Fringe: In Their Footsteps

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Infinite Variety Productions from Brooklyn New York presented In Their Footsteps at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. When anyone asks me about my sketching project in Europe, I always say, that I was following in my father’s footsteps in WWII. With that said, I could not resist going to see In Their Footsteps. This show was about five woman who served as nurses, librarians or members of the Women’s Army Corps during the Vietnam was.

When I entered the theater I picked a front row sketching vantage point. On the seat next to me there was a bandana which I thought someone might have left when they got up to leave the previous show. I made a note to myself to bring it to lost and found when I left after this show. Then a woman sat in the seat and put the bandana around her neck. That was odd I thought. She arrived late. Was she steeling someone’s bandana?

When the play started, she walked on stage. She was one of the five female nurses. To start the nurses talked about being excited to travel to the exotic country of Vietnam. The dialogue in the show was built from many oral histories from the actual women who served near the front lines. The women were actually direct targets for enemy fire. The enemy felt that if they killed a woman, then the men would become demoralized. None of these women were killed in action.

The women were also warned not to fraternize with the men. One nurse offered a ride to a soldier back to base and when her supervising officer found out, she got reprimanded. The isolation lead to the women building friendships amongst themselves. The gritty reality of the war cut off all the early optimism. Each woman just hoped to get home away from the harassment and enemy fire.

Toward the end of the show each woman held up artwork of the woman they were portraying. It was a clear reminder that these were very real stories being told. Some of the art work was lost in shadows because the portraits were not held right to catch the light. I guess when you look to the past some people are clearly seen while others recede into the shadows. This show helped showcase the bravery of these woman. The emotional impact lingered.

Fringe: 1-Man No-Show

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Zeek Tech Productions from Toronto Canada presented 1-Man No-Show at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In the lobby as people lined up to go in the theater, Isaac Kessler the performer was shouting to the crowd in a scratch battery powered microphone speaker system that he wore on his chest. I couldn’t understand a thing he said. At the time I didn’t realize her was the performer for the show I was about to see, I just thought, “That’s odd.”

It is rather hard to define what 1-Man No Show is. For the longest time I thought I was watching a pre-show where Isaac was warming up the crowd. Everything felt quite unscripted. Audience members were brought on stage for chaotic bits which were funny yet confusing.

The show was billed as a solo clown meltdown where high art meets high stupidity and that seems an accurate description. Another Fringe performer, Martin Dockery and his mom were in the audience and Issac fixated on them to comic effect. He seemed to want Martins’ approval while wanting to protect Martin’s mom from any of his raunchier unhinged bits. He invited the audience to heckle his show as it ran off the rails.

Issac wore a black beret and dark clothing seeming very formal for a clown. On bit involved absolute stillness with an excruciatingly long pause. After a while the audience began to laugh. Was this a comedic silence or was the audience just uncomfortable and looking for some form of expression.

I was laughing for the full length of the show, but I am not sure exactly why. I would go to watch the show again since I know there is no reproducing the chaos that transpired on that stage. If you are open to seeing a show that leaves you saying WFT did I just see, then this was the show for you.

 

Fringe: The Dress

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Ana Cuellar Productions from Davenport Florida presented The Dress at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In the halls of the Shakespeare Theater someone explained to me that Anna saw this particular dress in a window, and she felt she had to have it. She was bound to that dress by destiny. The dress was her muse for years.

The dress was worn by Ana at performances around the world. The choreography in this show expressed love, lose, longing and gratitude. I was familiar with the dancer Dion Leonhard DiDonna, so it was exciting to see her dance through the range of expressive emotions. Dancer Elaine Hoxie was the one who got to wear the dress itself. She spoke about the emotional bond between the ballerina and her dress.

Video was projected on the backstage screen which showed the dress being designed. When worn while dancing the dress came alive like an undersea creature surrounding and enveloping the dancer. Sorrow turned to pure joy. The dress maker, Ricardo Zuccolini was in the audience only a few seats away from me for this performance. Someone had pointed him out to me in the lobby.

As I was leaving the theater I noticed another choreographer who was in the audience was wiping tears from her eyes, because she was so moved by the performance.  That was a true testament to how solidly the dance choreography landed. Dion in particular put everything she had into the performance which was at times super human. I loved that the dress was a major performer in the show.

There is magic in a dance performance being able to touch an audience so deeply. As an artist I hope someday to find a muse, animate or inanimate, that is as moving as the dress. The performance lay bare every artists daily struggle. The play was about the pure joy found in creation. Art isn’t easy, but well worth the effort when everything aligns, even if imperfectly.

The Dress won a Critic’s Choice Award as an Outstanding Dance Show.

Fringe: Unconditionally: The Ultimate Pop Diva Celebration Starring Kayla Fischl

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Kayla Fischl from Orlando Florida presented Unconditionally: The Ultimate Pop Diva Celebration Starring Kayla Fischl at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I am a huge fan of how hard Kayla promoted this show. She was at just about every press preview performance I sketched. She was always holding a poster on foam core mounted on a log stick with flashing lights that promoted her show. Any time I sat in an audience the first thing I did was scan the audience to see the Unconditionally flashing lights.

With the help of arranger Chuck Curry, Kayla built her musical journey around three icons, Lady Gaga, Adele, and Katy Perry. She is building a repertoire which she hopes to pitch to a cruise ships. Kayla had costume changes when  she she switched to a different diva’s music. This was her first solo Fringe show, and she had not thought about what to do while she was backstage getting changed. The audience was left to talk amongst themselves until she came back out. You learn what works and what doesn’t work by taking big risks. She explained that the show is a work in progress and she is so thankful for the support of fellow Fringe artists who were helping her mold the performance. Fringe is a place to experiment and grow as an artist and I love that.

When Kayla came back out she was in a flowing white dress. She didn’t have time or the help to get the dress fully zipped up. When she turned several times, the zipper running up the back of the dress could be seen down at the small of her back. This kind of wardrobe malfunction I consider endearing and honestly I hope she leaves it in the show to remind us that we are watching a live performance where anything can happen.

Kayla’s enthusiastic family was in the audience, including a youngster who started crying very loudly. The caretaker eventually walked the child out of the theater since the crying was competing with Kayla’s singing. Beach balls were lobed out into the audience at one point and people tried to keep them airborne volleyball style, but they kept finding empty seats to settle in.

At one point she held a large fan which I tried drawing but then abandoned. I sketched the very first outfit she wore, with a black miniskirt and knee-high black boots. Black sleeves gave her a formal vibe with a 60’s look. Sticking with the diva lighting scheme she had on her marketing poster, she had a heart and star on the wings of the stage.

Kayla’s family was super supportive, whooting and hollering. I must say Kayla embraced the Fringe by seeing probably more shows than I had the opportunity to sketch. I get rather seasick on the high seas, but I wish Kayla the best in pitching her show to cruise lines. Cruise ships must want polish, but I prefer the diamond in the rough.

Fringe: Serving C*nt with Sarah Hester Ross

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SHR Entertainment LLC from Las Vegas Nevada presented Serving C*nt with Sarah Hester Ross at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I had sketched Sarah at a past Fringe and since then her career has skyrocketed. During the pandemic the videos she was sharing online started going viral. She downplayed the long term splendor of internet fame but her incredible vocals cross my feed almost every day. Many are simply dressing room selfies shot in the mirror but the power of her voice stops me from my doom scrolling every time.

Considering her popularity, I feared that I might not get in to get a sketch. I was thankful when I got in.  The show featured bold confessional comedy and incredible cabaret numbers. Sarah was all over the stage and even circulating around the audience. I was hard pressed to pick a moment to try and get her on the sketch page. I ultimately decided to sketch her twice.

She had a huge black hand fan with white letters that spelled out CUNT. I saw these fans pop up all around the fringe to wick away the sweat between shows. Between several songs Sarah walked off stage while a video played of people ribbing her online popularity. The internet community is vicious and often comments wished her dead. There were videos of goats blissfully munching on grass as the comments ripped Sarah to shreds. We had already witnessed some of her vocal talents, so the absurd attacks became increasingly hilarious. You need to have thick skin to make it in showbiz that is open to the anonymous comments of armchair trolls.

One song in particular hit home which empowers woman. Many of Sarah’s songs are meant to empower woman to do whatever the F*ck they want despite the comments and push back from a patriarchal society. Thankfully Sarah will never lower her voice.

Fringe: The Lord of the Sword

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Jacob D’ Eustachio from New York, New York presented The Lord of the Sword at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This show was a fun medieval circus romp. If Florida Governor Ron Deathsantis wants to see a Fringe show that is completely family friendly, then this is the show he should see.

The premise of this show is that the master juggling and sword swallowing expert was not available to perform. His apprentice played by Jacob had to fill in. He excused anything that would follow as the attempts of a newby.  There was a treasure chest full of things to be juggled. When he began juggling with absolute expert abandon the audience was amazed at his beginner’s luck. If a sword happened to fall, then it was easily excused.

Jacob called out to the audience to find someone to fill in for the missing master juggler. He picked Eric Pinder who is an opera producing powerhouse. Though uncertain what was expected of him, Eric played the part of the Master with aplomb. The show always felt like it was on the edge of collapse. I am certain this was intentional because the laughs obtained from witnessing absolute chaos very hardy.

There was one bit where Jacob asked a member to the audience to catch a loaf of bread. For some reason, he lobbed a loaf of bread at me. I had a brush in my right hand, so I tried to catch the loaf with my left hand and missed. My embarrassment was short lived, because he was soon lobbing loafs of bread to everyone in the audience. When people started biting into the bread, he shouted out that the bread was for juggling not eating.

This was a fun 50-minute show and I was laughing the whole time.

Fringe: Sororicide

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Lavender Moon Productions from Orlando Florida presented Sororicide at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This campy murder mystery was written by Rheanne Walton and Savana Petranoff who first met as stage managers at Florida State University in Talahassee.

While waiting to get into the theater, I met the mom of one of the performers and she had a beautiful black and white Husky with sky blue eyes by the name of Quinn the Pomsky. A Pomsky is part Pomeranian and part Husky. Quinn is mostly Husky in appearance with a Pom dash of fluffy cuteness. This adorable pup is a bit of a star who has performed in commercials and other important roles in film. Quinn has run on the star-studded Hollywood walk of fame and proudly posed on the red carpet before screening premieres.

Sorocicide is built around the premise that the Delta Nu Sorority is raising funds for a pup rescue campaign. Quinn had a walk on role in the show but there are permits that have to be obtained along with other red tape that held up the pup performance. Quinn had to watch the show from the audience. Christina Breza who plays Hanna in the show is Quinn’s god mother. She came out just before the doors opened and gave Quinn a reassuring hug.

The show was chaotic to start. Sorority sisters walked all around the room meeting one another and chatting with members of the audience. Gradually they gathered around three long tables for their meeting. However the meeting could not start because the Sorority sister president was missing. She was the one who usually presided over these meetings. One sorority sister had been seated right beside me, but she wasn’t Chelsea.

The show is a who done it. A few phone calls reaching out to friends soon revealed that Chelsea, the Sorority sister President had been murdered. The fundraiser meeting then turned into arguments among the members about who might have killed Chelsea and why. One of the sisters was studying criminology, so she tarted interviewing people to try and get to the bottom of the mystery. The audience was also invited into the investigation.

College student stereotypes played a roll in the performances. One girl kept posing and shooting selfies while puckering her lips and tossing her hair. There were several Christian zealots who opposed any form of drink or partying, yet they too could be suspects. There were a couple of random party jocks at the end of the table who made light of the situation and bragged about their exploits.

Though in a position of authority in running the charity, Chelsea wasn’t liked by many. Everyone seemed to have had a confrontation with her at some point. The goal was to figure out who had the motive and opportunity to like totally kill Chelsea.

All I know is that Quinn the Pomsky did not kill Chelsea and might have sniffed out the suspect in record time if allowed on the stage.

Fringe: Masquerade of the Red Death

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Big Bang Boom! Collective of Belle Isle Florida presented Masquerade of the Red Death at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show was directed by Sean Holloway with Aurora Fable (costumes) and Foxy D’Ville (Choreography). The show was built around Edgar Allen Poe’s story, The Masque of the Red Death. It is an allegorical short story about Prince Prospero’s futile attempt to escape a deadly plague, the Red Death, by secluding himself and his court in a fortified abbey, only for a mysterious, masked figure representing the plague to appear at a masquerade ball and kill everyone, proving death is inescapable.

Prince Prospero sealed himself and 1,000 guests inside a fortified abbey to wait out the plague. He hosted a masquerade gala for his guests which became a burlesque fantasy. While individual dancers performed glittery flesh filled routines, there were also some well-rehearsed group numbers that were well choreographed. A skull masked guest wove her way through almost every scene.

The Masquerade of the Red Death showcased sensuality and grandeur but under all that flesh on display was the inevitability of death. As the show progressed the prince began coughing more in every scene. This was rather unnerving so soon after the worst of the COVID pandemic. I wondered if Prospero was a deep RED State Republican who refused to understand that the plague might be airborne. A prince cannot understand what he can not see.

Masquerade of the Red Death won the Critics’ Choice Award for Outstanding Individual Performance (Musical). Lead performer Tymisha Harris won this award for her trifecta of roles across three shows, which included her featured dancing performance in Masquerade of the Red Death.

The show also won a Tech Award. The production’s backstage crew and technical team won a special Orlando Fringe Tech Award for their work on the show.

Fringe: Vagina Monologues

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CnC Productions of Orlando Florida presented the Vagina Monologues at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The intimate stage at Ten10 Brewing was filled with a phalanx 0f female performers. Each woman in turn got up to relate their bold and unapologetic story about their vaginas. Eve Ensler’s script took various interviews into monologues that are read aloud by the large, cast of women.

One woman related a story of how her man insisted that she shave downstairs and how itchy and uncomfortable that was. Each testimony was honest an sincere. Women are often taught to hide their monthly cycle. If men experienced the same thing each month you can bet that they would be very vocal about the experience. But the patriarchy insists that women pretend that nothing is happening.

On woman was a sexual coach and she recreated the sounds that woman make as they near orgasm. She was hilarious. If you take Meg Ryan’s diner scene from When Harry Met Sally and multiply that scene times 10 you, might get a sense of how funny and endearing the performance was. She recreated the faint breaths and squeaks to the guttural moans that verge on shouting.

The production felt like it was empowering for the performers and woman in general. Sexuality should be celebrated rather than hidden away. Though not technically a comedy, this show had me laughing the loudest of any production I saw at the Fringe. Though the monologues might have been from interviews with different woman, the rapport among the cast and the way each reader embraced their lines made it clear the feeling expressed were universal. When given the freedom to do so, every woman loves to talk about their vaginas. It is just that no one ever asked before.

I saw a black tee shirt with white lettering all over the fringe with descriptors of, Kitty Meow Meow, Lady Garden, Pink Taco, Cootchie, Va Jay Jay, and more. The Splash Awards allow the local LGBTQ+ community to vote for their favorite shows, directors, and performers. The Splash awards gave an award for Best Supporting Actor, Xoey Dillman-Giewont, Best Director, Lady James Dillman, and the Best Show, The Vagina Monologues.

The staged reading benefited One Heart Women and Children.

I give the show 10 out of 10 vaginas.

Fringe: Then, Eve

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The World of Billy Jane from Orlando Florida presented Then, Eve at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. God created Adam and then Eve was left to create herself. In one awkward moment the lights in the theater went black and Eve had to figure out how to procreate with Adam. From the grunts and painful silences, it seemed that the encounter was a failure. Eve never needed to see Adam again.

Eve was eternally curious and went about spending her time naming the species of animals, including thousands of beetles. She learned all she needed to know from her animal companions. She was dressed a bit like an explorer in a loose white garb like Laurence of Arabia with a hip satchel.

Eve’s monologues were centered around how humans can best spend their time on earth. Her curiosity kept her from ever experiencing a dull moment. With so many facets to creation she wanted to see and learn all she could.

She discovered a caterpillar which then spun a cocoon and later emerged as a butterfly. Eve imagined that she too would experience a metamorphosis. Though she could not spin a cocoon, she did morph in how she saw herself in the world. The play is largely about personal growth and learning each and every day to alter a naive a limited world view. The show was often laugh out loud funny while being tender and insightful.

Coming at the Biblical story of creation from my Sunday school upbringing, I assumed Eve was the world’s first woman. It wasn’t until very late in the show that I realized that Eve was Transgender. My affection for the character didn’t change but my mind exploded.

The show was named one of the “Best Shows of the Fringe Festival” by the Orlando Sentinel and received glowing praise from the Orlando Weekly for its fluidity and gut-punch emotional depth.