Varietease: Carnivale
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If you’re familiar with Blue Star (Baby Blue Star, Blue, whatever shade of blue she’s going by at any given moment), then you’ll likely already have a preconceived choreographic notion of what’s about to happen: Good girl joins some kind of circus, dance-mastery ensues, denouement and “scene!” But there’s something different about the 10-year-old revival of Blue’s Fringe hit that slowly knocks you over. Mostly, it’s better than anything we’ve ever seen her do. Moreover, though, it’s a testament to how far Blue has come in this community. The talent she’s attracted is phenomenal. The grace with which she handles it is impeccable
The classically trained dancer who “#doesstupidshitformoney” is no joke, nor are the threads she weaves through her story lines. She’ll laugh on the sidelines, but when the lights go down, she’s all business. In fact, she’s built a business – the Venue – on the back (and legs) of her talents, and remains one of Orlando’s most ambitious heroes. She didn’t have to reboot Carnivale, but we’re certainly happy she did. Welcome to the circus.
Traveling from abstract references – there was a moment we were certain she was paying homage to Keith Haring and Grace Jones in an oversized prop skirt (it was actually designed by Kyla Swanberg, aka Miss Stitched) – to overt storytelling, Blue lords over a cast of wonderfully crazy people who are absolutely not joking about what modern dance means, even while on stilts and holding a flask against your painted face and dancing on one stilted leg. The choreography goes from wayward crowd engagement to “Thriller”-esque synchronized insanity in undulating musical flows. Heart’s “Magic Man” shows up for a visit (with Michelina Wingerter and Jason Tibbs), an androgynous man walks on pointed toes (Jose Navarro) and plays violin, a hot muscle guy drips sweat while throwing up a leg and everything morphs into the litter of Blue’s early morning night terrors. If you press your eyes hard enough with the palms of your hand, you could probably make this magic on your own. However, said medical maneuver is not advised.
Blue’s got it taken care of.
Read all of Watermark’s coverage of the 2016 Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival.
