Orlando Fringe 2025
THE VEXED AND THE VIGOROUS: VERONA SHIFT
Dead Unicorn Ink
Genre: Classical and Shakespeare, Comedy, LGBTQIA+, Satire
Venue: Orange Venue
Festival: Orlando Fringe
Low Down
It’s Romeo & Juliet but with more comedy, fast cars, Canadian accents, and quick changes.
Review
We all know THAT guy. Yah know? The one who’s a BIT too into The Fast and the Furious series. His standards of entertainment are pitifully low. Fight Club (which he’s only seen the first ten minutes of) is his favorite movie. He insists Fast X is better than any classical theatre. And you think to yourself: If only he could see something decent, something high-art Shakespearian, maybe he could get “good” taste. Vexed and the Vigorous is a look through his eyes. This modern adaptation, retelling Romeo & Juliet through the lens of big-budget homoerotic car movie slop, makes us theatre snobs see the appeal in such a genre. It’s stupid, hilarious, and told with the same reverence we hold Shakespeare.
I’m a skeptic of Shakespeare. Despite once teaching a class on it, frankly, I think Shakespeare is dated and wrongly held in continuous prestige. His writing is over 400 years old, done to death, and overproduced. Shakespeare takes precedence before all other theatre and all must be compared to “the master.” That said, there is no denying Shakespeare’s staying power. And likewise, there is no denying the box office returns The Fast and the Furious continuously makes. If anything, it was only a matter a time before the worlds collided.
The Vexed and the Vigorous is tight as leather pants—a well-oiled machine ready to race. The entire ensemble of Dead Unicorn Ink is phenomenal. They move quick, banter, and are naturals at audience engagement. The show itself is clever and well-written while simultaneously being dumb. The humor is tongue-in-cheek. They know damn well this show has no right to exist, and yet here it is in all its stupidity. Some parts could use a tune-up. I felt some of the choreography sections ran too long. Certain physical humor jokes could have used a little clean-up in their movements. That said, the subversiveness, silliness, and queerness of the show’s headlights shine so bright it makes a little dirt under the hood feel trivial and picky.
–A MAJOR spoiler alert ahead—
Our two ill-fated lovers live at the end of this one and drive off into the sunset. Any show which has the smartness to avoid queer “Bury Your Gays” tropes deserves praise in my book. Likewise, the show, despite its absurdity, never treats its queer characters as stereotypes. There is a surprising amount of heart and respect for the queer characters in the script.
–END OF SPOILERS–
My only advice to audiences? Go in a little tipsy and ready to laugh. Take a shot for every car reference, “family” punchline, and rhyming couplet. Unfortunately, I had to see this late-night show at noon on a Saturday. This show is silly, stupid humor. You already know the point: “Family.” And by the end of the show, you too will feel a part of the family Dead Unicorn Ink have created.
