Of course I understand limited resources, cutbacks, etc. However, to the trained eye, it seems that the Orlando Sentinel is only cutting back on certain theaters.
For the record, the last time someone came to Starlight Theater to review a Starlight-produced show was Betsey Maupin’s visit to us on January 5th, 2007 for our “decadent” version of Cabaret, which is still what I would call a well-known musical.
This is where the Internet proves its worth. Agree? Disagree? Leave comments.
As I write this, Muapin is out of town… ha ha! the whole town to myself!!!
I must say that I’ve never had a face-to-face conversation with anyone involved with Hate Mail… What does this mean? Well, I think it means an un-biased attitude. OK, I have had a little interaction with the Technical Director, but I’m not sure that counts for a review.
I think the ‘gimmick’ and also one of the least important parts about this play is that every single line that is spoken is in fact part of a letter or a note… I didn’t know this going in, and it didn’t affect my perception one bit. The story is strong enough to carry the narrative along no matter what happens.
Second, you will notice the performance from the actors… I must say Act II is better and Act I, I guess because more memorization is needed? In act I, I heard David noting that he used so many adjectives that he couldn’t help but use his crib notes / props to help him remember his lines… I also talked to a performer in attendance about memorizing SO many lines without having anyone to bounce them off of… he thought it would be a boon as opposed to a challenge.
Really, I thought both performers were exceptional, especially in the context of opening night. I’m an “A for Effort” guy, but no grading curve is needed for Hate Mail - absolutely worth the $15 ($12 for students), even if parking makes it a hassle.
The set design, especially for a minimalist space like the Studio Theatre, was EXACTLY what it needed to be, not an iota more or less. I totally understood the major changes of scenery with no coaching whatsoever from the lines (although such help was available). This being my first Jester Theatre production, I’m glad Jay moved away from improv (SAK) to pursue “real theatre”.
This brings me to another point… in February the Jester Theatre Company will host its first show (the repeatedly popular Musical of Musicals: The Musical) at the new Garden Theatre in historic downtown Winter Garden… a sight to look forward to… with NO PAID PARKING.
The blue venue aka the “Baratelli Venue of Improv” or “the blue venue home of Mark Baratelli’s Improv Cabaret” has a new tenant!
Here you see the former residence, the desktop players.
See them in action here…
Resident curmudgeon Linwood Sassy posted some link bait for me… I’ll bite!
Dammit! I never got the friggen chance to reveal MY “Cringe Crush” at this year’s fest. (Some of us are Entertainment LEGENDS and had SOLD OUT shows to do, ya bastards!)
I loved Poofy du Vey. A woman in a clown nose turns me ON!
Oh…and thanks a bunch to you folks that crushed ME. Watch the videos below, ya bastards.
So, I know Montreal Fringe is going on right now (June 7th - 17th), but I’m a poor blogger living in Orlando, so what do I do? Ask for help!
If you’re in the second largest city in Canada and you have an internet connection, a camera, a mobile phone, or even a landline (1-321-441-3964), BloggingFringe.com will proudly play host to your content. If you have a video, we can suggest a way for you to make a small handful of change from making said video. If you just want to be our MySpace friend, you can do that too!
When your work appears on the internet and you suggest that the only info you could find was on Maupin’s blog, you’d better be ready for some bloggers to find you and slam your shit. Rick Pender from the all-knowing, singing, dancing, elephant-taming CityBeat A&E Blog seems to think that if you can’t find information about Patron’s Pick on the official website, then it must not be true.
Seriously man, the first comment gives you THREE LINKS to follow! You couldn’t find those? Try using the words “orlando” “fringe” and especially “blog“, why dontcha! Add the word “calculus” (because that’s what you’re searching for) and watch our review sit right below the one you linked to, and then tell me you couldn’t find it! I know you live in Cincinatti, but I think the internet tubes that run there are the same as the ones down here, and I’m pretty damn sure Google works the same everywhere.
He then proceeds to call Patron’s Pick by the wrong name, calling it audience pick, like he can’t use the right terminology. Is he trying to discredit our festival or Calculus: The Musical! Just because you don’t like something is no reason to keep dragging it through the mud every chance you get! Your Fringe reviewer liked the show, why all this hate? More than one person can play this game, CityBeat! Get off your ass, we’re watching now!
P.S. Rick: We have these things called Web Stats, ever heard of them? I know for a fact that the night before this blog was published, someone searching for “Calculus the Musical” did in fact find our blog, so for the last time, don’t say you can’t find the info.
