Winter Fringe 2019 (Continued)
The Orlando Shakespeare Theater
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January 10 to 13, 2019
Orlando, FL
And a few more:
The Bald Soprano (Anti-Play) There was an unfortunate theatrical movement in the post war era; it spawned shows they were better to discusses than sit through. One of those Surrealists was Eugène Ionesco whose “Bald Soprano” takes the stage under the helm of Anti-Play. The Smith’s spend a quiet evening at home, only to be interrupted by the Martins. They pick on the maid, think about eating dinner, and make commentary on the smug, post war American middle-class culture. High points, such as they are, include the Fire Chief playing heavy metal air guitar, the drag strip show by Mrs. Smith, and the Maid’s snarky comments. It’s worth seeing, not only because the production is cleverly executed, but the experience gives you theatrical bragging rights.
Into the Meta (The Thing Is… Productions) welcomes you to the cyber future where you brain is directly connected to the net and its persistent sex robots. Out narrator takes a break from all his teenage on-line porn sites and meets a real girl who is promptly kidnapped by cyber terrorists. He’s off to the rescue, even if it means breaking the internet and destroying society. There’s plenty of tension, even if the Max headroom video graphs get rather loud. Sexual themes, as you would expect, but no more explicit than a good cable network would allow.
Kafka and Son (Theaturtle) This show drew a strong split between male and female opinions. Guys generally loved this, while women were much cooler towards the story. Kafka writes a letter to his domineering father as he’s too intimidated to tell him off to his face. Dad ran a business, took not guff, and prided himself on strength, endurance and the sort of bitter irony that characterizes Jewish businessmen. Young Kafka lacked physical strength, lacked stamina, and was totally cowed by dear old dad. I sympathize completely; , he pretty much nailed my early years. It’s one man show lit by two small spots on the stage lip. A wire cage and a wire fence and a spare bed frame set the stage while layers of black feathers cover the set. The text comes from Kafka’s “Letter to Father”, where in the recently emancipated Kafka writes a rather whiney letter to dad, spelling out his grievances and his weak solutions. While the Kafka’s weak Judaism flavors the story; it’s not an ethnic thing, but the sort if fights that have gone on forever. Guy, get out and see this, but don’t expect any sympathy from your distaff friends.
La Baker Cabaret (Dynamite Lunchbox Productions) Local sensation Tymisha Harris brings us a workshop version of her next Josephine Baker show, backed by a three-piece band and breezy style. Her song book picks and chooses from Baker’s hits and lesser-known numbers. This will all be staged “for real” at Theater West End in the near future, It’s always nice to get a cook’s tour of up-coming shows, and whether she’s teasing the audience or singing for the Queen of England, Ms. Harris is a great talent with plenty of material to display it with.
Mark Toland: Mind Reader (Mark Toland) Mr. Toland returns with his slick and savvy mentalist show. He reads your mind, but never probes those dark corners you worry about revealing. He sticks to a clean and funny patter, predicts what you do for a living, and guesses two-digit numbers that have two odd digits. Accompanying him is his faithful side kick, Puppet Mark who helps pick the volunteers in the audience. He’s fast and funny, and the show is squeaky clean. Fun for everyone old enough to count!
