LA CITA (THE DATE)

9/12 8:30 pm: LA CITA (THE DATE) Felipe Ortiz, Performer, Music by Sebastian Sero, Bogota, Columbia
A show like this is the very reason I love the festival--to see clowns from around the globe all in one place. They get to be both performers and audiences for each other. We observe universal themes of loneliness, hopes and dreams, death and suicide, played out again and again, from different parts of the world. In this show, the performer and the musician accompanying him are already on stage when the house opens. He makes eye contact with his audience as they enter and look for seats. He is present, open and engaging before the official start of the show. His preparations for a date are the focus of his actions, utilizing circus skills, silly jokes, puppetry and us. The clown was silent, yet we understood everything. The few instances when he slipped while climbing on a ladder, we immediately winced. His delayed reaction to the pain struck me as a macho attempt to appear unscathed, stoic, and it simply failed--the discomfort overtook him--making us laugh. The red ball skill, performed with effortless precision to a Louis Armstrong song, had an impressive acrobatic finale. Both sides of the clown are well-represented: bumbling idiot and accomplished artist. The live music enhanced the show--as good live music always does. The interaction between musician and clown had the right measure of playfulness. I am sorry to say that this show has no more performances in this festival.