Today\u2019s Orlando Fringe Festival reviews are \u201cDreamwalker,\u201d \u201cLuna | Lorraine,\u201d \u201cMother: A Postpartum Comedy,\u201d \u201cMy Life as an \u2018Inspirational Porn\u2019 Star\u201d and \u201cWorld Peace Through Humor: A German 101.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Dreamwalker\u2019<\/p>\n
The first impression of \u201cDreamwalker\u201d (Green, 60 minutes) intrigues as arriving patrons encounter a large drum with chairs around it, plus natural wooden instruments. The audience is invited to participate in playing and singing along with original music performed by four costumed people \u2014 led by writer, director, instrument maker, costume designer and cast member Joseph Breton \u2014 who tell the story of the Unicorn Clans, a people of compassion and kindness.<\/p>\n
For a show that relates to nature through its storytelling and song, the accompanying film and narration feel out of place, unnatural and somewhat jarring. The video appears to have been created at least in part using AI, and this show would have captivated more with human-delivered narration around a makeshift campfire, perhaps, and not one that just shows up on the screen.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s an impressive amount of lore crafted into the Unicorn Clans\u2019 story, and Breton\u2019s costumes are unique and well-made. And there\u2019s the enjoyment of adding your spirit to the music and story with the chance to bang on that giant drum in this all-ages experience.<\/p>\n
\u2018My Life as an \u201cInspirational Porn\u201d Star\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Life as an \u2018Inspirational Porn\u2019 Star\u201d (Scarlet, 60 minutes) will likely draw in curious audience members with its title. Upon seeing Gabrielle Leonore onstage in lingerie, one might think it\u2019s about something risqu\u00e9 like sex and drugs \u2014 and there are tie-ins with those taboo topics in certain moments.<\/p>\n
In reality, the one-woman show centers on the performer\u2019s experiences as someone living with autism. The show makes reference to the kind of \u201cinspirational porn\u201d in media that objectifies people with disabilities or neurodivergence.<\/p>\n
Sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humor carry the performance, which is candid and vulnerable during many moments of Leonore\u2019s autobiographical monologue.<\/p>\n
\u2018Luna | Lorraine\u2019<\/p>\n
An innovative pop musical written and directed by Caseny Guarasci, \u201cLuna | Loraine\u201d (The Corner Orlando, 30 minutes) cleverly uses TV screens in a show tailored to its downtown venue to help tell the story of a star\u2019s battle with anxiety and an eating disorder.<\/p>\n
The original score, with songs sung by lead actress Wray Szenderski, strike a chord and is catchy, though the mic level for her was a bit low in the mix as heard during a press preview. Hearing the main character\u2019s lyrics clearly would have helped the story resonate even more, though Szenderski did a good job of portraying someone struggling with mental health in anxious glances and on-stage mannerisms.<\/p>\n
The show also takes a hard look at the pressure put on rising stars by the media and fans, shining a light on the humanity behind a fictional rising star.<\/p>\n
\u2018Mother: A Postpartum Comedy\u2019<\/p>\n
While wearing clown makeup, Portland, Oregon-based Anne Zander delivers an emotionally powerful solo performance that has the audience laughing and crying, sometimes all in the same breath. \u201cMother: A Postpartum Comedy\u201d (Green, 60 minutes) shares an intimate look into the experience of giving birth and the roller coaster ride of postpartum in sometimes jarring and raw scenes.<\/p>\n
Mothers in the audience can certainly relate to feelings of maternal guilt and the intensity of labor, while everyone else benefits from a vulnerable look into the chaotic and sometimes painful experience of motherhood. The show is at times weird, uncomfortable and not for the faint of heart \u2014 but it also has a lot of heart behind it, rooted in the child-rearing experiences of the performer, a mother of two.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so Fringe,\u201d one audience member accurately remarked.<\/p>\n
\u2018World Peace Through Humor\u2019<\/p>\n
In \u201cWorld Peace Through Humor: A German 101\u201d (Ten10 Brewing, 60 minutes) German-American comedian and Orlando Fringe veteran Paco Erhard crafts a set that\u2019s both funny and meaningful. While detailing an experience at the U.S.-Mexico border, Erhard asks what would make someone as close-minded as the agent who questioned him and argues that traveling is a way to broaden one\u2019s horizons.<\/p>\n
Through funny quips and personal stories, Erhard touches on the pitfalls of nationalism in any country and argues that borders are \u201cjust lines in the dirt.\u201d He also muses on the nature of Central Florida and Orlando, which he describes as \u201can island of the arts in an ocean of truck nuts\u201d and as the \u201conly city that puts gay into gators.\u201d<\/p>\n
pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n Orlando Fringe Festival<\/p>\n \u2022 Where: Shows at Loch Haven Park are in color-coded venues; off-campus locations are identified by name.<\/p>\n \u2022 When: Through May 25.<\/p>\n \u2022 Cost: $10 button required for ticketed shows, then individual performance tickets are no more than $15.<\/p>\n \u2022 Schedule, tickets, more info: OrlandoFringe.org<\/a><\/p>\n