The Surprise
The Surprise
By Martin Dockery
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, Yellow Venue</strong>
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I swear, this guy could make a bestselling Fringe show about going to Publix for a loaf of bread and some milk. But he’s got better material than that, his wanderlust takes him all over the world and wherever he goes, something exotic and interesting overcomes him. On this tale, we learn about his father, dad divorced and remarried in another world. Dockery has never been terribly close but feels a need to visit dear old dad. It’s not that they’re not on good terms, it’s just his family like so many refuses to acknowledge anything awkward and they can talk for hours, never touching on the point at hand. Dockery and his girlfriend are headed to Angkor Wat to check out the temple and have some spiritualism rub off on them, and along the way he discovers facts about this girl friend and facts about his dad are upsetting and life changing, but not ALL bad. Along the way we hear about the tortures the North Vietnamese provided to the southern country men, and the scars of that war are long from healing. Dockery doesn’t just TELL stories, he acts them out though voice and motion and emotion, he’s the guy you hope to get stuck next to on a long flight across country.
This production is part of the 2014 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival. Information on tickets and show times may be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/