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Orlando Fringe Festival reviews: Music, magic and an alternative Messiah

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

Updated May 13, 2026 5:22 AM

Here are Orlando Fringe Festival reviews of “Big Gay Jesus: The Third Coming,” “50% Nonverbal,” “Four Dinners,” “110% Wizard” and “://Shelf Life.”

‘Big Gay Jesus’

To get this cleared up right away, the star of “Big Gay Jesus” (Pink, 60 minutes) is not THAT Jesus; he’s his half brother. “Same mom, different dads,” says performer Arthur Davis III. Later, when he refers to himself as God, I’m a bit confused, as that divinity clearly would come from the paternal side - but this is not a show about divinity.

Rather, “Big Gay Jesus” is an audience-participation show about, well, being and loving yourself. It’s silly, but in a gentle sort of way. And Davis, as BGJ, seems to really care. He offers compliments, gives psychic readings that lean toward the positive and leads the crowd in chants and songs.

His California-chill vibe is a welcome respite from the manic energy of other solo comedies, though it sometimes works against him. Yeah, Davis gets raunchy a time or two, but there’s a payoff. And wigs and sparkle to spare.

‘50% Nonverbal’

C. Neil Parsons describes his “50% Nonverbal” (Silver, 60 minutes) as “inarticulate nonsense.” You would admire the honesty, except it’s not true. There are certainly moments of silliness - clowning and silly walks and voices - and, let’s face it, trombones are funny. Oh yes, Parsons is a trombonist; you may know him from the Fringe’s family-friendly “Fruit Flies Like a Banana” shows.

But this compendium of song, dance and introspection has an adult sweetness to it: How do we think? How do we process? How do we communicate with others and with ourselves?

Parsons is a charmer, and he engages the audience with monologues, music and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. A skit with three guest performers in the otherwise solo show is clever in raising the idea of how we interact with our phones and the world.

Parsons needs to tighten his run time; there might be a sketch too many in this thoughtful and creative endeavor. But the imagery he creates, with shadows and strobe light, will leave you smiling. And his discourse will leave you pondering.

‘Four Dinners’

Here’s a twist: Usually a Fringe show about drunken hookups and tangled love lives invloves gay men. But lesbians get their chance in the tangled sheets of “Four Dinners” (Green, 50 minutes), which finds a quartet of twentysomething women sharing relations.

On her birthday, free-spirit Charlie hooks up with Ynez, her sister Penny’s roommate. But Ynez quickly finds a surprising new love. Feelings are hurt, voices are raised, and then they all sit down to dinner to work things out. I guess that’s what civilized lesbians do.

Written by Emmy Frederickson and Kelsey Grace Kidd, “Four Dinners” doesn’t tell us much about the human condition, except maybe make your intentions clear to romantic partners. And the story is sketched from plot point to plot point without giving us much of a backstory or reason to care about these characters.

But actors McKenna Russell, Liv Rawls, Marissa Rodriguez and Hailee Barrett pick up the slack there with engaging performances. I was particularly drawn to Rawls, playing a teacher craving a good night’s sleep. I understand her feelings.

‘110% Wizard”

Everyone loves a good bad-travel-experience story, and in “110% Wizard” (Silver, 60 minutes), Keith Brown has one, complete with new-job jitters. When American Airlines loses his luggage - again - the audience gasp is as loud as when he defies the laws of matter with a quarter and a soda can. Well, almost as loud.

It is a credit to Brown that he can hold the attention of an audience with a story as common as lost luggage. He eschews narcissim and flash to be, well, the kind of guy you’d hang out with at the beer tent. When a joke is made about his ego, it lands - because egotistical he is not. All this makes the magic even more wonderful.

I’m not going to spoil his tricks, except to say they involve some of the usual trappings - cards, volunteers, gasps of delight - and some items that are a little less ordinary. Margarita, anyone?

Brown is an Orlando Fringe vet at this point; his engaging act never grows old.

‘://Shelf Life’

In “://Shelf Life” (Brown, 60 minutes), Zachary Scalzo dives into the artificial-intelligence debate with the story of Luc, a tech guy who “resurrects” a beloved aunt with an AI machine fed her thoughts and memories.

Can AI replicate human emotion? Can it create new - and better - memories? When does cping with grief became rewriting the past? This is similar ground to the Broadway play “Marjorie Prime,” though Scalzo imbues his diverting story with suspense: Who is Luc’s mysterious new colleague and what is her agenda in all this?

Scalzo scores with distinct characters - Luc’s office rival is drawn particularly well - but his vocal differentiation doesn’t always measure up. It’s the kind of the show that doesn’t provide easy answers but offers food for thought as the AI future grows ever closer.

mpalm@orlandosentinel.com