Orlando Fringe 2023 review: ‘Every Good Story Ends With One’

It’s been four long years since Martin Dockery graced the stages of Orlando Fringe, but his triumphant return at Savoy shows he hasn’t lost a step during quarantine as the festival circuit’s favorite frantic storyteller.

This time, he dispenses with all his theatrical tricks and returns to his roots, relating a 12-year-old true story about his disastrous first visit to an Australian Fringe Festival whose main focus is less artistic exploration than public inebriation. His performances are mocked by critics, but beloved by at least one butterfly-obsessed fan, with whom Dockery develops an epistolary entanglement.

Perched atop a Savoy bar stool, casually clad in jeans and a faded T-shirt, Dockery initially appears cool and collected until his story sparks up, then almost instantly ramps up to red-faced ranting.

Imagine the lanky lovechild of Gonzo the Great and a goyish Gilbert Gottfried embarking on an angry journey of self-discovery, with all the over-the-top outbursts and unexpectedly humane insights that implies.

Dockery claims that “the mark of a good performer is someone who performs to a handful of people who hate what they do,” so I hope he’s not too terribly disappointed that Orlando audiences continue to love him.

I don’t want to spoil the sophomoric secret of what exactly every good story ends with, but I will say my current favorite comedic storytelling show at the 2023 Fringe starts with Martin Dockery.

Every Good Story Ends With One
Martin Dockery
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This article appears in Summer Guide 2023.