Orlando Fringe hit ‘The Little Merman from The Black Lagoon’ returns to HÄOS on Church

“The Little Merman from The Black Lagoon,” the Orlando Fringe Festival hit show, is already heading back to the stage with shows announced for June 18 and 19 at HÄOS on Church.

Writer, director and “Ethyl the Merman” in the show, Christian Kelty recalls the inspiration for the show came from his love of 1950s monster movies and classic cartoons. Although COVID-19 caused the show to be put on hold from its debut at Stonewall Orlando in 2019, it has since grown and “gotten better over time.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kelty says. “When I was writing it, it just grew and now became this big thing that I’m incredibly proud of.”

The show follows a group of scientists in search of the evolution of life and come face-to-face with Ethyl the Merman and his friends from “under the lagoon.”

Kelty says that although there aren’t any openly LGBTQ characters outright in the show, the character of Ethyl doesn’t identify as either male or female and he says he believes that’s why the show was received so positively in the LGBTQ community.

“They relate to it. They brought family members because of the themes of the show. Ethyl doesn’t know what he/she is,” Kelty says. “I liked playing with the idea of not being defined by your gender. With the support around you, it’s cool to figure out who you are and what you are and that being okay.”

After Gov. Ron DeSantis removed funding from the state budget intended for Zebra Coalition‘s transitional housing for LGBTQ homeless youth, Kelty knew he wanted to do something to help. So, for every ticket sold, $5 will go to the Zebra Coalition to help at-risk LGBTQ youth.

“We wanted to make sure we were able to raise money for Zebra,” Kelty says. “After the decisions from the governor, it became crystal clear what we had to do.”

The funds will also be dollar matched by four different small businesses in Central Florida that also wanted to help: Carla Stanton at Mainframe Real Estate, REMIXED, Mainframe Real Estate and YogaMix.

“We are grateful and humbled to share the story of Ethyl the Merman and his journey of self love and acceptance that seems to resonate deeply with so many people. And we are proud to be part of a community that truly values equality,” Kelty wrote on Facebook. “One Love.”

“The Little Merman from The Black Lagoon” will play at HÄOS on Church June 18-19 starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased here. “The Little Merman from The Black Lagoon” will also be a part of the International Tampa Fringe Festival, which runs July 29-Aug. 8 in Tampa’s Ybor City District.

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