Stories of discovery, truth and change — and an SOS from outer space: Orlando Fringe Festival reviews
Today’s Orlando Fringe Festival reviews include “The Impresario,” “Jem Rolls: Maximum Crusoe,” “Liquid Courage,” “1nce Upon a Lie — Paul Strickland” (highly recommended), “7 Deadly Sins” and “The Vast of Darkness.”
“Where were you when the world shut down in 2020?” might be approaching the end of its lifespan as a show concept, but don’t discount it just yet. In “Jem Rolls: Maximum Crusoe” (Yellow venue, 60 minutes), Rolls tells of his time spent on the coast of India during the COVID-19 pandemic with a rat-a-tat style that doesn’t flag.
This isn’t a high-concept show about the meaning of life or the value of human interaction or how to make the best of an unfathomable situation, and yet, with Rolls’ amusing anecdotes and sharply drawn characters, that’s exactly what this sketch of a moment in time becomes.
And because he’s a poet, expect lots of nifty turns of phrase: He had gone to India to “pursue idleless as an extreme sport,” Fringe vet Rolls tells us. He found so much more.
Paul Strickland is back with another round of folk tales about places that never were but are everywhere and things that never happened but happen all the time. He puts it perfectly, so I’ll use his words to explain the appeal of the stories in his comically insightful “1nce Upon a Lie” (Gold, 60 minutes, highly recommended). “They aren’t factual,” he explains of the good-natured tall tales. “But they are true.”
This year, Strickland is focused on change — and how we humans can fear it or embrace it. (In a smartly meta moment, he admits he changed his mind about a show element.)
As always, Strickland’s music is on point, the stories charm and Erika Kate MacDonald’s steady direction keeps the pace just right.
In “Liquid Courage” (Savoy, 60 minutes), Bobby Wesley tells stories about his childhood — and as the title suggests, alcohol is a common denominator. His show detours into standup-like material about the South and hipsters, and it’s amusing stuff but maybe for a different show.
Wesley lacks the assuredness and rhythm of the Fringe’s best storytellers but offers a friendliness that keeps the audience rooting for him.
“Lots of bad things can happen in space.” So says one of the two astronauts orbiting on the dark side of an unknown planet in “The Vast of Darkness” (Green venue, 60 minutes). Playwright Bethany Dickens Assaf has set up a lot of tension from the start: The astronauts are alone in individual pods, they are from separate hostile nations on Earth, and (wait for it) they might not be alone.
That initial tension ramps up throughout the drama, thanks in part to director Joe Llorens and his fine cast, Charis Walter and Manuel Solis-Bauza, who all have the sense not to let things get too over-the-top too fast. Instead, there’s a delicious slow burn of nerves and an ending that cleverly lets you interpret what you’ve just seen. When Walter’s character asks, “Is anyone there? Is anyone out there?” I felt a shiver down my spine.
There have been several iterations of Emotions’ Dance’s “7 Deadly Sins” (Pink venue, 60 minutes), and I still like a lot about it: The way the choreography matches the Sins’ personalities, the interesting song choices (“Lust” dances to a sultry rendition of “Addicted to Love”). The synchronized group numbers feel particularly strong this year.
But I had hoped over the years the technical linking material would strengthen, as well. Introductory text introducing each Sin could benefit from a poet’s touch, and technically the recordings sound abrupt and lack flow into the onstage performance. Still, the dancing demonstrates variety and skill to hold the attention.
Finally, “The Impresario” (Teal, 60 minutes) updates Mozart’s silly show about two divas vying to be an opera company’s prima donna. Musical Traditions Inc., which staged “The Medium” at Fringe 2022, peppers the script with local references to mostly great effect, funnier if you know the local arts scene — and the cost of producing opera.
The stock characters — the dramatic Italian (Aleksandra Vargas), the brassy up-and-comer (Angeliz Bula/ Katy Garner), the flamboyant tenor (José-Manuel Lopez), the good ol’ boy with the money (Sean Christopher Stork), the put-upon manager (John Segers) — are played with good-natured humor. Mozart described the show as a comedy with music, and this frothy little production scores in both aspects under the direction of Kenny Babel, who makes sure his vocally talented cast is also very funny.
Even music director Sergei Kossenko gets to show personality as on a simple keyboard he brings to life Mozart’s magnificence.
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
