Fringe Festival reviews

Here are reviews from the 26th Orlando Fringe Festival, running through May 29 at Loch Haven Park and nearby locations. To see shows, first buy a $10 button online or at the festival. Each show then sells tickets for no more than $12. See the complete schedule at OrlandoFringe.org. For more reviews, plus video clips, go to OrlandoSentinel.com/Fringe.

‘Baker’s Dozen’

The frightening thing about Adam Francis Proulx’s entertaining “Baker’s Dozen: 12 Angry Puppets” is how well it reflects a jury on which I once served. There’s the old guy, the airhead, the angry man. The one big difference between reality and Proulx’s comedy: This jury is made of felt.

“Baker’s Dozen” is a puppet show, but “Sesame Street” it’s not. Using just one puppet and switching its eyes, lips and other features, Proulx single-handedly paints a comically scathing picture of a jury debating the murder of a baker — found dead in a bathtub with a butcher’s cleaver nearby. Of course, nursery-rhyme aficionados know that the verse goes “Rub-a-dub-dub. Three men in a tub…”

Proulx makes each character familiar and clearly defined. He also craftily weaves in ideas about tolerance and prejudice in the judicial system, though the social commentary doesn’t overpower the comedy. The Fringe Factor:

Watching Proulx transform the puppets from one character to the next is part of the show — and smartly builds on the tension reflected in the story as the jurors debate the butcher’s guilt. Who will emerge next? And what will he or she think?

Curtain Call: An energetic performer, strong physical work, a nifty concept and a winning presentation add up to a whole lot of fun. I just hope these puppets never hold my fate in their cuddly little hands.

Where & When: Red venue, 55 minutes, $12, 13 and up. 8:30 p.m. May 24; 5:30 p.m. May 26; 10:30 p.m. May 27; 2:30 p.m. May 28. Matthew J. Palm

‘Roller Coaster’

Apparently, Fringe veteran TJ Dawe doesn’t exactly know what a roller coaster is, but let’s not hold that against him. His show is titled “Roller Coaster” — and was hatched in the queue at Universal’s Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey — but Dawe is speaking about much more than thrill rides.

In his usual masterful way, the Canadian introduces multiple story threads: theme parks, a recurring theme in popculture franchises, possible scenarios for Donald Trump’s presidency, why humans have a need for war. Each thread has interest and is delivered in Dawe’s informative and quick-witted style.

The threads don’t tie together as neatly in the end as in some of his other shows (“Slipknot,” “Marathon”) but that’s because a meditation on the fall of civilization has no simple conclusion. What Dawe does offer is plenty of food for thought about where humanity is headed, why we’re going that way — and if we can change our path. The Fringe Factor:

Note that Dawe, a perennial favorite, has to leave Fringe early this year. He mentioned heading to another festival. Wait, is he cheating on us?

Curtain Call: Locals will get a particular kick out of a mini-rant concerning Dawe’s first impression of Orlando more than a decade ago. He vowed never to return, but we (and Universal’s Wizarding World) have won him over. Let’s keep this talented wordsmith in our good graces. Where & When:

Brown venue, 60 minutes, $12, 7 and up. 5:30 p.m. May 24. Matthew J. Palm

‘Trading Soles’

“Trading Soles” is “Freaky Friday” meets “The Odd Couple” … with God as a pizza delivery guy thrown in for good measure.

And it works. Quite well, in fact.

It works partly because writer/actor Franco Colon drew nicely complex characters and updated the story with 21st century issues and lots of humor. And it also works because the two lead actors (Colon and Justin Cortes) are so strong.

The play tells the story of freshman bookworm Ben, who is thrown into a dorm with party-hardy upperclassman Eli. The two are at odds on virtually everything — from study habits to LGBT acceptance (a main theme) — until pizzaman God drops in to teach the guys a little something about empathy by making them switch bodies.

Both actors do a good job adopting each other’s persona. If there’s something worth changing, it’s the CIA agents. Ditch ‘em. When they come in near the end of the play, the story takes a jarring and seemingly unnecessary turn. The Fringe Factor:

It’s comedy with a message. There’s profanity and some drug and sex references. But, hey, it’s college.

Curtain Call: You’ve seen body-switching plots before. But this one is full of fresh twists and turns. Lots of laughs bolstered by solid acting. This freshman endeavor earns an A. Where & When:

Breakthrough Theater, 419A West Fairbanks Ave. 60 minutes, $9, 18 and up. May 25 at 10; May 27 at 7; May 28 at 4:30. Scott Maxwell