Well friends… it has once again come time for what has become one of my favorite parts of the year since moving to Orlando:
FRINGE TIME!
For the next 2ish weeks, local theatregoers are blessed with an embarrassment of riches: over 100 shows and events going on as part of the long-running festival. Yes, I do happen to be the producer/playwright of one of these shows, but that’s (mostly) not what I’m here to talk about today.
No – actually, I’m (mostly) here today because I spy an irresistible challenge. Last January, I covered 10 shows in one go in my overview of Orlando Fringe’s smaller winter mini-fest— and now, I find myself curious. If I put my mind to it, how many shows might I actually be able to semi-cohesively review in one two-ish week period?
This Fringe, we shall find out!
Basically, I’ve spent the press preview period running around to as many shows as felt humanly possible. Each day, I will try to post something like this featuring a few mini-reviews of shows you can go and see later that evening!
I plan on continuing this through at least this Friday, at which point I may or may not decide to scale back a bit considering the festival’s jam-packed weekend schedule. Actually, that may well be the point at which I run out of steam and my entire system collapses in on itself, but by then I’ll (probably) have at least finished reviewing the handful of shows I’ve been specifically asked to cover by fellow artists.
But the fun of being a rogue blogger and not a “real” critic is that I’m otherwise under no obligation to live up to any of my lofty goals. In the spirit of the occasion, I will be trading in my usual veneer of formality in favor of fringiness, most notably in my invention of the following emoji-based assessment scale.
Modern problems require modern solutions, after all!
The following symbol will indicate:
🧠- shows that might really make you think!
💞 – shows where the artist gets vulnerable about their personal story
💙Shows with subject matter that resonates politically or socially beyond the story being told
😄 – particularly funny shows!
🎈Good time – shows you are likely to leave in a better mood than you went in and/or that stay on the lighter side thematically!
🍸This is a play it might be particularly fun to pair with an alcoholic beverage of your choice
🍃 This is a play it might be particularly fun to pair with a cannabis product of your choice
💫Rising stars – this emoji rewards earnest work by new and newer artists – these shows may or may not be as technically polished as the work of veterans, but charm and delight sometimes in spite and sometimes because of their rough edges!
🤩- wow factor – this emoji rewards outstanding level of specialized skill displayed during a fringe show beyond acting or storytelling- from instrument playing to puppet maneuvering and quite a lot in between!
🎭 – this emoji indicates a traditionally scripted show that tells a story of imagined characters as opposed to shows with a more autobiographical, improvisational, musical, or presentational vibe – nothing against any of those styles, but sometimes it’s nice to escape all of the spectacle and zaniness to see a good old- fashioned play!
🎉Fringe factor – this emoji rewards originality and cleverness of concept, bold choices, unique vibes, and anything else that makes a show feel particularly “fringey.” Encompasses reactions like:
“I wish I’d thought of that!”
“I can’t believe they actually did that!”
And
“Wow… what the fuck was that?”
🏆Critic’s pick – I am only allowed to give this to one show per post and I do not need to explain myself.
Wild card emojis may be added at any time.
In all seriousness, I thought these would be a fun way to highlight the positive aspects of shows I had more mixed reactions to. All that being said, onto the shows before I find something else inane to ramble about!
110% Wizard Keith Brown
Generally, magic tricks don’t interest me much. Last year, I took a chance on Keith Brown’s show regardless and enjoyed it tremendously – so this year, I was particularly pleased to be able to add his preview to my itinerary. In other words, I knew I could count on Brown to deliver the magic he is a known master of – and I’m not just talking about practical sleight of hand.
Genuinely impressive as his tricks were, Brown’s wizardry was equally pronounced in his seemingly effortless ability to capitvate the audience – to play off the crowd and put us at ease. His anecdotes were nearly as charming as his conjurings, especially one about how an airline’s losing of his luggage nearly wrecked his hard-earned debut in a prestigious cruise ship gig. Should he ever be stranded without his props again, he’s actually funny enough that he could probably get away with an impromptu switch to a stand-up set!
Playing tonight @ 7:25 pm, Silver Venue
Future showtimes and tickets here!
Emojis Earned: 🤩😄🎈
Unconditionally: The Ultimate Pop Diva Celebration Starring Kayla Fischl
Speaking of cruise ships – the diva at the center of this second show has also spent some time showing off her talents on the high seas. Hers are musical rather than magical, and she is clearly a gifted vocalist. It’s to her credit that my biggest issue with the show actually had little to do with her pipes than with her set list. To me, the title of her show suggested that she would pay tribute to a fairly wide range of said divas, but she limits herself to sampling only three artists: Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Adele. I wasn’t expecting obscure artists or deep cuts, but I was expecting a little more variety – maybe some Britney Spears, or Mariah Carey, or even some Taylor Swift!
While her vocals are relatively impressive on their own, it was also sometimes hard not to find her wanting in comparison to the powerhouse singers who made those songs iconic – a problem that might be less obvious if Fischl didn’t linger so long in a single artists’ repertoire. By keeping her range so narrow, she risks alienating audience members who don’t share her tastes or find the particular artists or selections overexposed.
Though she’s on the right track with her iridescent costume choices and interactive prop use, the show could also use even more visual dazzle and variety to liven it up – maybe with flashier light shifts or projected backdrops. Since Fischl shared that she was in the early stages of developing this act, though, I’d say she has plenty of time to find more bells, whistles, and polish in future iterations of her show, which she hopes to one day take back out to the seas as a guest artist.
In the end, what surprised me most about this show was that the musical sections were ultimately outshone by the shorter spoken sections. In these, Fischl herself emerges as a likable “character” and a genuine, lovely person – a hidden gem of this show that far outshines any sequins.
Her insights on self-love and following your dreams are a bit simplistic but charmingly earnest – and it’s hard to imagine that anyone in the audience didn’t come away on her side.
Overall, this is the perfect piece to catch as a feel-good, easy-listening palate cleanser between the many weirder and heavier shows you’re likely to find at Fringe. Any qualms I have with Katy Perry aside, I’d love to see how this piece evolves from here, and would go out of my way to see Fischl on stage again unconditionally!
Playing tonight @ 8:55 pm, Yellow Venue
Future showtimes and tickets here!
Emojis earned: 💞 💫🎈🍸
The Breakfast Reunion
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, one way you can ensure that your Fringe 2026 gets off to a hearty start is with the breakfast reunion! Not only is this the literal first show you could attend later today and the first full show of the festival to be happening period, but it’s a fun watchable show with an irresistible concept: what if the five teens who shared a transformative detention in classic movie The Breakfast Club met back up years later?
To an extent, this show delivers on the promise of that juicy premise, and lands plenty of great jokes along the way. On the other hand, there were moments where the story’s construction felt a bit forced and perfunctory vs realistic or surprising, or saw missed potential for more interesting roads not taken in terms of the characters’ trajectories and interactions. But the show’s biggest draw of its nostalgia factor is there in a big way, and it also raises some poignant ideas about the passage of time that will likely strike a chord with most. Don’t forget about this one if this breakfast sounds like your vibe!
Playing tonight @ 5:25 at the YELLOW venue
Future showtimes and tickets here!
Emojis earned: 🎭😄🧠
BULLOCK & THE BANDITS IV: DEVIL IN DEADWOOD
Honestly… this show just rocks, in every sense of the word. If anything, one could say that it sells a vibe more than it tells a cohesive story, but oh how well it does what it does! With its charismatic host and creator David Lee, ghostly old west aesthetic, and mega-talented stars and band, Bullock & Bandits has discovered a winning formula that here pays off for at least the second time (last year being my first visit!)
I think I enjoyed this iteration more, maybe because I happened to be in more of a mood to appreciate its infectious aliveness at the end of a long day of preview-going than on a weekday afternoon when I definitely should have been learning my lines instead, but I digress. There’s also the mesmerizing effect of the Ren’s shiny new iridescent wall and eye-catching tech upgrades, which help replace the wow factor of the last version’s in the round staging.
You could see, hear, and feel the cast giving 100% energy – especially the incomparable Tymisha Harris, another returning player whose solo show, Josephine, has now jumped to near the top of my too see-list.
Playing tonight at 8:00 pm at the Renaissance Theatre Company
Future showtimes and tickets here!
Emojis earned: 🤩🍹🎈🏆
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Hopefully, I’ll be posting another one of these going over some more shows tomorrow afternoonish and maybe I’ll actually have time to add some pictures and utilize proper punctuation. Then I’ll be getting ready for the opening night of my show Karma is a BITCH, which you can learn more about or buy tickets for here. Meanwhile, happy fringing all!