A Dinner Conversation: Best Show

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Pepe (Rob Ward) acted at the MC for the evening for Play in a Day. The auditorium was packed but I found a good spot on the sidelines to sketch from. Nine plays were presented all with the common theme of “Men”. Playwrights had 12 hours to write their plays and the actors and production team had 12 hours to polish and produce the plays. I followed the play written by Tracey Jane, titled The Dinner Conversation. I knew from sketching the rehearsals all day that this was a warm hearted romantic and very funny production. I was of course rooting for them to pull together and create magic on stage.

Pepe introduced each ply in turn and a bongo player accompanied him at one point. Genevieve Bernard choreographed a beautiful dance piece titled, Our Bodies Our Choice. Four woman dancers and on man performed a dance the told a story of abuse followed by a woman’s empowerment. It was bold and left me thinking. They won as the best ensemble for the evening.

Jac LeDoux and Ken Preuss were on a date at the Family Pizza Corral. The set simply consisted of a long red table on which were a series of trays where custom pizzas could be made. I was rooting for their happiness after starting life afresh after divorce. Tracey Jane made the script super easy for the actors because the characters were simply named after the actors playing the part. There were no new names to memorize. When Bennet Preuss and Melanie Leon entered things heated up. Melanie was hilarious with her sexual innuendos and double meanings behind everything she said. She just loved poking fun at her mom and embarrassing her. Melanie’s hilarious performance won her an award as Best Actress. 

While Mel was poking fun, her brother Ben was sullen and resentful.  His mom got divorced while he was away at college and now that he was back she was starting a new relationship with another man.  Jac was loving and caring at every turn and wove an analogy between personal pizzas and individual tastes. However when Ken considered putting pineapple on his pizza, the family had to unite against his pure insanity. He was a food critic and should have known better. Food and family drama were perfectly combined. For this performance I just sat as an audience member to soak it in without the struggle of sketching to distract me. I was delighted and laughed out loud.  I knew where the rough spots in the production might be, but everything flowed smoothly. 

This show directed by Kaitlyn Harrington, and with Destiny Sam as the stage manager won the top honor as the Best Show of the night. I felt so proud, because I knew the blood sweat and tears over 24 hours that went into the magic that happened that night. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” -Mohamed Ali

Pepe’s Truth or Dare Dating Gayme

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To celebrate Pride Week here in Orlando I arranged with Rob Ward to sketch one of Orlando’s favorite Fringe and SAK Comedy Lab performers, Pepe!

Pepe brings an over-the-top performance and interactive LGBT Version of the classic Dating Game show, as three sexy singles play Truth or Dare to win an all expenses paid date. The tickets to get into the show at the Savoy (1913 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL) were rainbow wrist bands.

Pepe stood like a giant in his huge platform shoes and bright pink mow hawk. Even before the game got underway, he shouted out, “FREE JELLO SHOTS Beetches!” He instructed us on the proper way to rim the cup with our tongue or finger and then suck down the shot. Pam informed me that apparently I did everything wrong trying to rim the edge with my tongue and also scoop it up like an ant eater. The end result was that much of the jello remained in the cup. I was so anxious to sketch that I didn’t go back into licking the half full cup. My hands were busy on the page.

The lead contestant wore a blue t-shirt that said simply, “Send Nudes.” Pepe put a blindfold on him and then introduced the three contestants who would compete for his blind attention. Pepe played up the notion that the contestant was a hunk, not a Rhodes scholar. When the three other contestants came out I recognized the center contestant as a dancer and Fringe Performer. When he was asked “TRUTH or DARE!” He picked the dare. He was tasked with slipping a condom on a semi-large dildo the lead contestant was holding in his lap. He however could not use his fingers to unroll the condom. He managed to convince the lead contestant to to the hard work of getting the condom unrolled with his mouth as he thrust the condom deep into his mouth. It was hilarious but not as sketch worthy as someone on their knees doing the job with plenty of head bobbing.

Another contestant took a dare built around an iconic scene from Lady and the Tramp. He wasn’t a fan of Disney movies, but he had to eat a meat stick at the same time as the lead contestant until their lips met. The resulting meat mouthed kiss that followed was impassioned. Another contestant had to talk dirty while his mouth was stuffed full of cotton candy. The resulting muffled mumbling sounded more like he was grunting into a pillow. One woman in the front row must have had too much to drink since she nodded off while her friend shouted, “TRUTH OR DARE!” so loud that Pepe had to dial he back a touch to get the desired subtle effect. AS he said you don’t just shove it in you have to have some gentle foreplay.

Lisa donated a bandanna for the next dare that involved some sexy dancing that the lead contestant couldn’t see but the audience hoots and hollers must have peeked his curiosity. The bandanna was used to hide any dangling bits when the pants came down. When the red bandanna was passed back through the audience to Lisa, she gave it a healthy sniff and clutched it to her heart.

The show was over before my sketch was complete so I rushed to finish up as the audience filtered out into the bar. This was an over the top fun night that was a great intro the the Pride festivities. The Pride Parade is TODAY from 3:30pm until 5:30pm at Lake Eola. Pride is celebrating 15 years in the Central Florida community, as well as
50 years since Stonewall – a half-century of LGBTQIA+ liberation.

One of the most eagerly anticipated events of Pride Week, this year’s
festival and parade will feature more than 100 groups spanning a 1-mile
route through downtown Orlando. Throughout the day, guests can enjoy
live entertainment at multiple stages around the park, including
celebrity headliners.

Orlando Strong: A SAK Benefit Show.

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SAK Comedy Lab (29 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida) offered a free comedy benefit in the wake of recent events in Orlando. The core values at SAK have always been “Truth, Excellence and Joy”, so wanted to use their strengths as a comedy venue to share those values in support of the community (especially the LGBT and Latino communities) who could really use some joy. This show will featured SAK performers in a variety of fun acts. Admission was free, but donations were encouraged at the door. 100% of proceeds from the door will go to the “OneOrlando” campaign helping the victims and families of victims of the Pulse attack.

The Fringe superstar and fashion diva Pepe acted at the MC to open the show. He wore a gorgeous rainbow feathered boa that looked like, could inspire love, the most hate for person. As he said it was a sexy sold out house. All the mammies and poppies held each other dose as Pepe announced the first acts. Every seat in the venue had a sheet of colored paper. Bob Kodzis invited every member of the audience to write down a message for families of the decided survivors and first responders. There was an artist sketch! in the row in front of me. He held two fingers to his neck like he was checking his pulse. I believe he was sketching one of the 49 who were killed using a photo on his phone as reference.

A video set to the song, “Carry on” opened the evening. It showcased what people used to imagine about Orlando, with photos of Disney theme parks,and I-4 traffic. Then shots taken outside Pulse of the evening of the attack were replaced with photos of crowds coming together in grief an love culminating in the huge 50,000 strong Lake Eola vigil. The point of course is that we must carry on and let the work see that we are more than a tourists cliche. It was an inspiring vision of we could be without ever forgetting.

We were all ready for some laughs and the huge crew of comedians delivered. What the show real I delivered besides laughs, was joy. The comedy lab only held two other benefits in it’s 25 year history. The first was after 9/11 and the second after hurricane Charlie and his two other companions. The founder of SAK told us about his visit to the memorial outside the Dr, Phillips Center for performing arts. He was seated at one of the tables and there was another woman seated at the same table. He didn’t know her. She reached out her hand, and he took it.  They sat holding hands for 5 minutes an then she left. They never spoke a word. What if this was our everyday Standard behavior? What if we all loved more then we have ever loved before? The world would certainly be a better place.

During the auction, Pepe and another performer said they would match whatever was bid on a dinner for two. The item went for $100 after heated bidding. The event raised $4384.00, SAK matched that amount bringing the total to $8,768.00. After the show, all the performers got on stage for a spontaneous dance party. “I wanna dance with somebody“of course we all got up and joined in. Laughter and Joy bring healing.

Truth or Dare with Pepe!

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As part of the Fringe Theater Festival, Pepe is performing at the Black Venue, known as The Venue (511 Virginia Drive Orlando, FL) owned by Blue Star. Pepe, played by Rob Ward, is a Fringe regular. He speaks with a gregarious, affected Miami accent and does everything with a flair. No expense was spared on the set which consisted of a bubble lamp and his signature red high heeled chair. Pepe always has guest performers and for the first show I saw, they were, Logan Donahoo, Paul Strickland, Adam McCabe, Blue Star and Lady Raptastic who was remote on Skipe.. The guests were shown slides of celebrities and asked to provide cutting commentary. Blue despises Miley Cyrus who was shown with her legs spread wide.  Logan did a hilarious job roasting Madonna.

“Yellow Shots” were offered to the entire audience. His “Shot Boy” only had his underwear on which showcased his large bulge. Pepe came up with the idea of starting a restaurant chain called “Bulges” which would be like a Hooters for gay men. It is a million dollar idea. The jello shots were actually orange but Pepe’s pronunciation changed their color. We all raised the shots as a toast and then the room went silent as everyone sucked down the shots. Consuming one of Pepe’s jello shots is a bit suggestive. You have to stick your tongue out as far as you can, and then slit the tip of your tongue all around the edge of the tiny cup to dislodge the jello from the cup. Then you have to wedge your tongue under the jello to dislodge it from the cup completely. If your tongue is long enough and your licking was thorough enough, the entire mass cap pop into your mouth. I grew self conscious half way into the process and tried to suck the jello down prematurely. The loud sucking noise that resulted was more embarrassing than if I had continues exercising my tongue. The many chunks left behind had to be dislodged with further tongue explorations anyway.

A guest from the audience was asked onto the stage and given the choice of Truth, or Dare. He chose a dare. Pepe had a stack of playing cards and the guest was asked to pick a card. The number on the card would result in the guest having to remove that number of items of clothing. He picked a card with a high number and soon he was standing buck naked with his tight cheeks facing the audience. Everyone went wild. When he turned around, Pepe put the jello shot tray over his privates.

Another performance had Fringe comedians doing improve on stage with Pepe as the MC. As one of the straight performers, Chase Padgett was offered a makeover. He stood behind a small table covered in cosmetics and Chris Dinger stood behind him to act as Chases arms. Chase put his hands in his pockets and Chris slipped his arms under Chases pits. They began by applying a powder which Pepe noted is usually the last step in a makeup regimen. Powder got on Chases T shirt and everywhere else. Red lipstick followed which resulted in a huge Bozo ring of red around Chase’s mouth and on his left nostril. The lipstick went everywhere but on his lips. Eyeliner and mascara followed which resulted in black and blue raccoon eyes. By the end of the session, he looked very much like Judy Garland minus the black gloves and high heels. Everyone was laughing so hard they were crying.

Pepe

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

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

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

Fringe 0pening Night Gala Show

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The Fringe Gala Show was hosted by the Oops Guys, Dennis Giacino and Fiely Matias. They introduced a game show spoof entitled, “Drop your Balls!” This was an adult themed game show, so parents don’t let your children read this post! The five contestants were introduced and they sat in metal folding chairs in a neat line. Each contestant was given a clear nylon sack with several colorful balls. The sacks were tied to the contestants belts and they dangled between their legs. The rules were simple. At the end of the evening, the contestant with the most balls would win.

First in line for the brave contestants was an eating challenge. The challenges included, down that banana, spread the icing, suck a Twinkie or go down on Little Debbie. The first contestant was David Lee who is in the Pulitzer prize winning Fringe show titled, “Thom Paine” in the yellow venue. To find his challenge David had to “Spin the Asian” which involved gently pushing Fiely allowing him to spin in place. When he decided to stop spinning, he announced, “Suck that twinkie!” A chair was bought out to center stage and a plastic drop cloth was spread out on the floor with help from Katie Thayer dressed in a sexy red dress and knee high red leather high heel boots. She turned out to be from the show, “Big Swinging Dick’s Topless Bar and Naked Drag Queen Farting!” a hilarious show written by Carl F. Gauze in the green venue. The twinky was placed on the chair and gentle music began to play with the chirping of birds. David removed the Twinky from its wrapper, then he re-wrapped the twinky theatrically in the drop cloth implying he would only perform the act if it was done safely. He shouted, “This kind of reminds me of a Lucille Ball sketch.” He was awarded two balls for his performance.

Kevin J. Thornton from the show “I Love You, Were Fucked” was given the challenge to, “Down that Banana.” He turned his back to the audience as he gently peeled the banana which he held at his crotch. He then got on his back and lifted his legs and hips touching his toes way above his head. He then lowered his hips until he was able to nip off the tip of the banana. I wasn’t aware a person’s back muscles could stretch that much! The crowd went wild! He was awarded 3 balls.

Rob Gee who is in “Smart Arse” was given the challenge to “Lick that Pie.” He teased the pie by gently tapping it at first with his index finger until the crowd couldn’t take it anymore. He licked the red filling once and then devoured the pie in one ravenous mouth filled, masticating gulp. Lisa Sleeper was the only woman contestant. She plays Sleeping Beauty in “Bitches of the Kingdom” which is a musical satire about the pissed off princess’ of the Disney classics. Lulu Picart sang a song from the show. She plays Mulan. Since I worked so hard on that film with pride, doing so much overtime, I listened intently. The song was lyrical as she sang about how Asian girls are beautiful with those blossoms in their hair. But then she wondered why she was the only princess who didn’t get the guy. She realized she might be a lesbian. Fairy tails might be fine with some Gertrude Stein! Now this was a twist I didn’t expect, but I loved it, as did the audience! So Lisa had to contend with some sloppy banana action, she slipped the peeled banana in and out of her mouth multiple times before she dipped it in whipped cream and took a big ravenous bite. She was awarded two balls.

Pepe, who was there representing for Kids Fringe, was hilarious in every challenge. When asked to demonstrate how to give a flyer to an unsuspecting Fringe patron, Pepe provocatively insisted the audience member grab the flyer from his crotch with their teeth. When it came time for the contestants to count their balls, Pepe’s sack split open spilling all his balls on the stage. When his balls were collected, Pepe was the winner with eight balls.