Here Be Dragons
Here Be Dragons
By Stephen Miller
Utmost Productions
Pink Venue, Orlando International Theater Fringe Festival, Orlando, FL</strong>
The never-ending Gay Atheist vs. Heterosexual Fundamentalist argument forms the heart and soul of this well executed but unconvincing drama. Daniel (David Almeida) falls asleep in a seedy Texas fleabag hotel, and wakes up in an old roommate’s living room buck naked and in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It’s either a Miracle of God or one of Stephen Hawking’s cosmic worm holes. By now Tom (Todd Alan Long) has sworn off boys, married a good woman Leslie (Marcie Schwalm), and converted to Christianity. He’s happy enough, but the unexpected surprise of a naked man on the couch gets everyone upset. Rather than consider the oddity of their situation, they launch into one of those Fox News style point / counterpoint arguments over whether God exists and sends gays to hell, or whether He doesn’t exist but created gays anyway, just to annoy the Christians.
The set is simple and the acting up to snuff, but in this U. P. living room, both parties will die before they change their opinions one millimeter. We’re immersed in a world of villains desperately seeking a Good Guy and neither “Live and Let live” or “Love One Another” are in evidence. There’s some interesting use of cartography as a metaphor for ideologues lost in thiee own ideology, and some gratuitous nudity, but it’s not enough to save the story. If you’re in either choir and want a well acted sermon, this is your show.
This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/</a</em>>
