Oral

Posted on by Thor

I was delighted when Hannah Kugelmann the author of “Oral” contacted me. She first thought of the concept for this play while she was attending UCF. The show was first introduced to Fringe audiences in 2006 where it won “Best Fringe Newbie.” The play began with Lindsay Cohen taking a thick piece of chalk and writing fellatio on the blackboard. Turning toward the audience she described the derivation of the word and then described the process of giving head in delightful detail. She stroked the thick stick of chalk absentmindedly as she spoke. I maneuvered the sketchbook onto my lap. She described a two fisted process of alternating hand movements that I am certain I have never experienced.

Each member of the cast would come out and write their own word of choice on the blackboard to begin their thoughts about oral sex. Though some scenes were a bit clinical, the open dialogue began to unravel the underlying importance of intimacy in relationships. A man came out and began a long argument about how he felt accepted when a woman swallowed. He punctuated his discussion with a sad face spitting and a happy face licking it’s lips for swallowing. The misunderstandings and confusion that men and women have on the subject showed how difficult it can be to satisfy a partner if the subject isn’t discussed. Brian Feldman walked across the stage at an arbitrary moment and several audience members clapped.

In the one scene where oral sex is simulated under the cover of sheets, the woman came up for air when she was done, and became annoyed when her partner praised her for her technique. The argument escalated until the man finally offered some advice. She was suddenly complacent and they cuddled in bed. He then started offering another suggestion, but she stopped him saying, “Don’t push your luck.” Who knew that an hour spent talking about oral sex could be so funny, educational and uncover so much about our underlying emotional needs. This was a delightful production that left me thinking… Why is it I have never … , no I don’t think I’ll go there. But I might have intimacy issues.

Hench Bots

Posted on by Thor

Some thought it couldn’t be done. Dog Powered Robot was an instant flash fire hit at last year’s Fringe. Back then the show was just three minutes long. Every night it won an award that said it would make a great full length Fringe show. Tons of dedicated hard work went into making the show a runaway hit at this year’s Fringe. Now there is a small army of new robots all built from cardboard yet seeming high tech on a shoe string budget. It’s the simplicity that continues to give DPR it’s charm. In this sketch, “No Bones” lies on his flaccid bean bag chair. His delicate inflated ego needs constant re-enforcement from his two “Hench Bots” who were programed to offer constant praise and adulation. They weren’t designed with legs however so they move on simple coaster wheels using their robotic arms for propulsion.

In one magical sequence in the play, a simple overhead projector shows transparencies that animate YouTube pop cultural viral clips. I was laughing uncontrollably when “Keyboard Cat” started tickling the ivories. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breath. You could see the operator’s fingers as he moved the transparencies to animate the cat’s paws and pink head. But this is just one example. I laughed just as hard throughout the rehearsal. These two bickering “Hench Bots” played off each other like Laurel and Hardy but with metallic voices and endless robotic charm.

When Dog Powered Robot finally appears, the epic robotic battle still has an adorable humor to it because Fisher, the dog nestled inside the chest of Dog Powered Robot, steals the show. The show is cleverly written and expertly directed yet there is a playful quality that come’s out in rehearsals and is sure to hit the stage. I can imagine flash mobs across the country breaking out and doing the Dog Powered Robot Ddddance!

5/26 THU 7:40PM
5/27 FRI 6:40PM
5/29 SUN 1:25PM

Anne Frank & Me

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As part of ArtsFest I decided to go to the Orlando Repertory Theater to see Anne Frank & Me. At the box office I asked about ArtsFest free tickets and I was put on a waiting list. I stood around with six or seven other people waiting. If the performance sold out, we wouldn’t get a seat. Soon enough I was called back to the box office and given a ticket. The young ticket taker at the theater door abandoned his post when his family arrived and he went in with them to be seated. Since there was no one to take my ticket, I wandered in and found a seat. The seats were perhaps half full.

The play started out in Nicole’s bedroom as she and her girlfriends practiced dance moves for an upcoming high school dance. The girls discuss Anne Frank’s diary which is required reading at school. Nicole’s mom believed that the horrors of Nazi concentration camps must be blown out of proportion. Nicole lets slip the fact that she has a crush on a boy at school. The other girls tease her. The scene is frivolous and care free. At the school dance this boy pulled her aside to talk. She anticipated his declaration of love, but instead he asked her if she thinks her girlfriend likes him. He asks Nicole to be a buddy and find out. Crushed, she runs across the road without looking and ends up being struck by a car.

What followed is a cross between Back to the Future and the Wizard of Oz. She woke up in Paris 1942. Her family is now Jewish and fearful of the Nazi invasion. Ultimately her family has to go into hiding. The boy she had a crush on ends up giving away her family’s hiding place. They were shoved into a packed cattle car heading to Auschwitz and she meets Anne Frank face to face. The final scenes are gruesome and tear jerking. Fierce spotlights blazed through the cattle car doors directly into the audiences eyes. Angry German guards shouted and pushed. The ten year old girls seated near me were curled up in a fetal position. This was a hard hitting play that left my nerves frazzled. The past never leaves us and we must bear witness to never allow prejudice and cruelty to gain a foothold.

Cat Women of the Moon

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Hannah Miller, is performing in the Fringe show, Cat Women of the Moon. I gave her a call the week before Fringe to see if I could get a sketch of the first dress rehearsal. The rehearsal took place at the director, Les Caufield’s, home. The primitive stage was set up outside in his screened in porch area right in front of the pool. There was a flurry of activity as everyone got into costumes and props were set in place. All the astronauts sit on garbage cans. The interior of the space ship is represented by three panels with crudely painted buttons and dials.

Hannah plays Helen Slater and she is having a romance with all three of the male crew members. She leads the crew off course and right into the clutches of the Cat Women of the Moon. The Cat Women control Helen with a glowing hand held device. The evil plot of the Cat Women is to take over the Earth and keep only a few men as sex slaves and pets. I wasn’t a fan of the play, but perhaps women will get a secret pleasure watching men walked on stage with a leash and told to kneel.

The acting in the play is in no way subtle. This is intended as a fun, campy, musical riot but more often than not the humor and songs fall flat. When Helen is attacked by a giant moon spider, the audience is invited to pull a string in the program which will heighten the virtual experience. The program also had 3D glasses for the more in depth and dramatic scenes.

Most of the cast are high school students this being there first major theatrical experience. That excitement is contagious, but in the end the production is never elevated above a high school production. If you want to experience some strange overacted, campy fun, check out this show in the Green Venue (Rep Theater) at the Fringe.

Sunday May 23, 1:10 PM

Tuesday May 25, 10:30 PM

Thursday May 27, 5:15 PM

Friday May 28 11:40 PM

Saturday May 29 7:55 PM

Toast to Elizabeth Maupin at the Rep

Posted on by Thor

I bought some potato salad, macaroni salad and soda and headed down to the Orlando Reperatory Theater in Lock Haven Park for the toast to former Orlando Theater critic Elizabeth Maupin. When I pulled into the parking lot, Elizabeth was just getting out of her car so for once my timing was perfect. When I got inside I was directed as to where I should place my food items. I wandered the room wondering where I should situate myself for a sketch. I spoke for a while with actor, Alan Gallant, who had played Orson Wells in “War of the Worlds.” I learned a bit about what it is like to try and make a living in this town as an actor. I then spoke with Zac Alfson who was just back from NYC where he attended a marketing workshop. A woman stood on the small makeshift stage and shouted “Start eating!” I admired her directness and kind of wish politicians could be that straight forward and to the point.
When I saw where Elizabeth was going to sit, I decided to go up to the second floor balcony so I could get a good overhead view of the whole scene. The railing was too high for me to see over with simply my stool. So I pulled up a chair then put my stool on top of it. This high precarious perch gave me an overall view of the proceedings. She can be seen in the lower right hand corner of my sketch with her husband and three other men. As everyone was eating, I finished up the initial line work. Brian Feldman walked in with his marquee sign. He saw me up on the balcony with hand signs, he asked me where to place it. When he found the right spot, I gave him a thumbs up. He went to the men’s room and while he was gone, someone took it upon themselves to rotate the sign towards the front door. When he came back in, he looked up at me with a “what the f…) expression. I gave a hand rotation signal and he rotated the sign back so I could see. Zac came upstairs to see how my sketch was going. He asked if he was in it, and I hadn’t sketched him. I told him if he socialized in the center section of the room, I would put him in the sketch. So he is in the sketch, twice actually, once standing and also seated.
When performers took to the stage I was adding washes. One song in particular was really heart warming, I wrote down the only note for the night, “Where’s the challenge if you never try?” Another song spoke about how we meet certain people in our life who help us grow. My mind wandered and I reflected on the good friends I have met since I have started sketching theater productions. I felt a warm connection to this theater community. Or, as Margaret Nolan said in a Facebook status update, “The evening had a great energy and was full of heart and soul. Just what the world needs!”