Eve Miller
This one-knight, one-hobby-horse clown show is deeply, deeply silly. So deeply silly, that it becomes a profound experience – I have never felt such connection with an audience before, and I found the atmosphere that Madeline Rowe created in that space to be genuinely moving.
The play follows a knight, who finds a sword in a stone (the hands of an audience member), pulls it out (after a significantly impressive tug of war with said audience member), and realises that they are to be King of Camelot. This is problematic, as it requires leaving the love of their life (the hobby-horse) behind, only to be haunted by their lost love throughout their troubled reign. The plot, while funny, doesn’t necessarily matter. What matters is Rowe’s skill as a clown, and a performer. They toy with the crowd, a mischievous glint in their Kingly eye, and gleefully torment the foolish volunteers who are tasked with the responsibilities of crowning them, marrying them, and being the knights of the round table.
They have complete mastery of their physicality and vocal performance, delighting in funny walks, consistent failure to get their sword back into its scabbard, and an overblown plummy accent. They whip the audience up into a frenzy of giggling laughter, and yet remain in complete control of the space and volume level. They had us all on the edge of our seats and in the palm of their hand, waiting to see what ridiculous thing they would say or do next. They even had us rooting for a romance between a human knight and a hobby-horse. The final moments were shockingly moving, and I am guaranteed to never be able to listen to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol in the same way ever again.
Irreverent, uproarious, madcap clowning for the medieval nerd, Knight, Knight is a showcase for one of the funniest performers I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
Recommended Drink: Honeyed mead!
You can catch Knight, Knight at The Wee Coo at Underbelly, Cowgate from 30 July to 25th August at 19:20 (60 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
