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After my first night Fringing (I love the noun to verb transition), I came away with a few impressions of the Festival thus far. This being only my second one, you might consider me unqualified. Untrue - see below!
Show: Fat Camp
Venue: Brown Venue (Orlando Philharmonic @ Shakespeare Festival)
Show times: 5-19 @ 8:40pm, 5-20 @ 11:20pm, 5-21 @ 9:25pm, 5-23 @ 6:45pm, 5-24 @ 10:35pm, 5-27 @ 11:20pm and 5-28 @ 5:00pm
Tickets: $10
A one man show is always a challenge for anyone involved. While a performer must only worry about himself, all of the responsibility of the show lands on him as well. There's no one else to blame when things go awry. And at the end of the show, he's dripping in sweat and completely mentally and physically exhausted.
This things were obvious in James Judd's one man show Fat Camp. Unfortunately, there were a lot of other obvious things in the show.
The show was entirely fitting for its audience and elicited laughter at every turn. It was a perfect fit in every way, from Judd's instantaneous costume changes and effective use of props to his stranger-than-fiction personal storytelling to its time slot for the night - excellent 11:20 on Saturday evening. Light, humorous fare indeed - who wants to end the night witnessing any sort of tragedy?
The problem is that while audience members usually don't want to see anything requiring much thought late in the evening, this show almost required too little thought. While many of the interwoven vingnettes (and there were many of them) took unexpected turns, you could see the directional signals coming on most jokes miles away.
It is quite a task to take on the issue of religion pitted against alternative lifestyles, especially encapsulated within the context of distant family. This is especially true in a show that's meant to be funny, light fare. However, when you go so low as to make a Brokeback Mountain reference in place of what could have been an actually funny gay joke or a Star Trek reference as a religious representation, it's almost discouraging thought from the audience.
There's no denying that Judd is a talented, funny, and energetic performer. And he gave the audience exactly what they wanted - just maybe a little too much of it. It seems the show could have been both funny and thought-provoking had there not been so many pandering gay jokes and "Oh no you didn't!" moments. And while no one appreciates a completely tasteless fart joke more than I do, some of the more "shocking" moments at the end revealed through his porno testimony seem to only serve the purpose of increasing the gross-out factor.
Throughout the show, Judd brings about the idea of "the line" as a moral compass. The whole shows leads up to a possible crossing of the said line. What that really did, however, was make me wish that he crossed "the line" a lot more - into territory void of cliche jokes and pandering humor.
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Emily, I love you, you are my
Emily, I love you, you are my co-host and a dear friend, but I believe you fail to grasp the concept of Fringe.
::Boot to the Head::
It's not about whether or not he made a cliche joke or used topical humor to get a laugh. The purpose of the show is to enjoy yourself. The jokes will be different next year, just like the Bill & Ted show at Halloween Horror Nights. (honestly, I've never seen the Bill & Ted show, but I'm sure it is a pile of stinking poo compared to Fat Camp)
Wow. Very hurtful. In my
Wow. Very hurtful. In my own defense that I think you weren't listening very well. My style of comedy is a mix of high and low brow humor, with something just a little thought-provoking thrown in, and plenty of silliness to remind everyone that the point of going to the fringe is to have a good time! If you pick up a little insight, and you get some good laughs, then I think it's a job well done.
I hope someday you get the chance to do some sort of performance yourself because it will really give you a lot of insight - even just a little speech at your bookclub, maybe - into how an audience works. You'll even learn how to evaluate theater much better as an audience member. I always encourage non-performers to to do this and have helped many get their first moment in the spotlight. They always find it tremendously rewarding. It doesn't have to be on a stage. Sometimes, a presentation at the office can be a great platform for exploration.
From the perspective of a performer, especially if you are doing a new work or performing in a place where you don't know what the audience will consider funny (and yet you are EXPECTED to be funny) you'll do best by putting in a lot of different kinds of humor. Then you have to go out and see what hits and what doesn't and and adjust your material accordinging. It took 3 years of touring 7 SINS to get it to the point where I can now take that show out in front of any audience and know that the whole entire piece will work anytime, anywhere. The performance of Fat Camp you saw was the 2nd time it's every been seen and included a number of cuts and additions from the previous night. In Los Angeles, it was developed in 10 minute segments in front of live audiences but this fringe is the first time it's ever been done as a whole piece.
Los Angeles audiences and Orlando audiences are very different in terms of what they think is funny. One of the really great things about Orlando is that audiences here are VERY quick! People are getting the set-ups IMMEDIATELY! That's a sign of a very sharp audience! There are some very intellectual jokes that Orlando audiences really get that LA audiences do not!
Being a financially successful performer/producer, means being prepared put it all out there and let the audience decide. As a writer, I know that it is sometimes difficult to get an audience that is ready to laugh right away to follow a longer set-up or a scenario that takes a while to pay off. Peopel are especially nervous when they go to fringe shows becuase the odds that there is going to be a match between the performers sense of humor and the audiences sense of humor are not very good. So, what I like to do is to put in some fast, easy jokes (and that CAN mean more lowbrow humor). The audiences relaxes because they know that I will deliver laughs. Then I can start to lay the ground work for some jokes, ideas that might take much longer to payoff, and because of the easy laughs, the audience is willing to go along with me.
I do a lot of work with other solo performers. I began my career as one of those guys who stands just off camera and writes jokes for comedians during the commercials. A lot of solo performers get so totally wrapped around the idea that they have a message to send to the audience and that they are going to tell that message come hell or high water. But I have to remind them that they are a business and their audiences are their customers, and giving the audience what they want to hear is good customer service. It's how you get customers/audiences. There is a difference between pandering and giving them what they want. Then, after you've given them what they want, if you can sell them on something else, too, you've done a great job, but you can't beat them over the head with it.
Now, to address specifically you comments about my gross-out factor. It is my criticism of a trend I've seen in many, many fringe shows over the years that at the 11th hour they make a desperate bid for high drama, tears, and pathos. So my answer is that just when after 40 minutes of silliness, I reach that moment when fringe shows go for the high drama I take a sudden left turn into this completely unexpected (and yes gross) thing about the porn tape I found at the fat camp! And then the audience laughs some more and the show is over! I don't think it crosses into vulgarity. I suggest what happens but I leave the actual image to the minds of the audience.
Lastly, I'd just like to say that YES, my show is silly and STUPID! But it's FUN! AND IT'S SURPRISING! AND AUDIENCES LOVE IT! AND EVERYONE IS HAVING A GOOD TIME and that's all that matters!!!
I would also encourage you to come see the show again because as of tonight the show will be dramatically different. I'm sure Wed's show will be dramatically different from tonight's (Tuesday), and hopefully every show will have new surprises and new ideas and new laughs! But most of all....I hope everyone leaves feeling like they had a good time!
Love, James
Whoops! I forgot something.
Whoops! I forgot something. Is it okay if I keep coming back here to post my thoughts? Hope so. I was just rereading your comments again and I think you missed an important point - the show isn't about pitting religion against alternative lifestyles (what is that, anyway?), it's about how blood is no longer thicker than politics or religion in this country. Relgious and political funadamentalism are tearing the very fabric of America in and "us versus them" where "them" is EVERYONE and EVERY RELIGION and EVERY other culture. It is the great new American tragedy. My show is not about gay people versus Mormons. It's just a microcosim of a much larger issue. The American family is being destroyed by Christian-Republican Fundamentalist. My story is just one, tiny fragment of that issue...but FUNNY, too!
But anyway, I commend you for getting involved with the fringe and trying your hand and theater criticism! Everyone has to start somewhere and I'm happy to be a part of your beginning! Love, James
Honestly, why ask me to write
Honestly, why ask me to write anything for this if you're going to criticize what I write? Trust me, I get the point, but if it's even making an attempt to be art its subject to criticsm.
Isn't the point of a review to be honest and not just say, "Jolly good show! We love everything!"
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_stage_theat/2006/05/fring...
That above is the link to the Orlando Sentinel review is anyone would like to read it,too.
Wow! This fringe is turning into quite a roller coaster ride! First, I'm slammed by the blog, the newspaper gave me a plug and then put the wrong time for my show by 4 hours, and then I start getting really, really, really nasty letters from the fringe producer. Should I trying to escape or should I stay and fight? I wonder if any of the other fringe participants are having a lot of negativity being thrown at them from the producer? If so, I'd like to hear about it. my email address is jbjudd@aol.com. For that matter, I'm totally open to hearing anybody's comments about my show - even the mean ones. NOW is the time for me to cut and change the material. I have a number of new jokes for tonight, I'm cutting all my costumes, set pieces, and props, and I've cut some of the fat - no pun intended - from the script but I am worried that I won't be able to remember it all! I may have to put my script on the music stand. If I have to look at it, I'm going to ask the audience to close their and meditate on losing weight, quickly look up my next line, and then say, "Okay, now open them! Wasn't the great?" I wonder how many times I can get away with it. Anyway, you've got to be able to get the bad with all the good and other than a blog-downer and some really cruel personal comments from the producer and one of the fringe personnel, there is much good to be appreciated at the fringe. The volunteers are amazing! And I love them for wearing my orange wristbands! Thank you all so much!!!! You men and women make it all worth it!
Wish me luck tonight! I may REALLY need it! Love, James
I'm sorry, but I have to side
I'm sorry, but I have to side with Emily. Yes, the objective of the Fringe is to have a good time and enjoy some offbeat theatre. However, being that Emily was asked to write a review and not a fluff piece, she was perfectly in the right to be critical - that's what she was asked to do, and that's what a review is. To simply write "Wow! This guy can act! He's funny! People had fun!," it's basically like writing for Pitchfork - gratituous and mastubatory.
Simply being a performer isn't enough - is simply being a musician enough? A singer? A writer? Just because you have a job title doesn't mean you're good at it. At the same time, however, it doesn't mean you're not good at it. A review also gives nods to those aspects that were well done, something else Emily did to great detail.
Emily knows the ropes of criticism. She's not only written reviews for papers in the past, but she actually teaches people how to write and improve their own reviews and writing. She knows what reviews entail and she knows what should and should not be included. To commend her on her "attempt" at a review is misguided and, frankly, inappropriate on all fronts. And, just for the record, Emily is a musical performer.
It's fine for the people involved in a performance to be stirred up by a review - that's part of the intention of a review, to give not only one's opinion of a performance but to also tell the pluses and minuses of said show. Reviews are intended to keep performers of all levels on their toes in addition to informing a larger audience of what they may be in store for. That's what she was asked to do, and that's what she did.
- Nicole
Any reason my comment was
Any reason my comment was deleted?
Just kidding. This site is
Just kidding. This site is wonky. ;)
James, what was the Fringe
James, what was the Fringe producer commenting on -- generally?
Yeah, the site is wonky to
Yeah, the site is wonky to proteect against spam (and trust me, there is almost more spam than regular comments). Your first comment has to be approved, then you are considered legit.
I am totally here to cause
I am totally here to cause drama! Now you're all going to expect me to live up to my Simon Cowell-esque persona!
I haven't seen the show or
I haven't seen the show or anything at Fringe this year, but I completely empathize with Emily's position on this. The performer seems to argue that Emily's criticisms are unfounded because the show is just fun and isn't meant to be analyzed with such criteria. As a professional critic myself, I have to grapple with writing intellectually about films that aren't meant to be intellectual, and that doesn't make my jabs at the film's credibility less valid. Just because a work of art is only geared toward a lowest-common-denominator audience doesn't mean that work of art is not subject to the same critical objectives we hold to all works, regardless of form and genre.
Don't sell us critics short - we can appreciate lowbrow humor and light comedy too, if it's original and provocative, but most aren't (Hence there's one TEAM AMERICA for every ten DEUCE BIGELOWS), and it's our responsibility to convey our disgust in efforts to ignite a progressive, changing climate in art.
Again, I haven't seen your show, I'm just sayin'...