Tales of a mime on the road, an unforgettable night
Today’s Orlando Fringe Festival reviews include: “The D*sney Delusion,” “FlamencoDanza,” “Tightrope” and “Vanite.”
In “The D*sney Delusion” (Brown venue, 60 minutes), Leif Oleson-Cormack tells a love story with a twist. But it’s not a tale of grand romance; rather Oleson-Cormack’s story about one fateful night in Los Angeles is about falling out of love — an ode to the universal experience of having one’s eyes opened to the reality of relationships.
Recently out of the closet (to impress a guy), young 20-something Oleson-Cormack plans a romantic trip to Disneyland with an emotionally unavailable crush. But then in one of those nights that only happens in your 20s, when your heart’s on your sleeve and the stakes feel sky high, nothing goes right.
Olseon-Cormack is engaging and tells the story straightforwardly — no visuals or time jumps or interpretive dance to break up his flow. With a good turn of phrase, there are laughs to be had, and the story’s characters are vividly drawn — including the younger, more naive self-portrait getting in deeper and deeper. It’s like listening to a friend relate this crazy time they had once and how it made them stronger; I suspect a lot of gay men — or anyone who has ever found themselves in the wrong hotel room with the wrong guy at 3 a.m. — could relate.
Trent Arterberry offers a showbiz memoir about his life on the road in “Tightrope” at the Orlando Fringe Festival. In “Tightrope,” Pink venue, 60 minutes, Trent Arterberry spins a story of another kind. He tells of his career as a professional touring mime and if you already are snickering, well, you have a thing or two to learn.
Arterberry is an old pro at the entertainment game; his miming got him gigs opening for the likes of B.B. King, the Kinks and Julio Iglesias, not to mention performances on the college circuit. And that assured delivery serves him well as he runs through his career, under the guidance of a manager straight from central casting and known as The Flash.
Arterberry’s mime work helps tell the story (and breaks up the segments), and it creates some of the best bits: everything from a shark attack in a fish tank to the very act of being born.
The more serious side of the tale is about how his marriage suffers with the demands of his career, and it feels a little lopsided — we only really get his point of view and he glosses over a significant betrayal. But overall this is an entertaining hour, and you are likely to leave with a new appreciation for the art of mime — in more ways than one.
Flamenco has its own tales to tell, and in “FlamencoDanza” (Green venue, 60 minutes) that story comes through the flourishes of the guitar and the rhythm of the steps. Dancer Aylin Bayaz and guitarist Raúl Mannola offer an intimate view of the art form, with Bayaz’s languid arm movements offering sharp and beautiful contrast with the rat-a-tat of her feet.
Mannola’s guitar playing offers a variety of styles to appreciate, from a melancholy opening number to a tuneful Brazilian melody.
And the visuals, with Bayaz’s oversized yellow shawl swooping around her, are as entrancing as the sounds and steps.
Finally, “Vanité” (Pink venue, 50 minutes) is one of those shows that feels like a bunch of friends put it together for fun. It’s a musical comedy about two pals who wanted to be actors but one has given up the dream to take the bar exam (How he’s taking it without having already gotten a law degree isn’t addressed — but if details like that bother you, this isn’t the show for you.)
Stars John Aquino and Kidanny Gonzalez are likable enough, though not strong enough singers to sell the songs. The show almost — almost — skates by on its earnest Fringey charm — and then in the final moments, Aquino’s script takes such a serious and unexpected turn that the audience doesn’t know how to react. If it’s meant to be a joke, still “too soon.”
If it’s meant to be serious, the reference doesn’t make chronological sense with the rest of the show. Again, not a show for the detail-oriented.
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