FALLOUT FRINGE FESTIVAL 2026-Day 17

By Erik Engman

Author, Clown and Improvisation Teacher, Theatre Critic EatMoreArtVegas.com

IG: ErikReviewsVegas

It is the home stretch of the Fallout Film Festival, with only a few scant plays left to review. Today another banger! Or should I say it doesn’t suck? (That’s a vampire joke for you.) Nothing new today, but there are some amazing shows on the schedule with their last performances: “Things I Shouldn’t Tell You,” “Art & Deception,” “Can’t Save Everyone,” and “STUNTDRIVER.” You can access the full schedule at www.falloutfringe.org/schedule.

A Hollywood Horror Story by Ingrid Garner      

Scrumptious ★★★★

As I remember from the musical Hamilton, we have no control over who lives, who dies, and who tells your story. This is for those who remember Maila Nurmi, or as she’s more commonly known, Vampira, from one small bit part in the infamous Ed Wood movie Plan 9 From Outer Space. But her real life was the stuff of legends, the memories of which have been forgotten and buried. And now Ingrid Garner brings Vampira and her story back to life. Or, as she would have preferred, the afterlife. We learn about her rebellious spirit, feelings of being an outsider, her rise to fame as the first late-night horror host, her romances and friendships with famous movie stars, and her fall from grace. Garner is spectacular as Maila Nurmi, easily conveying the nuances of this complex woman. Through video recreations of her show and multiple costume changes, she takes us through the soaring highs and the devastating lows. Garner captures the stubbornness, the ego, the humor, and the fierce determination of Nurmi, which in many ways made her her own worst enemy. I left the theater feeling like I now know this woman and that, in many ways, we are very similar. If you love classic Hollywood, horror, and stories championing strong women, then this is the show for you. Thank you, Ingrid Garner, for sharing her life and death with us and for telling her amazing story. 

@ Vegas Theatre Company: June 22