Archive for Reviews
05.27.08
Posted in Ryan, Reviews, VoiceMail at 12:50 am by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 10
fringe_2008_voice_10_dragons.mp3
Length: 1:54
I finally saw Here Be Dragons on Patron’s Pick Day. This was one of the few issue-based shows at Fringe, but it was really fabulous.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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05.23.08
Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Events, Recommendations, Blogs, MetroMix at 9:14 am by Ryan
Only 3 more days! (plus Patron’s Pick Day) Looks like When Pigs Fly and Alice in Wonderland have already been announced as Patron’s Picks for their venues, which sort of makes sense. If you’re interested in supporting the Fringe AND seeing TJ Dawe, check out Monday morning at 11:30, when TJ will be performing the Slip Knot.
As we rolled into the weekend last night with some light rain and lots of folks crowding the Shakespeare Center, I noticed three college-looking kids soliciting people for photographs. I walked up to tell them about Blogging Fringe, and it turned out they were the Orlando Metromix “SHOCK SQUAD”! Is Metromix the Sentinel one, that’s going to be changing their name? It’s not CityBeat, is it? It’s one of those. I went to see what coverage they had of the festival, and it was exactly one article - recommendations based on watching the preview. Also, no comments allowed. They asked me to link to them, and in hopes that they link back, here we go.
Check out Orlando Metromix’s Fringe Photoset - lots of familiar faces in there.
Last night, I lost my festival program. Normally no big deal, but this was different - I had written all sorts of notes in my program, marked down page numbers of shows, kept my tickets inside, and started to feel like my program was a treasured item - sort of like a stuffed animal or something, now lost. I checked the Brown Venue, the Blue Venue, the Ticket Booth, and the Garbage Can too, but my program was gone. I went to the box office to get some tickets re-printed ( handy reason for using credit card or the internet to buy your tickets), and proceeded to go through the tickets I did have with the volunteer to make sure I wasn’t missing any others.
Apparently, I’ve seen a lot of shows:
- A Brief History of Petty Crime
- American Squatter
- Boom
- *Flamenco con Fusion 08
- Galapagos: The Directors Cut
- *Mark Baratelli
- Move!
- MR. FOX
- *Mr. Marmalade
- On Second Thought
- *once upon a time: The End
- Oral
- Parlour Games
- perfectly broken
- Power To Pleasing: The Sex Lives of Teenage Girls
- *Red, White, and Ignorant: An American Love Story
- Shadows In Bloom
- Skip Peril and the Players of the Lost Trunk
- *Swell
- The Boy’s Own Jedi Handbook
- *The Bric-a-Brac Vagabond Vintage Variety Show
- The Cody Rivers Show presents: Stick to Glue
- The Greg Barris Heart of Darkness Rock and Roll Circus
- *The Screw You Revue: Déjà vu
- *The Slipknot: A Benefit for the Orlando Fringe
- Totem Figures
- TV iMature
- *Wet
- When Pigs Fly
* Indicates shows I have not seen, but I have a ticket for.
All of these shows (that I have seen) are awesome. Go see them all. If I could only tell you three, I would include The Cody Rivers Show, On Second Thought and Boom (not in that order). I would say Power to Pleasing, but it’s sold out. I continue to tell folks that if they haven’t seen any dance, they MUST go - we always have great dance at this festival, and I’m seeing all of the 5 dance shows this year. Lastly, (not leastly) if you’ve never seen TJ Dawe, Barry Smith, Jimmy Hogg, Greg Landucci, Gemma Wilcox or any of the other out-of-town monologists (like Paul Hutcheson from On Second Thought, mentioned earlier), they are all worth your time and money. This is also not counting Patron’s Pick day, where I plan to see some shows that have floated to the top, but I managed to miss. It should be a fun experience.
What was also a fun experience was getting a random contact from some folks from Rake Theatre down in Boynton Beach - they’re putting on Fluency this week at the Fringe. Apparently, they are wanting to start an all-Florida arts blog - a very ambitious project. I have about 3 such very ambitious projects in my head, in the works with locals, or I at least own the domain name for them.
The South Florida folks’ project is called, of all things, Florida Arts Blog, which is a Wordpress.com site right now, but for some reason the posts about Fringe have disappeared… ::shrug:: Something and someone to watch in the coming weeks and months. I am trying to sell them on Florida Creatives myself, blogging can come later. They’ve also got a link to Mark’s Orlando Arts Blog up there… I wonder if they’ve been emailing him too…?
Other things happening this weekend would be:
Orlando Silent Rave (see a video)
Saturday, May 24th, 5:24PM @ the Green Lawn of Fabulosity
Kite Flying 2.0 with Radio Rickshaw and Greg Barris
Sunday, May 25th 11AM - 5PM @ the Green Lawn on Drunkenness
Zombie March 3.7 with Rich Weirdos and Friends
Saturday, May 24th @ 3PM Park Ave and 5PM Lake Eola
If you know of more cool stuff, leave a comment and we’ll get it listed.
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05.21.08
Posted in Reviews, VoiceMail, Dance at 8:09 am by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 04
fringe_2008_voice_05_cinedance.mp3
Length: 1:19
Ryan leaves his thoughts about CineDance’s MOVE in the Silver Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Here’s what Diane Hubbard Burns from the Orlando Sentinel had to say about the MOVE.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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05.20.08
Posted in Reviews, VoiceMail at 1:24 am by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 04
fringe_2008_voice_04_codyrivers.mp3
Length: 1:21
Ryan leaves his thoughts about The Cody Rivers Show Presents: Stick to Glue in the Orange Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Here’s what Elizabeth Maupin from the Orlando Sentinel had to say about the Cody Rivers Show.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Reviews, VoiceMail at 1:23 am by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 03
fringe_2008_voice_03_execs.mp3
Length: 0:40
Donnelly leaves her thoughts about The Executives in the Green Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Here’s what Sentinel Blogger Rebecca Swain had to say about TV iMature
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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05.18.08
Posted in Ryan, Reviews, VoiceMail at 11:08 am by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 02
fringe_2008_voice_02_boom.mp3
Length: 0:53
Ryan leaves his thoughts about BOOM in the Blue Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Articles, Reviews, VoiceMail at 11:06 am by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 01
fringe_2008_voice_01_execs.mp3
Length: 1:21
Ryan leaves his thoughts about TV iMature in the Green Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Thank you to Cervo Systems for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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04.26.08
Posted in Articles, Reviews, Blogs, Improv, Rollins at 6:05 pm by Ryan
Where does one begin? I often find that when writing these theatre reviews, it’s a good idea to gather my thoughts, think about what I want to say and in what order; I don’t have time for that, I’m going back to see the last showing in an hour!
I first learned about this production through a friend who helped to workshop the format for this improvised 90-minute board-game inspired murder mystery… she and several other students, under the direction of David Charles, PhD. - Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance at Rollins College. The whole play is improvised, so there are bound to be some times during such a long show where the scenes may be stronger or weaker - to counteract that, “Dr. David” and his class developed dozens of devices to help them create a sustainable story throughout the length of the show.
We begin at the stately home of a Mr. Phil Reynolds, a successful lawyer with a deceased rich wife. His business partner Toni and spouse Gene the artist will be guests at tonights party, along with his child Bobby and sibling Toni, servant Pat, and lifelong friend Dr. Chris. An unexpected guest arrives, and, inevitably, there is a murder! Some classic (yet improvised) scenes are played on the stage of the Annie Russell Theatre, which has been masterfully converted to the perfect setting for these 8 unlikely murderers or murderesses to play out their little drama. You’ll laugh, you’ll scratch your head, and above all you’ll have fun.
I’ve got so much more to tell, but no time to tell it… we continue our recap when I return from the last showing of Murder We Wrote tonight!
**** Continued ****
As the play begins, you see a man sitting at a bar, and as he turns to the audience, he gives us the look the look that says “Are you ready for this?”. At all three showings, David’s entrance gave us a laugh. This audience was ready to have fun. The story is set up as an “exploration of the human psyche” where “a seemingly random series of events” may yield “murderous results”, and the setup for the game begins. Three decks of cards are passed out to the audience and shuffled, then used to select a victim, a murder weapon, a location and… the murderer. The recited banter during this section kept us paying attention, instead of looking down at our “ballots” where we would later guess whodunnit. Only the Assistant Director and the killer know all the details of the crime before the final moments of the play when a confession is yanked out of the murder him or herself.
Once the setup is done, we the audience have also suggested a song title, a nervous habit, an annoying catch phrase, and several other ways for the players to use to make us feel as much like the writers of the story as the people on and off stage. Just before, however, is perhaps the most exciting part: the character cards are shuffled, and 7 of the 8 roles are completely randomized by members of the audience. All the parts are non-gender specific, including the married couple, and relationships between siblings and children. Even the order of entrance for the characters is ever-changing, decided by the backstage team of a dozen or more people who are constantly feeding the actors suggestions, props, cues, even their catchphrases, and reconciling any plot holes during intermission. There are countless challenges for the lighting and sound team as well, and opportunities for them to drive the story as much as anyone down at the stage level.
The most rewarding parts of the show come in the second act, where the details of the murder are spoon-fed to us at fixed intervals (or as much as can be with an improvised show). We already know the victim before we take the intermission and make our guesses, and immediately after, the location of the murder is revealed. I don’t know to give credit to one person for this, or the whole team of students, along with Dr. David who playtested and researched this last summer, but there is some expert game design at work here.
Then someone suggests “we should split up and search the house”, and each of the 8 characters takes one of the doors leading to various wings and levels of the house, only to frantically burst out of the door in a ballet of “who am I on stage with, and what do we do now?”, the inner workings of which I know is my job to keep a secret, but congratulations to J. Hannah White, the lighting designer for her brilliant stroke on that one. There’s also a more traditional improv game set up in the coat closet, at the bar, and up on the balcony, where the players pass lines to each other like a hot potato that is always unpredictable and fun. It’s these sort of moments that make us forget we’re watching the story being written in real-time.
Last but not least, all the cast re-assemble in the main hall to try and figure out for themselves who the murderer is. Things at this point can get rather tense, and apparently, a wrestling match broke out during this scene on Friday between actor Seth and Dr. David. The atmosphere teeters on melodramatic as actors are eliminated, concealed weapons are pulled, dead bodies lie on the couch and revealing letters are read… or none of these things happen and they just wing it, it’s really different every night.
What’s that? Sorry you missed it? I feel sorry for your too. This show could run every night down on International Drive if the team were so inclined. I don’t remember how much of Sleuths Dinner Theatre is improvised, maybe I’ll have to go back and do some post-game research. So far, the closest things I’ve seen to this level of story plus improvisation in such a long form are The Adventurer’s Club at Pleasure Island, which I would consider a distant script-heavy cousin of Muder We Wrote (all the endings are decided, most of the jokes and songs are repeated, but the cast is always changing), and SAK Comedy Lab’s The Early Show, which plays every other Friday at Midnight, and is completely improvised with no backstage magic, just the performers left to their own devices.
What makes these other productions around town the same or different from this show? In Murder, we the audience are all following this global discovery as we ourselves and the rest of the actors and around-stage hands and minds try to figure out the story. In regular improv or something more scripted, we either have a better or worse idea of where the ending is. We have an idea of how we think it could happen, and the several dozen people actually driving do as well, but there’s no way to know until the last possible moment when the killer reveals his or her secret and we have a collective pay-off. There’s lots more to say about what’s happening here and how they pulled off the format, but then this would be getting into research paper territory, and I’d need to start giving examples from other historic or contemporary works, and… well, we’re only blogging here!
I’ve never taken a theatre class in my life, and I graduated from UCF 4 years ago (almost to the day), but my biggest takeaway from this was a desire to enroll at Rollins under Dr. David Charles. You can tell everyone involved on this play was having such a great time, and the fact that people were coming back to watch a second, third, or even more showings is a testament to the fun and intrigue of this production, and the charm exuded by David and his cast. Congratulations to Megan Borkes, Ana Eligio, Joseph Bromfield, Chelsea Dygan, Erica Leas, Seth Strutman, Emily Smith, Roberto Pineda, Michael Neil Mastry, Danny Tuegel, Liz Weisstein, and Rob Yoho, along with all the other cast and crew, on an excellent run.
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01.16.08
Posted in Reviews, Events, MySpace, Recommendations, Blogs, Auditions at 4:18 pm by Ryan
In Beth’s latest MySpace blog, she leaves a review for the play currently at the Parliament House’s Lightfoot Theater The Little Dog Laughed (directed by David Lee).
Beth praises the Parliament House, saying “No other bar in town has been anywhere near as successful in doing so to showcase theatre.”
She also gives us a great run-down of what to expect from the community in the next month.
Upcoming Things to do, audition for, see, participate in etc…
On a daily basis- please vote for Jamesson so he can be the Universe’s Prettiest&Smartest Model~
Vote for Raven to be on- How To Look good Naked~
Join me at GLO tomorrow nite [Monday the 15th] for the VIP preview (and presentation of my iPHONE) at The Wayburn Sassy’s SCREW YOU REVIEW on I-DRIVE~ let me know if you want to come!!! Show is at 6:30pm.
Sign up to Audition for Tod Kimbro’s new Sci-Fi Musical Rock spectacular produced by me, directed by John Didonna, choreography by BLUE on Jan. 19th -email me at producer@orlandofringe.org to book an appointment.
Show is July 11-22nd at Orlando Shakes!
Go to PLAYFEST begining Feb. 8th at Orlando Shakes!
(I highly recommend OPUS)
Come see Play-In-A-Day produced by me at PLAYFEST on Feb. 11th at 7pm.
Come to my Fringe Yapinars at PLAYFEST- How to Produce a Fringe Show 101 and How To Tour the Fringe Circuit 102 on Sunday the 10th and Sunday the 17th at 2pm.
SAVE THE DATE FOR FAB FRINGE- MONDAY MARCH 3rd at Orlando Shakes!~
Now back to packing and if I am lucky- I will sneak out and see JUNO tonite [Sunday].
Ps- If you want to buy and ad in The Fringe program-now is the time!
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06.23.07
Posted in Articles, Ryan, Reviews, Events, Recommendations at 1:59 am by Ryan
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.
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06.07.07
Posted in Articles, Ryan, Reviews, CItyBeat at 11:24 am by Ryan
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!
Please go to this blog and leave Rick a comment. He deserves to know that lazy reporting will be called out on the internet.
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.
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05.29.07
Posted in Articles, Emily, Reviews, Puppets at 3:03 pm by Emily
Like everyone else who came to the Fringe Festival this year, I truly wanted to adore Heart of Coal. Anyone who I had met who was involved in the show, even people whose names appeared in the program that I knew – I really like all of them. And of course the fact that Heather Henson had created the show’s puppets was a huge selling point. I got to learn a little bit about the environmental issue at hand in the show and I agreed with it a great deal. I was really excited before sitting down in the Green Venue to see the show on Thursday night. I even brought a bunch of friends, Fringe virgins, to see it.
At the end of the production, I regretted that it had been my friends’ first Fringe exposure. They hated it. I didn’t have such strong feelings against it, but something about it had bothered me. The set was beautiful, and I even liked the story. Albeit simplistic and lacking the allegory to truly make it a fable, I loved the idea of a fantasy kingdom and the problem seen through the eyes of a little girl. I loved the whimsy of it. I loved the concept and I adored the look of it, its use of music, the video that opened the production.
But it’s taken me this long to figure out what bothered me about it. First of all, the show would have been immensely more satisfying had there been a small, squawky puppet character, as I have come to love so well in other Henson creations. Think of the rats in Muppets Take Manhattan.
In all seriousness, however, I think there is a fine line crossed when the message of artwork overtakes the artistic achievement of the product. I don’t listen to any particular music for its message. But I try care for the earth – I’ve been a vegetarian for years, I drive a compact car (until I can afford a hybrid), I love composting, I am a recycling maniac, and I voted for Dennis Kucinich in the 2004 primary. But I don’t listen to music for any political purpose. There is great political music – don’t get me wrong, but it’s also first and foremost beautiful music. Think Sergai Prokofiev and Bob Dylan. I don’t listen to third-rate fourth-wave punk music just because the bands making it espouse hatred for George W. Bush and love for tofu.
I don’t disagree with the message of the Heart of Coal in any way, shape or form. I doubt there are many people who attended the Fringe who do, although I saw a McCain sticker on a car in the Shakespeare Festival parking lot. But the show’s problem comes in that it needs more development than simply presenting an issue. The same problem is everything I take issue with in Christian rock. A great deal of extremely popular Top 40 or radio rock music is awful, and much Christian “rock” consists of slimy derivatives of that. Yuck. But people listen to it because they agree with its message.
And don’t get me wrong. Heart of Coal was not that. It was completely original (although the Evil King could have done without the eye-patch). And it came close to living up to its potential. But there’s a reason that Schindler’s List is a movie that high school students watch in classrooms all across America and Syriana never will be. Much of Hollywood needs to realize this, too. We as audiences don’t have to put a stamp on something and say it’s great just because it deals with an important issue. There is a decided difference between activism and art. As a piece of activism, Heart of Coal is stellar. As a work of art, it’s a good start. More than that, though, I would love to see the ideas in this play developed into something that pulls together more, possibly developing other characters, and playing around with dialogue more. The bottom line is that to me, the best art doesn’t tell me its important and then try and live up to that label. The best music, theatre, anything really, is that which compels me with a beautiful story, a wonderful structure, and has an artistic impact on me which changes my mind. I think that a work like Heart of Coal has the potential to be that – it just needs more time.
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Posted in Articles, Emily, Reviews at 2:45 pm by Ryan
That’s right, we have a real live music reviewer on our site, and she wrote a fabulous review of the music from the Red Venue Patron’s Pick. One of my favorite bits of the article is when she had to explain the Fringe to a fickle, theatre-agnostic, indie rock loving audience:
From RetroLowFi » Matheatre – Calculus: the Musical! (Self-released, 2007):
… One incredible thing about Orlando (there’s at least one) is that the City Beautiful is home to the longest running Fringe Festival in North America. For a city generally associated with Disney and conservative thought, I guess we do have some cultural significance. The Fringe itself started over 50 years ago in Edinburgh, Scotland, and put most simply, is a non-juried festival of art, theatre, music, and mayhem, open to anyone who would like to put on a show. Essentially you could almost say the first Fringe was the very first ever indie rock festival. There are festivals all over the world, and Orlando’s is somewhat notable. Every May, the Fringe rolls through, bringing with it public nudity, copious amounts of alcohol and joints, hysteria-driven writer/actors, strange pets, dance troupes, zombies, hippies, and more drag queens than you probably should shake a stick at. It’s a sight to see, but as I found out by exposing some of my certifiable nerd friends to the chaos, it can be almost too much to take in.
If you want to know what Emily thought of the record, head over to RetroLowFi.com and check out the full text. Please leave a comment, as well - it’s good Blog Karma. Emily is one of 5 or so contributors to the site, with music, live performances, television, film and books being among the main subjects discussed. It has a decidedly international focus, which I never seem to be able to achieve with any of my projects (I don’t have any affiliation with the group except friendship), and the reviews are top-of-the-line and very biased - like good reviews should be. If you’re in to fringe pop culture, check out RetroLowFi.
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05.28.07
Posted in Articles, Emily, Reviews at 1:13 pm by Emily
Zombie Girlfriend
Doodie Humor
Orange Venue
Doodie Humor is back once again, to satirize moral satire and basically gross us out to the point we laugh. Real hard. And with spurting blood, nasty talk, pimps, hoes, flesch-eaters, horror-obsessed best friends (there’s one of those in every single post-Scream horror films, isn’t there? Self-reflexive much?), and the most hilarious mime you will ever meet, they succeed tremendously. At some points the show seems slow, but maybe it’s just the fast edit madness of everything else going on at the Fringe. This is a great show overall, and the perfect late-nite faire to end your day.
The plot is not hard to maneuver your way around. I thought it might include a little more of a 50s doo-wop sort of feel – you know, including high school sweaters and poodle skirts for some unknown reason. But despite it’s typical everyday normal post-collegiate setting (where the football playing bully of yesteryear has grown into a rent-a-cop), it’s still an absolute hoot. All of the actors do a fine job, and the 90 minute show even reaches a satisfying conclusion. Albeit a long one, I wouldn’t think of anything in it that should go. And it just keeps getting funnier toward the end, videos included.
The best part might have to be the projection shown during the “pre-show” announcements. I heard a more incestuous promotional one at the Green Venue earlier that night to see Heart of Coal, but the Zombie Girlfriend pre-emptor included instructions on the projection screen of how to avoid the pre-show announcements. We all threw in a “Hells year mother fuckas!” for good measure.
Overall, Zombie Girlfriend is a fine time to be had, and both for its humor and low ticket cost, a show I’d recommend to anyone and everyone.
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05.25.07
Posted in Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 2:09 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 11
fringe_2007_voice_11_murder.mp3
Length: 1:00
Paige leaves some comments for Murder on West 18th in th Red Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: Murder on West 18th
Company: Playwright’s Round Table - Orlando, FL
Venue: Red (Orlando REP)
Times: 5/18 - 9:20PM, 5/19 - 6:30PM, 5/20 - 11:00AM, 5/23 - 7:55PM, 5/24 - 10:35PM, 5/26 - 12:55PM, 5/27 - 4:25PM
Tickets: $10 (Students, Seniors, PRT Members $8)
Rating: Mature Audiences (nudity, language)
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 2:00 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 10
fringe_2007_voice_10_rickshaw.mp3
Length: 3:35
John and company, repping RickshawBoy.com, review Matador and several other Fringe productions. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: Matador
Company: Angel Kiss Productions - Orlando, FL
Venue: Purple (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/18 - 11:45PM, 5/20 - 7:15PM, 5/21 - 9:50PM, 5/23 - 7:40PM, 5/24 - 11:50PM, 5/25 - 10:05PM, 5/26 - 9:00PM
Tickets: $10
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 1:29 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 09
fringe_2007_voice_09_rematch.mp3
Length: 0:24
Ryan leaves a review for the hilarious and highly anticipated SPORT: REMATCH in th Silver Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: SPORT: REMATCH
Company: PB & J Brewery - Orlando, FL
Venue: Silver (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/18 - 7:35PM, 5/19 - 1:40PM, 5/20 - 9:10PM, 5/22 - 7:55PM, 5/24 - 9:15PM, 5/26 - 3:10PM, 5/27 - 3:40PM
Tickets: $7 (Students, Fringe Artists $5)
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 1:21 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 08
fringe_2007_voice_08_ps69.mp3
Length: 0:29
Ryan leaves a review for Susan Jeremy’s P.S. 69 in th Orange Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: P.S. 69
Company: Watson Arts - Brooklyn, NY
Venue: Orange (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/18 - 6:00PM, 5/19 - 1:40PM, 5/20 - 9:00PM, 5/24 - 6:00PM, 5/25 - 8:10PM, 5/26 - 6:30PM, 5/27 - 11:00AM
Tickets: $10
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 12:50 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 07
fringe_2007_voice_07_six.mp3
Length: 0:32
Ryan leaves a review for punk-rock-buster-keaton-vaudeville act Six Characters in th Purple Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: Six Characters: Best Show EVER!
Company: Six Characters - New York, NY
Venue: Purple (Orlando REP)
Times: 5/19 - 4:30PM, 5/20 - 2:20PM, 5/22 - 8:00PM, 5/23 - 11:40PM, 5/25 - 6:00PM, 5/26 - 12:40PM, 5/27 - 6:00PM
Tickets: $10
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 12:37 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 06
fringe_2007_voice_06_poofy.mp3
Length: 0:40
Ryan leaves a review for Burden of Poof in th Yellow Venue. Three shows left. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: Poofy du Vey in Burden of Poof
Company: Courtney Cunningham - New York, NY
Venue: Yellow (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/19 - 11:00AM, 5/20 - 8:25PM, 5/22 - 10:20PM, 5/23 - 7:25PM, 5/25 - 6:00PM, 5/26 - 4:20PM, 5/27 - 5:55PM
Tickets: $10 (Students, Seniors $8)
Rating: Mature Audiences
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
Permalink
Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 12:31 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 05
fringe_2007_voice_005_heart.mp3
Length: 0:35
Ryan leaves a review for Heart of Coal in th Green Venue. Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: Heart of Coal
Company: Carbon Productions - Orlando, FL
Venue: Green (Orlando REP)
Times: 5/19 - 2:20PM, 5/21 - 10:30PM, 5/23 - 7:35PM, 5/24 - 8:35PM, 5/26 - 10:20PM, 5/27 - 5:10PM
Tickets: $7 (Students, Seniors, Environmental buttons $5)
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Ryan, Reviews, Recommendations, VoiceMail at 12:26 pm by Ryan
Download VoiceMail Review 04
fringe_2007_voice_04_cinedance.mp3
Length: 0:49
Ryan leaves a review for LIVE FEED in th Yellow Venue by CineDance Jazz Dance. Their last show is TONIGHT! Call 321-441-3964 to leave your review.
Show: LIVE FEED
Company: CineDance Jazz Dance - Orlando, FL
Venue: Yellow (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/19 - 8:40PM, 5/23 - 6:00PM, 5/25 - 11:15PM
Tickets: $8 (Students, Seniors, Dance ticket stubs $6)
Rating: Mature Audiences
Thank you to Cervo Systems and the Detroit Creative Group for providing bandwidth and hosting for Blogging Fringe.
The file is just an MP3 - no iPod is required to listen to this show, although that is a popular way to enjoy podcasts. We have also made our feed available for easy linking to iTunes or other feed readers.
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Posted in Articles, Emily, Reviews at 2:15 am by Emily
Once again, TJ Dawe needs no help with promotions. None at all. His three shows this year are selling hugely, and rightly so. I have not yet caught Dishpig, but 52 Pick-Up was absolutely stellar, not to mention an impressive feat of its two actors.
Show: Maxim & Cosmo
Company: Big Sandwich Prouctions - Vancouver, British Columbia
Venue: Orange (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/19 - 11:30AM, 5/20 - 6:00PM, 5/21 - 11:45PM, 5/22 - 8:10PM, 5/25 - 6:00PM, 5/26 - 3:35PM, 5/27 - 12:35PM
Tickets: $10
Rating: Mature Audiences
Maxim and Cosmo was described by the Orlando Weekly (I believe) as another master-class in monologue. Absolutely right. Except that it’s not even really a theatrical piece. It’s Mr. Dawe, sitting down with a microphone and a bottle of vitamin water, and having a one-sided conversation with the audience. It felt like I was back in college, listening to a lecture.
Now I graduated with honors, but I skipped my fair share of classes in my university tenture. But let me tell you – if TJ Dawe had been my professor, I would arrive at every lecture a half hour early and camp out before every one of his office hours. Damn.
And Maxim and Cosmo is just as insightful as a lifetime’s worth of sociological research. Screw reading dissertations male and female relations, just go see this show. I came in with high expectations as a fan of the One Man Trilogies and A Canadian Bartender at Butlin’s, but this exceeded them all. Seriously. Enlightening, insightful, and funny as shit, just go see it already. There’s nothing more I can say. Go see it or you will die lonely and unhappy.
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Posted in Articles, Emily, Reviews at 2:08 am by Emily
Apparently, these two from Austin, TX doesn’t need my help. I was told by a professed math lover the other night at the Blogging Fringe tent that he had wanted to see Calculus, but that it had been sold out every night. I believe it, too. The crowd on Saturday night was packed almost to capacity, and everyone, mostly older patrons, laughed at every single joke fired off. The show was whimsical, surprising, well-executed, and above all, the definition of adorkable.
I can’t take credit for making up that word – I thought I might have been the first, but thinking better of my own cleverness, I googled it and found it littered among long-published blogs. Oh well. But I had never truly discovered the epitome of this newly christened vernacular term until I saw this show.
Show: Calculus: The Musical!
Company: Matheatre - Austin, TX
Venue: Red (Orlando REP)
Times: 5/19 - 8:10PM, 5/20 - 10:10PM, 5/24 - 9:05PM, 5/26 - 6:35PM, 5/27 - 8:10PM
Tickets: $10
Everything about it is nerdy. The multi-media, the costumes, the “cameos”, the script, the format, the chemistry between its two actors, the almost lo-fi production feel, the obvious pop-culture and higher mathematics obsessions that went into its creation, everything. You probably heard me say this on the video the other night, but as a former band geek who buddied up with the math and physics kids in high school, this show was the perfect marriage of those two worlds.
The female lead of the show is the cutest person at Fringe so far, second only to TJ Dawe. She somewhat carried the show with her outstanding accompaniment skills and great show voice. The writer and male lead had a hard time projecting, but honestly, that was my only complaint about the show. Everything else about it was 100% satisfying, and will give geeks like myself a strange sense of pride, knowing that we’re not the only one to laugh at jokes about Germans, French pronunciation and spelling, Sir Isaac Newton and this therapist’s obvious concerns, and derivative formulas. I never wanted it to end.
Yeah, totally adorkable.
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Posted in Articles, Emily, Reviews at 2:01 am by Emily
Being my first Fringe show for the year, I guess I had high expectations. Really, I was just excited about being back in this den of debauchery, seeing great performances.
Also, being the VH1 aficionado and pop culture fiend that I am, this show intrigued me. It also intrigued me that this was the same company last year that put on tape – while they were still in high school. Holy shit. I didn’t see their production last year, but being familiar with the movie adaptation of the play, I would have been terrified of the subject matter when I was in high school. One thing’s for sure, these young Fringers don’t play around.
Show: Matt and Ben
Company: Penguin Point Productions - Winter Park, FL
Venue: pink (Orlando Shakes)
Times: 5/18 - 9:10PM, 5/20 - 11:00AM, 5/21 - 9:40PM, 5/22 - 7:40PM, 5/24 - 5:30PM, 5/25 - 8:35PM, 5/27 - 12:25PM
Tickets: $10
This time around, the subject matter is decidedly lighter. Thinking about it, they mess with your head a little in the sense of a show about actors playing actors, but nonetheless, it’s quite palatable faire. It seemed a little out of date to wax nostalgic over the long lost days of the best buddy-ship of Affleck and Damon, but nonetheless, the players of Penguin Point put on a show worth watching. On their opening night, things were a little shaky. They still needed to get used to some of their lines (and it’s a whole lot of dialogue in its 90 minutes run time), the tech could use some work, and their set seemed to be working against them. That made for some of my favorite parts of the show though. The two actors were more comfortable than ever while improving amidst the mishaps, and the television set provided some of the most laughs of the show.
As for the show itself, it’s quite intriguing, and those who can’t resist at least reading tabloid headlines as they pass by in the grocery line will love this. This show, the brainchild of Mindy (also known as the Indian girl from NBC’s The Office and The 40-Year Old Virgin, who I want to see more of everywhere) and someone else, recounts an imagined (or maybe not so much) story of a struggling BFF team on whose doorstep a brilliant script falls – that of Good Will Hunting, with the boys’ names already on it. Damon and Affleck deal with their sky-fallen good fortune in a variety of ways before choosing to accept their fate and put together the film. Dead on in the subject matter, right down to an Oscar acceptance speech thanking Cuba Gooding Jr., the script it a great laugh. My favorite scene was a reading of one of the more poignant scenes of Good Will Hunting, with Damon of course as a forceful Will and Affleck faking a British accent to be Skylar. The two actors read the scene of the script (how meta!), Damon slams the door, returning soon to laugh it up with his buddy as they nod their heads and say, “That’s so good!”
This show won’t rock your world, but it’s one worth seeing. The script is a proven entity and the set in itself is a wonder to look at. Penguin Point put enormous effort into their set design, increasing the show’s comedic appeal with the dingy room décor and the actor’s “notes”. The actors are energetic and have good chemistry as well, and the Damon impersonator is a near dead-ringer. Affleck’s supposed doppelganger doesn’t quite match the classic All-American Affleck charm and square-jawed good looks, but who does? Any actor (at least a straight one) who looked like Ben Affleck wouldn’t be appearing at the Orlando Fringe. I hope these boys keep coming out with such detailed and well-produced shows. We’ll be the better for it too, when we say we saw them get their feet wet. Every young TJ Dawe has to start somewhere, and these kids are well on their way.
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