Good morning,
I hope spring has been sweet with you and that you are ready for a hot summer.
I have been a busy bee, writing a new grant, so by now three in total. Got the news that the first one was a no. So one down, two to go...
You should have all received your rewards, check your snail mail boxes or my website, depending of what you are expecting. The flying kisses should get to you very soon, their wings are small carrying big kisses so they go slow! The website is almost up to date, missing a few names, don't worry i know, and if you haven't received a card yet please let me know, i may just not have your address.
I started the summer tour in Las Vegas because it is where i got my best friend's(Elijah) car.
I took five days to drive to Orlando taking highway 10 and some beautiful little roads on the way, never going into any big cities to take advantage of what america has the most to offer: big beautiful empty spaces!!
It was so beautiful, if you ever have time i will have some tips...
I arrived in Orlando one day early to participate in an evening of presentation for the out of town artists.
The best 3 minutes spent in advertising!!! That started a buzz about my show, i then got one of the 20 most expected shows of the festival and a critic at the premiere and another one at my second show. Both are great!
In the first three days i gave out 800 little lady cards with my make up on on site to advertise the show.
On seven shows i had one sold out and two almost sold out. I had people coming twice and one of the fringe producer wrote that my show defines what fringe is about.
So I would say it was a great festival and definitely a step up from NY.
The artist in me is so happy, what a great fun to have an audience on three sides that are so into it and actually responding out load, dropping bottles, baby crying in the hallway, all that is food and beautiful presents to react to!
The producer in me is freaking out as the show even with more seats sold is far from covering the cost of little lady.
But i keep on smiling and i am so great full to my friends who keep on helping me in this crazy adventure!!!
Big kisses to you all where ever you are.
Fringe Review: Little Lady
A contorted figure (Sandrine Lafond) lies prone, facedown on the floor, clad in hooded red dress and fur stole. She slowly wakes to circus music, her white face framed with oversized glasses opening wide to greet the morning with a giggle. The little lady limbers up her feet and props herself precariously on tiptoes, tottering around the stage and waggling her tongue at bemused audience.
Over the course of our wordless pantomime hour together, this curious character tries crocheting with giant needles, laps water from a dog bowl, and watches a boxing match on TV. A container appears with magical rejuvenating jujubes, which she consumes enthusiastically. At night, they enact a metamorphosis, causing her to birth a bundle of yarn from her bulbous belly and bud abundant breasts and buttocks.
Lafond, a former dancer with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion, displays marvelous mastery of her muscles, and the character she creates is undoubtedly unique. Is she the subject of some insidious experiment? A symbol of unachievable ideals of feminine beauty? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure, as I experienced a WTF moment or three during the show. But if you’re the sort to seek out the strange and surreal, this show should be one of your best bets this Fringe. Just be sure to sit in the front row if you want a full view of her ground-level antics.
by Carl F Gauze
Little Lady
By Sandrine Lafond
Directed by John Turner
Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival – Blue Venue
I’m not sure what creature Ms. Lafond portraying in her mink vest and orange swim wrapper. The obvious guesses are a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, a child reaching adult hood, a lab rat in an experiment, or a woman aging and losing her looks. But whatever the transformation is she seems delighted with it. There are clues – three metal boxes contain increasing numbers of sweets. A television gives increasingly violent programs. Vast clots of yellow orange yarn emerge from her belly. She licks many objects, water mist delights her, and she sleeps like an internet cat picture. The collective arts writers of Orlando are deeply confused and conflicted over the inner meaning, but whatever Ms Lafond aims for, it’s utterly fascinating. My big piece of advice: do everything you can to sit in the front row. The show is performed on the floor, and anyone taller than midget ahead of you will block the show. Dance, mine or clown, I couldn’t advise. But it’s a unique Fringe experience.
Seth Kubersky's 20 most anticipated Fringe shows (in alphabetical order)
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SHORT FUSE PINUPS
4 Truths and a Lie
Ex-Orlandoans Audrey Kearns and Brian Bradley hit it big in Hollywood; now they're back telling (mostly) truthful tales with a rotating team of local celebs (including OW's Steve Schneider).
Blood Sisters the Musical: In Concert
This original piece about a matriarchal African-American family features Broadway-credited director Marion J. Caffey and a cast of strong-voiced women.
Blue & Tod: Too Drunk to Fringe
The founder of Varietease and the creator of last year'sSuckers (which I helped produce) might be too drunk to Fringe, but this powerhouse pair are never too inebriated to present an intoxicating cabaret.
Bursting Into Flames
Martin Dockery's previous manic monologues (Wanderlust, The Bike Trip, The Holy Land Experience) were excellent examples of the absurd, and his latest tale of the afterlife appears equally surreal.
Cannibal the Musical!
Logan Donahoo (last year's Trash Cinema 101) and a cast of dozens stage the campy cult musical from the creators ofSouth Park and Book of Mormon.
Connected: An Interactive Experience
Artist Cole NeSmith and director Aradhana Tiwari team up on a potentially fascinating participatory experiment blending dance, drama and audience interaction.
Dance for Grandma
Scott Whittemore's one-man ukulele musical about grief and Christmas sweaters promises to be offbeat and uniquely personal, exactly the qualities I look for at Fringe.
GGG: Dominatrix for Dummies
Eleanor O'Brien journeys to Orlando from Oregon to impart wisdom from her adventures in NYC's S&M scene, giving us her Good Girl's Guide to sex work for fun and profit.
Jitters
Bernie “O'B.” O'Brien (no relation to Eleanor) is a favorite recurring Fringer whose natural storytelling skills have sharpened into a superb stage presence over the last few festivals.
Kirikou and the Sorceress
The Orlando School of Cultural Dance's exuberant African choreography is always infectious; I'm excited to see how they channel that energy through a magical folktale.
Little Lady
Cirque du Soleil-trained Canadian clown Sandrine Lafond looks and moves like something out of David Lynch's nightmares (and I mean that in a good way).
Medicine
T.J. Dawe is among the top monologians on the fringe circuit for good reason; if his new spiel about shamanic medicine is anything like his last half-dozen shows, it will be a huge hit.
The Monkey King
Viet Nguyen's Reincarnation Soup was among my top picks of 2010; his newest retells an ancient Asian fable through physical storytelling and masks.
My Exploding Family
Two years ago I fell in love with the cartoon-inspired nonverbal comedy of Tokyo's Miss Hiccup, and now she's back and accompanied by two additional living anime characters.
Nashville Hurricane
From 6 Guitars to Superman Drinks, Chase Padgett's solo shows keep getting better and better; casting him as “guitar prodigy” doesn't seem like much of a stretch.
