Orlando Fringe 2026 review: ‘The Review by Martin Dockery’

Andrew Broaddus & Martin Dockery in The Review at Orlando Fringe Credit: Courtesy Photo

How is a reviewer supposed to start a review of a show called The Review? Maybe by mentioning that it’s the newest work from the Fringe-favorite team of writer-performer Martin Dockery and director Vanessa Quesnelle, beloved for their mind-warping yet heart-warming original dramedies? Or perhaps by saying that Dockery is an internationally touring legend with 70-odd awards under his belt, and I’ve learned over the years to simply trust and take the leap into his Rod Serling-like imagination?

Nah, let’s try the tried-and-true synopsis.

The Review stars Dockery alongside Andrew Broaddus (The Stakeout, The Bunker) as lawyers in a high-stakes performance evaluation, trapped inside an abstracted office bounded by voice-controlled rope lights. Andrew just wants to bang on through his agenda, between making not-so-subtly ageist jabs at Martin, a cycling enthusiast who is worried about losing touch with his animal side. But Dockery doesn’t seem to be taking his first-ever annual review seriously, even though his revenue goals are not being met and his audits are out of balance; that’s probably because his father started this scooter company, and he’s blackmailing his boss for sexting a seductive selfie to his wife.

Boxes on Broaddus’s checklist remain frustratingly unchecked, but their spiraling digressions aren’t a distraction from the sneakily sci-fi story but rather the soul of it, as the script’s layers of reality are gradually peeled back. Although this scenario is inherently fraught, the execution is extremely funny, thanks to the script’s rapid-fire rants about declining testosterone, cyber-dating and gluten-free vegan muffins.

Dockery is the acknowledged master of machine-gun delivery, but Broaddus more than holds his own with lightning-fast cue pickup. With minimalist blocking based around a table and chairs, the staging could easily become static, but Quesnelle maintains an electric energy throughout using only high-velocity verbal pacing and moody mood lighting.

The duo’s circular conversation about patrilineal legacy and toxic masculinity morphs into a roast, as each tortures the other with eviscerating online reviews, before the tone takes yet another sharp turn in the final stretch. For anyone who has ever wondered if the supercomputer in their pocket is secretly plotting against them, The Review earns two enthusiastic thumbs up, several big belly laughs and a full-body existential shudder.

Martin Dockery (Brooklyn, NY)
Peach Venue, Orlando Family Stage
60 minutes; 13 and up
Tickets: $15

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