Not every act made the best first impression. Given the barebones presentation of these excerpts — minus the technical assistance the Fringe will provide at its four performance venues — it wasn't always easy for performers to show what their full-length finished products would look like.
But there were plenty of high points, including some acts that were better than expected (given their blurbs in the Fringe guide), some that were polished vignettes from Fringe vets, and some that were just plain nuts and all the better for it. Here's a taste of what intrigued me the most (with times and addresses for their venues, all in Ybor, where performances will continue tonight through Sunday).
GOTTA SEE THESE
Mock$tar Killer Kelly Dwyer didn't even bother to hit the stage. She stood on her chair, crawled around the audience and led us in (you had to be there) a Ben Kingsley singalong. Smashing. Thurs., May 11, 10:10 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 5:30 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 8:30 p.m. Urban Phoenix Studio, 2002 E. 5th Ave. #103.
ABSOLUTELY FRINGE-READY
Beers About Songs A Houston singer/storyteller with a rowdy, Rabelaisian spirit. A good time seems guaranteed, particularly if accompanied by the title beverage. Fri., May 12 , 10:45 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 2:55 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 4:25 p.m. Urban Phoenix.
Roller Derby Saved My Soul A must even if you're not a roller derby fan. Canadian Fringe vet Nancy Kenny has a bright, confident presence and her act, in the spirit of the best roller derby nicknames, is amiably raunchy. Fri., May 12, 10:45 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 6:10 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 7:10 p.m, HCC Ybor Studio Theatre, Performing Arts Building,1304 E. 11th Ave., 1st floor.
Who, Me I've never seen a Dr. Who episode in my life, but this guy — Australian comic actor Rob Lloyd — took control of the room from the moment he stepped on stage, enlisting Whovians and non-Whovians alike in humming what I think was… the Dr. Who theme? Fri., May 12, 7:45 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 8:15 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 1:30 p.m. Urban Phoenix.
BETTER THAN THEIR BLURBS
Windows The "grass is always greener" premise about a married couple peeking at the neighbors struck me as a little been-there seen-that, but the performance excerpt was anything but: two actors (NY-based Katie Mack and Blane Pressler) totally in tune with one another — plus a surprise in a box. Fri., May 12, 7:15 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 1:20 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 5:15 p.m. Silver Meteor.
Falkland Didn't think I cared much about the Falklands War, but the excerpt from this two-actor play (with its compelling film collage capturing the tenor of the times), intrigued me. Thurs., May 11, 9:55 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 8:45 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 2:40 p.m. HCC Ybor.
Cyrano on the Moon Thought I'd have to brush up on my 19th-century French romantic drama for this one (not an inviting prospect), but the excerpt from Sarasota's Arcane Arts take on the big-schnozzed one in a "lunar afterlife" was well-acted and surprisingly funny. Thurs., May 11, 6:15 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 7:40 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 10 p.m. HCC Ybor.
STILL INTERESTED
(I'd previously included these in my Fringe preview story as pieces both local and national/international I was particularly looking forward to.)
Kara Sevda Two intersecting monologues by a man and a woman are interrupted by an alarm siren, and they scurry away to hide. That's all we saw, but it made me want to see more of this post-apocalyptic scenario from a multi-national troupe out of Scotland and NY. Fri., May 12, 8:30 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 12 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 6:30 p.m. Silver Meteor.
Dark Vanilla Jungle The spot-on accent and mercurial intensity of solo actor Marie-Claude Tremblay bode well for this production of a work by Brit playwright Philip Ridley from Lutz's Innovocative Theatre and director Staci Sabarsky. Thurs., May 11, 7:40 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 3:35 p.m.; Sunday, May 14, 8:50 p.m. Silver Meteor Gallery
Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth Dandy was present in all his glory, as fantabulously garbed as he was on CL's cover last week, but the revelation here was that the story-telling is the real draw. Tokyo media dystopia with lethal geishas, anyone? Fri., May 12, 10:45 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 6:35 p.m.; Sun., May 14, 2:25 p.m. Silver Meteor
47 Reasons to Live I was interested in this because local educator and critic Peter Nason wrote it, but what'll make me go back for more were the natural unforced performances of young Caleb Brening and Jessica Walter in the excerpt, which moved inexorably from pleasant to menacing. The show also features a first, Nason tells me: local theater couple Chris Holcom and Jaime Giangrande-Holcom are also in the play, appearing together for the first time. Thurs., May 11, 6:15 p.m.; Fri., May 12, 7:55 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 2:55 p.m. Crowbar.
TOTALLY NUTZ (AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO SEE IT)
Carrie’s Little Lambs A grinning Christian televangelist in a tutu leading a cheery kiddies' song about self-flagellation? Yes, please, and the little lambs, too. Fri., May 12, 6:15 p.m.; Sat., May 13, 9:55 p.m.; Sun. May 14, 3 p.m. Urban Phoenix.
This article appears in May 11-18, 2017.