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.

Banned in the USA at Fringe

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Gerard Harris from London grew up watching James Bond films rather than become a spy, he ended up becoming a comic. Being a comic does involve some international travel and his one man show is about how he has been treated like a spy or threat by the world’s super powers when he travels. His one man show was about trying to get through airport security. The posters he designed for his Fringe show at the time were not a help. One was designed like a Cuban Soviet poster. The title of the show, Banned in the USA also didn’t help as he tried to get to this year’s Fringe.

The set consisted of a  was a red couch and a folding chair to hold his laptop computer. He seemed to be making the show up on the fly with the laptop as a back up for details he might have forgotten. He is a manic storyteller. He crawled all over the couch at one time sitting on the back as he told his tale. He used to work at a tech company and his boss who usually went to conferences to talk about the companies goals and mission was not able to go so Gerard was asked to go.

The entire show was about being held up in the airport and the struggle to try and get to the conference on time. The petty nature of international borders was the ongoing theme. At one point the office that could resolve his issues was just a few yards away  but it was in another country so he couldn’t stroll over for the answers. Despite his rapid fire delivery he started to run long and so he had to wrap up his story quickly at the end. We seemed to be the guinea pigs for a dinner party story he had told many times before he decided to convert it into a Fringe show as we watched.

Title and Deed at Fringe

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Kangagirl Productions in association with Susan Turner presented Title and Deed written by Will Eno and performed by David Lee. The one man show is a dry witty meditation on life. The character questions everything. What is his roll in life, does he belong? He begins by stating that “I am not from here.” He addressed the audience intimately yet was clearly set apart perhaps a foreigner. As an artist , being apart is needed for perspective, an outsider looking in. Perhaps that is his role but he also seems mundane and everyday.

The set consisted of two empty book cases and a backpack with a stick in it. I thought the stick might be a divining rod, but he used it to strike his leg multiple times to prove to himself that he had feelings. His was an existential dilemma which he shared with reckless abandon. David’s delivery was dry and monotone, at times getting a laugh from the audience. We all question our place in the world and this show was an open forum for those concerns. He points out the things in our everyday life that are difficult for an outsider. What is most important? Family, Career? What do we miss? How do we truly feel at home? Our society which runs at a mad efficiency might be missing a few things when viewed from a different perspective.

Wanzie’s Monorail Inferno at Fringe

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Wanzie’s Monorail Inferno opened with a fabulous opening number. The theater was dark, and the actors on stage held flashlights that created a menacing effect. I was excited, it looked like we were in for an amazing ride. Unfortunately that high energy suddenly died when the first act got under way.

A bored transgender Disney hostess guided wide eyed tourists around the stage. On the monorail any impending doom was masked by the mundane. The monorail got stuck on it’s tracks leading to a forced purgatory for everyone on board and the audience. A teen wore a red bow worthy of Minnie Mouse and her boyfriend just seemed to be along for the ride. a thin rail of a woman was a choreographer who was stuck doing choreography for theme park shows. A southern bell sat next to a southern hick. A small girl got into a screaming fit and was bound and gagged by the passengers. Each person on the monorail seemed like a caricature, rather than someone with a personal history worth learning.

The southern hick had issues with the Disney Hostess but thankfully they were separated by the line of seated passengers. There was some resolution as they both told aspects of their past that showed that they both suffered and suffering is a game that needn’t be won. After a long wait, passengers were finally allowed to disembark and the hick was the first to leave. He left behind a package which I thought was a staging mistake, but it was the cause of the inferno to follow. The show is a musical but several numbers could clearly be cut without
slowing down the plot. The worst is when a passenger breaks into song
for no apparent reason. The final number had the entire cast dressed in white singing and dancing in heaven, finally finding the happiness they never found in life. I suppose the story was intended as a morality tale but I was confused.

In Tandem at Fringe

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What would you give for an escape, freedom, or for complete liberty? In Tandem is inspired by the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The Explore Composite from Orlando Florida examines the complexities of humanity and how we came to develop the relationships we have today. What bonds us? What drives us apart? How far would we go to protect the ones we love?

These ideas were explored through modern dance. In he beginning of the show, as the audience filtered into the theater. A sheet of paper was scrolled open on the floor and dancers would lie down and have their outline traced on the sheet. Each dancer in turn had their outline added to the sheet and at the end of the show the sheet was taken out and taped to the back wall of the theater. The markers unfortunately weren’t very wide, so I couldn’t see the lines added to the sheet.

 For me it was a challenging hour of trying to catch changing gestures in the ever changing flow of dance. Being a small theater, the dancers had to work in a tight area. I like that the dance company has dancers off all shapes and sizes. It wasn’t just a company of very thin dancers, which makes it more believable to present concepts that explore big concepts that affect us all. Not everything rang true for me. But as an artist, I always appreciate a chance to sketch dance.

13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene” at the Fringe

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X-Files meets The Twilight Zone in the dark! Fringe veterans, Paul Strickland and Erika Kate MacDonald  team up in this creepy
flashlight and shadow play with original songs. “13 Dead Dreams of Eugene” is based on the true story of a body that was found in Sabina on June 6, 1929. The unidentified dead man was
50 to 80 years old was
found on the 3C highway
near the Borum Road. The only
identification that
could be found on him
was a slip of tablet
paper with the address
1118 Yale Ave.,
Cincinnati written on
it. The Cincinnati
police checked the
address and found it was
a vacant lot. The
closest man to this
address was a man named
Eugene Johnson and for
this reason the unknown
man was given the name
of “Eugene.” It became known as the Sabina Mummy. It
was placed on display in hopes of identification. That’s when the Dead
Dreams began. Experience the shared recurring nightmares that haunted
one sleepy Ohio town, and the stranger-than-fiction story of “Eugene.” No one ever came to claim the body and it wasn’t buried until 1964.

I made special arrangements with the performers to let them know I would sketch the show from the back row to avoid letting any member of the audience see that I was creating this sketch. Pam and I arrived winded because we had gone to the wrong venue and had to run across Lock Haven Park to try and get to Dead Dreams before the doors closed. A woman seated in front of us gave us a high five for our winded enthusiasm. Get sat down and the theater immediately went black.

A slow ghostly voice began talking about the experience of being dead. He recalled his wake, the people crying and learning about his family from fragments of conversations. The dead lack memories so they linger to find out what they can. Eugene was a black man who had been murdered. He was never identified, and his murderer was never found. His body was on display in the town of Sabina for decades, a macabre side show attraction. After the body went on display, people in the town began having recurring nightmares and these were written down for posterity. Town’s people didn’t like to recall those nightmares. Once written they were filed away to be archived and forgotten. Paul and Erika however kept asking about these memories and they were finally given access to the recorded nightmares found in a cardboard box. Those documents are the foundation around which they built the show.

Flashlights, rear projections and string silhouettes are used to recount the tales. Much of the time the room is pitch black with just the ghostly words to carry the tales. This show is Fringe at it’s best. Solid story telling wrapped in mysterious light and original song. Definitely a “must see show” at this year’s Fringe.

812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803. Tickets are $12 plus a $10 Fringe button needed to get into any Fringe Show.

10:45 PM 

7:15 PM 

5:30 PM

4:45 PM

Corsets and Cuties – Harlots at Fringe

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The opening number alone makes this show worth the price of admission.The entire cast danced on stage in lavish Victorian attire as if at a party for Marie Antoinette. I was upset that number was over so fast. I only had the time to catch the MC, Lady Jaimz. But the cast gyrated and dances suggestively and the Corsets and Cuties were in their true top form. This burlesque company combines humor with their routines in unique and unexpected ways. Barbie Rhinestone started her routine off with sock puppets, but this was no kids fringe show.

Nicki Jax has a Cat Woman like way of moving that is fun to attempt to draw. My favorite routine for the night was set to the song, This is Me, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Members of the cast wore t shirts that carried labels set by bullies. Nicki’s shirt had the unlikely title of UGLY. NERD, CUNT, BITCH, the words had little meaning as they sang their anthem. I had never heard the song before and I was moved. Now I need to see the film, The Greatest Showman. All of these men and woman are great showmen. they were born to sing dance and entertain. Granted there was some lip syncing but there are also some very strong voices in the cast.

Harlots strip away the surface fashions and bear all with humor and heart.

This Fringe show is in the black  venue which is in The Venue, 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. Tickets are $12 along with a Fringe button which is need to get into any Fringe show. 

Remaining sow dates are:

11:59 PM 

10:30 PM

Along the Way at the Orlando Fringe Festival

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Mertz Productions, of Orlando, FL presents Along the Way at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. The musical takes a glimpse into the lives of 8 people and how they are intertwined through travel. Each of them travel for different reasons, but along the way, all are faced with the question of what spurs them towards adventure and what those journeys mean to them. An original story featuring popular and contemporary pop music. Featuring lovable characters, comedy, romance and some powerful singing.

Set in an airport, the stage is set when a flight is delayed. Passengers must pass the time resulting in new friendships and some romance. The airport janitor breaks into a dream sequence in which everyone has a mop to dance with. The stewardess checking passengers in at the gate was Michelle Knight who performed as Snow White in Disenchanted, a Fringe show that made it all the way to off Broadway in the Big Apple. She brought the same saucy delivery to this role creating a character who could face down the most distraught crowd of passengers. A one point she broke into song, and cut the scene short apologizing, saying, “I forgot we cut that one.”

A holistic healer fell for a business traveler, and serenades him with her Ukulele. A stewardess wife wants to get on the flight so she could be with her husband, the pilot, for their anniversary. Some numbers hit home with absolute delight and others were just stirred into the mix not yet forwarding the story or serving a purpose. There was some real singing talent in the cast. Overall however the show had me bobbing my head as I sketched, a pleasant way to spend 55 minutes at the Fringe.

10:00 PM

1:30 PM 

6:45 PM 

6:45 PM 

8:30 PM

Weekend Top 6 Fringe Picks for May 19th and 20th.

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Saturday May 19, 2018

1 p.m to 2 p.m.  $12 plus a Fringe button. For Love, Sir: Letters of Life, Love, and Sacrifice. Bent Book Productions. Red Venue, upstairs in the Orlando Shakes 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. Ages 13 and up. “For Love, Sir” is a
beautiful and poignant play following the lives of three service
members and their families as they experience the hardships and
lifestyle of active duty. This story is told through the medium of real
letters either written by or inspired by real soldiers and their
families over the course of American History.

2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. $12 plus a Fringe button. Taurus Faeces. Deanna Braunstein. Red Venue, upstairs in the Orlando Shakes 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. Ages 13 and up. We all accumulate tales and experiences that follow us to the very end.
In “Taurus Faeces,” Deanna Braunstein unpacks the gift of a lifetime of
stories and memories left by her mother, a fiery word slinger. Deanna
brings to life her mother’s literary voice and skewed sense of humor,
telling tales of life and love, truth and…Taurus Faeces.

11:59 p.m. to 12:59 p.m. $12 plus a Fringe button. Corsets and Cuties – Harlots. Corsets and Cuties, LLC. Black Venue 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. Ages 18 +. Sponsored by Premier Couples Superstore, Corsets & Cuties – A
Burlesque Cabaret returns for another scantily clad romp through the
Orlando Fringe! Voted 2 years running among the best of burlesque in
Orlando, there’s something for everyone in this show. Come visit the
Black venue and see why patrons say these Harlots are among their
favorites at Fringe!



Sunday May 20, 2018 

 Noon.  $12 plus a Fringe button. In Tandem. The Explore Composite. Blue Venue in the Shakes 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. Ages 7 and up. What would you give for an escape? For freedom? For complete liberty?
Inspired by the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, The Explore Composite
examines the complexities of humanity and how we came to develop the
relationships we have today. What bonds us? What drives us apart? How
far would we go to protect the ones that we love?

1:45 p.m.to 2:45 p.m. $10 plus a Fringe button. LUNA. Ana Cuellar. Pink Venue in the Shakes 812 E. Rollins St Orlando, Florida 32803. Ages 7 and up. Join Ana Cuellar, a Cirque du Soleil artist, who brings us 8
internationally acclaimed dances to Fringe this year through her
creation of LUNA. Come and let LUNA’s emotional forces draw you in to
experience her creative spirit channeled through the movement of dance.
Featuring Cirque and top professional performers. Let LUNA light up your life!

9 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. $12 plus a Fringe button. AQUAdance. Voci Dance. SITE-SPECIFIC The Aqua Venue, 1314 Chiester Street. Orlando, FL 32803 a few blocks north of Lock Haven Park. All ages. Dive into the waterful world of AQUAdance, the first water ballet in the
history of the Orlando Fringe! Inspired by Esther Williams’ classic
aqua-musicals, Voci Dance presents a unique blend of modern dance and
synchronized swimming. At an off-site venue with a pool and bar only 1
mile from the beer tent. Brought to you by the award-winning company
behind 2016’s Paint Chips (Orlando Sentinel ‘Best of the Fest,’ Orlando
Weekly ‘Best of Orlando’).

F*ckboys: The Musical

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F*ckboys: The Musical written by Savannah Pedersen is so far my favorite show that I have seen at Fringe this year. Presented by Infinite Productions, founded by Kayla Lopez and Savannah Pedersen, of Orlando, FL, this musical took me by surprise. The title had me thinking that I might be walking into a flashy cross dressing cabaret. Instead I got to meet some very real women with very real issues and concerns. These women meet at a local bar for karaoke night. One loves to sing and the others drink and commiserate. Their goal as stated in the opening number is to educate the audience about F*ckboys who are clearly a roadblock to any single girls peace of mind.

You know them. You love them. You love to hate them. Whatever the case
may be, you’ve probably run into a F*ckboy at some point in your life.
This is a haphazard guide to navigating the dating scene as told through
the eyes of a bunch of twenty-somethings. A musical extravaganza you
won’t want to miss. In a musical number about the history of F*ckboys, Shakespeare is roasted. “Billy Shakes referred to women as strumpets. If I hear another high
school freshman rave about how her relationship is JUST like Romeo and
Juliet because she thinks that that is an accurate depiction of romance,
I’m gonna go back in time and murder him myself. Also, he just looks
like an asshole. Classic f*ckboy.”

This show has just the right balance of real world difficulties mixed with humor. You learn to love and care about each character in turn as you learn about their strengths and weaknesses. Boys throw weak pick up lines at them like wet noodles. When one new man enters the bar everything freezes as the women size him up and come to the conclusion that he might not be a F*ckboy. Sure enough he talks one woman through her difficult break up without hitting on her when  she is down.

Woman 3, (Meghan Mitchell) was a corporate competitor whose career was skyrocketing.
She can rock a Power Pantsuit like nobody’s business. If she doesn’t
become the next Oprah by the time she’s 30, she would consider herself a
failure. She seemed to have it all in check but even she go sideswiped by romance.

The songs are well  written and the show moves at a lively pace. The fourth wall is broken to hilarious effect. Very serious life choices have to be made and in the end they band together singing that they are strong as long as they have each other. If you know a single 20 something, they need to see this show. Hell, I’m a 50 something and I loved every minute.

F*ckboys is in the Green Venue inside the Orlando Repertory Theater 1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803. Tickets are $12 plus a Fringe button which is needed for every venue.

May 17 8:45PM
May 19 11:00PM
May 22 11:30PM
May 24 9:15PM
May 27 10:45PM