Orlando Fringe Festival 2018 – Prevue Day 3
Orlando, Florida
Moth – Red Venue
There’s a lot of singing in this almost 1-person play; a young man grows up a little odd, comes out in his teens, and ends up miserable. The enthusiasm on stage is high but the song stylings seem more like a composer’s sing-through than a finished number. But there’s a happy ending, and feather boas.
Callbacks – Brown Venue
Two guys are the only auditioners for a cheesy theme park show about Lewis and Clark. They get the job, become close friends, and when one of them falls into a personal abyss, the other pulls him back to reality. Fun, funny, and spirited, there’s comedy gold in the mercury-laced story of America’s two greatest explorers.
13 Dead Dreams of “Eugene” – Paul Strickland Pink Venue
Paul Strickland keeps to his surreal roots with this existential ghost story. Back in the 50’s a dead man is found in a ditch in small town Ohio. He’s put on display but now no one wants to talk about it. People start having weird dreams, and everyone has the SAME dreams. Flashlights and scrims add atmosphere, and Strickland admits at the end “We have no idea how to market this show.” Go see it, it’s the “fringiest” thing at the festival
Amok Monologues: All Pucked Up – Emil Amok Guillermo – Blue Venue
It’s a Philippine – American success story: Born of immigrant parents, Guillermo gets into Harvard and becomes an announcer for NPR. Along the way he discusses discrimination, the American Dream, and how exactly to pronounce his last name. It’s a one man show with a really annoying gong and a satisfying conclusions.
Dammit, Jim! I’m A Comedienne, Not a Doctor! – Polly Ester – Purple Venue
Star Trek and alcoholism bookend this woman’s experience. She began with an abusive film – obsessed husband, fell into drink, and then met the man of her dreams at a Star Trek convention. They’ve binge watch every Trek video out there including the Animated series which sounds like a sort of problem by itself. But now there’s a meaning and focus of her life, and she’s brought her tale of recovery to us in this star sparkled venue.
Kevin king of Egypt – Yellow Venue
Rob Gee spent a while working in a mental ward, and now he turns that material into comedy gold. Tonight, we meet a guy who tries arguing his way out of the mental ward only to did in deeper. But an opportunity arises, and he grabs it leading us on a wild chase through London as aims to escape to Egypt. Along the way he rescues a lost girl, makes a cabby happy, and impersonates a police officer. Don’t try this at home, you’re not crazy enough to pull it off. But Rob Gee rocks it with this performance.
