it notes that were used to define the basic structure for the stories to follow. The audience was asked questions that then became the underlying structure for each scene.

Pete confided that he had been diagnosed with an early case of Alzheimer’s…. by his friends. He therefor was fine with staying “on Book” referring to loose notes he had scribbled on a sheet of paper. Much of each scene however was pure long form improvisation and he flew by the seat of his pants. According to him, he had no idea what he was doing which added to the allure that the show could potentially self destruct at any moment. He managed to keep the show light and entertaining despite the challenges.

After the last scene he divided up the audience into sections and invited us all to mingle on the stage for a party. I was assigned to serve imaginary drinks which I did with gusto. Once everyone had imaginary drinks in hand they felt comfortable to mingle and mix on the stage. A string of Christmas lights was unfurled among the party goers. It was certainly a fun and unexpected way to end the show.

Corsets and Cuties – A Burlesque Cabaret – #flawless

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Corsets and Cuties has a Fringe show this year titled Flawless in the black venue which is in “The Venue”, (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803). When I arrived for the dress rehearsal, everyone was working their way through the final dance number. With that worked out they then started to get into their outfits. Corsets had to be laced. Barbie Rhinestone leaned forward as another dancer pulled the laces tight. “Can you breath?” she was asked. When she said “Yes”, the laces got pulled tighter. Each corset had a different letter on the front, like an O, and a T. The letters finally made sense when all the dancers lines up on stage and spelled Strong.

Some numbers were outright hilarious. This is burlesque with a comic twist and it will shock and amaze you. The group numbers celebrated all that is good about Orlando. You kind of expect delays and some glitches in a rehearsal and there was a problem back stage between numbers. A workman in a black hoodie came out tightening screws with a drill. Well the worker turned out to be a performer, and a sexy one at that. In one dance, a guy sat in a chair and a female performer did a handstand and leg split right in front of him. He was supposed to grab her hips but he grabbed her legs. They had to do the move over again, and then one more time during the performance. 

If you want a lighthearted and fun Fringe evening, then I would suggest  stopping out to the Black Venue for Flawless.

Show Times:

Price: $12

Thursday May 18, 2017 at 11:59pm

Sunday May 21, 2017 at 10:30pm

Wednesday May 24, 2017 at 9:00pm

Thursday May 25, 2017 at 11:59pm

Sunday May 28, 2017 at 9pm

Logan’s Slut Like Me was Hilarious at Fringe.

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Slut Like Me, a one man show by Logan Donahoo at the year’s Fringe was hilarious. I went to the first performance. Blue Estrella, the shows stage manager, arranged to get me in a little early to star sketch. A screen had to be hung, and the projector set up. The show was packed neatly in a small pink plastic storage box. As it got closer to the time to open the theater, Blue and director Rob Ward started to panic. Logan hadn’t arrived yet. They sent messages an phone calls, but he wasn’t answering. All actors experience some form of stage fright, or was this something far more serious? The venue tech, finally had to play the pre-show music and let the audience in. There was the usual excited conversations as everyone settled into their seats.Finally, Michael Marinaccio, the Orlando Fringe Festival Producer, had to stand in front of the audience and announce that Logan had gone missing. Every one’s tickets would be refunded and they were encouraged to return. Me sketch was only half finished. I asked Blue to keep me informed since I was as concerned as anyone. She later texted that it was probably a case of food poisoning. 

Logan bounced back and Slut Like me, went on to take the Patron’s Pick award in the Brown Venue. As the Patron’s Pick, the show was awarded an extra performance which made up for the opening performance glitch. The show must go on. I returned to watch Logan perform, and I’m very happy I did. He offered modern day dating advice that had the audience laughing the whole time.  Four audience member were pulled up and blind folded for a game of, would I put it in me? The first contestant was given a large wine bottle. She felt it with her hands and poked a finger in the bottle opening. She guessed correctly and conceded the she wouldn’t put it in her. Logan then educated u all that all bottles h seams that can cut, a being hollow, the bottle could create suction becoming impossible to dislodge. The oddest object was a musical pickle. Again, don’t put it in you. 

He discussed the plethora of dating sites, and showed his slutty contributions to each.  A practical piece of advice was offered on what to pack in a slut sack which contains all the basics needed if you have a crazy sexual encounter and find yourself going home alone for the walk of shame. Simple items like shorts, a T-Shirt and handy wipes round out the necessities. One prop barely fit into the shows storage box. It was a huge floppy purple dong the size of a man’s forearm. Logan tossed it bad in the storage bin, and it would slam down so hard is was frightening.Would I put it in me? Logan said, that wit enough time and bob any thing is possible and he raised a fist in triumph. Most slot tips we r preceded be an audio clip of a woman’s moan. Sometimes it as hard to know weather to be shocked, grossed out or laugh. Laughter usually won the day. This was without a doubt the funniest show I saw at this year’s Fringe. 

Assassinations and Other Macabre Tales at Fringe.

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Jeff Ferree presents Assassinations and Other Macabre Tales at the Orlando Fringe Festival. This 15 minute show is located in the most intimate venue at the Fringe. It is located in closet near the volunteer staging area in the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. Hanging from the ceiling are tortured presidential heads shot through wit arrows. The blue curtains lining the space along with a presidential seal, are reminiscent of a White House press conference.

The program describes the show as, “Creepy true stories of the American Presidency told to you by puppets.
Held in a dark intimate theater filled with the macabre. It’s the
stories you wish they would have taught you in school.”

The two primary puppets are male and female Native American corpses. They are incredibly believable as decomposed mummies. The story centers around Curse of Tippecanoe an Indian Curse that has caused an American President elected or re-elected in the last 100 years, Every U.S. President elected in 20-Year Intervals Has Died In Office. Among those affected were from William Henry Harrison (elected in 1840), Abraham Lincoln (elected in 1860),  James Garfield (elected in 1880), William McKinley (elected in 1900), Warren G. Harding (elected in 1920), Franklin D. Roosevelt (elected in 1940), through John F. Kennedy (1960). Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, was wounded by gunshot but survived and George W. Bush (2000) survived an attempt on his life unharmed.

When a hanging was mentioned a tiny rag doll with a tiny penis fell over the stage and hung in the glow of a red Christmas light. there were other multi media effects that shocked the packed in audience (up to 13 people can cram into the closet). This was the first Fringe show for one volunteer crammed into the venue along with me. Be sure to find the closet and, experience the horror for yourself.

Realms of the Untold brings humor and horror to the stage.

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Realms of the Untold is a brand new anthology of short plays, written by local playwright Corey Volence, the scriptwriter of the award winning 2013 Orlando Fringe musical Key of E. These six short plays are written in a style meant to evoke classic horror and science fiction shows such as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Tales From The Crypt. These short stories are filled with the strange and the unknown, this production is sure to make you squirm, laugh, yelp in fright, and might just even give you some nightmares.

I went to a rehearsal in a suburban bungalow in Ivanhoe Village. Everything had been cleared from the living room except some set pieces and props. The opening play set the stage in a famous actors dressing room (Ken Luzadder). A star struck understudy (John Reid Adams) was greeted rudely. The boy had seen every performance. When he asked how to get ahead in the acting business, he was told that you need to sell your soul to the devil. A dark twist then redefined their roles.

Actress (Jan Taylor Hendricks) then took the center stage seated in a chair. She told a long story from her childhood. Her grandmother was from the old country and schoolkids spread rumors that the old woman was a witch. Another rumor circulated that a local lake was inhabited by a mysterious creature that ate children. When she told her grandmother the rumor, she got very serious and was warned to never go in the water. She promised, but like most childhood promises she eventually broke it. Classmates dared her to enter the lake. To save face she waded out in to the water. Jan’s performance with a sweet southern accent was incredible. I stopped sketching and sat on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen to the little girl. I have no doubt there will be standing orations for this performance.

Each play has its own emotional tone. From one horrific moment, we cut to a light comedy about a couple who are debating about a lifetime commitment. The guy (Charles Krivan) is hesitant and lacks confidence. The girl (Monica Titus) has the absolute conviction that comes from a long life of experience. The conversation between these love birds was at times hilarious. I stopped sketching and simple enjoyed their banter. The commitment turns out to be far more eternal than what can be bought with a wedding ring. A commitment of 50 years or so seems trivial in the larger scheme of things.

Monica Titus also played the part of a social worker in an insane asylum. She interviewed Ken Luzadder  who was in a straight jacket. She set him free of his constraints and then he related the tale of the fateful day that put him behind bars. He described the day with absolute lucidity. Perhaps he was sane and falsely institutionalized. The memories he related however contradicted the facts as related by the social worker. The tension between the two of them escalated until he became violent. The rehearsal had to cut at that moment since props were missing that were needed for what would follow. I honestly don’t know how this play ends, but I was left concerned for the social workers well being. Why on earth did she take off his straight jacket. He could very well be a Hannibal Lecter.

I can say without hesitation that this show is going to be one hell of a roller coaster ride. This will be a great way to kick off the Halloween season.

Show Dates: 

October 1 – Doors at 7 Show at 7:30

October 2 – Doors at 7 Show at 7:30

October 4 – Doors at 2 Show at 2:30

October 8 – Doors at 7 Show at 7:30

October 9 – Doors at 7 Show at 7:30

October 10 – Doors at 7 Show at 7:30

There will be discounted tickets for Military, Student, and Theme Park Employees with ID.

Ticket Link