Fringe: Gay Chorus

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Besides all the theater performances at the Orlando International Fringe Festival there are real gems to be found for free at the outdoor stage. Between shows I stumbled upon the Orlando Gay Chorus. I heard them as I was looking for a food truck, but thoughts of food drifted away, and I walked towards the music.

After the Pulse nightclub shooting, I heard the gay chorus perform many times. Seated in front of me where sign language interpreters and solo singers who later f=got up to signor sing. One singer got herself ready backstage for her solo performance with the whole chorus as backup.

There was also some exuberant dancing in front of the stage which was well choreographed. The conductor who has pulled this group together as a powerhouse singing group is unfortunately moving on soon. Hopefully his replacement will understand the legacy and keep inspiring this group to new heights.

The bottom line is that I had a fabulous time hearing the Gay Chorus again. Their harmonies feel as strong as ever and the added movement of the dance routines was an added bonus. A few weeks after Fringe ended, I saw the Gay Chorus again at the United Methodist Church in Downtown Orlando. It was the 10 year anniversary since the Pulse Nightclub shooting and they sang at a memorial service. Their rendition of Everybody’s Got a Pulse was transcendent and so needed in our times of division and hatred.

Fringe: Winning: Winning

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Sweet Action Theater Company from Toronto Canada presented Winning: Winning at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. It is a challenge to pigeonhole exactly what defines this show. Gordon explained in the program that it is part magic, 90s acoustic rock along with cupcakes, car crashes dating, piano, dogs, Microsoft PowerPoint and Otomatones. In general, he presented himself as a silentish clown.

Gordon Neill walked on stage with a dog collar cone of shame wearing a wrestling Lycra singlet. On the back stage screen robotic muscle man motivational speaker Tony Robins was taunting Gordon to convince him he was a loser. How do you discover what it means to be a winner? Comedy seemed as good a route to wining as any other.

Every comedic moment was fast paced silly and stupid. When Gordon performed a simple card trick it goes horribly wrong which is hilarious. Don’t expect to be amazed just expect to laugh until it hurts.

Through a series of crazy and very funny bits, Gordon wanted to prove to the audience and himself that he was a winner. For the locals seeing the show, a very funny bit came when the surprised face of a local Fringe Artist, Bobby was flashed on the screen with an arrow and the announcement, that “You slept with my wife!” Another image showed a couple kissing. Bobby was in the audience, and I glanced over when I saw the image. He seemed genuinely surprised.

Bobby was asked to get out of his seat in the audience and get on stage with Gordon. To remedy the embarrassing situation a duel was needed. They stood back-to-back at center stage and then walked ten paces. Since it was a rather small theater, they had to march up and over several rows of seats to finish their 10 paces. It was a hilarious moment. I still don’t know if Bobby was guilty of the accusation, but it resulted in some amazing hilarious comedy.

Eventually the cone of shame came off and I assume from that moment on Gordon was on the road to becoming a winner. The show was laugh out loud funny.

Late in the show Gordon began to speak to the audience. The act of winning was actually an act of struggling to remain sober. Gordon was looking to find validation from within. Performing on piano he was validating his true talent and victory over addiction. The show reminds us that we are all imperfect, human and growing.

Fringe: World Peace Through Humor: A German 101

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Pace Erhard / German Comedy International from Brooklyn New York,  presented World Peace Through Humor: A German 101 at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Since I had just returned from a sketching trip in Germany I was certainly interested. I had learned enough German through Duo Lingo to order food and find a bathroom.

Pace presented a feel good comedy show that inspired connection. The overall theme of this show is that we all should learn from different cultures and perspectives, instead of relying on systemic division. He manages to paint the systemic decay in world politics with humor and a personal perspective from his world travels.

I often got a earful from Germans when they discovered I was an American sketching their home town.  Pace’s show was a joy for me since my mindset is still in Europe and defeating fascists. Pace’s mindset isn’t about defeating any particular culture or party but joking with them to find common ground. In today’s divided times his approach is refreshing.  World leaders and politicians could learn a thing or two about laughing instead of feeling the need to persecute.

Combine German efficiency and American excess and you might have a combination to laugh about. This was a fun one man show.

Fringe: Flashlight Cabaret

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The Orlando Fringe from Orlando Florida presented Flashlight Cabaret at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This was a variety show where Fringe artists presented unique songs and skits never seen before. Each act was lit only by the flashlights held by every member of the audience. This was a challenge to draw but a fun night to say the least.

Waiting to enter the show it seemed like the performers gathered and came up with their bits moments before the doors opened. It was fun and exuberant chaos. Since I was sketching, my flashlight helped illuminate the sketch while I worked. I am usually concerned that my lighting up the sketch might be distracting for other audience members around me but in this case, everyone had a flashlight, so all bets were off. With so many performers doing so many different bits, it was hard to decide what to sketch. No single moment would suffice.

There were some songs performed which was expected, but there was also burlesque, some truly Shakespearean monologues and at one point as I sketched, I was blinded when toilet paper which was blown in my face with a leaf blower.

Being in a dark room where every person in the audience projects their light center stage is truly a magical experience.

Fringe: Against Her Wishes

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So What? Who Cares? Productions from Orlando Florida presented Against Her Wishes at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Emily Fontano the writer, director and star of the one woman show welcomed the audience to her mother Janet’s funeral. Janet had specifically stipulated in her will that there should not be a funeral but instead a dinner with friends. Family had other plans and now the packed audience were welcome to the funeral.

A slideshow of Janet’s life was projected on a screen but I was one of the last to enter and I could not see the screen from my angle. The whole show was a eulogy.  Emily spoke fondly of her mother but did not present her as a perfect angel. She outlines the highlights of her mother’s life with affection and honestly not every moment was perfect. Because of her flaws and exuberance for life, I fell in love with the woman we were all there to celebrate. The funeral wasn’t a sober affair. There was dancing and music, some of the songs had been picked by the deceased. Emily presented us all with humor and sadness.

I really liked the premise for the show. At a funeral you often learn more about a person than you ever do with a casual meeting. Art is often created to celebrate lives lost. This show was filled with laughter and joy as well as a feeling of loss. After hearing Emily talk about her mom in detail, I felt I began to know them both a little better.

I absolutely loved the show. It made me reflect on all I could say about those that I miss deeply.

Against Her Wishes won Patron Pick in the Brown Venue and had an extended run. The show won an award for Solo Show — Comedy.

Fringe: Letters in Need

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Phoenix Tears Productions from Haines City Florida presented Letters in Need at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In a corner of the Family Theater lobby near the Silver Venue, a small post office box station with a barred teller window was set up. This was an ongoing 1 on 1 performance which allowed individual audience members to request and give help on a small community-based scale. The goal was for the audience member to sort the need and deliver the help. Since this was a one-on-one interactive performance, I wouldn’t be able to sketch and also sort letters. I had to watch from afar.

I happened to go when Orlando Weekly theater reviewer Seth Kubersky attended the performance. I was sketching from a crowded theater lobby and could only catch snippets of what was going on behind the post office boxes. I had just rented a post office box for the first time in Downtown Orlando since I was bouncing around between Air B&B’s while Fringe was happening. Since my life was upended, I really identified with the premise of this installation.

Mary Hosford designed the antique looking postmaster station on casters. Hillary Shurtleff acted as the United Support Processing Service postmaster. She showed Seth letters from lonely members of the community that were in need. He worked with her to find someone local who could fill that need. That makes it sound like this was a dating service, but it was rather about finding nuts and bolts practical help like lawn service of fixing a faucet.

I could only see Seth’s ear and a bit of Hillary head and shoulders through the bars, so I cannot vouch for what exactly was accomplished. Based on Seth’s review, I should say the experience must have been uplifting and worked in a way we all wish a well governed community should work.

With his signature handlebar mustache, Matti McLean,  the writer and performer of The S#it was handing out cards to his show as Letters in Need wrapped up.

Fringe: Solovella, An Improvised Solo Telenovela

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Daine Jorge from Plantation Florida Presented Solovela, An Improvised Solo Telenovela at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. Daine played all the parts in a hilarious take on the over the top drama of a televised soap opera. Before the improve performance got underway, two members of the audience were pulled up on stage for a quick interview. Small details from their life were then threaded into the Telenovela performance.

To switch between characters Daine would use an assortment of fun props like an eyepatch, glasses and even a fake beard. A portable hanging rack carried any quick costume changes needed from furs to leather. Part of the absolute joy of the performance came from her unbridled Tasmanian devil level of energy. When the heroine is showcased in a romantic scene a fan was used to allow her hair to sensually blow in the wind. The absolute campiness is what made each scene play so hilariously. When Diane cuts to s new scene, she threw up a fist full of flower pedals as a way to transition to the next romantic morsel.

With Daine taking on so many characters, there were so many tempting moments I would have liked to capture but there was only one sketch page, so I limited myself to only sketching her twice. The keyboard player offered all the dramatic music needed to spice up the absurd Telenovela romance and drama. If you have come to expect spicy romance from a Spanish themed Telenovela, then Diane offered that is spades with tons of laughter.

I met the performer several times between shows and the whirlwind of energy and gratitude follows her everywhere she goes.

Fringe: Colonial Circus – History. Clown Style

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Two2Mango from Toronto Ontario Canada presented Colonial Circus – History. Clown Style at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. This was an interactive show that featured two clowns in white face who pretended to be British Colonizers. In an abstract way they walked the audience through the absurdist history of Colonialism.

The stage entrance was a mesmerizing slow procession where the male clown walked slowly on stage wrapped in a red sheet that the female clown held behind him. This made him appear like the prow of a boat. Getting to center stage must have taken 5 minutes or so. Once at the center stage the audience was asked if they had any questions. When someone did eventually ask a question, the two went off stage and began the long laborious procession again. When they asked the audience a question second time, they were visibly upset that they had to go through the motions again. I forgot exactly how many times they went through the procession but it was exhausting and hilarious.

Performers, Shreya Parashar and Sachin Sharma were originally from India before setting in Toronto. Before the pandemic the performers practiced improve comedy, but they soon realized that they love physical comedy which is more universal, in that it doesn’t rely on words to get the point across. The show isn’t really a circus in any way shape or form, but as clowns, the performers managed to mix laughter with deadpan pokes at how the British raped colonies and forcibly replaced deities with Jesus. Audience members were invited on stage and they reenacted a ship sailing across high seas.

One absurd situation followed another. I was laughing out loud, but not exactly sure why. The show tackles the serious topic of colonialism with absurdist humor that pokes fun at what Brits would see as business as usual with a cup of tea. The show offers physical comedy with a political bite which I love.  It didn’t just offer laughs, but also made the audience think.

Fringe: Basic Training

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TJ Dawe from Vancouver BC Canada presented Basic Training at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. A friend of mine wanted to see the show which wasn’t on my radar. The lobby quickly filled and the venue was packed when the audience was let into the theater.

This was an incredible one man show where Kahill Ashanti played 23 characters in a powerful true story of a soldier having to confront a childhood he had tried to forget. What made the show so exhilarating was the way Kahill snapped between characters in an instant. Each time he transformed it was instantly clear who he was portraying. Kahill joined the elite Tops In Blue performance troupe and came under fire while entertaining troops during the first Iraq war.

Kahill snapped between his delicate caring mother to his conspiracy theorist hate filled father on a dime. At boot camp he had to survive a drill sergeant who would exploit any soldier’s weakness. When he attacked a soldier with torrents, Kahill befriended the soldier under attack. There were tender moments and so much athletic physicality to the performance.

Surviving boot camp and excelling as a soldier ill-prepared Kahill for once again facing his abusive stepfather when her returned home. When he finally stood up to the vindictive small man’s abuse it was a glorious moment. Kahill was a mature man who would no longer tolerate the small-minded vindictive behavior. The military service didn’t leave him hardened but rather compassionate. At one concert he offered a solo performance for a terminally ill child.

I went into the show with no expectations, but this was absolutely a tour de force of a performance. Basic Training won the Best Show in the Critics’ Choice Awards, which was very well deserved.

Fringe: Vulva Va Voom’s Medical Masochism

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Vulva Va Voom and Company from Tampa Florida presented Vulva Va Voom’s Medical Masochism at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. I was particularly intrigued because Beth Marshal, who ran the Fringe for years was playing the part of one of the medical staff. Billed as a Bondage, Dominance, Submission, and control (BDSM) carnival game that meets a psychiatric sideshow.

This was an Alice in Wonderland vision of bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism. The American Psychiatric Association “depathologized” kinky sex – including cross-dressing, fetishism, and BDSM.

Vulva was the patient being treated. She was very frank about her disorder.  In many ways this is a one woman show with the medical staff on the sidelines looking like the mad hatter and a field mouse. I always like learning what I can about a performer. The show led up to the final treatment which involved Vulva lying down on a bed of nails. The line between what was staged and real pain was blurred. A strange addition to this masochism was inviting the audience to take social media pictures of the public torture.

Was this theater? It was indeed like a freak sideshow where the audience wanted to witness pain. Though the costume implied burlesque and sexuality there wasn’t any on stage sexual overtures. I used to work on Times Square back in the 1980s where you could hear the sex acts through paper thin walls. Doom scrolling through social media forces us to witness endless violence and pain.

I admired the bravery of the performer but could not figure out if this was entertaining or disturbing. Was she acting or did she truly believe that torture was a treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)? I wondered just how sharp the nails were on the bed she lay down on. If there was blood, I didn’t catch it in my sketch. I am still not sure if what I saw was entertainment or confession mixed with torture. The show was definitely VERY Fringe.