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Tag: Orlando theater

  • 15 reviews from Orlando Fringe Winter Mini-Fest 2026

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    Orlando Fringe’s Winter Mini-Fest is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a return to its original name (after briefly becoming FestN4) and location at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center. Here are reviews of 15 shows running now through Sunday, Jan. 11; visit orlandofringe.org/winterminifest for more information.

    1 Small Lie: Martin Dockery

    Sit back and relax, because master monologian Martin Dockery is back with another narrative journey that defies easy categorization in any genre and is essential Fringe viewing. As dramatically compelling as any true crime podcast and twice as funny, 1 Small Lie isn’t only an enthralling tall tale; it’s also a one-man technical tour de force. Surrounded by a stage full of softly glowing lamps, Dockery changes their colors with a swipe of his phone while simultaneously synchronizing his speech to match up perfectly with his constantly evolving soundtrack of pop songs and Badalamenti-esque atmospheric instrumentals. (Reviewed May 2025)

    1 Small Lie: Martin Dockery tickets and information

    Anatomica: A Comedy About Meat, Bones, & The Skin You’re In

    Intimate audience participation improv intersects with an educational inquiry into endoskeletons’ advantages in Amica Hunter’s trippy, touching TED Talk about using performance art as an escape from physical pain. Anatomica is sometimes cute, sometimes cringey, and always extremely Fringey. (Reviewed in May 2023)

    Anatomica: A Comedy About Meat, Bones, & The Skin You’re In tickets and information

    The Best Man Show

    Mark Vigeant’s dramatic drunken demonstration of what not to do at a wedding gets a ton of mileage out of the material before detouring into a delirious interpretive dance number. Vigeant may be the biggest disaster to hit wedding receptions since the Electric Slide, and I raise my flute of cheap champagne to him for sustaining the insanity as long as he manages. (Reviewed May 2025)

    The Best Man Show tickets and information

    Clymove X Rambüs

    Longtime Fringegoers who fondly remember choreographer Mary Clymene from her days with Voci Dance will welcome her return to Central Florida’s stages after over a decade away, now accompanied by her own very own women-driven dance company and fellow Voci veteran Nigel John.

    The first 20-odd-minute segment, 2024’s “Hips,” begins with a flesh-colored pile of tangled bodies and ASMR-style animal noises evoking the African savanna. Gracefully feline floor work, sensual and athletic, builds into breathtaking feats of balancing that elevate ordinary weight-sharing to acrobatic heights. Distorted dialogue delivers a paean to liberated femininity (“Feral fertile and fanged; she was never just the songbird, she was the vulture”) while lighting designer Conor Mulligan silhouettes the dancers’ diverse bodies into dramatic living sculptures.

    After an informational intermission, during which Clymene informally answers audience questions while her performers change into eclectic patchwork dresses, the program concluded with 2025’s “Martha Always Said.” This slyly insightful peek behind the scenes of a dance company is inspired by the cattiness and comradery that complicates relationships between strong women, and features Josephine Brunnner — who looks and moves remarkably like Clymene did 20 years ago — trying to fit in among her competitive colleagues (JoVonna Parks, Khaila Espinoza, Samara Taylor, Arianna Stendardo).

    Tying this all together is a thrilling musical soundtrack by Kurt Rambus, aka Orlando’s DJ Nigel John, who has now collaborated with Clymove on nine projects. Much more than a mere mixtape, Rambus blends ’70s funk and acid jazz with lo-fi beats and Afro-futurist drones into a darkly cinematic soundscape.

    While many dance concerts are composed of brief pieces no longer than a pop song, it’s especially refreshing to see more substantial works with enough running time to develop and breathe. Like the acclaimed Alvin Ailey and Elisa Monte troupes that Clymene trained with, her Clymove is grounded in the roots of classic modern dance, and offers Orlando audiences a mouthwatering taste of Manhattan-quality movement.

    Clymove X Rambüs tickets and information

    Cracks

    You may meet more than 80,000 people in your lifetime, but pay especially close attention when Claire Lochmueller says hello at the start of her blackly comedic autobiographical monologue, because what would be a simple introduction for anyone else is for her a declaration of identity decades in the making. Claire lived her first 30 years as a screaming voice trapped inside a cis-masculine shell named Matt. Catholic school confessions to bluenosed Benedictines and endless marching at military school did nothing to dispel Lochmueller’s gender dysphoria, a diagnosis that she struggled to accept despite experiencing debilitating depressive disassociation, which drove her into alcoholism. 

    Lochmueller’s Cracks crams humor within the horror stories — like her confession of teenage stolen valor, or the paranoid lengths she went to to purchase woman’s clothing — but her pain always lingers beneath the laughs, and her vivid evocation of a panic attack triggered one of the most visceral moments of empathy I’ve experienced at Fringe. The script’s timeline periodically becomes tangled in tangents, and I wish director David Resnick had slowed down some of the most intense moments in order to allow the emotions to land. However, Lochmueller’s contagious climactic euphoria upon embracing her true self after a lifetime of self-destructive denial makes this essential viewing, especially in an age when trans Americans are under assault.   

    Cracks tickets and information

    The Event

    The Event involves a man (David Calvitto, in a bravura marathon performance) standing alone onstage in front of an audience of mostly strangers, narrating his action — or utter lack thereof — in the third person for the better part of an hour. With the fleeting exception of a stagehand, whom he alternately extols and upbraids, nobody comes, nobody goes. It’s awful, and this drolly self-depreciating actor will be the first one to admit it, openly encouraging his audience to leave or at least fall asleep during his hypnotically professorial external monologue. 

    To say much too more about writer-director John Clancy’s witty satire on the theater and modern society might shatter the surreal spell that this hilariously heartbreaking show casts. It starts out like a one-man version of Waiting for Godot (minus the slapstick), then shifts into a Douglas Adams-esque sociological spoof (minus the sci-fi), before ending with a passionate plea regarding our primal need for personal communion, and a chilling rant on the collapse of collective memory. 

    The poetic script’s final fadeout doesn’t quite feel fully satisfying, and I’m still uncertain if a mid-show kerfuffle during the press preview was intentional or not — which may just be a testament to its ultra-meta nature. If you’re willing to take a chance on “some sort of art thing” and enjoy watching a fourth wall being not merely broken but butchered, this is one event worth RSVP’ing to.

    The Event tickets and information

    The Fabulous King James Bible

    The Fabulous King James Bible makes incisive, insightful theological statements about the role of religion in controlling the population, saying the quiet part out loud about the corruption at the heart of the Church and State, but this Tudor tutoring is terrifically funny even if you aren’t a biblical history buff. Not to be missed for all the spilled tea in England. (Reviewed May 2025)

    The Fabulous King James Bible tickets (sold out) and information

    Funny Fortunes With Mercado de la Fortuna

    Cuban-American comic Diane Jorge, who scored a huge hit with her improvised telenovelas at last May’s Orlando Fringe, returns with a takeoff of another beloved Spanish-language television tradition: Puerto Rican fortune teller Walter Mercado, the Latino Liberace of horoscopes. Jorge brings him back to life — bouffant hairpiece, red cape, and all — as Mercado de la Fortuna, a (legally distinct) loving spoof of the late psychic. 

    During an introductory autobiographical monologue, Jorge demonstrates the volcanic verbosity that made it hard for her to fit in with other children — except on Halloween — as pianist Ralph Krumins provides accompaniment on keyboards. The core of the show starts when she selects an audience member to sit at her table festooned with battery-powered tea lights and a crystal ball, where she divines their financial or romantic future with the aid of oversized Hispanic-themed tarot cards.

    Jorge is like a real-life SNL sketch character, whether in or out of her Mercado guise, and although the accuracy of her predictions isn’t guaranteed, invasive questions leading to big belly laughs are. Even a master of “Si, y” improv would struggle to fill an hour with a handful of participants, so the press preview of Funny Fortunes didn’t reach the delirious heights of her last show, but Diane Jorge remains a must-see for Fringe’s fans of funny females.

    Funny Fortunes with Mercado de la Fortuna tickets and information

    The Goodlucks

    Juanita Tyson (Tanya Neely) may be the biggest Black box office draw in Hollywood, but the prospect of her winning a prestigious Broadway acting award has her twisted in knots that even her publicist niece Lynn (Maa Bruce-Amanquah) can’t untangle. Making matters worse, her co-star and spouse, Bert Goodluck (McDaniel Austin), is an unlikeable man-baby whose envy of her success is even more embarrassing than his hairpiece. If August Wilson had created a wacky three-camera sitcom pilot — complete with a saucy daughter (Alma Ramirez) and goofy best friend (Jataun Gilbert) — it might have looked a lot like The Goodlucks. 

    Writer-director Ma’at Atkins received acclaim at the Hollywood Fringe for this family dramedy, which pays tribute to pioneering performers like Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee and Hattie McDaniel, while acknowledging the considerable barriers that African American artists continue to face. However, I fear something might have been lost in transit to Orlando, because I found the play’s central question “will famous rich folks get even richer?” dramatically uncompelling. 

    Neely gives her overwrought actress character an appropriate flair for florid gestures, while still finding moments of quiet intensity in which to lower her facade; but among the rest of the cast, only the easy-going Gilbert manages to make his dense dialogue sound like something that would come out of a human being’s mouth. Technical elements are distractingly DIY, cue pickup is inconsistent, and the staging is stiffly two-dimensional, with front-facing actors often barely making side-eye contact. 

    The Goodlucks offers some important observations about race and misogyny in the entertainment industry, and features a fierce female lead, but its shallow supporting characters and too-convenient conclusion ultimately undermine its admirable intent.    

    The Goodlucks tickets and information

    Jon Bennett: This Will Only Ever Happen Once

    Fringe Festival favorite Jon Bennett — the Australian Outback’s most entertaining export since Steve Irwin got stingrayed — is back in Orlando with a brand-new comic monologue tracing the connection between his two lifelong obsessions: performing on stage and spotting animals in nature. This Will Only Ever Happen Once is an autobiographical shaggy-dog story that rambles breathlessly through traumatic talent shows, Borneo jungle safaris and David Attenborough dance parties. A sensitive child bullied by his siblings, Bennett relates a hysterical menagerie of memorable mammal-related mishaps — including encounters with humpback whales, wild orangutans and a bloated cow corpse — that might be too absurd to believe, if they weren’t accompanied by his fast-paced slideshow of family photos and childhood drawings proving their provenance. 

    Bennett performed this version of his latest script, which was split nearly in half from an earlier draft, for the first time at a press preview mere hours after stepping off a red-eye flight. So it’s understandable if the show’s dramatic shape — which includes an abrupt ending, followed by an offhand yet essential epilogue — could still stand some development. But for a comedian best known for pretending things are a cock, Bennett’s latest verbal adventure is not merely as charmingly chaotic as a cat video; his animal-inspired epiphanies about the ineffable pleasure of irreproducible experiences prove unexpectedly moving.

    Jon Bennett: This Will Only Ever Happen Once tickets and information

    Portal: A Dataspace Retrieval

    Based on the 1986 computer game by Rob Swigart (not the better known Valve game featuring GladOS), Portal is an ambitious intellectual sci-fi drama set a century from now, when civilization has been driven underground by the ravages of neurophagic wars. Mathematical genius Petra Devore (Katherine Stevens), and her pasta-obsessed sibling, Larin (Rhys Rose, providing welcome comic relief), race against time to transition humanity into a higher state of being, while mustache-twirling meanies (Chuck Dent and Jac LeDoux) try to maintain the fascist status quo. 

    In whittling down an entire streaming series’ worth of world-building into one fast-moving hour, writer-director David Strauss has crafted a metaphor-laden script that combines the abstract cosmology of 2001’s Space Child finale with the head-scratching technobabble of TNG-era Star Trek. Even if you arrive early for the preshow slideshow of expository info-dumping, the dialogue’s dense deluge of unfamiliar acronyms may leave you feeling lost in space. The narrative logic — where a lone protagonist can save the world by solving puzzles — is straight out of a vintage 8-bit text adventure, and the self-serious high-stakes tone tends towards ’70s British TV shows like The Tomorrow People.

    However, this all-star cast of PRT stalwarts — especially the magnetically self-assured Stevens, and McKenzie Pollock as her manic pixie cryosleep dream-girl — exhibits enough emotional investment for me to accept (if not entirely understand) the perplexing plot twists. Memorable minor roles include Rob Del Medico as a wounded veteran with a Dory-sized attention span and Nikki Darden as an Antarctic anarchist with an inexplicable mid-Atlantic accent. For thoughtful fans of hardcore philosophical science fiction who are willing to suspend their disbelief into the exosphere, this Portal takes the cake.

    Portal: A Dataspace Retrieval tickets and information

    Private Parts: The Secrets We Keep

    Fringegoers who adored writer-performer Joanna Rannelli’s Critics’ Choice award-winning hairstyling comedy Bangs, Bobs & Banter should secure their ’dos before seeing Private Parts: The Secrets We Keep, because although this often-funny one-woman showcase has the propulsive energy of a stand-up set, Rannelli’s autobiographical expose is so searingly raw it deserves a trigger warning. She starts out on a light note, dancing to “Eye of the Tiger” in a wedding veil as she confesses to a secret marriage — followed by a secret divorce — to an international acrobat. Hold on tight, because her roller coaster of emotion-packed storytelling only accelerates from there, as she traces how her alcoholic mother’s legacy of shameful secrets turned her into a bed-soiling 7-year-old with a cigarette habit.

    Director Kerry Ipema expertly shapes the pace of this potentially punishing piece, wisely modulating the volume and employing efficient lighting shifts to break up the barrage of bad memories. But it’s Rannelli’s own willingness to dig into her hidden past and expose her most private persona that makes this must-see monologue such a powerfully moving experience.
    I could quibble that the uplifting ending, which comes hot on the heels of devastating revelations involving abuse and infertility, seems somewhat glib. But if someone like Rannelli, who spends life “torn between things I want to know and the fear of finding out” can bravely share her darkest truths, it gives hope that those of us who have endured far less can also find forgiveness for ourselves and others.

    Private Parts: The Secrets We Keep tickets and information

    The Rooms We Carry

    Central Florida theatergoers are accustomed to consuming dance performances that are either entirely abstract or serve to spell out a straightforward plot, and almost always have all their rough edges smoothed off. But if there is an audience hungry for an impressionistic journey through experimental improvisation, they can find much-needed nourishment in The Rooms We Carry, an emotionally charged contemporary movement exercise from Quantum Leap Productions. 

    Michelina Moen and Cristina Ramos — the show’s primary performers and co-directors — are both compelling dancers who can transform simple pedestrian movements into impactful gestures. Moen, a longtime favorite from VarieTease, manages to beautifully balance both muscularity and vulnerability; Ramos is simultaneously sinuous and sinewy, especially during a vibrant salsa number. Amid symbolic props like photographs, phonographs and vintage furniture, the pair take turns improvising angst-imbued solos that evoke powerful feelings of regret, release and renewal, without relying on a literal storyline.  

    Moen and Ramos are accompanied onstage by technical designer Kylee Taylor, who employs handheld projectors, flashlights and color-changing LED bulbs to conjure some striking stage images. Unfortunately, Taylor’s innovative illumination techniques too often obscure the artists while blinding the audience, and her presence sometimes pulls focus from the dancers. Similarly, the soundtrack of pop songs — from Billie Eilish and Hayley Williams to David Bowie and Childish Gambino — is smartly curated (save for a saccharine Phil Collins finale), but is undercut by several jarring audio edits. 

    The Rooms We Carry is a show that demands patience from its viewers, presenting more of a loose collection of intriguing concepts than a fully fleshed-out creation. I can’t help wishing that more of the running time was devoted to ensemble moments integrating these skilled performers, and a little less to deep breathing and shuffling setpieces. However, I’m optimistic that this talented trio can polish this project into a more consistent package before embarking on their upcoming tour of Canadian fringe festivals without rubbing away all its fascinating personal facets.

    The Rooms We Carry tickets and information

    Softie

    Wearing wire-frame glasses and a knitted cap on his balding head, writer-performer Tim Felton isn’t exactly bringing sexy back, but this milquetoast Midwestern househusband might just be bringing “mildly attractive middle-age” back with his inexplicable solo comedy, Softie. Tim loooooves getting to know new people, and is prone to schmoozing shamelessly with anyone and everyone, from audience members to his own booth technician. With romantic guitar strumming underscoring every attempted meet-cute, he individually welcomes every attendee while using the word “magic” more often than Vin Diesel says “family.”

    Felton compares his quirky persona to Mr. Rogers, Pee-wee Herman and Buster Bluth, but his malapropistic wordplay and narcissistic naiveté remind me more of Arrested Development’s Tobias Funke. His slow-burn warmup features fantastically fearless crowd work, as the irritatingly ingratiating character gradually charms us with his innocent urge to make connections. And by the time Felton’s show culminates in an audience-participation Spin the Bottle party (in which I was gratefully unable to participate) he’s made a strong case that more platonic physical contact among adults might result in a healthier society.

    However, about 20 minutes into this oddly endearing encounter group, there’s a violent vibe shift as Felton snaps into salacious stand-up mode, shattering the previously established mood with aggressively profane pubescent rants about emo music, intercourse with his “cool Christian” spouse and his deficit of spontaneous erections. If Felton could just take out the unnecessary 10 minutes of F-bombs and penis-shaped balloons — without altering the weirdly charming Napoleon Dynamite-meets-Emo Philips elements of his creation — then this surreally silly yet somehow moving show would move up from a soft suggestion to a hard recommendation.

    Softie tickets and information

    Vampira: A Hollywood Horror Story

    Few of them know it, but every black-glad goth hanging around a Hot Topic owes a debt to Maila Nurmi — aka Vampira — the pioneering television horror hostess who became a cautionary tale during the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She finally gets her due in writer-performer Ingrid Garner’s ghoulishly good one-woman show, in which she fully inhabits the wasp-waisted Plan 9 From Outer Space star’s iconic persona (which was shamelessly appropriated years later by Elvira). 

    The child of a temperance preacher and an alcoholic, Nurmi “never caught the gist of being human.” Fleeing her unhappy home for Hollywood, she was befriended by Orson Welles, Marlon Brando and James Dean (among other up-and-coming A-listers) before becoming a short-lived sensation in her own right. Garner isn’t merely a name-dropper, because Nurmi made a measurable impact on these legendary men’s lives, even though she’s largely been overlooked. 

    Despite that erasure, the subversive impact of Vampira’s mesmerizingly morbid sensuality on repressed Eisenhower-era Americans continues to echo today in punk music and fashion. Garner’s gossip-packed, tightly paced theatrical tribute to Nurmi is informative and entertaining, but also deeply emotional at points; I only wish a shocking 11th-hour twist was revealed earlier to address its implications. Vampira’s reputation is long overdue for a resurrection, and Garner’s inspirational interpretation of this iconoclast against mid-century domesticity will make you want to go out and “terrorize normalcy” yourself.  

    Vampira: A Hollywood Horror Story tickets and information

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    Seth Kubersky
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  • Broadway in Orlando review: ‘& Juliet’ brings back the past in more ways than one

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    Fabiola Caraballo Quijada and Joseph Torres in the North American Tour of & Juliet Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

    We all have those playlists from our past that haunt us: the guilty-pleasure songs from our youth that won’t stop repeating inside our heads, reminding us of our first dance and/or heartbreak. Blend that with the Shakespearean stories drilled into our souls since childhood, and you’ve got Broadway’s & Juliet (running now through Jan. 11 at the Dr. Phillips Center’s Walt Disney Theater) which brings all those memories together in a refreshing spectacle of humor and sentimentality.

    David West Read’s Tony-nominated book is a revisionist reimagining of Romeo and Juliet where the heroine finds herself, instead of choosing to commit suicide over her short-lived boyfriend. Director Luke Sheppard serves up the story with a bit of an urban feel, adding an Olde English chaser. The real hero of the show is recent high school graduate Fabiola Caraballo Quijada as the title character; at such a young age, she embodies a strong woman who can make her own choices, even when things go horribly wrong. Revamped songs written by Max Martin — the hitmaker behind Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry and others — range from angsty rock to uplifting pop, bringing you right there with her as she struggles to become her own woman.

    The buzz among the opening audience was all about Joey Fatone being in the show. The two-time second-place winner of Dancing With the Stars has proven that he’s never taken himself too seriously, and aging *NSYNC fans (myself included) were there to see him show his stuff; little did we know that he would only spend a total of about 25 minutes onstage. Many audience members left during intermission, unaware that if they had waited for the second act, they would have gotten more of the Fatone that they had come to see. In his role as “Lance,” a French man trying to get his son married, Fatone is charismatic even with a humorous cheesy French accent. The “DeBois Band” performance toward the end was the type of thing that makes the inner teenager in all of us scream with glee.

    Despite sharing billing with someone famous, Crystal Kellogg steals the show as Anne, Shakespeare’s wife. As a “supporting” character, it’s a joy to see her take center stage, and Kellogg brought not only heart and strength but also playfulness to scenes that might have otherwise fallen flat. And Nico Ochoa’s gender-fluid performance as Juliet’s nonbinary friend May was intriguing, and left the audience longing for more.

    Soutra Gilmour’s scenic design is joyfully over-the-top, featuring a few characters descending from the ceiling on chandeliers that made the audience cheer. The music is a reminder of the past, with the cast often performing a well-known song better than the original artists. And Paloma Young’s costumes are a mix of new and old, with corsets added to track suits, Elizabethan ruff collars, mini-backpacks and short skirts, all in bright sparkling colors. Add to all of that Howard Hudson’s flashing lights and confetti cannons, and it’s like a ’90s rave in 2026.

    In the end, & Juliet empowers by showing us that life is made of choices. Do you choose who you are supposed to be or who you want to be? Either way, it’s a fun journey to get there … even if it only takes four days.

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    When voters are informed that Donalds has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump, his lead swells to 58 points

    ‘For sure, caviar donuts will be on the menu’

    A fun-sized festival of Fringe hits and juried picks runs Jan. 7-11



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    Jodi Renee Thomas
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  • Tymisha Harris channels the great voices in Cabaret of Legends 

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    Credit: Courtesy photo

    Orlando actress, singer and artist Tymisha Harris brings her Cabaret of Legends revue back home for a two-night run to close out the year.

    All by her lonesome, Harris channels the iconic likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Beyoncé, Nina Simone and Tina Turner. Between show-stopping readings of these songs, Harris weaves in personal stories and memories, laying bare how these songs and performers influenced her own vibrant work and life.

    And it’s in the intimate Judson’s room, to emphasize the personal nature of these performances even more.

    Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 27-28, Judson’s Live, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $29-$52.

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    This article appears in Dec. 24-30, 2025.



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    Matthew Moyer
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  • Fringe mainstay Chase Padgett festively shreds with the return of ‘6 String Christmas’

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    Credit: Courttesy

    So this week we’ve got an early morning of guitar mayhem and a more soothing holiday tradition of guitar festiveness courtesy of Chase Padgett. It’s like the two faces of Fahey manifest!

    Orlando Fringe mainstay Padgett (6 Guitars, Nashville Hurricane), brings his popular Christmas revue this weekend to the intimate Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center. Expect Padgett to give popular Christmas tunes the full ax treatment — we mean guitar — and tell some stories and jokes along the way.

    Both shows are early enough that you can pop out to the free Frontyard Holiday Festival afterward to keep the vibes peak festive.

    2 & 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 21, Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave, drphillipscenter.org, $47.20-$53.10.

    This article appears in Dec. 17-23, 2025.



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    Matthew Moyer
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  • Renaissance Theatre Co. finds temporary home in downtown Orlando

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    Credit: Orlando Fringe

    The Renaissance Theatre Co. has found a temporary new home just in time for the holidays — and it’s a familiar space to fans of performing arts in Orlando.

    On Tuesday afternoon, it was revealed that the City of Orlando has granted the Ren a temporary lease running through the end of March to take over the vacant theater facility at 54 W. Church St. in downtown Orlando. This two-theater complex is a familiar spot for local theater fans as it was briefly the home of Fringe ArtSpace and before that, for many years, Mad Cow Theatre.

    This announcement comes just in time to salvage the full run of the Ren’s annual immersive holiday comedy, Office Holiday Party Musical Extravaganza Show, set to start on Friday, Dec. 5. So yes, the fictional Gripp & Pfister holiday extravaganza, a Ren tradition since 2021, is back for another go. And, yes, the drag afterparties will still happen as well.

    And once the Holiday is over, this ad hoc space will host a production of hit Broadway musical Mean Girls, starting mid-January. The entirety of the run will happen at the Church Street theater space, regardless of whether the Ren’s home base has reopened by then.

    “The swift decision by the city and its Community Redevelopment Agency to support the arts community by helping us find a temporary home says a lot about our local government’s commitment to culture in Orlando. Though this type of programming isn’t necessarily what we normally do or want to do for the long haul, this will allow us time not only to get through the permitting process but also to plan ahead into 2026 and beyond,” Ren co-founder and artistic director Donald Rupe said in a press statement.

    In the meantime, Ren staff are still working with the city to resolve the building issues that forced their closure back in late September. “The fine folks in Permitting are helping us where they can, but it’s one of those things that just takes time, so we haven’t been able to plan ahead and that’s been really tough,” added Rupe.

    The Office Holiday Party runs Dec. 5-22, and Mean Girls will play Jan. 16-March 15, 2026. Tickets are available now through the Renaissance Theatre Co.’s website.

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    Featuring Fatties, Future Bartenderz, TV Dinner, Caustic Bats, Platonic Valentine and Jordan Schneider

    Owners Vu Nguyen and Mai Huynh are hanging up their aprons

    Bartenders both local and from lands afar travelled to the restaurant to show off their ’tending and drinking skills.



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    Matthew Moyer
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  • Q Fest at The Center spotlights queer artists in Central Florida

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    Dempsey Jara Credit: courtesy Dempsey Jara/Facebook

    If you’re searching for a fabulous excuse to be out in Orlando this week, look no further than Q Fest, the four-day celebration of LGBTQIA+ theater and film filling The Center from Nov. 13-16. I recently spoke with The Center’s CEO, George Wallace, about how this year’s inaugural Q Fest emerged from the ashes of Orlando Fringe’s Orlando Out Fest and why such an event is so important right now for the queer community and its allies.

    The Center traces its origins back nearly half a century to Orlando’s Gay Men’s Crisis hotline — whose number was 407-THE-GAYS — and Gay Community Services, which later merged and established their first brick-and-mortar location in the late 1980s where Will’s Pub now stands. It bounced around various buildings along Colonial Drive until the current property on Mills Avenue was purchased in 1999. Wallace, who was previously the executive director of Orlando Fringe, joined the The Center’s board of directors in 2014 and has been CEO since 2017.

    “The mission has always connected with me, because I love the fact that allies are in the mission,” says Wallace, noting that the people utilizing The Center’s HIV and STI testing, mental health services and food bank predominantly don’t identify as LGBTQ. “Orlando is such a unique community with the support from the ally community, and when you look at the services we offer, depending on what department it is, over 60 percent of the people that utilize The Center are not gay.”

    Wallace was originally set to produce the second iteration of OOF, before the event was canceled due to lack of an affordable venue. But after several Fringe veterans successfully used The Center’s multipurpose room as an intimate performance venue, Wallace was inspired (with Fringe’s blessing and technical support) to revive the spirit of OOF there as Q Fest, albeit in a somewhat slimmed-down form. “I know it’s not a 250-seat theater; it’s not even 100 seats,” Wallace says he recalls thinking. “But why can’t I do something?”

    While the majority of the artists at Q Fest are carry-overs from OOF’s planned lineup, Wallace says he had to concentrate on selecting solo shows — such as Natalie Doliner’s new What Is Remembered Lives cabaret — and small-scale casts. “I knew that I couldn’t get like a huge burlesque group in, but I reached out to Risa Risqué of Blacklist Babes because they have a smaller troupe,” Wallace says. “In my opinion, I picked the cream of the crop of the smaller shows.”

    As a result, Q Fest’s four days of programming spans the gamut of the gay experience, with content for every genre and age group. “We have lesbian representation, we have trans representation, we have a nonbinary performer,” says Wallace. “We have comedy magic, and in our variety show we’ve got a stand-up comic.”

    Films like Welcome to Queertown and Wanzie With a Z pay tribute to Orlando’s queer history; and Truth or Dare With P. Sparkle, Tymisha Harris: Q the Legends and Drag Queen Story Hour After Dark With Addison Taylor feature long-running local icons; while Bruce Costella’s Spooky & Gay Volume II and Jeremiah Gibbons’ Miah in Love represent the region’s rising stars. Whether you want adult-only comedy like Professor Love’s Midnight Spectacular (a Saturday-only benefit performance for The Center) or family-friendly fare such as illusionist Nick Comis’ Parlor Tricks, there’s something at Q Fest for everyone. 

    Based on advance ticket sales, Q Fest’s most anticipated show features its youngest performer. Just Dempsey! is the first-ever live variety show starring Dempsey Jara, a trans teenager “with a big voice and an even bigger personality,” who is best known for serving as the Grand Marshal of Orlando’s 2023 Come Out With Pride parade at age 11.

    “This is a kid that I fully believe that in 10 years when she’s starring on Broadway, you’d be like, ‘Oh my god, I saw her at The Center,’” Wallace says about Dempsey, who will be kibitzing candidly about her life between belting out her favorite Broadway hits. “She’s been a spokesperson, she’s been to Tallahassee and spoke in front of the Senate; she’s amazing!”

    To keep Q Fest accessible, ticket prices are capped at a maximum of $18 plus fees and a $3 festival button. Proceeds are split between The Center and the artists, excepts for some fundraisers like screenings of A Day in the Life of Miss Sammy, benefiting the Singhaus Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and the opening-night preview supporting Fringe’s Doug Ba’aser Memorial Fund.

    If you have any question why a festival like this needed, “when the Orlando Weekly publishes a story about the LGBTQ community, just go online and read the comments,” says Wallace. “So much of what is happening with the queer community is erasure or trying to erase us. It’s everything from banning books to not allowing flags to erasing sidewalks; it’s almost like ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ So I’m of the mindset that we can’t let that happen. … More than ever, we need to be loud, proud and visible, and this festival sheds the light on the queer artists in Central Florida.”

    Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

    Catch this soul-soothing circus before it runs away without you

    “We all keep coming back for something and at the end of the day, that’s what makes it beautiful.”

    “What I think inspires me the most about what we’re up to is finding that delicious synthesis of both of them.”

    This article appears in Nov. 12-18, 2025.



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    Seth Kubersky
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  • Amid closure, Renaissance Theatre faces near $488K in losses, founder says

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    Credit: Renaissance Theatre Company/Facebook

    Two months after the City of Orlando condemned the Renaissance Theatre Co.’s venue, the troupe this week released an update, citing 34 canceled performances and roughly $488,000 in revenue lost so far. 

    Donald Rupe, Ren founder and artistic director, said in a social media post the shutdown has lasted longer than he expected. His team is now awaiting approval for what they hope to be the final permit that would allow them back into the building.

    The Ren was officially closed on Sept. 19 due to safety code violations just ahead of the theater’s signature Halloween show, Nosferatu. Both Nosferatu and the V-Bar after-show, as well as resident drag night Off the Record, have been staged in modified versions during late September and October at venues like the Plaza Live, the Beacham and the Social.

    Since the closure, Ren employees have collectively lost about $218,000 in wages, while also losing material and labor costs, having to remove the set of Nosferatu, Rupe said.

    But the team still has hope. They are preparing annual comedy The Office Holiday Party Musical Extravaganza Show and after-party in hopes it can open on Dec. 5 as planned. Tickets will not be sold until there is a guaranteed place to perform.

    However, it is unlikely they will go on the road again soon, as sales from roving dates at venues like the Plaza Live have not covered production costs, Rupe said. 

    “If we find that we need to continue to host events outside of our own venue, we will need to revisit the kinds of shows we produce and look at a budget model that is meant for that kind of production,” Rupe wrote.

    City-mandated requirements have also proven costly. The required upgraded fire-alarm system alone costs around $40,000.

    Rupe credited co-founder Chris Kampmeier and more than 350 donors for helping keep The Ren afloat. Supporters can continue to donate directly at rentheatre.com .

    “We don’t believe that our city can afford to risk losing another theatre, especially one that is so essential to our LGBT+ community, and we cannot wait to get back to creating unique world-class artistic experiences,” Rupe said. 

    Rupe clarified that he does not believe the closure is politically motivated and praised city officials for their support in helping get the building back on its feet.

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    A new café is set to fuel Orlando while supporting local artists in the historic downtown building

    Electric Daisy Carnival headbanged its way back into town

    Catch this soul-soothing circus before it runs away without you



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  • Theater West End’s production of ‘American Psycho’ musical plays engagingly loose with source material

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    Credit: Courtesy

    In 1991, Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial debut novel, American Psycho, was published. It’s a look into the mind of Patrick Bateman, your average 1980s name-dropping, brand-whoring Wall Street greedhead. Raw, scary and often gross, it follows the downward spiral of a yuppie who is a pretentious, misogynistic businessman by day, and a “give me a weapon and I will use it” serial killer by night. As you read it, you feel his descent into madness, and it has become a Gen X cult classic (inspiring a film version in 2000 starring Christian Bale). The original printing still has a special place on my bookshelf, so imagine my excitement to be sitting in the audience at Theater West End for playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s musical adaptation of a story I’ve known for decades.

    Director-designer Derek Critzer’s set is impressive, especially for a smaller theater. The array of old televisions playing videos of songs from the time was almost overwhelming, and a vivid reminder of how nightclubs in that era looked. Most surprising were the four sunken tables in the middle of the stage, with platforms built around them like a catwalk. Then I noticed audience members being escorted to those tables. I enjoy immersive theater, but were they there to make the party scenes look more crowded? Would they get spattered with blood? It’s a bold choice.

    Halfway through the first song I realized this play’s tone has little in common with the book. Yes, it’ was based on it’s the source material, but this is not the gritty, scary novel I remembered; instead, it was more campy, almost upbeat. Familiar pop songs — including Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” — keep the audience mouthing along to the sounds of sweet nostalgia. However, while some of the original songs by Duncan Sheik are catchy and crammed with pop-culture references, others are obviously just “Killing Time” (a song that was on the original London cast album, but isn’t always included in productions). It felt light and fluffy, like an after-school special where everything’s OK at the end, no matter what happens on the way there.

    At first, Chris Monell’s portrayal of Patrick Bateman was off-putting; he initially seemed flat and dull for such a complex character (though he certainly had the body for it). About 30 minutes in, Monell found his footing and became the Bateman that I had always imagined. During the second half, when things took a much darker turn, Monell really brought it home, bravely spending most of the final act onstage wearing nothing but tighty-whities and fake blood.

    The supporting cast is a valuable asset, many playing multiple roles. Will Sippel (as Luis) and Noah Howard (playing three different roles) both do a great job of making smaller lines hit the mark. Woodrow Helms’ portrayal of Tim Price is a standout, with charm and humor bringing layers of personality to the drab beginning. As Paul Owen, Harvey Evens is captivating until his end. The female cast is also compelling. Laurel Hatfield, as spoiled, ditzy socialite Evelyn Williams, is perfectly cringy in the role. Jordan Grant, as Jean, the shy, quiet secretary in love with her boss, is delightful while giving the show a hint of humanity. Unfortunately, the women were overshadowed — which makes sense, as Bateman only sees women as accessories or future victims. Or both.

    Despite a few sound mishaps, music director Justin Adams and sound engineer Lance Lebonte do a good job bringing the show to life. Chris Payen’s choreography is strong, with distinctive robotic movements, though it sometimes distracted from the action on the slim front stage, pulling focus from the actors to the people dancing around them. The costumes by Maria and Ana Tew were also on point. It had to be challenging to find the proper 1980s attire for such a large cast, especially with all the designer name-dropping that runs throughout the show. I particularly enjoyed a few very subtle details, like when Bateman’s pockets were coming out of his sweatpants or his shirt was untucked in the back, showing he wasn’t as put together as he liked to pretend.

    All in all, American Psycho at Theater West End is a fun experience. Once I realized that I was in for an over-the-top version of the original, I strapped in and enjoyed the ride. Critzer’s direction, with assistant director Hunter Rogers, is edgy and confident, just like the material; the use of a knife as Bateman’s phone was inspired, and holding the business cards at genital level showed the desperate need for all these men to have the biggest … ego.

    This show embodies the gluttony and greed of the ’80s, featuring a wicked twist and some comments about the “great” Donald Trump. Full of people who want to be the same as their peers, but just a little bit superior. It holds up because nothing has actually changed. It’s a kill-or-be-killed world. But the show is suitable for a laugh as we decide which choice we’re making.



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    Jodi Renee Thomas
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  • PlayFest spotlights new work from Orlando playwrights at the Shakes

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    Credit: Orlando Shakes

    Orlando Shakes PlayFest is back after a too-long two-year hiatus, in partnership with UCF. This year’s showcase features five staged readings over two weekends.

    Each reading invites audiences to share their reactions at a post-show talkback. The five finalists are: Dead Girl’s Quinceañera by Phanésia, a comic thriller about secrets, sisterhood and true crime; Dunk City by Stephen Brown, a comedy about family dynamics and personal insecurity; Tumbleweed by Marcus Scott, a drama exploring beauty standards and race within an interracial family; The Sandwich Ministry by Miranda Rose Hall, a tale of friendship and resilience during a storm; and The Mallard by Vincent Delaney, about two teachers navigating personal and professional upheaval.

    Over the years, the festival has introduced more than 182 new works, with over 20 produced on the Orlando Shakes MainStage. Admission to each play is $16, or $66 to take in all five readings.

    Orlando Festival Park, Orlando Shakes, 812 E. Rollins St., orlandoshakes.org, $16-$66.

    Note-perfect mix of Broadway and topical commentary

    Meet the future(s) of avant-metal

    This article appears in Oct. 22-28, 2025.



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    Emmy Bailey
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  • The Ren Theatre announces final nomadic ‘Nosferatu’ shows amid shutdown

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    Credit: Renaissance Theatre Company/Facebook

    ​​It’s been over a month since the Renaissance Theatre was condemned by the city due to fire safety code violations. The shutdown forced the theater to pause operations and relocate its annual production of Nosferatu, its annual Halloween immersive show. 

    Despite the setback, the Renaissance Theatre has found temporary homes for its performances. Nosferatu, VBar and the company’s weekly OTR drag show have been hosted by local venues like The Plaza Live and The Social, allowing productions to continue while the theater works toward compliance with city safety regulations.

    And now, Ren co-founder and artistic director Donald Rupe has announced three final Nosferatu shows amid the closure. 

    The final Nosferatu and VBar performances of the season take place Saturday, Oct. 25 at The Plaza Live, Oct. 29 at The Beacham, and Nov. 1 back at The Plaza Live. All other show dates have been removed from the theater’s website.

    “On the bright side, we’ve discovered that Nosferatu and VBar look pretty great on a larger stage; maybe we’ll do a tour someday,” Rupe said in a statement. 

    Rupe said the closure has resulted in significant financial losses. The company estimates a loss of more than $300,000 in revenue, including $125,000 in wages for performers and staff.

    “Most non-profits and businesses would have closed by now,” Rupe said. “We’re surviving so far thanks to the generosity of one man, co-founder Chris Kampmeier, who is supplementing our income to keep our staff paid and the lights on. Additionally, we’ve raised $33,178 from 292 incredible donors.”

    Rupe said the best way to support the company is to buy tickets to see the current shows (and to continue to do so once The Ren is back in business in its Orlando building).

    While the future of the Renaissance Theatre’s home remains uncertain, Rupe remains optimistic.

    “At the end of this, I know I will certainly have a deeper appreciation for what we have at the Ren, even more than I did before,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot of things, and we look forward to getting home.”

    Tickets for Nosferatu are available online now.

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    The company cites intense competition from the theme park industry for its closure

    Features special guests Molly McCormack, Tyler Pugh and Ryan



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    Emmy Bailey
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  • Bring your best business card to see ‘American Psycho’ at Theater West End

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    Theater West End debuts the latest production of its 2025 MainStage Series — a musical based on the most fashionable psychopath in popular culture.

    Based on the best-selling novel by Bret Easton Ellis and subsequent film starring Christian Bale, American Psycho, the musical, recounts the darkly seductive story of Patrick Bateman, a charming young Wall Street banker driven by insatiable desires.

    Written by erstwhile alt-rock darling Duncan Sheik and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the same creators who brought us Spring Awakening and Riverdale, this show is sure to be a thrilling addition to this year’s Halloween lineup.

    Bring your best business card.

    Theater West End, 115 W. First St., Sanford, theaterwestend.com, $25.

    An official opening date has not been released, but we’re eyeing their Insta for updates

    ’Tis the season for Tchaikovsky tchestnuts

    Howl-O-Scream, Ominous Descent, A Petrified Forest, and Gators Ghosts & Goblins are all spooky alternatives

    Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

    This article appears in Oct. 15-21, 2025.



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  • Fall Guide 2025: Our picks for Orlando’s best things to do – Orlando Weekly

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    Oliver Morris and Casey Tregeagle in “Nosferatu” at The Ren (2024) Credit: Rachel Dresner

    Whether your Halloween decorations have been up for weeks or you’ve been waiting patiently for that calendar page to turn, the time has come: Fall is here. So go ahead and start marking your calendar with all of the below dates, our picks for what we are somewhat arbitrarily defining as fall in Orlando — Oct. 1 through Nov. 11, or in other words, all the weeks between this, our Fall Guide, and the arrival of our Holiday Guide Wednesday, Nov. 12. — Pumpkin spicily yours, the OW editorial team.

    ???: Nosferatu

    This is a sentimental pick for us, even through — as we type this — the Renaissance Theatre Co.’s immersive annual vampire extravaganza is on unexpected and unwelcome hiatus. The theater space has been shut down by the city after a surprise inspection revealed code violations, and there’s no clear timeline for reopening. And that sucks (wink wink) because Nosferatu is a dazzling, elegantly staged, carnal and campy delight year after year. For now, you can donate to the Ren directly or check out sister event V Bar as it haunts different venues around town like Plaza Live.

    Saturday, Oct. 11: Leslie Jones

    “Things are dark, but I want to give people a reason to laugh instead of cry,” says comedian and television star Leslie Jones. You know her from Saturday Night Live, the Ghostbusters reboot, her singular Olympics commentary, guest spots on The Daily Show, Supermarket Sweep v.2, or even her podcast “The Fckry” and now you can see her in person at the Plaza Live. Her comedy is audacious, unapologetic, topical and perfectly suited for the moment. 8 p.m., Plaza Live, 425 N. Bumby Ave., plazaliveorlando.org, $66-$178.

    Oct. 11-12: Winter Park Autumn Art Festival

    Celebrate local arts this fall at the 52nd Annual Winter Park Autumn Art Festival, the only juried fine art festival exclusively featuring Florida artists. Hosted by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, this weekender transforms Central Park into an outdoor gallery. Attendees can also enjoy live music, local entertainment, children’s activities and a welcoming festival atmosphere. Central Park, 251 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, winterpark.org, free.

    Sunday, Oct. 12: Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary

    Oh Rocky, has the Dr. Phil got a shadowcast for you. To mark a half-century of the seminal, genderfluid, glammy midnight monster musical, Rocky Horror Picture Show screens at our most lavish downtown venue. Probably no rice-throwing during this one, but to make up for it, special guests from the film will be in the castle: Barry “Brad” Bostwick, along with accidental gothic style icons Nell “Columbia” Campbell and Patricia “Magenta” Quinn. VIP meet-and-greets seem essential. 7:30 p.m., Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $46-$300.

    Tuesday, Oct. 14: We Wiggle Dolls: A DIY Puppet Cabaret (For Adults)

    Brooklyn-born “DIY puppet cabaret” (go onnnnnn) We Wiggle Dolls comes to Conduit as part of a fall tour that promises to upend your notions of puppetry in the same way Miss Pussycat, Poncili Creacion and The Vourdalak did. We Wiggle Dolls push the art form forward, both technically — techniques and construction — and, obviously, thematically, as a more grown-up endeavor. Featuring on the night will be Naughty Little No Good, Puppet Parts Productions, Yellowlemonshapedrock and Chaz Lord from Drippy Eye Projections. You should enter this with no expectations. We certainly are …. 7 p.m., Conduit, 6700 Aloma Ave., Winter Park, conduitfl.com, $19.90.

    Downtown Arts District hosts the annual Dia de Los Muertos & Monster Party Credit: courtesy image

    Thursday, Oct. 16: Día de los Muertos & Monster Party

    Downtown Art District’s spooky arts party returns with the 16th Annual Día de los Muertos and Monster Party at CityArts. The evening opens with two dynamic exhibitions: a Día de los Muertos showcase featuring traditional ofrendas and catrina dolls, and a monster-inspired gallery of spooky art by local and international artists. Outside on Pine Street, the festivities spill into a lively block party with food, drinks, entertainment and vendors. A frighteningly good time for all. 6 p.m., CityArts Orlando, 39 S. Magnolia Ave., downtownartsdistrict.com/ddlm, free.

    Orlando-Ballet presents “Swan Lake” Credit: Israel Zavaleta Escobedo, courtesy Orlando Ballet

    Oct. 16-19: Swan Lake

    Orlando Ballet kicks off their 2025/2026 season with a double dose of classic Tchaikovsky chestnuts. Of course The Nutcracker will dance in the winter holiday season, but starting things off this fall is the romantic Russian composer’s elegant and lovelorn Swan Lake, featuring choreography by Christopher Stowell and live scoring from the Orlando Philharmonic. Past productions of this iconic heartbreaker have never failed to impress, so expectations are high. Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $43-$200.

    Spooky Empire (2024) Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

    Oct. 31-Nov. 2: Spooky Empire

    Alongside the likes of Halloween Horror Nights, Phantasmagoria and Nosferatu, one of the ghoulish gems in Orlando’s Halloween crown has to be Spooky Empire. This horror-focused fandom fest provides hearty attendees with cosplay, vendors, panels and film screenings by the metric ton. But this year — and we really mean it this time — is all about the celebrity guests. It’s a terrifying bonanza with the likes of Elvira, Parker Posey, David “Art the Clown” Thornton, Chris Jericho, Method Man, Bill Moseley, Tom Savini, Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy, several Jasons, the cast of It, Frank from Hellraiser … we could go on, but go see for yourself (if you dare). Hyatt Regency Orlando, 9801 International Drive, spookyempire.com, $40-$299.

    Sunday, Nov. 1: Beer Bacon & BBQ

    Altamonte becomes the promised land for carnivores as the Beer Bacon & BBQ Festival sizzles. The name pretty much says it all; the focus is squarely on the array of roughly 40 craft beers ready for quaffing as well as meaty decadence of the bacon and barbecue (or both!) varieties proffered by local spots like Smoke in the City BBQ, Phat Ash Bakes, Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ, Heart and Soul Food Truck and more. There will be live music and games, but you might be too blissed out in a porky food coma-slash-nirvana. 2 p.m., Cranes Roost Park, 274 Cranes Roost Blvd., Altamonte Springs, beerbaconandbbq.com, $41.93.

    Wednesday, Nov. 5: Doug Stanhope

    Amid the bounty of righteous comedic anger we’ve got headed our way this fall, Doug Stanhope stands tall as perhaps the one radiating the most confrontational fury. Stanhope, like a latter-day Bill Hicks, is not afraid to alienate — or maybe provoke thought — as he rails against the fractured American way, clad in a rumpled thrift-store suit like a crooner with nothing to lose, with maybe a dash or two of Howard Beale for spice. 6 p.m., Funny Bone, 9101 International Drive, orlando.funnybone.com, $54-$84.

    Jonathan Van Ness Credit: courtesy image

    Saturday, Nov. 8: Jonathan Van Ness

    Queer Eye star and ethereal delight Jonathan Van Ness is setting out on another leg of their “Hot & Healed” stand-up tour, on the fashionable heels of the release of their debut comedy special, Fun & Slutty. Van Ness promises a new and different take from what fans saw on Fun, considering the bleak current sociopolitical landscape. “It’s a lot of Republican stuff. It’s a lot of trans commentary on living as a gender-nonconforming person in this time,” Van Ness told GLAAD, describing their new material. “I’m also dealing more with racism than I ever have … white people … honey … we got to talk about it.” 8 p.m., Hard Rock Live, 6050 Universal Blvd., entertainment.hardrock.com, $48-$142.

    Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

    Hayrides, apple cider, themed treats, photo ops and even dog costume contests are popping up all around town

    Drag, music, art, meditation, Doug Rhodehamel!

    Plus Red Panda Noodle and Phat Ash Bakes move into downtown food truck park at Art2

    This article appears in Oct. 1-7, 2025.



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  • Theater review: ‘The Wiz’ kicks off Dr. Phil’s 2025/2026 Broadway in Orlando season – Orlando Weekly

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    Cal Mitchell as The Lion, Elijah Ahmad Lewis as The Scarecrow, Dana Cimone as Dorothy, and Alan Mingo Jr. as The Wiz in the North American Tour of “The Wiz” Credit: Jeremy Daniel/courtesy Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

    For older generations, The Wizard of Oz was a cherished childhood staple of springtime CBS broadcasts, which (unless you believe it’s a populist parable) delivered no deeper socio-political statement beyond “There’s no place like home.” But today’s audiences are largely experiencing L. Frank Baum’s fantasyland filtered through the lens of our fractured era, where the very concept of home feels fraught. Whether it’s Wicked’s wildly successful script-flipping allegory about fascism or the uncanny AI-assisted exploitation of the original Technicolor film flourishing inside Las Vegas’s Sphere, crowds still flock to Oz even as its interpretations become increasingly apocalyptic. 

    So it is somewhat surprising and ironic that the new touring production of The Wiz — which was Broadway’s original groundbreaking reimagining of the tale back in 1975, and whose 1978 film was set in a terrifyingly derelict Manhattan — arrives in Orlando this week with none of the angst or edge that accompanies its popular descendants. Instead, it dismisses almost all of Oz’s darkness and drama in favor of exuberantly expressing unbridled Black joy, an all-too-rare occurrence on the Dr. Phillips Center’s mainstage.

    Dana Cimone stars as Dorothy, a spunky orphan sent from the big city to black-and-white Kansas, where her Aunt Em (The Voice finalist Kyla Jade, doing double duty as Evillene) consoles her with a song before a cyclone of interpretive dancers whisks her house over the rainbow. During her mythic quest for repatriation, she teams up with a brainless Scarecrow (Elijah Ahmad Lewis, beautifully boneless), a heartless Tinman (D. Jerome) and campy cowardly Lion (Cal Mitchell), who all seek assistance from The Wiz (Alan Mingo, Jr., channeling RuPaul Andre Charles). Before you can click your heels three times [century-old spoiler alert] the wicked witch is waterlogged and Glinda (Sheherazade) brings down the house with a power anthem, so Dorothy can sing her way home with a Diana Ross megahit. 

    Writer Amber Ruffin has updated William E. Brown’s book with largely unnecessary new backstories for the characters, which nod at topical issues like bullying and climate change without ever going deeper than the surface; as well as a cutting collection of contemporary one-liners, which will land differently depending on your cultural awareness of topics like hair curl pattern. The script is mostly there to bridge between Charlie Smalls’ R&B score (funkily orchestrated by Joseph Joubert), which is stocked with all-time bangers including “You Can’t Win,” “Ease On Down the Road,” and “Everybody Rejoice,” along with a fistful of forgettable snoozers. 

    Unfortunately, those boring book numbers make up the bulk of the second act, which under Schele Williams’ presentational direction dragged the pacing to a halt following a promising beginning. The Wiz’s talented cast is truly wonderful, as is the energy they exude on stage, but there’s something fundamentally off about the balance in this production. It begins with a lack of focus on the main character in both the staging and the sound mixing; despite Cimone’s stellar vocal tone, her Dorothy struggles to be seen and heard above the din until the very last verses of her finale. 

    Likewise, technical elements like Hannah Beachler’s scenic design, Shren Davis’ costumes and Jaquel Knight’s choreography all draw upon decades of urban influences — from ’60s hippies and ’70s Soul Train through Y2K hip-hop — and smoosh them together in a way that’s initially dazzling, but ultimately aesthetically incoherent. Most egregious are Daniel Brodie’s distracting backdrop projections, which look like hastily Photoshopped stock art (at best), or Sora-generated slop (at worst). 

    If you don’t peek behind the curtain, there’s a lot of entertainment value to be had in this trip down the Yellow Brick Road, particularly for an audience that doesn’t often get to see themselves reflected in trauma-free theater. However, fans who have already fallen in love with Elphaba and her fight for freedom may have trouble identifying with this lightweight take on Oz. Either way, The Wiz gets Orlando’s 2025/2026 Broadway season off to colorful start that had me humming “Brand New Day” out the door.



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  • Kyona Levine Farmer is always looking for a ‘message of redemption’ – Orlando Weekly

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    The cast of ‘Next to Normal’ Credit: courtesy SparKyL Entertainment

    During this first weekend of October, downtown’s Dr. Phillips Center will echo with the anguished cries of a mourning mother driven into a sanitarium by specters of sorrow. But these haunted house horrors aren’t Gothic fantasies from an earlier era; rather, they’re relatable modern-day struggles faced by the fractured Goodman family in Next to Normal, the Tony-winning 2008 rock musical by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey. Kyona Levine Farmer, a local director and founder of SparKyL Entertainment, recently spoke with me about her latest production upon one of Orlando’s most prestigious stages, and the coast-to-coast journey that brought her there.

    A native of Orlando, Levine Farmer attended Dr. Phillips High School (where she was “super shy”) and majored in English at the University of Florida, before making her way to New York City. “I wanted to write to perform,” says Levine Farmer. “During my day, they didn’t have a lot of stories that I thought were a reflection of the things that I wanted to see, so I pursued writing because I was good at it.” Entering a graduate program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts straight out of undergrad “was an amazing experience for me. Of course, New York will take the shyness out of you.”

    After grad school, a 10-year stint in Los Angeles pursuing an acting career led to her brief return to New York in a friend’s off-Broadway play. “I was amazed by the experience of doing his original work there. And when I got back to L.A., I was like, ‘I can do that,’” recalls Levine Farmer, who then produced a script she’d written in grad school using money saved from her day job. “It was the first time that I produced and directed, and I don’t think that I went back to acting after that. I just love the storytelling element of directing.” 

    Due to a “spiritual feeling that I’m probably not supposed to be [in L.A.] forever”, Levine Farmer returned home to Orlando in 2010, when she presented her play Sweet Evalina at Orlando Shakes and started SparKyL Entertainment, before taking a job teaching theater at a local private school. After meeting her husband, Vince Farmer, the couple began producing shows together, despite his background being more in mathematics and basketball than the arts. “He would always attend the rehearsals when I was teaching,” says Kyona of Vince, “and he’s just really mesmerized by the process of building from start to finish.”

    Following a few fallow years, SparKyL sparked back to life in 2024 with The Color Purple: The Musical, performing in the same Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater where Next to Normal will be this weekend. Affording such a vaunted venue isn’t easy as an independent producer — even after the discounted rental rate offered to 501(c)(3) educational organizations and free rehearsal space at a Maitland church — but Levine Farmer says their focus goes beyond profits. “We don’t have any children, so the things that we would do with having children, we invest in doing things that we love,” she explains. “We just really try to give our best to establish the kind of show that we want to be known for.”

    On the opposite end of the budgetary scale, SparKyL caught my eye at last May’s Orlando Fringe Festival with Bobby Lee Blood, a family drama that Levine Farmer originally created as a one-woman show. Levine Farmer calls her first Fringe experience “extremely, extremely fulfilling,” adding, “I just didn’t know that it would be so much fun to see so much new work, just to be in that atmosphere of artistry.”

    Intriguingly, Bobby Lee Blood featured two different casts: one white-presenting and one African American. “I love new perspectives on stories, [and] there are particular stories that are specific to African Americans, or a certain type of culture or race,” says Levine Farmer. “There are some stories that are universal, [and] I find it fascinating to go into the human perspective of stories that don’t have a specific cultural context.” 

    Similarly, while Next to Normal features a predominately white-presenting cast (with understudies of color) led by Angela Tims and Mathew Nash-Brown as Diana and Dan Goodman, Levine Farmer cites a personal connection to the material that goes deeper than culture. “I am drawn to just a good story,” says Levine Farmer. “Then once my mother and my mother-in-law were diagnosed with dementia, the topic of the show was extremely interesting to us. And when I opened up the casting, I knew that I didn’t want to stick to a specific cultural cast, so I just opened it up to anyone.” 

    The common thread connecting all these culturally diverse works is the “message of redemption” that Levine Farmer says she always looks for in a project. “We want hope, and we want stories that will require a conversation,” Levine Farmer says of her script selection process. “I know I need to do something fun and light, something stupidly funny, because we have been doing tons of shows that are dramas that cause a lot of thought. But they feel most fulfilling to me, the shows that really give people something when they leave.”

    (Next to Normal, Oct. 3-5 at the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, $65-$89.)

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    This article appears in Oct. 1-7, 2025.



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    Seth Kubersky
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  • The Center Orlando launches queer arts festival Q Fest

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    The LGBT+ Center Orlando on Mills Ave.

    Nearly two months after Orlando Fringe canceled its LGBTQIA+ theater festival Out Fest, The Center is now launching a new endeavor that may fill the empty space. 

    The Center Orlando announced Wednesday it’s launching Q Fest, an interactive LGBTQ+ theater and film festival. 

    Set to take place over four days from Nov. 13 to 16 at The Center, Q Fest will focus on queer artists and stories with a slate of live performances, film screenings and community events, the organization says.

    “Q Fest is more than just a festival; it’s a vital platform for our community to see themselves reflected in art and to engage with the stories that matter to us,” said George Wallace, CEO of The Center Orlando.

    Orlando Fringe in late July announced Out Fest would not return this year, after debuting for its inaugural run in 2024. It comprised three days of shows that celebrated queer stories, history and artists. Despite initial challenges, the festival garnered positive reviews and was previously scheduled to return this September.

    “Unfortunately this year, we have carefully considered all possibilities of producing this event, but the truth is we are still trying to build a Fringe that we can sustain for the long haul,” Orlando Out Fest said in a statement in July. “For us that means being honest about what we can take on right now and making decisions that keep us moving forward in a real and responsible way.”

    Tickets for Q Fest go on sale Sept. 12 at Eventenly or on The Center’s website. A portion of all sales will directly benefit The Center. 

    The show lineup is as follows.

    Films:
    A Day in the Life of Miss Sammy (two screenings)
    Wanzie With a “Z” (two screenings)
    Greetings From Queertown (two screenings)

    Theatre:
    Tymisha Harris, TBD (two shows)
    P Sparkles, TBD (two shows)
    Drag Queen Story Time: After Dark (one show)
    Miah in Love (two shows)
    Professor Love’s Midnight Spectacular (two shows)
    Blacklist Babes Burlesque (two shows)
    Spooky & Gay Vol. II (two shows)
    Just Dempsey! (two shows)
    Nick Comis Magic/Illusions (two shows)
    Big Gay Variety Show (one show)
    Queer Up/Natalie Doliner: What Is Remembered Lives (two shows)

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    “We have just two hours, just really connecting with the music, the moment and each other”

    But it’s almost impossible to take in everything in just one visit

    The Central Florida Ballroom Collective takes over the Mezz on Saturday



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    Chloe Greenberg
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  • Rob Winn Anderson talks about his journey back to Garden Theatre

    Rob Winn Anderson talks about his journey back to Garden Theatre

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    Rob Winn Anderson has been a professional entertainer since age 13, working his way from Disney’s Kids of the Kingdom to Tokyo Disneyland and back to Universal Orlando. While writing and directing for all the major theme parks, he’s also been contributing creatively to Winter Garden’s Garden Theatre since its opening gala, going on to serve as artistic director until he “burned out” and took a break in 2019. Anderson has returned as the Garden’s consulting producing creative director, following last year’s staff conflagration and season of outsourced shows.

    I interviewed Anderson last week ahead of the opening weekend of Pippin (running through Sept. 15) — which incorporates two deaf actors and sign language into Stephen Schwartz’s metaphorical musical — about his journey there and back again, as well as about …

    His personal connection to Pippin:

    I was in high school, I guess, when it opened on Broadway. It became a favorite of mine at that time, and then two of the songs from the show were sung in our wedding. I had a real affinity for the show, [so] when I was looking at putting together this first season back, it was one I thought I really wanted to explore on my own.

    His prior experience with sign language:

    I studied ASL in college, and so I was really interested in the language. And then when I came to Disney, I was always enamored by the ASL interpreters for the shows. I felt they were a show unto themselves, [and] I thought to myself, I really would love to see that on stage as part of the show. And so it was in the back of my mind to do this for a very, very long time.

    Working with Michelle Mary Schaefer, Director of Artistic Sign Language:

    When you translate a script and lyrics into ASL, you take artistic license to do that. … Obviously your goal is still to make sure that your deaf audiences can follow the story and be engaged, but it’s not a direct interpretation. And so Michelle has been working for months now translating the entire show into what she calls her “gloss” [and] also working with our two deaf actors on their translations, because they carry such a huge load in the show.

    Casting leading player Treshelle Edmond, who appeared on Broadway in Deaf West Theater’s Spring Awakening revival:

    She reached out to me last December or so, interested in All Shook Up. … I wasn’t able to accommodate that, but I told her, “I have a show next season that I’m really interested in. Can I come back to you?” What I am finding out is that there really aren’t that many opportunities around the country for deaf actors. We are one of few that is allowing them to have a chance to do what they love to do and to be on stage.

    Increasing audience accessibility:

    We are also going to closed-caption the show, because … there are quite a few people in the deaf community who don’t sign and who want to see this show, [so] truly anyone can enjoy the show, whether you’re hearing or deaf. We’ll have one performance that will be ADI , and then there will also be two performances that are ASL interpreted.

    It’s an initiative that we want to try to continue, to really bring accessibility to the Garden stage. I feel like when you speak of DEI, A [for accessibility] is kind of left off a lot, and I really want to make sure that we are being truly diverse across the whole great spectrum of what it means to be diverse.

    Returning to the Garden Theatre:

    I love the theater. I’ve been around it since the beginnings. I’ve had a lot of passion for it and have seen what its potential was, so it broke my heart to see where things went and that people were hurt.

    I knew that the board had done some work to really address internally the things that were being said. Also I know Keith Davenport, our CEO, well; I’ve known him for many, many years, I trust him completely. And Rich Taylor, the board president, is someone I’ve known for many decades; he was actually my best man in my wedding, so I know and trust him as well.

    I was very clear there were some things that I needed to put into place that made me feel more comfortable with accepting the role again, and everybody agreed to that, and now we’re just in trying to do the work.

    Continuing controversy amid the theater community:

    I know there’s still a lot of feelings around it. I deal with it every day, when I’m trying to cast, when I’m trying to crew; it is something that we’re all at the Garden extremely aware of. But we’re trying to move forward and do the work, and we feel like that’s going to really tell the story more than anything else. There’s a lot that could be said, but words just don’t really have as much impact as action.

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  • Orlando Out Fest unveils full lineup up shows ahead of September debut

    Orlando Out Fest unveils full lineup up shows ahead of September debut

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    click to enlarge

    Photo courtesy Orlando Fringe

    The cast of ‘Bi Bi Bi’ are ready for Orlando Out Fest

    The first-ever Orlando Out Fest is set for late September, and this week Fest organizers revealed the full lineup fo shows. Someone save a seat for DeSantis!

    The three-day festival will feature exclusively LGBTQ+-themed performances from an eclectic array of local creatives working across genre. The Out Fest happens at the Fringe ArtSpace downtown. The Out Fest was delayed a couple of months after some flooding issues at the Artspace building, now resolved.

    The debuting Fest features seven productions, as well as a pre-show event courtesy of P. Sparkle, pitting OOF participants against one another Truth or Dare-style.

    Here’s the full lineup for OOF:

    Truth-or-Dare With P. Sparkle (Sept. 19) — Welcome to “Truth-or-Dare Game Show” hosted by P. Sparkle! Come meet the daring contestants from each show from Orlando Out Fest and watch them duke it out for your love and to represent their show and compete for points by choosing between truths and dares.

    Just B | The Darlings Productions (Sept. 20-21) — Join eclectic Orlando queer icon Billy Mick for his one-man show, “JUST B”! His life journey is told through songs, stories and A LOT of jackets!

    Revelations | Tainted Waters Productions (Sept.20-22) — When Jarielys Gutierrez Joins St. Dymphna’s School for Girls, the faculty and students are challenged to explore their biases on others and who they truly trust to speak for God.

    A Big Gay Variety Show | The Center Orlando (Sept. 20) — From stand-up comedy to singing and dancing, some of Orlando’s best queer entertainers will be onsite. Hosted by George Wallace. 100% of all ticket sales benefit The Center Orlando.

    Alphabet Soup! An A-Z Guide to the LGBTQIA+ | The Ugly Dog Theatre Company (Sept. 21-22) — When Xan is called queer, the puppet visits the owners of Marsha’s Diner to learn how the LGBTQIA+ Community expresses themselves.

    The Odd Ball! | Hunter Hall ­(Sept. 21-22) — Venture into the queer crypt of Davi Oddity … if you dare! Prepare yourself for a haunted evening of drag, cabaret and camp humor that’s sure to be a scream.

    Bi Bi Bi | Whiskey Theatre Factory (Sept. 21-22) — Five short pieces come together to tell stories of the most often left out letter in our alphabet soup. Hope you’ll *B* there!

    Drag Queen Story Hour: After Dark | The Center Orlando (Sept. 21) — Not your average Drag Queen Story Hour. Hosted by Comedy Queen sensation Addison Taylor. 18+. 100% of ticket sales benefit The Center Orlando.

    Orlando Out Fest happens from Friday-Sunday, Sept. 20-22. Tickets and passes are available now through Fringe’s website.

    Event Details

    Orlando Out Fest

    Orlando Out Fest

    Fri., Sept. 20, 7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 21, 1 p.m. and Sun., Sept. 22, 2 p.m.

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    Matthew Moyer

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  • Play in a Day gives talented Orlandoans only 24 hours to create a short original production

    Play in a Day gives talented Orlandoans only 24 hours to create a short original production

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    WE LOVE OUR READERS!

    Since 1990, Orlando Weekly has served as the free, independent voice of Orlando, and we want to keep it that way.

    Becoming an Orlando Weekly Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

    Join today because you love us, too.

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    Zoey Thomas

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  • Theater review: Theater West End’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ reinvigorates a classic

    Theater review: Theater West End’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ reinvigorates a classic

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    Photo by Theater West End/Facebook

    ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ runs through May 19 at Theater West End in Sanford.

    I was initially hesitant about attending Theater West End’s current production of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Perhaps it was the lingering memories of high school assignments, or the nature of the book that has led to it being restricted in some Florida school districts. However, I stepped into the theater with an open mind and curiosity, as I couldn’t help but admire the producers’ courage in staging a show still facing so much resistance.

    As we entered the theater, we were greeted by the friendly staff and an almost sold-out house. My guest and I were ushered to our seats at a table in the back row, where we could see every inch of the theater. The meticulously designed set (by Derek Critzer and Tara Kromer, with dressing and paint by Ben Gaetanos and Bonnie Sprung) includes three living spaces and a tree, instantly transporting the audience to Alabama in 1935, setting the stage for a journey into the past.

    Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of this American classic — which predates Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway version by decades — is narrated by the adult Jean Louise “Scout” Finch (Cynthia Beckert), and focuses on a group of children who are attempting to make sense of the world around them in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. The story revolves around the 10-year-old Scout (Alice Dehaen), her brother, Jem (Owen Brown), and their friend Dill (Parker Ross Williams). The first act is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, evoking a time when mischief was innocent and curiosity was your only concern — so long as you were white.

    The direction by Tara Kromer and Michael Morman creates an immersive experience, making the audience feel like they are living the story together with the strong, committed ensemble. You can see that this cast is a team, which mirrors the personal connections portrayed in the story. When they all gathered in the audience for the courtroom scene as the jury and “colored section,” it brought pain to this Southern girl’s heart. However, I must admit that as the second act’s trial arrived, I was captivated by Brian Brightman as attorney Atticus Finch, who defends the unjustly accused Black man Tom Robinson (Brent Jordan). His commanding presence on stage and unwavering pursuit of justice resonates deeply; I felt as if I were in one of my favorite crime shows.

    Besides a few minor missteps like loud set changes, this production offers a fresh perspective on an iconic story. I came home with the thought that we were still in the old times, and I felt the story much more deeply than I did when having to read it for school. It’s all about a good person just trying to do something to help his fellow neighbor — which made me think hard about why this story is so hated by some in today’s world, where people are more comfortable doing what is expected instead of what is right.

    If you’re seeking a unique and raw perspective on an American cultural classic, Theater West End in downtown Sanford is the place to be. The show, running through May 19, offers a glimpse into the old-school South, a world that is both distant and frighteningly familiar, brought to life by a charming cast that makes you feel like part of the community. 

    Event Details

    "To Kill a Mockingbird"

    “To Kill a Mockingbird”

    Sat., May 11, 8 p.m., Sun., May 12, 2 p.m., Mon., May 13, 8 p.m., Thu., May 16, 8 p.m., Fri., May 17, 8 p.m., Sat., May 18, 8 p.m. and Sun., May 19, 2 p.m.

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    Jodi Thomas

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  • Alanis Morissette-inspired musical ‘Jagged Little Pill’ comes to Orlando this month

    Alanis Morissette-inspired musical ‘Jagged Little Pill’ comes to Orlando this month

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    Photo courtesy Jagged Little Pill/Facebook

    ‘Jagged Little Pill’ opens in Orlando March 19.

    Jagged Little Pill is coming to Orlando, bringing a Grammy-winning score of alternative rock music to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

    The musical, based on Alanis Morissette’s music, tells a coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in a seemingly perfect family Connecticut family and all of the very real issues going on behind closed doors.

    The musical covers complex themes of substance abuse and gender identity. The story is fleshed out with familiar songs from Morissette’s Grammy Award-winning 1995 album Jagged Little Pill.

    Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus of Waitress and Pippin, and with a Tony-winning book by Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult, Tully), the production has resonated with audiences since it first opened on Broadway in 2019.

    The touring Broadway cast is in Orlando for less than a week, with shows running from Tuesday, March 19, through Sunday, March 24. Tickets are available with both matinee and evening performances with prices starting at $45,  available through the Dr. Phillips Center box office.

    Event Details

    "Jagged Little Pill"

    “Jagged Little Pill”

    Tue., March 19, 8 p.m., Wed., March 20, 8 p.m., Thu., March 21, 8 p.m., Fri., March 22, 8 p.m., Sat., March 23, 2 & 8 p.m. and Sun., March 24, 1 & 6:30 p.m.


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    Alexandra Sullivan

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