FringeReview USA 2025
Everfolk
Orlando Artist Guild
Genre: Dramedy, Music, Musical Theatre
Venue: Orange Venue
Festival: FringeReview USA, Orlando Fringe
Low Down
Everfolk is a Taylor Swift musical with high-production value but a script in need of further development.
Review
Everfolk – A New Musical is a fringe musical written and directed by Bryan Jager. It tells the true story of Evermore, a failed theme park in Utah which tried to sue Taylor Swift for trademark infringement. For a fringe production, it has a shockingly high production value with a vast set. The entire score is Taylor Swift songs. The sets are phenomenal, the cast is solid, and it feels like a big-budget musical. Jager’s direction is detailed with plenty of creative flourishes. Rh’ea Hughes choreography is fun. Musical director Beth Ann Stripling did a wonderful job rearranging Swift’s song. The ensemble worked excellently as a whole and gave committed performances. Katherine Lozon particularly stands out as “The Vlogger” in a warm, heartfelt narrative role.
Yet, Everfolk is still finding its voice. Everfolk wants to be many things – Come From Away, Newsies, Hadestown, and Shucked all seemed to be inspiration. It wants to be a story about theme park workers, ambition, vloggers, betrayal, managers, unions, and Taylor Swift. Yet, like Evermore itself, this lack of cohesion and overambition is ultimately the show’s downfall. The tone varies significantly between scenes, going from workplace banter to fringe absurd comedy to serious theatre in a rollercoaster whiplash. The story moves too quickly. The characters are left underdeveloped. An A, B, and C plot all run in opposition to one another. Taylor Swift herself is shockingly underutilized, merely floating like an ethereal ghost through the scenes. The short run time cannot suffice. The book needs focus and clearer meaning.
This is a real shame as the parts are all there to make a great show. There is a talented team and everyone in the ensemble keeps this theme park musical going. Make no mistake – everyone working on this production is immensely skilled in what they do. Everfolk is a love letter to theme park workers. Orlando will be the best audience they will ever have for that reason. A weak musical book, however, drags down everyone. Simply put, if this show is to have life, it needs to focus itself. One of the plotlines has to go, and the characters’ motivations, wants, and journeys need deeper exploration. The vision is there, but the foundation needs to be better laid before we let everyone into the park.
