Comedy heroes and a pop-punk party: Orlando Fringe Festival reviews
Today’s Orlando Fringe Festival reviews include “Designated Debaters,” “Easy as Pie,” (highly recommended) “Your Mom’s in my Top 8” (highly recommended), “It Was Like That When We Got Here – 15 years (Wasted) with The Humor Mill Orlando” and “Let’s Get Weird Story Hour.”
Batman and Superman should be out on the streets fighting crime, but instead, they’re inside Orlando Museum of Art, home to one Orlando Fringe Festival venue.
“I don’t want to be here. I should be fighting crime,” the actor dressed as Batman says. “But it is a crime that these people don’t know if a hot dog is a sandwich.”
In “Designated Debaters,” (Gold venue, 60 minutes) two heroes go head-to-head to decide if milk chocolate is better than dark chocolate or if “Dear Evan Hansen” is a better musical than “Hamilton.” The show changes each time and is based on topics submitted by the audience. The loser has to drink.
It’s a perfect recipe for comedic gold and the show largely delivers on its promise to keep the crowd laughing all show long. This is improv comedy at its best.
Orlando is a hotbed for rising stars in the improv world, considering that SAK Comedy Lab was where Wayne Brady first cut his teeth. Among lesser-known troupes, there’s Humor Mill Orlando, a group that plans to retire after this year’s Fringe run.
“It Was Like That When We Got Here – 15 years (Wasted) with The Humor Mill Orlando” (Teal venue, 60 minutes) presents a sketch-based show with musical Mad Libs thrown in there. Some jokes elicited chuckles but the group often made the audience lightly cringe instead of laughing.
Highlights included a recurring parody of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” set in various restaurants and a “Les Misérables” homage to end the show.
Next door within the downtown Fringe ArtSpace, Central Floridian Melanie Bailey riffs on romantic relationships gone awry and shares stories, which vary by night based on props chosen by audience members. “Let’s Get Weird Story Hour” (Purple venue, 60 minutes) is a fun way to spend time immersed in comedic storytelling complemented by snappy, energetic dance interludes from Cristina Ramos.
In “Easy as Pie,” (Silver venue, 60 minutes, highly recommended), Fringe veterans James & Jamesy dress as clowns and showcase their unique brand of comedy, toying with the idea of “a pie reaching for the height of its potential.” The duo has a way of breaking the fourth wall and keeping the audience engaged the entire hour they’re on stage.
Delve into a clown’s mind (literally) to face failure and past experiences that come back to haunt. Will James find strength in vulnerability and complete the pie/face fusion? See this spectacular show to find out.
It feels odd to stay seated for “Your Mom’s in my Top 8: A Pop-Punk Celebration,” (The Abbey, 60 minutes, highly recommended) which brings the audience a rocking concert featuring hits from the days of crafting CD mixtapes.
Find references to Ask Jeeves, dial-up internet and Windows Media Player, which at one point the bass player remarks are “lazy and contrived ways of telling us what time period it is.” These kinds of comedic and “fourth wall” type moments are interspersed throughout the show, but the real highlight is powerful vocals and talented musicianship showcasing faithful, energetic covers.
This show appeals to anyone who has fond memories of growing up jamming to the likes of Green Day, Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Paramore and My Chemical Romance. These recognizable hits performed pay homage to an entire era of music that was so important to angsty teens and emo kids (myself included).
Though the show is heavily music-centric, the story arc searches for and tries to answer the question of: What is the ultimate pop-punk anthem?
Orlando Fringe Festival
Where: Shows at Loch Haven Park are in color-coded venues; off-campus locations are identified by name.
When: Through May 29
Cost: $10 button required for ticketed shows, then individual performance tickets are no more than $15.
Schedule, tickets and more info: OrlandoFringe.org
More reviews: OrlandoSentinel.com/fringe
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.
