In 2012 I named Danny Feedback's Crack Rock Opera the “Worst, Worst, Worst Anything Anywhere Anytime” that I'd seen on stage (and yes, I've seen Spider-Man: Turn Out The Dark). So I was understandably apprehensive about returning to the re-mounted show at Fringe; after all, at least the production I saw at the Parliament...
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Every year at Fringe I seem to find a fantastical freak-show of physical theater to fall in love with, like Miss Hiccup (who returns to the Festival this year), Poofy Du Vey, or Schave & Reilly. This time around, Wonderheads won my Fringe Crush fealty with their touching triumph LOON. When we first meet...
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Sandra (Gemma Wilcox) is knee-deep in composing a new advertising slogan for marmite (the malodorous yeast goo Brits eat on toast) and has barely recovered from her mother's death and boyfriend's dumping, when an unexpected road trip rips her out of her rut, forcing her to face the futility of following other people's maps,...
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Here’s a helpful hint: if you want to bring your fiancé home for Thanksgiving to meet the family, try to refrain from humping your twin sister on the dining room table. It just makes breakfast the next morning so awkward. The fact that Jackie-O (Adele Papoosha), whose violent bipolar disorder makes her a poster...
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If you've ever known (or been) someone who can't leave the house without checking the stove a dozen times, you know obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is no laughing matter. But Audrey Kearns (co-founder of Discount Comedy Outlet and 4 Truths and a Lie) demonstrates with her autobiographical one-woman show Obsessively Okay that crippling neurosis...
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This is how it happens. You see the promotional materials for Carolann Valentino’s Burnt at the Steak. You read that it is a comedic portrayal of her experiences working in a New York steakhouse. You think to yourself that this could be fun – Hell’s Kitchen as a one-woman show, perhaps. Mere minutes into the...
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Key of E, the apocalyptic “junk rock” musical by Orlando musician Andy Matchett (of the band The Minks) and actor/writer Corey Volence, promises to “have it all,” and for once at the Fringe there’s truth in advertising. Shadow puppets, rage monsters, imaginary girlfriends, kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll, and more are all packed into this...
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RibbitRePublic Theatre’s Boygroove (2005) was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at the Orlando Fringe: a sendup of a seemingly one-dimensional subject (boy bands) that revealed layers upon layers of motivation and semiotics. The Canadian company’s Be a Man (which actually predates Boygroove) is almost identical when it comes to structure, with a four-man ensemble...
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I always thought a geek was a sideshow carny who bites the heads off of live chickens. But according to juggler Aji Slater's Geek Life, geeks are actually distinguished by three characteristics: they are infatuated with a niche topic, they are “out” about their obsession, and they bond socially with each other over their...
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Have you ever passed a street musician on the sidewalk, their open instrument case hopefully holding a few crumpled bills, and wondered how they got there? Rachel Nelson's one-woman show The Urban Hermit offers one explanation. Her story takes her from a tiny garret apartment, a perpetually-stoned college grad hoarding cash in a tobacco...
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Fringe Fest 2013 shows Arts & Culture: Some choices for geeks, gamers, those who prefer to fly solo, kids, oldsters and more By Seth Kubersky 5/15/2013
Orlando City Soccer's goal rush News: The Brit, the Brazilian and their (not so?) crazy scheme to make Orlando soccer capital of the Southeast By Jeffrey Billman 5/8/2013
Tip Jar Food & Drink: Trader Joe’s is coming! Plus, food trucks at Fringe, the 20th International Beer Festival and more By Faiyaz Kara 5/15/2013
Noodles and Rice Café Food & Drink: Noodles of every shape take center stage at this Mills 50 restaurant By Faiyaz Kara 5/15/2013
How to Fringe Arts & Culture: Tips and tricks for making the most of your Fringe Fest experience 5/15/2013
Bloc Party hit the Beacham Music: The strife-ridden indie rockers still strive to treat one another like “decent human beings.” By Reyan Ali 5/15/2013