2023 Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival
Orlando, Florida • May 16-29, 2023
by Carl F. Gauze
The last of our coverage wraps up this year’s Fringe.
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The City Beautiful: A Live Band Burlesque Musical
Cheesy Pizza Productions
Sure, Orlando is all the rage, now that the forces of morality are attacking sock puppets, but where did this town in the middle of a Florida swamp come from? That’s the question answered tonight in this chaotic, yet award-winning tale of generally accurate history. Today Orlando shines bright as an island of progress, but in the old days we hear about a Black man murdered for the audacity of attempting to vote. We explore how Orlando grew from a mosquito-infested orange grove to a mosquito-infested mega city. The local angle helps, they offer competing explanations as to where the name “Orlando” comes from, and while it’s hard to make out some of the words, the evening is a blast if you love hearing how this sweat-soaked sinkhole of a town came to be.
Let Me See Your Booty: The Return of Sharktooth Sam
Sharktooth Sam
It’s G-rated pirate fun! Sharktooth Sam is out searching for booty on the high seas. His assistant (Sara Lockhart) runs errands and sings backup, and the entire spectacle is played for camp with every pirate trope set out and hoisted up the yard arm. Its a silly, fun, bubbly evening of salty gags, sword play, and eye-patch drag. Its also a great singalong piece, and like all good pirates, no one expects you to be on key.
The Great & Powerful Tim: Magic Tonight
The Great & Powerful Tim
I saw this as a preview show, and The Great and Powerful Tim did not have all of his Great and Powerful Props, which can make a magic act feel a bit thin. But Tim soldiered on, as a Fringe trouper ought to, and he read minds, pulled audience members out of a hat, and did amaze and amuse me, even if it wasn’t for the reason he planned. Whether you like magic or not, it’s hard not to like Tim, whatever power level he is set on today.
Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You!
Linnea Bond
Fringe festivals are a great place to work out your personal problems. And that includes medical conundrums. This one-woman show runs the full gamut of horrible medical problems, but she survives to tell the tale in a funny, heartwarming and occasionally horrific personal testimony. There is a sad element here, one of missed opportunity and abuse, but it all pulls together to make a real-life story seem a bit bigger than reality.
Bullock and the Bandits: Back in the Saddle
Ant Farm Productions and Susan Jacome Turner
Local theater maven David Lee returns with a well-constructed tale of western-influenced tunes. The music is excellent Americana set in a generic Wild West barroom. The room is filled with smoke and the announcer creepy, but the tunes are solid country, delivered with just the right amount of equine odors: none.
Femmillennial
Kylie Thompson Dance
I always try to see a few dance shows, mostly because they are so idiosyncratic and interesting. Here, three dancers run, leap, and roll on the floor to tell a visual story I can can’t decode. But they work hard, do impossible maneuvers with their bodies, and end up sweaty and sore. I chatted with them afterwards, and all we could agree upon is “this is darn cool but I can’t explain why.” From the stereotypical rolls, leaps ,and twists, these three young women fling themselves on the Blue Venue plywood. That’s got to hurt, and bone damage cannot be ruled out.
Nashville Hurricane
Chase Padgett
Chase Padgett continues to refine this one-man show about an accidental musician who becomes famous under an exploitive manager. The manager keeps him locked up as he trains the boy to become the next Elvis. But the musician is miserable, and eventually escapes when a building catches fire. It’s tense, heartwarming, and a cautionary tale of how the entertainment industry is about as nice the slave trade. An A+ show, do not miss it.
