The Orlando Shakespeare Theater presents “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

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I went to the dress rehearsal for “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater. I was surprised to find an audience waiting to get into the theater.  I decided to slip into the theater and start the sketch before the house was open. I paused for a long time, because the balconies had their metal railings removed. I realized they were now part of the stage set. Directed by Thomas Ouellette, Christopher Sergel‘s adaptation of Harper Lee‘s Pulitzer Prize winning novel came to life on the Margeson Theater stage.  The movie based adaptation is a classic and one of my favorite films, so this show had some big shoes to fill.

The audience was full of students from Columbia College and many were African American which made this particular performance quite compelling. I knew about the students and faculty because one man introduced himself to me saying we had met at an event a while back.  For some reason he thanked me and explained that many of the people from his campus would have never been to a play. I realized after he walked away that he must have mistook my for someone else. I guess when you are busy sketching, you look like you are in charge. Whoever invited the Columbia College group, you should know that they are thankful.

The story is told through the eyes of six year old Scout (Kennedy Joy Foristall ). As a tense tug of war
between justice and racism heats up, Scout and her family must learn to
temper violence and hatred with courage and compassion. Based on the
Pulitzer Prize winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird continues to inspire
hope in the face of inequality. The moral of the story as told by Atticus Finch (Warren Kelley) is “You
never really understand a person until you consider things from
his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around
in it.” Scout held her own as a tom boy who always gets into fights and has no filter when speaking her mind.

The set, designed by Bert Scott gave a strong backdrop of the depression Era south. This really is an important show to see since there are always injustices that some accept. Sometimes a person is called on to shake off the dust of these backwards beliefs. The shows title relates to the idea that “Mockingbirds don’t
do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their
hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Toward the end of the production, Sheriff Heck Tate (John Ahlin) explained to Atticus, “To my way of thinking, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a
big service and dragging him with his shy ways into the limelight – to
me that’s a sin.” Sometimes a community isn’t best served by following the letter of the law but rather the spirit of the law. “Let the dead berry the dead.”

“To Kill a Mockingbird”

• What: A drama written by Harper Lee and adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel

• Where: Orlando Shakespeare Theater,  Margeson Theater 812 East Rollins Street, Orlando FL

• When: Opens Friday, Jan. 21; 7:30 p.m. through March 8.

• Cost: $10 to $45

• Call: (407) 447-1700

• Online: www.orlandoshakes.org

Les Miserables is a stellar production.

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The Orlando Shakespeare Theater hit a home run by bringing Les Miserables to Orlando. Based on a book by Alain Boublil with Music by Claude-Michael Schönberg and Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. It is adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo. It was masterfully directed by DJ Salisbury with musical direction by Ken Clifton. It was raining like a typhoon on the evening I went to see the show. I must have seen a dozen ambulances on the dive to the theater and traffic was backed up on every major artery. That however didn’t keep people from coming to the show. It was a sold out house. The woman seated next to me in t in the Loge told me that this was her second time seeing the show. She wanted to share it with her husband who was with her for this performance.

Set in the early 19th-century, a French peasant named
Jean Valjean (Michael Hunsaker) is on a quest for redemption after serving nineteen years
in jail for for stealing a loaf of bread. When a compassionate bishop inspires him
with a tremendous act of mercy, Valjean decides to start his life anew,
but is relentlessly tracked down by Police Inspector Javert (Davis Gaines). Along the
way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into France’s
revolution, where a group of young visionaries make their last stand at a
street barricade.

Several times during the performance I was lifted and move close to tears by the power of the show music and performances. Despite being set in the crucible of a revolution, it is the stories of love that set the show ablaze. As Fantine‘s (Lianne Marie Dobbs) life spirals out of control, she sang of the love she knew for one glorious summer. It is one of the most beautiful and sad songs to ever hit the stage. Davis gains brought the role of inspector Javert to life with his incredible voice. Éponine (Caitlyn Caughell) sang a beautiful song of unrequited love for Marius’. She does everything he asks, even arranging for him to meet Cosette whom he loved at first sight. She ends up getting shot as she struggles to bring the couple together and she finally discovers what it is like to be held in his arms as she dies having been shot in the revolution while trying to get to him.


This show packs an incredible emotional punch. Michael Hunsaker’s performance had me fully emotionally invested in every scene. The show succeeded on every imaginable level. The thunderous applause should never stop. As the new Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center nears completion, this production proved that Broadway quality productions are already being produced in town. Show continue through October 11th. Many shows are already sold out and for good reason. Don’t miss Les Mis!

Waiting in the Fringe Line

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The John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center has an odd tower that is two stories high and the room is about eight foot square. A compass is incorporated into the floor tiles and a large banner is usually suspended from the ceiling.

Between shows during the Fringe festival there was an art installation consisting of hula hoops and cardboard tubes covered in strips of fabric. Everything was suspended on strings to create a mobile. I made my way inside so that I could sketch a Fringe line as it formed. The line was for, Bless Me Father For I Have Danced and it snaked from the theater entrance out the door with half the people having to wait outside. It is fun to see friends as they meet and hug. Half the fun of the Fringe is meeting people in line and comparing notes about what amazing shows HAVE to be seen. I decided what shows I should sketch based on tips from strangers I met in line. All the reviews in town couldn’t beat good word of mouth.

This is a rare case of a sketch I didn’t have time to finish. My wife Terry texted from another line suggesting I join her to see the show she was waiting for. Often we saw shows together but sometimes we went our own ways. I could only go to the Fringe every other day because of work commitments and on those days Terry was on her own and she would let me know what she had seen that I had to sketch. It was like having a field corespondent scouting out the talent. I don’t know who created this kinetic art, and once the Fringe was over, it was replaced by a table and chairs.

Taking Out the White Trash

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The Fringe show, Taking Out the White Trash  presented by Peemypants Productions featured Sherri D. Sutton, as she spilled the south’s dark secrets in the intimate brown venue. This was a hilarious show that had me laughing the whole time. When asked to describe a Waffle House, Sherri said, “Imagine a truck stop restroom, but with waffles.” Now, anytime I drive by a Waffle House, I laugh. She said being accepted as a lesbian comic has been hard since there is a stereotype that lesbians are always angry. She then performed a joke as an angry lesbian with expletives to hilarious effect. She said, “The thing about stereotypes is that they are often true.”

Much of the show then was built around the southern stereotype. From Walmart, the KKK, to convalescent care, no topic was sacred. Having been raised in the south, much of her material came from first hand experience. Growing up lesbian in a conservative southern town can’t be easy. She joked about southern names and that certain names guaranteed an infants trials or success in life. This show was a pleasant surprise and it was good to see lesbian couples cuddling in the audience. It made me hopeful that love can be cherished in all it’s forms someday.

Flight: A Crane’s Story

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Ibex Puppetry, founded by Heather Henson, presented Flight: A Crane’s Story at this year’s Fringe in the orange venue which is the largest in the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. The show Explored nature’s deepest mysteries and the spiritual essence of life on Earth through the story a crane names Awaken. After human interference affected their environment, Awaken’s family left on migration without her. The young crane friend had to learn to fly and navigate to find her family and her destiny.

I had quite a challenge sketching the show since the house lights went dark for most of the show so I couldn’t see the page. Also there was nonstop action with kites constantly on the move. I focused my attention on the young crane most of the time ignoring the immense kites. Awaken was first shown as an egg just beginning to hatch. The indigenous North America music was performed live at house left. The woman sang beautifully while the other performer beat the drum. Awaken grew up through a series of puppets. By the end of the show there was a huge crane that would be worthy of being featured in the Macy’s Day parade. I kind of wish I had waited to catch that huge apparition, but I was already committed to the sketch I was working on.

The kites were amazing, swooping down to within inches of the audience before sweeping back up into flight. Costuming was also amazing with some performers wearing costumes that made their arms like huge wings. Movies were projected on the circular screen at the back of the stage offering views of sunsets and the intricate courting dance of the cranes. I would love to see the show again, so that I could focus on some of the truly stellar moments that slipped past me as I rushed to complete the sketch. I envied the others in the audience who could simply relax and enjoy the moment without the obsessive need to capture the moment on a page. This was an amazing show and Orlando is fortunate to have Heather Henson as a unique local artist and entertainer.

The International Crane Foundation is committed to a future where all crane species are secure; a future where people cooperate to protect and restore wild populations and their ecosystems. 

Bless Me Father For I Have Danced

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Bless Me Father For I Have Danced was presented by Yow Dance at this years Fringe festival. This was a blockbuster show that had a cast of over 30. The show presented amazing song and dance numbers form some of Broadway’s best musicals. The show was tied together by a storyline about a young boy who desperately wanted to audition for a show, but his religious parents refused to let him follow his dream. When the boy goes to church and talks to the priest he still is as enthusiastic as ever and the song and dance numbers are used as evidence to present his case.

A sassy and sexy Bob Fosse dance number honestly swings the balance and the priest sees the boy’s point to comic effect. The boy’s parents aren’t as easy to swayed until a secret is uncovered. The boy’s mom was once a dancer and she gave up show business when she became a mom. As strict as the father was, he also ends up doing a song and dance. A couple of singers voices didn’t hold up in the cavernous Orange venue, but as a whole the show had legs. There were dancing angels, patriotic sailors and bespangled female dancers and show stopping numbers from so many shows so that you definitely get your monies worth.

Word of mouth spread fast and there were incredible lines to get into this show often winding out the Shakespeare Theater door leaving people lined up outside in the heat. No single green room  could hold this huge cast and one day I saw them all behind the Shakespeare theater doing makeup and costuming in the tent set up for a piano near the beer vendor. Of course I couldn’t catch the whole cast dancing, so I focused on the boy and surrounded him by dancers in a cross shaped pattern with a Sexy dancer at the base of the cross. This was without a doubt the biggest production at this years’ Fringe and everyone wanted to see it. This was an ambitions show for Yow dance and the entire crew that payed off. If you didn’t go, you missed a hell of a show.

True West

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The Dark Side of Saturn Productions is presenting Sam Shepard‘s True West at the Orlando Shakespeare Center. I was surprised by the intricate set by Tom Mangieri. I had just been in the Mandell Theater multiple times at Fringe and got used to seeing a bare stage. Fringe just ended two days ago, so this set was created incredibly fast. This was the first time the actors got to move around in the actual space. Director Kevin Becker was in the audience seating while Chaz Krivan who plays Austin, and Cory Volence who plays Lee sat at the breakfast nook table on stage.  Lighting levels were being adjusted, so the actors got to relax for a bit.

After all the lights were adjusted, Bill Warriner, the fight director, put the actors through the paces as they fought in the kitchen. The fight began with Austin breaking a beer bottle over Lee’s head. He then slammed Lee into the counter. As Lee lay on the floor recovering, Austin grabbed an electrical chord and wrapped it around Lee’s throat. Now, this was a rehearsal, and the action was supposed to be at 1/4 speed. The safe word for Cory was “Hold”. He called out to stop the action several times. He stopped the action when he was slammed into the refrigerator, because he was concerned it might topple over. He was concerned that Chaz was getting too aggressive. In a staged fight, both actors need to feel they are in control of the action. In the heat of the moment, the fight accelerated. There was a long moment where Austin was chocking Lee. Lee’s face was beet red as he struggled. Was he struggling to say the safe word? Was this acting, or had the fight crossed over the fourth wall? Austin said, “I could easily kill him, all I have to do is twist.” Lee’s eyes bulged in his head before he fell limp to the floor.

After the fight rehearsal, there was a full run through of the play. Tara Rewis picked up the broken glass and other refuge had to be cleaned up before the play could begin.  Dorothy Massey who did costuming, had to help Cory figure out how to use his belt. “This is why I get paid the big bucks!” she joked.

The play is about two brothers, Austin and Lee. 
Austin was writing a screenplay while he watched his mother’s home. She
was on vacation in Alaska. Lee,who is the black sheep of the family,
showed up wanting to drink beer, borrow Austin’s car and in general cause mischief. He had a knack for bullying, scheming or stealing anything that he wants. Arguments erupted
but, despite their differences, these brothers did care about each other, or they would do just about anything to steal each others lives. When Hollywood agent, Saul, played by Jim Cundiff comes to the home to check the progress on Austin’s screenplay, Lee schemed his way into convincing Saul that his true life experiences in the desert would make for a great screenplay. The brothers collaborated on writing the script outline but the writing sessions never went smoothly. When the mom, played by Barbara Blake, returned home, she found the house a mess. Her crowning moment came when she grabbed a bottle of rum off the table to spare it when the brother’s brawled.

This was a powerful drama that dives deep to explore the relationship between brothers who are polar opposites, yet united by a dark past. If you are missing the mad rush of Fringe, then head to the Shakes to see True West. Nothing beats a hangover like a nice cold beer. Don’t miss it!

The Mandell Theater
Orlando Shakespeare Center

812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL

May 31 at 8PM
June 2, 6, 7, 8 at 8PM  

Tickets are:

$16 in Advance
$20 at Door
$15 at the Door with a Fringe Button

Marathon

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TJ Dawe from Vancouver, Canada presented this incredible one man Fringe show about recognizing your own blind spot and trying to address it. When the lights came up, TJ was on stage acting like he was running in slow motion. He joked that it was impossible to do that and look graceful. His show addressed the idea that people fit neatly into 3 distinct instinct types.

The first is the self preservation instinct. These are the people who are ready for anything. They plan ahead, bringing water along on a hot day or a sweater in case the air conditioning gets pumped up too high. When they pack for a vacation they bring pretty much everything in their closet, just in case. Hotels are booked ahead of time and even restaurants are reserved weeks in advance.

The second is the sexual preservation instinct. This doesn’t just mean they are sexual, it also means they are obsessed with the creative process. They love the uncertainty of beginning a creative endeavor and they are risk takers, living on the fringe.  This creative process might have seemed like a fun playful idea 9 months ago but there are pains and uncertainty as the project nears completion. Then it is released into the world, beautiful and imperfect. These people are individualists they don’t show off by writing a status on Facebook, but instead share their ideas on a more personal platform like a blog. The more TJ talked about the sexual preservation instinct, the more I felt like he was talking about me.

The third the social preservation instinct. People who have this instinct are energized by small talk at parties. They love gossip and knowing what is going on with everyone around them, even celebrities. This instinct can be a blind spot for someone with the sexual preservation instinct. Being creative, they don’t have time for empty conversations. However beneath this facade of superiority is irritation and shame. They want to feel like a part of the group but they are always an outsider, looking in. When the creative person breaks through that social barrier and actually enjoys meeting people at a bar or on the green lawn of fabulousness, they want to feel rewarded. There should be an 80’s movie montage that shows how they broke free.

All through his discussions about instincts he also talked about a high school foot race that was a defining moment in his life. Although not a jock, he began to run with a passion. This culminated in a steeple chase race against a team whose coach was named satin. At the starting line he suddenly realized satin wasn’t the coach but a runner who looked every bit like a man. Ready, set, Go! The race spread out gradually with the fastest runners breaking away, the average runners clumped together as a pack and then there was Satin followed by TJ. It became clear TJ wasn’t going to win but he decided to sprint at the end of the race to beat Satin. He reached down for that last minute reserve and discovered there was nothing there. Blind sided he stumbled across the line last.

He discovered there are no great victories as you struggle to expand your horizons and grow into a more social creature. It isn’t a sprint to we won. It is instead a life long goal, a marathon. This was a show that spoke directly to my insecurities and creative blindness. I can not recommend this show enough.

There is only one more show of Marathon today at 1:45pm to 2:45pm in the yellow venue in the Orlando Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St., Orlando, FL). Tickets are $11 along with the $9 Fringe button that is required for all the shows. Just GO!

Sperm Wars

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Random Samples Collective from Toronto Canada presents this Fringe show that follows the stories of millions of sperm embarking upon a high stakes suicide mission to battle a large, dangerous, and mysterious enemy deep behind the hymen. Meanwhile in the ovaries, the eggs are forced to say goodbye to one of their own as the time for their monthly sacrifice to the uterus looms on the horizon. The entire microscopic battle was presented by a single actor, Jeff Leard, in pristine white underwear, black studded arm bands and army boots. I couldn’t help but notice that his “package” loomed rather large. There was also a subtle smudge on the tip of the bulge, which caused my mind to wander. Had he fallen during a performance to smudge his pristine white visage?

If you love Star Wars and you love sex, you should love this show. The entire army of characters were tied together in this one actors performance. A rare moment of improve happened when someones cell phone went off in the audience. At first he sat down and said, “we can wait.” Then he wondered, “what is a cell phone doing in this vagina?” Another audience member blurted out “phone sex!” Everyone laughed.

At one point the inner workings of one of the Sci-Fi Sperm Wars vehicles had to be opened.  The actor mimed the machinations involved in opening the multiple panels, cylinders and digital pads with an orchestration of sound effects that he mouthed. The sequence was completed with the magical phrase “dry ice.” Which was accompanied with his hands miming the delicate clouds descent. When this long drawn out sequence of events was repeated, it got a bit old.

The horrors of battle became clear as millions of sperm perished because the vaginal canal was blocked by a diaphragm coated with spermicide. The immense ovum sat protected behind this impenetrable force field. Sperm withered and melted like the witch in the Wizard of Oz. A single sperm made it past the diaphragm and wiggled his way deep inside the wet moist humid egg. He lamented the millions lost in the assault.

There is only one more performance of Sperm Wars today,  Sunday May 25th at 4:30pm to 5:30pm in the Blue Venue at the Orlando Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St., Orlando, FL). Tickets are $11 along with the $9 Fringe button required to get into any show. Rated 18+.

Chase & Stacy Present: Joyride

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Chase Padgett and Stacey Hallal teamed up to create a hilarious sketch comedy improv show at the Orlando Fringe Festival. Chase hails from Orlando and his experience at the Orlando Fringe presenting 6 Guitars lead to him hitting the road and traveling to Fringe Festivals across the country. His girlfriend at the time was less than enthused by his career. On the Fringe Circuit however, he met Stacy who trained at the infamous Second City and together they present a show that is as playful as two 10 year olds pretending to put on a show at bed time with flashlights and imagination.

There is adult humor. At one point Chase and Stacy used the Mics and sound boards to playback moans and groans of pleasure. The couple were in the darkness with just the scrim light behind them to show their silhouette. In the scene the couple were on a date and about to kiss. Stacy stressed that there would be no sex. Chase was resigned to the idea that this was always the case. The lights dimmed and the first moans began. They could play them back and the interwoven moans began to feel like a rap tune. I tapped my toe to the rhythm and laughed as I sketched. Stacy then whispered into the mic “Put your hoo ha in my ying yang.” That stopped the beat. Chase questioned her phrasing and she came back with a series of absurd names for his and her privates. When she came up with “The Cave of Wonders”, Chase said, “I can live with that.” The rap-moan orchestration began again.

Another sketch presented Stacy as a ribbon twirler who was in tears because she couldn’t get her ribbon to work. As she cried, Chase came leaping out of the wings twirling his ribbon with graceful abandon. He coached Stacy but repeatedly she failed. Finally she got her emotions in check and together their ribbons flowed gracefully. The audience clapped enthusiastically.

In one scene, the couple asked the audience for a place that a couple might meet. Someone shouted out, “a library!” Chase and Stacy then presented a long form comedy set in a library. The endearing thing about Stacy is that you could see by the expression on her face, that she was always on the verge of laughing herself. At one point, Chase pretended to whisk open some curtains to present a surprise to Stacy. She paused, not sure where he was going. He explained that it was a moving truck so she could bring her cherished books and be with him. She replied, “That’s amazing, because that used to be a wall!” Their quick wits sparred playfully until they had each other laughing as well as the audience. This show is a must see!

There is just one show left of Chase and Stacy Present: Joyride!

May 24th 3:15pm to 4:15pm in the Pink Venue at the Orlando Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL) Tickets are $11 plus the $9 Fringe button required to get into all the shows.