Review: INTIMI(DATING), SINGLE RIDER SONGBOOK, and more at The Orlando Fringe Festival

INTIMI(DATING) (Savoy Orlando)

Written and Performed by Katie Thayer

Directed by Beth Marshall

Tucked away alongside Savoy Orlando is the Starlight Room, an intimate venue perfect for hosting an intimate show like Katie Thayer’s INTIMI(DATING). Resplendent in a shimmering red gown and matching lips, Thayer holds court with the audience like she’s hosting a cocktail party at her home. She’s incredibly comfortable on stage, leading her “dear audience” through the tragedies and triumphs of her dating and sex lives with a slight trans-Atlantic lilt and plenty of winks and nudges. Thayer slinks around the stage with a distinct ease; her slick script has clearly been worked over and hammered into the great shape that it’s currently in. But this is a cabaret after all, and that means music. Thayer employs a blend of tracks and live ukulele to accompany sporadic songs (a mix of originals, parodies, and as-written) that are charming and witty, but not always necessary—her storytelling ability is so mesmerizing that occasionally, a song feels obtrusive to the story she has us wrapped in. During the performance on Saturday, a drag bingo event was happening just on the other side of a wall in the bar, with thumping music and a rowdy crowd; much to her credit, Thayer not only remained totally unfazed, but in fact referenced the racket with clever ad-libs that reminded us we’re all in on the joke. INTIMI(DATING) is like a great cup of coffee: small, a tad bittersweet, and totally refreshing.

SINGLE RIDER SONGBOOK (Yellow Venue)

Written by Emilie Jean Scheetz

Directed by Emilie Jean Scheetz and Aaron Otten

If you see enough shows at the Orlando Fringe Festival, you’re bound to, at some point, run into a deep streak of the local culture: theme parks—particularly Walt Disney World. SINGLE RIDER SONGBOOK is the first we’ve seen at this year’s festival. True to its name, there is no through plot to this song cycle. Characters from several rides at the theme parks (Haunted Mansion, Pirates of The Caribbean, etc.) each get a musical number of their own, telling their stories in a new light that playfully utilizes existing lore with a modern sensibility and creative perspectives. A ghost host from the Haunted Mansion longs for a partner that has moved on; a skipper from the Jungle Cruise excitedly shares details about a brave new world they’ve discovered. Scheetz gifts the cast catchy, well-orchestrated music filled with absolutely brilliant lyrics. (“Am I in Africa? Or am I in the Congo? Or am I in…correct?” sings the Skipper.) The clever writing is as hilarious as it is astoundingly smart, nodding to famous incidents (guests attempting to spread grandma’s ashes on a ride) as well as recent developments (Dr. Seeker having nothing to do now that his attraction - Dinosaur - has been closed to soon be replaced by Indiana Jones). It cannot be understated just how clever this show is. As much as one may worry about pandering to such a strictly local audience, SINGLE RIDER SONGBOOK proves that Orlandoan in-jokes need not simply exist as cheap laughs supporting contrived writing. When wielded as sharply and intelligently as they are here, jokes about the House of Mouse can absolutely stand on their own as a hilariously touching love letter to the most magical place on earth.

John Jack JOSIE JUICE (Scarlet Venue)

Written and Performed by Josie Nixon

Directed by Beth Marshall

In the tiny and occasionally loud rehearsal room of the Orlando Family Stage building, John Jack JOSIE JUICE follows the life of one single human, but four different people. John is a young man growing up in conservative rural America who doesn’t feel like he belongs and tries to fit in while fighting the deep pain of ignoring personal truth; Jack is a self-medicating, self-proclaimed feminist whose ambivalence permeates every facet of his life; Josie is a trans activist raging against the injustices of the world and deeply pained by the world’s inability to accept their identity; and Juice is a narrator who guides through it all. Before our eyes, a human being continually uprooted from their reality evolves across these periods in search of “something other than apathy”. It’s a fascinating examination of the American cultural and political spectrum, crossing the entire gamut from one extreme to the other. We watch as these people —this person—evolve and fall apart right in front of us. Nothing is saccharine; that would imply a sweetness. No, this is frequently a difficult watch with a deeply satisfying payoff. A deep well of rage stemming from many roots feeds into an explosion that scorches everything away, leaving a charred Earth with nothing but potential and room for fresh, blossoming possibility. Make sure to give Juice a hug on your way out.

THE BREAKFAST REUNION (Green Venue)

Written by David Strauss

Directed by Patrick Kramer

25 years after the infamous fist-pump freeze-frame, where have the five students of The Breakfast Club ended up? That’s the question THE BREAKFAST REUNION tries to answer in the Green Venue. Claire, Bender, Allison, Brian, and Andrew have all reconvened at the behest of a mysterious email just before their 25th high school reunion. When automated mechanisms lock the group in the library, they’re forced to simply start talking. Claire is divorced with kids; Bender is the high school principal; Allison is a non-binary author; Brian is a wealthy tech bro; and Andrew is a gay man angry with the world for his lot in life. There isn’t a lot of conflict to be found here, which leads to a lot of “telling” rather than “showing”—most of the runtime is spent in monologues filling us in on what the characters have been up to for the past two decades rather than allowing them to interact, ask questions, and reconnect. (If you are not a dedicated fan of the original 1985 film, or are missing even a cursory knowledge of it, then this play may not be for you.) There are occasional bright spots—Andrew’s explosive monologue about how he lost everything, for one—but a good portion of the script is a bit aimless, with clunky transitions between topics of conversation. Towards the end of the play, when Allison reveals her newfound gender identity and Andrew reveals his sexuality, there’s a chance for an interesting gamut of reactions from the group; unfortunately, it turns into a pretty heavy-handed progressive disclaimer of 80’s homophobia. One could argue that the stilted dialogue and awkward staging is a perfectly natural representation of a 25th high school reunion—but for those who were never familiar with Shermer High School to begin with, this might be a case of walking on by.

ONCE UPON A TRAITOR: FAITHFULLY EVER AFTER (Green Venue)

Written by Derick Taylor-White and Danielle Ziss

Directed by Danielle Ziss

Just across Loch Haven Park from SINGLE RIDER SONGBOOK lies another blatant ploy for the park-hoppers and “Millennial Disney Adults.” ONCE UPON A TRAITOR leans heavily into the latter half of that phrase, dropping classic Disney heroes and villains into the deliciously deceptive reality TV format of The Traitors. While it sounds like a litigious nightmare, it is undeniably a clever conceit that plays directly to the heart of the Orlando Fringe demographic. Unfortunately, compressing an entire season of a reality television game show into a single hour is a massive structural hurdle. What viewers love most about the source material—the hushed sidebar conversations in hallways, the slow-building tension, and the explosive, extended roundtable debates—is cut off at the knees here, shortchanging the script of its most fertile ground for comedy and suspense. (Traitor turret meetings and missions are almost entirely lost.) In sticking so closely to the game’s procedure, the production forces itself to rush through the game in a way that robs the concept of its inherent excitement. There is certainly fun to be had here; but what is most frustrating is the lack of creative exploration given the vast vault of source material available. The overwhelming majority of the punchlines rely on out-of-context lyrics, famous movie lines borrowed wholesale, or the cheap shock value of a pristine Disney princess dropping an f-bomb. While a lack of depth isn't always a hindrance to parody, a shortage of wit certainly is. Fortunately, guiding the audience through the madness—and completely stealing the show along the way—is Alexander Mrazek as the Magic Mirror. Sporting his best Alan Cumming brogue and working the crowd over like a seasoned drag queen hosting a Sunday brunch, Mrazek is a breath of fresh air. He was either gifted the best-written character in the script, or he threw the pages out entirely and improvised much of the night away. Unfortunately, for an idea with so much magical potential, the verdict at this roundtable is clear: ONCE UPON A TRAITOR falls a bit short of happily ever after.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Sound Design - Top 3

1. Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys

36.2% of votes

2. Tony Gayle - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

10.7% of votes

3. Kai Harada - Ragtime

7.2% of votes

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