There seems to be a show every year at Orlando Fringe where its location is as much a part of the experience as the cast and the story. In the past they’ve been inside a van in the parking lot, the swimming pool at someone’s home and one of the bathroom’s at Orlando Shakes, to name a few. This year it is a campsite set up on the side of the Orlando Museum of Art and the show is “An Adele Horror Story.”
The story to “An Adele Horror Story” follows the blueprint of an ’80s slasher flick: a group of teens head to a remote location in the woods only to be attacked by an unstoppable monster. The monster in this case happens to be the multi-Grammy Award-winning singer Adele (played by Megan Lauren Williams), who feeds on the heartbreak of her victims.
The story feels like a mash-up of several Ryan Murphy shows including “Glee,” “Scream Queens” and “American Horror Story,” which is obviously where their title comes from, as well as some “Evil Dead” peppered in. They do flip the script on a couple of the old slasher flick tropes like making the main romantic storyline — Tivonah Andrade’s Laura and Elizabeth Thorton’s Sarah — about a lesbian couple.
As in most comedies, the main characters have to play it mostly straight (pun intended) so the crazy, over-the-top antics come from the supporting characters. Lee (played by co-director Clay Dixon) and Sue (played by co-director and playwright Ciara Hannon) chew the scenery and get some of the show’s funniest lines. The cast has a lot of fun with the zaniness of the plot and Williams plays a pretty convincing Adele.
This show is outside, so if you don’t want to sit in the grass make sure to grab a chair before you head to the festival or just grab a blanket and go picnic style.
“An Adele Horror Story” plays on the side of the Orlando Museum of Art through May 30. For more information visit OrlandoFringe.org.
