Shay Mace
“There you go, being left speechless by lightness – it’s sort of the definition of humour”, said the late Philippe Gaulier. Clowning as an art gives the opportunity for intense levity against the frenzied backdrop of the real world, and these six clowning shows look to offer as much light as they do insight. Well, maybe? While it can be hard to decipher the full content of a clown show ahead of time (and isn’t that the joy?), we’ve put together some ones to watch if you’re headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.
Fresh from Adelaide Fringe success, Sophie Power brings CVNT (The Box at Assembly George Square, Aug 5 – 31 (not 13, 20 & 27), 20:20), an unhinged and interactive exploration of everything CVNT, led by a giant, sexy vulva, a piece that asks, is the worst word in English really c*nt? …Or is it can’t? Sophie told Binge Fringe’s Madeleine Martin this January “As a performer, what I think I want people to feel, is to be on the edge of their seat, yes, but I want them to feel safe and supported that whenever they feel like sharing – there are some confessional things in the show – that they feel like they want to share, not that they’re forced into it because they’re scared.”
Also taking on a big misspelt word in their title – FORIEGNER (Old Lab at Summerhall, Aug 6 – 31 (not 18th & 25th), 21:00) is co-created by Sohrab Haghverdi, Mason Rosenthal and Ben Rosenthal, and described as an anti-identity, anti-comedy, clown piece put together into a dizzying solo performance that refuses to explain Sohrab’s experience as an Iranian asylum seeker. We are ominously told that the ‘Foriegner’ will eat hot dogs, and will not drink his own urine. Likely not one to miss if you like your boundaries pushed.
Similarly exploring themes of migration and still misspelling words, Cuban immigrant Julian Hernandez transforms into alter ego Jooby, for a a preternatural experience that aims to bemuse and amuse the modern mind in Wisard (Just Out Of The Box at Just The Tonic at The Caves, Aug 6 – 30 (not the 18th), 21:20). Having trouble with business? Love? Connecting to others? Are your plants dead? Do you feel like your life is not what you hoped? The Wisard offers you the chance to have a spell cast upon you that will change your life for good.
Keeping us in the medieval (at least, power structures wise) acclaimed clown and Fringe tour-de-force duo Lil Wenker and Cecily Nash bring Lil Wenker: BOYKING (Bunker One at Pleasance Courtyard, Aug 5 – 30 (not the 17th), 21:45). Accept your invitation to Prince Wilfred’s (Willy, for short) coronation, where Willy seeks power at all costs including but not limited to: death, destruction and dastardly deeds.
And following in the line of thought of traditions, Kento Morita brings an inventive and personal show in Japanese Grandma Funeral (Playground 1 at ZOO Playground, Aug 7 – 30 (not the 10th & 17th), 17:45). Kento the Clown missed his grandmother’s funeral in Japan due to Covid restrictions. He’s trying to recreate the traditional rites, but it keeps going wrong. lending clown and storytelling with Japanese and Okinawan funeral customs, Kento attempts to process 108 of his grandma’s memories, along with unresolved thoughts and small, stubborn facts about her life.
Finally, returning to Edinburgh following success at Manipulate Festival this January and a subsequent tour, Dik Downey offers hilarity, a gallery of puppets, and a playful discussion surrounding age and artistic fulfilment in Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book) (King Dome at Pleasance Dome, Aug 5 – 31 (not the 12th, 17th & 24th), 15:25). Dik fights to make this huge novel joyous to a contemporary audience. But as Quixote chases impossible dreams, Dik faces his own dwindling relevance and mortality.
