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Orlando Fringe Festival reviews: Music man, dancing dads, devilish pranks

By Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel The Tribune Content Agency

Updated May 19, 2026 2:32 PM

Here are Orlando Fringe Festival reviews of “The Cage,” “Chase Padgett: How to Play Guitar (Badly),” “Dad Bod Dance Off,” “A Final Girl’s Guide to Surviving a Serial Killer,” “Letters in Need” and “Prank.net (The Impractical Pranksters Summon the Anti-Christ).”

‘Chase Padgett’

In “Chase Padgett: How to Play Guitar (Badly)” (Renaissance Theatre, 60 minutes), the performer tells us he was on a more scientific career path until fate, his father and a caring music teacher intervened.

The Fringe vet’s latest is a beautifully crafted look at who and what shaped Padgett into the musician - and the man - he is today. The show is built around the idea that Padgett is giving advice - ridiculously bad advice - to wannabe guitarists. “Avoid all joy and curiosity” is one bit of wisdom he imparts.

But as in the best Padgett shows, it’s all about how to live life, how to find yourself, and it’s wrapped in a mix of comedy, pathos and his gorgeous music. It’s an emotional show that will make you want to hug your father, hug a teacher and probably hug yourself.

Turns out, the world has plenty of computer programmers and engineers, but how lucky we are to have the one and only Chase Padgett. Go see why.

‘Dad Bod Dance Off’

When food poisoning sidelines teen-girl dancers and their moms, the dads have to step in and compete in the big competition. Such is the silly setup of “Dad Bod Dance Off” (Peach, 60 minutes), a big bunch of sequinned fluff that takes the old-school comic idea of men in dresses to new extremes.

Joel Warren, who wrote the show and co-directs with Glenn Panek, puts himself in midriff-baring sparkles and takes a twirl alongside T. Robert Pigott, who has a history of dance - and roller skating in “Starlight Express” - to fall back on.

The guys are good-humored, and in on the joke, so it’s easy to laugh both at them and with them. They’re joined by Lisa Glaze, as the prima donna host of the competition, and the three keep the energy high.

Most surprising is the element of sweetness behind the humor: These guys really love their daughters, and there are genuine moments of friendship between the dads - a kind of male bonding we don’t see much of.

Also deserving star billing: Costumer Chad Fudali and choreographer Izzy Warren, who have a big part to play in the fun.

‘Prank.net’

Wowza, the opening sequence of “Prank.net (The Impractical Pranksters Summon the Anti-Christ)” (Green, 60 minutes) is one of the most mesmerizing in all of Fringe. Creepy and compelling and can’t look away.

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The show then abruptly changes gears to the jokey world of those hidden-camera prank shows, and until the end, doesn’t really recapture the intensity of those opening moments. But there’s a lot to like in this scrappy show, especially the performance of Emmanuel Tojanci as the flamboyantly manic anti-Christ.

The deal-with-the-devil plot actually turns into something more serious: Is the coarsening of entertainment ruining our souls? What is the true cost of unfiltered hate? Should we only engage with ideas we already believe?

Writer-director Sam Newkirk has some fine ideas in a play that could use refinement, but entertains.

‘The Cage’

Not all art is entertainment, and Melanie Bailey and Bekah Lugo’s “The Cage” (outdoors between Orlando Family Stage and Orlando Museum of Art, 45 minutes) is not meant to be entertaining.

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It’s a harrowing experience, in which a guest artist is put in a cage and interrogated by an immigration agent, played with unsettling ferocity at my viewing by Connor Matthews. It’s intense to watch someone undergo this treatment, and even more disturbing to learn that the dialogue is based on interviews with five real-life detainees, including one who is currently missing.

The location means the spell can be broken by passing cars on Mills Avenue or curious park visitors. But if you need a reality check amid the Fringe frivolity, this will come as a shock to the system. Information about interacting with ICE and the five interviewed detainees is provided at the show’s end.

‘Letters in Need’

A respite from the craziness of Fringe, and a reminder that we are all connected to each other, is found in “Letters in Need” (Silver lobby, 20 minutes). This unique one-on-one interaction begins with you starting a job with United Support Processing Service. Your trainer guides you as you match letters seeking help with the mailboxes where they might find them.

But the real joy is beyond the activity; it’s the conversation that ensues with the trainer or the thoughts the letters inspire; I found myself sharing thoughts and feelings about community and self-worth in this reflective personal experience that can ripple out into the world.

‘A Final Girl’s Guide’

If you’ve ever seen a horror movie, you know there’s going to be trouble at Camp Sleighmoore, the setting of “A Final Girl’s Guide to Surviving a Serial Killer” (outdoors near Orlando Science Center, 30 minutes).

The stage-combat group LANCE Orlando presents this show, which is really a chance to watch the art of theatrical fighting in action. The horror-movie tropes gussy it up - chainsaws, knives, a creepy doll, a zombie - as the narrator explains how to stay alive.

With seating around the combat area, your viewing angle will determine how some of the stunts land, but I saw some darn good “hits” and learned that hitting the ground is a big part of the art form. Also: Don’t go into the woods alone. But you probably knew that.

mpalm@orlandosentinel.com