Onwards! presented by Big Empty Barn Productions from Montreal Canada starred Bremner Fletcher Duthie who sang and played instruments while telling stories. Around the stage were a series of lamps which could be activated with foot switches. Each of his variety acts would require different lighting which he initiated with taps of his toes.
Bremner was tires of auditions. Auditions require an actor to want to fill the role of what someone else requires of them. He reenacted an audition of some insipid ad campaign to comedic effect. At first he delivered the line fairly straight. Then when asked to show more enthusiasm he overacted the line with operatic bravado. It was hilarious but at the audition he was told to get off the stage.
Fringe helped him realize that he didn’t need to wait for someone else to offer a role that might not fit his personality, but instead he could perform for himself. In a world that increasingly relies on robotic messaging it is more important than ever to remain human and chart your own course. The show had the flavor of an old time vaudeville act.
I couldn’t find any one theme that tied together all the acts but it seemed like Bremner was having wild sweaty fun, so I gladly went along for the ride.
Remaining show times for Onwards! Big Empty Barn Productions Montreal Canada. Yellow Venue in the Shakes. Rated 18 and up. Tickets are $15. Be sure to get a Fringe button for entry.
Saturday May 23, 8:30pm
Sunday May 24, 7:35pm
The Scarlet venue at the Orlando International Fringe Festival seemed too large for The Black Jack Show. I suspect the puppeteer is used to performing for one or two people at a time. Jack and Black are two hand puppets that host a variety show that included torch songs, shadow puppets, a dog, a vampire comedian, a lion dance and two white gloves that performed between acts.
Queer! Celebrates Latinx Queer resilience at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. The cast, each in turn, tells stories if growing up and feeling different that those around them. One female even conformed and lived the life of a mom. Deep down she knew she was stifling who she really was. Some stories were told through music, movement and projections. Some were spoken word which often resonates with me.
This post is sponsored by a very delicious mango flavored prosecco consumed on the Green Lawn of Fabulousness that left me floating in a wide zig zag pattern across the lawn not sure if my feet were touching the ground.
The New Players Company of Oviedo Florida presents MacSchrek: The Comedy of Orgres. This at this years Orlando International Fringe Festival. was a fun parody that mixes Shakespeare with the animated feature film Schrek. The combination is hilarious. If you are well versed in Shakespeare you will laugh at the comedic rewrites of his classic lines. If you have no clue who Shakespeare is you will laugh at the comedic timing and fast paced staging.
The very first Orlando International Fringe Show I saw this year was with local Orlando legend Chase Padgett at the Renaissance Theater. The Renaissance has had a crazy year with the City of Orlando insisting it close while renovations were done to bring all aspects of the venue up to code. Over the course of renovations, the venue stayed afloat only through donations and a few shows staged at other venues. This was my first time returning to the venue and in my humble opinion the sound system is spectacular. 
In the second pass at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater poster for Henry VI Part 2: She Wolf of France, I removed the mail hood that made her had look cylindrical. If I wanted to make it clear this warrior was a woman, I needed to let her hair flow. The armor was changed to me nor angular and chiseled in look. Putting a sharp edge across the chest made it clear that a woman’s anatomy would fit and it also added a hint of pride.