I _____ You
Orlando Youth Alliance
The Orlando Youth Alliance’s eleventh hour change of both creative team and concept has been the topic of much gossip that continues to echo through tents on the lawn in Loch Haven Park. A full page ad for Let’s Make a Gay Deal in the Fringe program makes the situation hard to forget, as does the fact that the change happened so late in the game the program couldn’t be amended and I _____ You’s showtimes are listed under Let’s Make a Gay Deal.
Under those circumstances, it would be a relief to report that I _____ You is an amazing show or even good, especially considering that it’s a benefit for OYA, a support group for LGBTQ youth. The fact is, though, I _____ You is just okay.
The idea behind this cabaret is to fill in that titular blank with songs. Performers appear with placards revealing the missing verb – I love you, I thank you, I miss you, and so – apparently dividing the show into beats, but the songs that follow don’t always fit neatly into their statement. Some of the song choices, like “Die, Vampire, Die” from [title of show] and “I’m Not that Smart” from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, are confusing considering the stated goal of “exploring the dynamics of gay and straight relationships.” Director Donald Rupe may have felt the goal was just vague enough to accommodate the songs, but more than likely these are songs the cast simply wanted to sing.
No doubt the late-hour change is chiefly to blame for the muddled concept. That change is also presumably to blame for an ill-fitting segment in which audience members compete for prizes by guessing the missing word in popular songs.
The talented cast attacks their material with zeal, enough to forgive the occasional reach for a song outside their abilities, and the show has many nice moments. Joe Saunders delivers a rousing version of “The Caveman Song” from The Taxi Cabaret in which a caveman comes out to his dad – “See me shine, papa!” Rupe proves to be a Fringe trooper during the opening performance, delivering a tender ballad without skipping a beat as a tech refocused a light on him. The cast coming together to sing Jason Robert Brown’s “My Song” to close the show will wrap around your heart.
Orlando Youth Alliance has had success with its past Fringe offerings Suitcase of Memories and High School Queerbook, in large part because the past projects showcased the young members of the group.* But the youth from the group are not the stars of this production (nor were they expected to be for Let’s Make a Gay Deal), so that warm and fuzzy aspect is lacking. Those theatre projects felt like an extension of OYA’s work, a public embrace.
Here’s hoping the Orlando Youth Alliance recaptures some of that heart in future Fringe efforts.
To see a full schedule for the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, and purchase tickets, visit OrlandoFringe.org.
*In the spirit of full disclosure, I worked creatively on both Suitcase of Memories and High School Queerbook.
