Directed by Vanessa Quesnelle<\/p>\n
At the top of THE REVIEW, Andrew Broaddus<\/a> and Martin Dockery<\/a> enter the stage as two lawyers conducting a contentious performance review. They\u2019re seated center stage within a rectangle of LED lights, and they rarely move from their chairs for the entirety of the hour. Therein lies the magic of THE REVIEW: you won\u2019t even notice. Dockery\u2019s script is so meticulously crafted, composed with such wit, and written with such naturalistic cadence in mind that it is almost impossible to tear your attention away. As you can imagine, there\u2019s much more to the conversation than a performance review\u2014a possible infidelity, family legacy, and technology\u2014but Dockery\u2019s language has a fluidity to it that is lightning-fast yet easy to follow. It helps that Broaddus and Dockery have a natural chemistry to their animosity; they speak to, at, and over one another with such fastidious rhythm that the rapport between the actors is obvious, even if the characters have it out for one another. As the lawyers\u2019 game of cat-and-mouse expands and escalates, Dockery\u2019s script masterfully turns the tide one way and then doubles back as the men cordially struggle for power through professional conduct and conversation that peels back ever so carefully. The precision of every artist involved here is mesmerizing to behold. It\u2019s a breathtaking hour of theatre\u2014and you\u2019ll undoubtedly want more where it came from.<\/p>\n THEN, EVE (Renaissance Theatre Company)<\/p>\n Written, Staged, and Performed by Billie Jane<\/p>\n Among the glitz and glamor of the Disco Boots set at the Renaissance Theatre Company, Billie Jane stands immaculate in white linen as the first woman, telling a story that you think you know the ending to; and while you might know about the apple, you certainly don\u2019t know what happens before. Eve, enjoying the splendor of the newly created world, encounters scores of animals (and lots of beetles) to name; but when her Best Friend<\/a> Caterpillar makes the transition to Butterfly, Eve\u2019s worldview crumbles, and a whole new life opens up before her. To say more would be to spoil the show. While the massive stage may have otherwise swallowed a one-woman show, Jane makes excellent use of it; an essential victory for her, given the broad width of the space. (One wishes for a tad more of a technical element here: there\u2019s no music, sound design, or use of the massive screens on stage.) Jane\u2019s script is based upon a fascinating conceit. Some editing could be worthwhile\u2014it occasionally takes the scenic route to get to the point, and some sections feel artificially extended for runtime. While these things may be true, THEN, EVE is still a defiant shout in the face of transgender persecution. It\u2019s an incredibly daring and surprisingly apt choice to utilize source material so often associated with that bigotry to tell this story. In her exploration of disillusionment with a higher power, Jane uncovers a crisis of faith that everyone can identify with at one point or another. Despite the announcement of the intended moral, it\u2019s still easy to take away much more than that from the beatific conclusion.<\/p>\n DOLLEY. F***ING. MADISON. (Ten10 Brewing)<\/p>\n New Generation Theatrical<\/p>\n Written and Directed by Michael Knight<\/a><\/p>\n While it\u2019s not the Battle of Gettysburg or the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 1814 Burning of Washington was an exclamation mark on the War of 1812 as it neared its conclusion. While President James Madison<\/a> was in Maryland, his wife, Dolley, was in the White House, attempting to gather important historical artifacts and safely get them out before the British arrived. At Ten10 Brewing, we\u2019re brought into the White House on that very night, with a firecracker starring performance by Hannah McGinley<\/a> Lemasters as the gregarious North Carolinian First Lady sporting a twang to rival any banjo. DOLLEY F***ING MADISON is a speculative look into what may have happened when British soldiers came knocking. While Lemasters commands much of the stage (and much of the script), this is still very much an ensemble piece with Vanessa Sotomayor as her housemaid, Pearl, and Robie Phillips (a capable swing performance on Thursday night) and Brandon Roberts<\/a> as British soldiers come to desecrate the capital. The research done in the writing of the script must have been a large undertaking; it is quick, it is funny, and it is whip-smart. Dolley stops the soldiers from burning the house down and congenially invites them to dine; this is, as she tells us, her job\u2014to host parties so that things can actually get done. Over some fine Kentucky bourbon, the conversation swings from British versus American, to men versus women, to monarchy versus democracy; and as the \u201cideological prattle\u201d carries on, the hard-drawn lines between the Americans and the Brits are softened, providing some very impressive character growth for a single hour and ending with a particularly heated conclusion. Over 200 years after the events depicted, DOLLEY F***ING MADISON serves as a hilarious but historic look at what simple diplomacy\u2014and more women in positions of power\u2014could do for the world at large.<\/p>\n PRIVATE PARTS: THE SECRETS WE KEEP (Ten10 Brewing)<\/p>\n Written and Performed by Joanna Rannelli<\/p>\n Dramaturgy and Direction by Kerry Ipema<\/a><\/p>\n Upon entry for PRIVATE PARTS: THE SECRETS WE KEEP, Joanna Rannelli is not backstage, or even waiting in the wings\u2014she\u2019s right there, welcoming audience members in for the show. (We chatted briefly about what part of Canada she\u2019s from.) This affable, personal introduction to the star of the show is perfectly in line with how the rest of the hour goes: no pretense, no veneer. As PRIVATE PARTS begins, it seems as though it\u2019s about to veer into stand-up comedy territory. But this illusion is quickly dissipated when Rannelli gets into the concept of secrets, asking the audience how many are keeping a secret for someone else, or how many are keeping a persona secret that they\u2019d keep at any cost. (No surprise, most people are hiding something of the sort.) But her point isn\u2019t just about secrets that we keep from other people. What about secrets that our bodies keep from us? Or secrets that we keep from ourselves? Or secrets that we will never gain access to? Do we even want to know some of them? There\u2019s a motherlode there, and Rannelli makes us consider all of this within ourselves as she lays her own secrets\u2014and the search for revelations\u2014in a raw, understated hour. There\u2019s no yelling or screaming at the injustices of her life; just illustrative reenactments, tearful analysis, and an honest disposition. Secret? It\u2019s no surprise that this show already has a litany of accolades\u2014it\u2019s earned them.<\/p>\n THE ORLANDO FRINGE FESTIVAL is celebrating its 35th anniversary and runs now through May 25. Show tickets (and Fringe Buttons, required for entry) are available at the multiple box offices on site or at the website below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More on The Orlando Fringe Festival<\/p>\n Reader Reviews<\/p>\n To post a comment, you must register<\/a> and login<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n 2026 Theater Fans’ Choice Awards – Live Stats\n <\/p>\n \n Best Off-Broadway Musical – Top 3\n <\/p>\n \n 1. \n 22.3% of votes\n <\/p>\n \n 2. \n 11.4% of votes\n <\/p>\n \n 3. \n 7.9% of votes\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Local Shows<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \t\t\t BENOIT TEVES is an Orlando-based writer, flight attendant, and pop-culture nerd. Years of working in regional theaters across the country and with entertainment giants like\u00a0Universal Studios have… (read more about this author)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n
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\n The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee – New World Stages <\/p>\n
\n Mexodus – Minetta Lane Theatre <\/p>\n
\n Bat Boy – City Center <\/p>\n
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