Fringe: Winning: Winning

Posted on by Thor

Sweet Action Theater Company from Toronto Canada presented Winning: Winning at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. It is a challenge to pigeonhole exactly what defines this show. Gordon explained in the program that it is part magic, 90s acoustic rock along with cupcakes, car crashes dating, piano, dogs, Microsoft PowerPoint and Otomatones. In general, he presented himself as a silentish clown.

Gordon Neill walked on stage with a dog collar cone of shame wearing a wrestling Lycra singlet. On the back stage screen robotic muscle man motivational speaker Tony Robins was taunting Gordon to convince him he was a loser. How do you discover what it means to be a winner? Comedy seemed as good a route to wining as any other.

Every comedic moment was fast paced silly and stupid. When Gordon performed a simple card trick it goes horribly wrong which is hilarious. Don’t expect to be amazed just expect to laugh until it hurts.

Through a series of crazy and very funny bits, Gordon wanted to prove to the audience and himself that he was a winner. For the locals seeing the show, a very funny bit came when the surprised face of a local Fringe Artist, Bobby was flashed on the screen with an arrow and the announcement, that “You slept with my wife!” Another image showed a couple kissing. Bobby was in the audience, and I glanced over when I saw the image. He seemed genuinely surprised.

Bobby was asked to get out of his seat in the audience and get on stage with Gordon. To remedy the embarrassing situation a duel was needed. They stood back-to-back at center stage and then walked ten paces. Since it was a rather small theater, they had to march up and over several rows of seats to finish their 10 paces. It was a hilarious moment. I still don’t know if Bobby was guilty of the accusation, but it resulted in some amazing hilarious comedy.

Eventually the cone of shame came off and I assume from that moment on Gordon was on the road to becoming a winner. The show was laugh out loud funny.

Late in the show Gordon began to speak to the audience. The act of winning was actually an act of struggling to remain sober. Gordon was looking to find validation from within. Performing on piano he was validating his true talent and victory over addiction. The show reminds us that we are all imperfect, human and growing.

Fringe: Colonial Circus – History. Clown Style

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Two2Mango from Toronto Ontario Canada presented Colonial Circus – History. Clown Style at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This was an interactive show that featured two clowns in white face who pretended to be British Colonizers. In an abstract way they walked the audience through the absurdist history of Colonialism.

The stage entrance was a mesmerizing slow procession where the male clown walked slowly on stage wrapped in a red sheet that the female clown held behind him. This made him appear like the prow of a boat. Getting to center stage must have taken 5 minutes or so. Once at the center stage the audience was asked if they had any questions. When someone did eventually ask a question, the two went off stage and began the long laborious procession again. When they asked the audience a question second time, they were visibly upset that they had to go through the motions again. I forgot exactly how many times they went through the procession but it was exhausting and hilarious.

Performers, Shreya Parashar and Sachin Sharma were originally from India before setting in Toronto. Before the pandemic the performers practiced improve comedy, but they soon realized that they love physical comedy which is more universal, in that it doesn’t rely on words to get the point across. The show isn’t really a circus in any way shape or form, but as clowns, the performers managed to mix laughter with deadpan pokes at how the British raped colonies and forcibly replaced deities with Jesus. Audience members were invited on stage and they reenacted a ship sailing across high seas.

One absurd situation followed another. I was laughing out loud, but not exactly sure why. The show tackles the serious topic of colonialism with absurdist humor that pokes fun at what Brits would see as business as usual with a cup of tea. The show offers physical comedy with a political bite which I love.  It didn’t just offer laughs, but also made the audience think.

Fringe: The S#it

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Can’t Stand Sitting from Toronto Canada presented The S#it at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The show opened with writer-star Matti McLean seated on a stool half naked. The stool was meant to stand in for a toilet. This hard edged solo show was a perfect fit for the venue of Ten10Brewing. It was a small venue for a cramped bathroom setting.

A passionate romance had turned sour leading not only to  loss of passion but a deep resentment. The toilet was in a apartment with little to no privacy. This historic bowel movement was happening just feet from where his partner was seated.

Part comedy and part gut wrenching confession the audience was taken along for the ride as the honeymoon period flickered out between the seated protagonist and his partner in the next room. Although they were pulling apart there was still comfort in being close to someone who knew every quirk of personality. How can you let go of someone when you are both so close? Were they better off apart or could the rift be healed? All of this existential though occurred while seated on the royal porcelain throne.

I always root for the underdog and hope that love with find a way. But sometimes even when the love is still there, the passion flickers out as people move apart. Just like a long exhausting s#it there can be some relief and even bliss when it is all over and the bowl is flushed.

The explicit nudity in the show reinforced that we are all exposed when we are deep in a relationship. Sensuality isn’t always pretty but being truly understood and accepted is so rare that it is hard to let go once it is found.

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.