The last of my Fringe coverage is found in today’s post. No show photos or links because these shows are all closed and the box office site is gone for each. This theme is about live music, with 3 of the 4 shows featuring instruments: one piano, one guitar, one trombone. A great way to cap off my personal viewing of shows.
Speaking of, that brings my total shows seen to 46. Didn’t see that one coming. I covered them all on a Google Doc that has since been republished on this site. However, The Harris Herald Awards are available now! Please note these are my personal highlights and not those of Orlando Theatre Review. You are welcome to review those, and any other coverage, here!
Thank you for reading, my involvement came up very recently, and everyone has been very supportive. I will be there for one final sendoff at the awards ceremony this evening. But I have hardly done anything at all in comparison to what I have the honor to be a part of: I am simply commenting on others generating art with their creativity. So I would like to say So Long and Thanks for All the Shows!
Homecumming
What I thought might be a silly one-person play with some crude humor ended up being a really touching story about how inexplicable love can complicate human nature, and generate betrayal between a mind and body. But there was silliness and crude humor thrown in for some great tongue-in-cheek bits. The ultra-expressive performer generated tears, laughs, broke out in dances, moans, and had a fantastic segment where two countries box in the ring, as played by a few audience members holding flags. I’m so glad I came!
Chase Padgett: How to Play Guitar (Poorly)
This show rounded up the last of the BYOV venues for me! And what a way to do so: a touching life story with rich themes, framed as eight pieces of terrible advice. The skill on the acoustic guitar and the soulful voice were unstoppable. The performer made the covers feel fresh and individual. The originals were crafted perfectly to tell a story and awesome jokes. A beautiful story about father figures was told along the way. The sold-out room was mesmerized.
50% Nonverbal
A masterful trombonist/dancer in concert! This variety show really showcases this performer’s strengths, and presents a show that only has speaking about half of the time, aligning with their internal monologue. A witty sense of humor and a person of few words, the verbal pieces were overshadowed by the musical performances, because of how graceful and expert their skills are. I really liked the experimental pieces, like the interpretation of abstract sheet music. The guest spot was a really cool performance piece, with fellow Fringers following instructions on their phone, though there was a lack of movement from them that dragged.
I found myself unsure of why the headpiece microphone was not muted during trombone performance, amplifying the breaths to the same volume of the non-mic’ed trombone. There were a few points where some breaths sounded like beatboxing, and others where some humming seemed to be in duet with the trombone. Still not sure if I got that one.
There was a strobe lighting warning for this show but this was the most intense strobing I have seen in a theater. The finale is a total mystery to me because I had to close my eyes and cover them with my hands to avoid them piercing my eyelids. I am not sensitive to lighting effects but wow, how this one made it in front of a crowd is lost on me.
Serving CVNT with Sarah Hester Ross
A polished solo concert with extensive crowdwork, this show played hot to the room. Some of that came from the “influencer” status this performer maintains online, something I was hardly aware of, but I am confident this performer would have won this crowd over during the opening number without that. This show felt like a treat at Fringe, as it felt like a bit of a show you might find from a residency performer with much higher ticket prices. It didn’t feel “Fringe-y,” but I appreciate the variety, and there was a song dedicated to the Fringe which was felt in the room.
The very talented singer made great decisions when choosing songs for this concert to show off their vocal talents, whether it be an original, cover, or parody. Lots of sing-a-longs gave the performer more opportunities to riff and at times, it blew me away.
The female empowerment messaging of the show was best conveyed in the cover songs. The parodies and original pieces, while anthemic, were mostly lyrical platitudes. They were fun but did not have much substance. The monologues described a little more, but I did not think they quite got into the nitty-gritty as promised. The entirety of the show was in support of the thesis and was tonally very consistent.