Lady Gaga, juggler training and a Broadway-bound(?) musical | Orlando Fringe Festival reviews
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Today’s Orlando Fringe Festival reviews include “A Bad Romance,” “The Bloody Hatchet,” “Good Grief,” “Messes: Solo Circus” and “Whiskeyland.”
First up, two big musicals. “Whiskeyland,” (Silver venue, 75 minutes) is a condensed version of a 2.5-hour show with dreams of Broadway. Nik Walker and Liam Nelligan’s tuneful, catchy soulful rock music (performed live by band If I’m Lucky) could just get it there.
The story: Veteran Jyrah returns from war to his favorite Boston bar, run by the woman he loves, Nia. He’s determined to prevent her from selling the titular bar to Gaston, or rather Boston’s preening misogynist equivalent, who one hopes is fleshed out more than a cartoon in the show’s full version. It turns out the stakes are really, really high in why Jyrah wants Whiskeyland to stay in business.
It’s almost unfair to judge Walker’s story in this abridged telling, but one problem seems obvious: As with the current crop of new Broadway musicals, the leading lady is underwritten. Even though she delivers the most powerful “Who am I?” since Jean Valjean in “Les Miz” we still don’t know enough about her or her motivations.
The ending was also muddled, with key actions narrated rather than shown to fit the Fringe time limit (though the narration works remarkably well throughout most of the show).
On the whole, Walker’s story and characters intrigue, and the quality of director Adam Hose’s production is top-notch, from Bert Rodriguez’s music direction to Lindsay Hose’s choreography. The performances are also first-rate, particularly Shanden Vance and Briana Moten as the central couple, though the ensemble members all make good impressions, too.
See “Whiskeyland” now so you can say you “saw it when.”
“A Bad Romance” (Silver venue, 60 minutes) comes from writer-director Jamie DeHay. Its concept calls to mind the Fringe show from years back that become the worldwide hit “Disenchanted”: Fairy-tale princesses are tired of their stories being written by others and set their own course when their “happily ever afters” aren’t so happy.
“A Bad Romance” though, has a different tone as its score is made up of Lady Gaga tunes — “The Edge of Glory,” “Just Dance,” a sadly truncated “Poker Face” — which lend themselves to big ensemble dance numbers, well-executed and choreographed with panache by Rhéa Hughes.
Although the show doesn’t feel particularly fresh, it’s a lot of fun and hits on a theme Lady Gaga’s fans espouse: Freedom to be yourself despite society’s dictates. The not-exactly-Disney costumes provide chuckles, and the performers’ gusto goes a long way.
As the villain, Lauren Anne Andersson effectively channels Disney’s Lady Tremaine, as well as Lady Gaga. And Emma Licata and Dana Gough, who play the show’s central couple, show off powerful pipes that do justice to the pop music.
In “Messes: Solo Circus” (Pink venue, 60 minutes), Janoah Bailin makes a mess, several times over — and often involving food in his very kid-friendly show. In between unicycling stunts and other feats of balance, strength and agility, Bailin teaches the audience how to juggle colorful scarves; at my performance, he made sure every youngster in the audience was involved — and they loved it.
I have to confess, I had a certain degree of childlike enthusiasm myself when I mastered the three-scarf juggle in this engaging, relatively low-key little show.
James Gangl had an emotionally scarring experience in his youth, but that isn’t discussed until late in his “Good Grief” (Green venue, 60 minutes). Instead, his engaging and intimate show is focused more on his difficult relationship with his mother — and how his father’s death changed that.
Gangl is hugely sympathetic and has a winning ear for detail and character creation; his mother and father appeared clearly in my mind. He draws a beautifully human and poignant picture of his father’s last hours, but he also provides an inspiring spark of hope for those in difficult relationships about how to take charge, take a chance, change the dynamic — and make yourself happier.
Finally, “The Bloody Hatchet,” outside near the Shakespeare Center, 35 minutes) puts you in the middle of a typical horror movie. You listen to the performers through headphones, which also provide movie-style spooky underscoring. I didn’t find it scary, though there’s an interesting psychological scene in which the killer tries to convince a potential victim to join him. It’s more a Fringe experience than a true thriller.
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.
Email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com
