End of Festival

I want to apologize to the last four shows of the Amuse Bouche. I have been unable to find the time write about them.

The festival was a success again. The performances were all of high quality. Each one was unique, challenging for the performers, fun for the audience. An opportunity see many different kinds of work and to talk about the art of clowning.

Thanks to the organizers for all their hard work and their great choices.

Channel One

Created and performed by Emily James and Ishah Janssen-Faith
Creative Advisor Richard Crawford

The girls from Channel One have come back from the future again, or we have gone forward into the future to see them again. The last two girls in the world greeted us so enthusiastically when we entered the theatre. It promised a really fun and connected show. I love the idea of the lonely survivors peopling their world by creating imaginary characters on TV shows. It has the potential to be very poignant. It did not quite hit its mark.

What followed was a series of sketch comedy pieces. Some of them are charming, some still new ideas. But all were performed with energy and commitment. Finding the underlying reason for our hostesses to create each TV show, might give them more dimension.

I look forward to seeing Emily and Ishah layer the show with the true despair that their proposal has promised.

I Have Never Done This Before

Created and Performed by Joel Jeske

Joel took a big leap into the unknown. He performed what he says is all material that he has never done before. Joel tells the audience that the guidelines for the show require an attitude of absolute cooperation on their part. And the audience accepts the rules. He gruffly tells someone to get onstage and down on his knees. He does it, only to be treated as a music stand and castigated for looking up. He tugs three people up to sit onstage, hands them clipboards and markers, waits to see what will happen. It is fresh and feels dangerous. They do not know what is expected of them or what will happen next. Joel does not attempt make them feel comfortable.

Their looks to each other, the audience, to Joel, end up seeming like well rehearsed choreography.

Each little section is an experiment--with a proposal of storytelling, prop manipulation, audience participation, or mime. He caps its end with a curt little bow.

Joel performs with a manic intensity that can be wonderful to watch. It can also become overbearing. If I gave Joel one note, it would be to be hyper-aware of when he is angrily drilling the audience with his eyes, and choose when to do that and when to soften his gaze. When he reinterpreted a disco anthem and expressed the angry lyrics this worked beautifully. At other times his anger seemed misplaced. When he did a series of imitations of dogs, it was a great relief and joy to see the lovely soft look in his eyes as he waited for his master at the door, or sleepily looked at the TV on a Sunday afternoon.

This is a courageous experiment. While it is not always successful, some of the simplest choices created wonderful moments. Worth seeing, worth seeing a second time just to find out what Joel will do.

Cabaret!

Hosted by Crabtree & Honeywell

This evening, hosted by the festival coordinators, gave us an altered glimpse at the inner workings of the selection process. Clowns, Crabwell and Honeytree struggled with mountains of paperwork, hours of videotape, and lots of inappropriate behavior on each of their parts. The Brick even set a mysteriously scary figure over them to make sure they did their work. I only wish they had been a bit clearer with each introduction.

The show was the epitome of variety. More physicality, more skill, more red noses than any of the other cabarets. Kathy Horejsi is at her best as the disaffected, disgusted custodian. Heavens forbid she should touch something that has hit the floor, or even worse, break a nail!

Billy Schultz was charming as he danced to different radio stations. I wish he had shown us clearly the Lost & Found box, as it would have set up his premise more clearly.

Mr. and Mrs. Clown's "acrobalance" act was well choregraphed. As they assumed a new position they gave it a descriptive name, one more sensual than the last. If they had called the piece the Clown Kamasutra, they would have gotten even more mileage out of the titles. My favorite moment happened when Mr C dropped his nose as he was lifting Mrs C into a two-high. He was distracted by the nose and she called out, "Make a choice, your nose or your wife!"

Lisa Lewis sweetly offered to replicate the photo of a woman on a rolling globe with juggling clubs and rings. Wisely, she got our empathy for her weaknesses, and then proceeded to wow us with a huge choice of skills. I have seen Lisa perform many times and it was refreshing to see her so vulnerable.

Captain Napkin (Alex Kipp) bravely stuck to his search for love, even when he got such reticence from most of the audience members that he approach with his song, "I wanna feel what love is, I want you to show me." He clung doggedly to the one glimmer of response and drew it out until he actually go a hug.

By far the most satisfying and surprising moment of the night was provided by Brett Alters. The fabulous illusion of two dwarves carrying a big sack was so astonishing and funny. I wish he had stayed still for just one moment for us to get a good look at him. But I laughed so hard at the angry whiteface "clown dwarf" kicking inflatable toys around as if he was in a fury. I am very impressed by the physical skill required to create this illusion so clearly. I have seen a few of these kinds of "hobby horse" interpretations and flip bunnnies. This is by far the best ever!

TiVo La Resistance!

Created by Logic LIMITED LTD
Performed by Chris Arruda, Sandi Carroll, and Brad Fraizer
Additional Direction by Matt Steiner and Jane Nichols

What fun! Don't miss this one--your last chance is Sunday at 3 pm.

The secret meeting of the The Resistance has assembled. Our three leaders, each more inept than the next, attempt to organize themselves and us. And the secret is that the meeting is secret.

They sport no red noses, but make no mistake, these clowns are perfect idiots (and I mean that in the best of ways). I apologize for the list that follows, but it seems the simplest way to let you know how satisfying it was to watch this show. They:

• have clearly defined status--the classic one, two, three
• complete one task (although they do get distracted) before going on to the next.
• constantly get in their own way
• misunderstand each other and themselves
• try really hard and then complicate their mistakes
• find creative solutions to their problems
• react emotionally and then escalate their emotions
• share their entire stage life with the audience
• include us in the action
• have impeccable timing
• breathe
• HAVE THE BEST TIME OF THEIR LIVES

On top of that, they are ready improvisors, and good physical actors. They include some real skill turns that are seamlessly written into the action and plot. Frazier's turn with four rolling chairs is brilliant!

I could have wished for a clearer set of steps to the ending dance party, but that is quibbling. This show is written, performed and directed masterfully.

I would go again if I could, just to see what they will do with another audience on another day. I know it will be alive and FUNNY!

Morro and Jasp--GONE WILD

Created and Performed by Heather Marie Annis and Amy Lee
Directed and Dramaturged by Byron Laviolette

Morro and Jasp return to The Brick with a new show. The clown girls, who unabashedly shared their puberty with us last year, take us along on a trip to the beach for Spring Break. And you know what that means...

We first encounter the duo in their over-packed "car" on the road. Their battle over control of the radio is epic, funny and really well timed. Their reactions to each other immediately illuminate their characters and relationship. The conflict between them eventually leads to disaster after disaster. They are funny and frenetic.

Annis and Lee are not afraid to frankly reveal the interests of their characters. They are interested in sex, drinking, self-fulfillment and sports. We laugh because we are embarrassed, but Morro and Jasp are not, so we can go ahead and enjoy ourselves. It is brave writing and performance.

The energy of both characters is consistently high and tense throughout. The show could do with some breath. They could allow the tender and emotional moments to truly be tender and emotional. It would give the audience a chance to truly connect more deeply with them.

Go see Morro and Jasp. They will take you on a wild ride!

Only one more show:

Sunday 9/18 at 7 pm

Bezinkule

Written and Performed by Christopher Rozzi
Directed by Tasha Gordon-Solmon

What a wild ride! As the lights come up, Christopher Rozzi appears in an outlandish, foppish outfit (first laugh) He introduces himself as the hologram of a mad scientist named Dr. Lawrence Fishburn (second laugh). From there on, through a series of black-outs, he proceeds to tell us a story of multiple dimensions and a quest for a never-explained magical object, the Bezinkule.

Dr. Fishburn must conquer monsters, tame giant baby-men and trek through dark caves; predicament after predicament, each more ridiculous than the next. Christopher Rozzi is an eloquent and mad storyteller with a wonderful physicality. He creates these worlds with only his words and his gaze. The writing is inspired. I laughed at his tiny gestures, and his subtle asides.

I do wonder if this is fits in a clown festival. It hovers there, because of the imagination of the performer, but Dr. Fishburn seldom connected to his audience. The few times he did, it was even more engaging. After a while I wanted him to stay in one place to get truly into trouble, instead of running off to the next far-fetched and far-flung dimension.

Two small disappointments:

1) after conquering the monster and saving the people, Dr. Fishburn never got the Bezinkule! We still do not know what it is! An unfulfilled promise.

2) Mr. Rozzi did not come out for a curtain call. We all wanted to give him our applause and appreciation, which would have been loud and long.

Odyssey Schmodyssey

Created and performed by Hew Parham

Hew Parham has come all the way from Australia to debut his one-man mythology. As Schmoo, he presents us with the story of his birth and his hero's journey. He is hampered by a monstrous, powerful enemy, and by his own fears. He comes through his tribulations to the strains of, and on a raft made of...Nana Mouskouri!

Hew plays all the parts, switching seamlessly from a baby to a beast. Hugh is one of the best practitioners of what of what I want to call "illuminated gibberish," that I have ever seen. This is ranting in gibberish with occasional recognizable words. Hugh can do it in French or with a Scottish accent! He is also an eloquent physical performer, so his body tells the story a much as his wonderful chatter.

There are no easy gags, few familiar routines. Schmoo will charm you with his deep love of a feather, and scare you with the deep growls of the monstrous Oog, but most of all he will make you laugh at his antics and original dilemmas.

I could have wished that Hew had given us a bit of time and breath to catch up to his rapid fire imagination. And that he had taken his eyes off the feather a bit more to let us see him. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!

There is only one more chance to see Odyssey Schmodyssey--Sunday, 9/11 at 5 pm.

Flocked

Created and Performed by Audrey Crabtree and Gabriela Muñoz
Directed by Hilary Chaplain
Costumes by Valentina Muñoz with Adriana Sarda

Mix two birds, two cages, dancing, singing, flying and fighting and two talented clowns and you get--"Flocked." Audrey Crabtree and Gabriela Muñoz have created a funny and thoughtful look at the uneasy relationship between neighbors. As they mention in the description of the show, they sort out their differences and learn to live together.

This basic story, of two individuals who start out suspicious of one another, undergo adversity together and find a friendship (or love), has been played, written and filmed many times. "Flocked" feels fresh because it adds the dimension of the cultural clash between the US and Mexico. I wanted to see that conflict enrich their interactions even more!

Audrey's character is big, haughty, sexy and messy. Gabriela's little birdie is flamboyant, fidgety. She adorns her cage with flowers, and a piñata. Their competition builds, each asking the audience for approval.

This is a great beginning--I look forward to the development of "Flocked," as Crabtree and Munoz delve deeper into the material with the able direction of Hilary Chaplain.

I loved these birds, they are more amusing than the budgies in my kitchen.

2011 Amuse Bouche Clown Theater Festival Opens with a Cabaret

The lively LeRoi Sister were out hosts. Their dance numbers, made the intervals amusing, and their competitive relationship gave us lots of laughs.

We were treated to tantalizing tidbits of all the upcoming shows in the Festival. Each one was full of fun and made me eager to see the whole thing.

Have a look at the festival website for a list of shows.

http://www.bricktheater.com/