Orlando Fringe Festival reviews: An ogre, a warning, a murder

Here are Orlando Fringe Festival reviews of “MacShrek: The Comedy of Ogres,” “Miss Bellas,” “Queer,” “Sororicide” and “Unconditionally: The Ultimate Pop Diva Celebration Starring Kayla Fischl,” all seen in previews.

‘MacShrek’

Writer Justin M G. Hughes has combined two Scottish icons, sort of, into one show with “MacShrek: The Comedy of Ogres” (Yellow, 60 minutes). Yes, everybody’s favorite ogre meets Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a retelling of the animated movie about the lovable swamp creature.

The show lands solid laughs, both of the verbal and physical kind — a bit with characters climbing through a window is particularly memorable. And it scores with pop-culture allusions, included “Wicked,” “Tangled” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

“Macbeth” is mainly represented by an appearance from the Witches, which is quite funny and left me wanting more references to the Scottish play. Other Shakespearean names and tropes arise, but are never integrated quite as cleverly as they could be. Still, it’s a good-natured lark.

‘Miss Bellas’

Giselle Bellas goes for high-concept, along with high style in “Miss Bellas” (Renaissance Theatre, 60 minutes) with compelling results that serve as a warning about creating an us vs. them divide in society. Bellas wrote, directed and stars in the musical, set in a near-future authoritarian nation where the haves and have-nots — growing ever further apart — are separated by a wall. Entertainment icon Miss Bellas, definitely among the haves, hosts a benefit for the poor — but is she actually helping?

The messages the show conveys intrigue, especially when they point a condemning figure at artists themselves. Miss Bellas sings her songs, arms raised in supplication like Evita on her balcony and as oblivous to the collapsing world around her as Sally Bowles was in prewar Germany. And while she considers “art is essential,” at what cost? Forgetting your heritage? Forgetting your humanity?

Director Andrés López-Alicea keeps the action moving. Bellas is a strong performer, with an equally strong singing voice, and in co-star AJ Morales, as her conflicted assistant, she has a compelling yin to her yang. His character raises other ideas: Is it better to lead a revolution from within or without?

The original music by Bellas, Francisco Valentin Ocasio and Adam Tilzer captivates and suits the tone of the piece. Pat Christodulidis, with an assist from Kylee Taylor’s decadent-emphasizing lighting and an imposing headress by Nicole Lapeyrouse, has created a striking design.

One video segment was so artistically and sonically distorted as to become confusing, but that’s a minor misstep. “Miss Bellas” should be one of the most buzzed-about shows at the fest.

‘Queer!’

LGBTQ+ Central Floridians will undoubtedly be drawn to “Queer!” (Silver, 70 minutes) but I hope straight theatergoers with open minds will check it out, too. Presented by Descolonizarte Teatro, “Queer!” is a humanizing look at what it is like to discover a same-sex attraction.

These five performers aren’t “them” or “others” — in their straightforward stories directed by Nadia Garzon, they are us, our neighbors, friends and family. Mimi Batista, Leandra “Slim” Diaz, Jon Jimenez, Natalia Soler and Alejandro “Nico Speed” Montano share personal recollections of their journeys to self-acceptance with artistry and emotional honesty.

Movement, songs, tableaux, pantomime, vocal echoes — all enhance the storytelling. One could wish for a wider emotional variation in some of the anecdotes: A little more humor, a little more pathos. But this is heartfelt and a lovely mix of the artistic with the authentic.

‘Sororicide’

The president of a Delta Nu sorority chapter has been murdered, and the sisters are going to get to the bottom of it in “Sororicide” (Green, 60 minutes).

Writer-directors Rheanne Walton and Savana Petranoff play their plot for laughs, with a stable of stock characters. While the sisters all do nice work inhabiting their stereotypes, Jan Martinez and John Malley are particularly on point as a couple of dim-bulb frat brahs.

There is fun to be had here — a bad poetry interlude is particularly silly — though the pace feels off in places; nonsense like this needs to zip along without pauses. I wish the writers had studied up on Agatha Christie to make the mystery’s solution — partly determined by the audience — more compelling, but this is entertaining fluff.

‘Unconditionally’

Finally, in “Unconditionally,” Kayla Fischl leads “the ultimate pop diva celebration.” Fischl tells us straight up she’s developing this show for cruise ships, and that’s the feel of it. She belts her way through medleys of hits by Lady Gaga, Adele and Katy Perry with energy.

A costume change breaks the flow and feels unnecessary, some of the recorded medley tracks could have smoother transitions between songs, and a bit with inflatable beach balls is fun but leaves the audience wondering how long they should continue batting them around.

Can I picture this on a cruise ship someday, though? With some refining, absolutely.

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