VarieTease shines, ‘White Lotus’ parody scores, Wendy finds her voice
Today’s Orlando Fringe Festival reviews include: “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to Work I Go: An Intimate Romp,” “Jon Bennett vs. Jason Donovan in Dumb Trivia,” “Surprise Party with DK Reinemer,” “VarieTease: XX” (highly recommended), “Wendy, My Darling” and “The White Lotus: Orlando.”
In “VarieTease: XX” (The Abbey, 60 minutes, highly recommended), Blue Star’s troupe is all about forward motion. Performers seem to be marching, trains rush by, poetry is read about resilience. It’s a top-notch dance experience, marked with athleticism — a multi-performer back roll, a moving pyramid — and with grace.
One number evokes Broadway’s Fosse, another the Roaring ’20s. The Abbey space is used well, with the aisles full of vitality that complements the lovely synchronicity on the stage.
The movement to an overtly political segment brings the forward motion to a halt, a clear reference to Florida’s recent antiLGBTQ legislation. But with such beautiful lighting, costumes and brilliant theatricality, how could things not end on a hopeful note?
“Our journey continues,” reads narrator Joyce Arbucias, “with our faces to the light.”
“Wendy, My Darling” (Yellow venue, 60 minutes) will likely generate buzz for its video appearances by TV stars Jon Cryer and Busy Phillips (both very good). But the attention should be on the story and performance by April Wish, playing a grownup Wendy of “Peter Pan” fame as a woman looking to find her own voice in the modern world.
Wistful, angry, defeated, optimistic — this is a voice for all women who found out hard truths about the real world as they grew up. Krysia Plonka directs with an eye that highlights Wendy’s churning emotions as she struggles to be heard in the man’s world of Hollywood TV writing and then unexpectedly becomes “internet famous.”
Wish’s natural and engrossing acting far outshines her singing, and for me, the tunes in this lite-rock musical did little to help the momentum or emotion of the piece. But it’s a welcome spin on the myth of Neverland.
In “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to Work I Go” (Teal at 54 W. Church St., 75 minutes), Phillipe Coquet has a nifty concept — a look at the sex workers of the theatrical canon, from “Sweet Charity” to “Jesus Christ Superstar” — and he has interesting personal stories to share.
But as seen at a preview, the execution too often feels tentative with awkward pauses in the storytelling. The show still needs refining on how best to marry the personal with the theater history, but Coquet is a likable host.
Two shows skate by on the considerable charms and crowd-reading abilities of their charismatic hosts.
In the unscripted “Jon Bennett vs. Jason Donovan in Dumb Trivia” (Savoy, 60 minutes), Fringe veteran Bennett shares the ridiculousness of a fangirl-type trivia game developed around Donovan, an Aussie teen-heartthrob of the late 1980s. It’s all an excuse to be silly in a communal setting; in fact, Bennett lets the audience stop the game at any time to do something else; it’s a Fringe experience.
So is “Surprise Party with DK Reinemer” (Savoy, 60 minutes), in which that Fringe vet — with a key assist by Robby Pigott — stages a series of goofy competitions with contestants and judges drawn from other Fringe shows. Don’t expect cake, but the celebratory feeling is contagious for those just looking for a bit of fun.
Finally, I have never seen HBO’s “The White Lotus” so I dispatched my colleague Scott Maxwell, a fan of the streaming series, to check out “The White Lotus: Orlando” (Renaissance, 60 minutes). Here’s his report on the parody:
Anyone familiar with “The White Lotus” knows the main characters aren’t exactly endearing. “The White Lotus Orlando” leans into that unlikability with the cast singing in one song: “Each of us is unbearable in our own special way.”
How unbearable? Well, there’s a vain, social-media-obsessed mother annoyed by her own terminally ill daughter. And that’s just for starters.
The story takes place at a fictional Orlando resort. So it’s chock full of local references. And raunchiness. Lots of raunchiness. Basically, “White Lotus Orlando” is what you’d expect in a mash-up of the steamy HBO show and the bawdier side of Fringe … if you also threw in peppy musical numbers.
A lot of the show was riding on whether the team could find an actress to capably mimic the role Jennifer Coolidge made famous. Fortunately, they did. Kendall Leamy nails it. And Tripp Karrh channels Murray Bartlett’s resort manager with similar aplomb.
Just be ready for edgy. Because at this resort, the guests are randy, druggy and so hopped up that even the murder victim keeps on dancing.
ORLANDO FRINGE FESTIVAL
Where: Shows at Loch Haven Park are in colorcoded venues; off-campus locations are identified by name.
When: Through May 29 Cost: $10 button required for ticketed shows, then individual performance tickets are no more than $15. Schedule, tickets and more info: OrlandoFringe.org More reviews: OrlandoSentinel.com/fringe