As of Wednesday May 21st, 7 days into and 5 days left at the 2014 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival , these are the show I have seen so far and my ratings for each. See my write up of the Fringe National/International Preview show too.
Tappin' and Yappin' - 5 stars
This is an entertaining show, with singing, humorous dialogue and some tap dancing, hence the name of the show. It's a 2 person performance, with a piano player, who doesn't speak at all but projects plenty of humor, and the singer/dancer, who steals the show with her wit. Expect some audience participation and special guests to show up too!
Plenty of gay and humorous references in this one. This is an adult play, with one funny line after the other. Travel back in time 40 years or so, and back to the present, as the nephew of 2 sisters who performed at Weeki Wachee, meet up, to reveal the skeletons in their closet!
A fun, energetic modern rock rendition of the life of Andrew Jackson. Plenty of humor in this one. It will get you thinking of how we perceive historical events. You're sure to be a critic of history after this one.
This is a must see show! Vote for Jackson!
A one man show that will keep you captivated the whole time. This is mostly a dramatic modern retelling of Homer's ancient Greek tragedy The Iliad, with some humor thrown in. There are some references to historical events since the Iliad was written, up until modern times, providing some comparison between war then and war through the ages up to the present.
As much as I like to see comedy and fun shows at Fringe, I need to throw in something serious to balance it out, and this was definitely the show to see!
I'll start of by saying that at times the humor in this was corny, but fun at the same time. If you've seen Escape from New York in the 80's, this is a comedic parody of that, but in the Baldwin Park neighborhood located in the City of Orlando (I actually live in this neighborhood).
If you are from Central Florida and/or have been to Baldwin Park, then you have to check this out. Out of town fringers probably won't get most of this play. There are a lot of local Orlando references, some of which you would only recognize if you've lived here for at least 4 or 5 years.
I want to give them 5 stars, but I feel like they went over some history lessons too fast. Especially as they approached modern times and how Prohibition affected small craft brewers, up to the present times where they are making a big comeback. Yes, it is called a Brief History of Beer and they only had 60 minutes to explain it to us.
I really enjoyed their set. A time machine that takes you back to pre-historic times, through history and up to today. Their personalities were pristine and made me want to have a pint with them. And if it wasn't so late on a Saturday, I'd have accepted their invitation to the crowd, to join them at BART for a beer.
Papa squats store of sorts - 3 Stars
I couldn't relate much to this one. That's just me, because most in the crowd seemed to enjoy it and stayed about to praise him. Being a Northerner, some of the references alluded me.
This is a one man show, with singing, guitar playing and storytelling.
Donating Sperm to My Sister's Wife - 5 stars
My head was hurting from all the laughing I did at this one. Stewart Huff gave a great comedic performance, with some shocking revelations!
Jekyll N' Hyde- a rap musical - 5 stars
I originally didn't want to see this and I'm so glad I did. A musical retelling of the classic Jekyll N' Hyde. Great dramatic theater, mixed with dance, rapping and beautiful singing.
REINCARNATION SOUP - 4 Stars
What happens after you die and you're standing in line waiting for you next assignment on earth? A retelling of each soul's life, from a Vietnamese perspective.
Việt Nguyễn does a great job in this 1 person show, where he plays multiple characters, all Vietnamese.
Marathon - 5 stars
Inspirational fun. Lots of inspirational or motivational gurus some times come out as being too perfect. TJ Dawe intertwines a story of a high school track meet, with an inspirational journey of how he's trying to improve himself by learning about his different personalities, while at the same time saying that he's only human and no body is perfect. Did I say he was inspirational?
This is a must see, especially if you want to learn more about yourself!
Future Shows
Shows I plan to see during the rest of fringe:
- My Brooklyn hamlet
- Taking Out The White Trash
- Camino Flamenco
- The Aqua Saga
- Chase & Stacey present: Joyride
- The All New Nashville Hurricane
- The Surprise, by Martin Dockery
- Genie and Audrey's Dream Show
- 20Nothing
- Smooch
- Ibex Puppetry: FLIGHT: A Crane's Story
- Ship happens - not exactly love boat
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