Orlando Fringe has hosted its fair share of both world-class circus acts and transgender tales, but no show in recent memory has managed to merge the two genres quite like Box [M] from San Francisco’s Bow & Arrow Circus.
The Son (Landyn Endo) begins the production dressed in a feminine ballerina’s outfit, but soon strips off the tutu in favor of a more androgynous look. Their Father’s (Os Roxas) initial confusion soon gives way to acceptance, but when Endo is unable to emulate his dad’s masculinity — as symbolized by stunning displays of upper body strength suspended from a pole apparatus — the pair are thrust into an argumentative acrobatic routine that involves Landyn getting flung around like a rag doll. Son constructs a smothering shelter to seal himself off from the world, but is rescued by their parent before they perish; the resulting rocking reunion and reconciliation arrives just in time for the elder acrobat to pass his pole on to the next generation.
Director Genie Cartier devises evocative imagery, such as a pink flashlight pulsing like a heartbeat, or a scratchy home movie projected onto its subject’s body like a ghostly silhouette. The show integrates jaw-dropping gymnastics and interpretive dance with a genuinely emotional throughline, and the thrilling feats of feet-and hand-balancing are backed by a melancholy music box soundtrack.
It is a shame that this show is in the low-ceilinged Brown venue, which restricts some of this duo’s dazzling stunts, and at only 35 minutes in length, this emerging act still has plenty of room to grow, but the short running time thoughtfully holds space for audience members to ask Endo questions about the trans Asian-American experience. Be sure to open this box for stellar circus arts, and something deeper.
Box [M]
Brown Venue, Lowndes Shakespeare Center
35 minutes; 13 & up
$15
Get tickets
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.