LOCKED UP

LOCKED UP, Sophia Knox-Miller and Cara McClendon, performers, San Francisco. I have more to say about this show, but not the time right now--except to say--go see them! You have one more chance Sunday 9/21 at 7pm! These are two stupid clowns having a lot of fun. More to come...

As promised...Two crazy clowns, made even more insane by their confinement. Tiny and Tall, prisoners in some sort of jail, play beautifully off each other, demonstrating their indispensable need for one another. There is plenty of great play and clown logic--that is to say--things that could only happen in their kooky world that we accept as fact, and happily go along for the comical ride. Props have multiple uses in that way that only clowns have of transforming them. I wonder what crimes they had committed to warrant their incarceration, but in the end it doesn't really matter at all. The world they create through uncomplicated and cockamamie clowning emanates from a generosity of spirit that makes us laugh from beginning to end.

RED BASTARD

RED BASTARD ERIC DAVIS, Performer, Los Angeles, CA
Have seen Red Bastard a number of times over the years. Essentially the same show, with a different audience, and it still puts me on edge. Even when I knew what was coming, I still got caught up in the panic to get away when he threatened to come after those of us sitting in the back row. This is an extreme form of clowning--that is to say it is funny, and the definition of edgy. Everyone should see him at least once. One note--there were a few times when the exchanges between RB and audience members were inaudible.

(ALMOST DEFINITELY) QUESTIONABLE ACTS

(ALMOST DEFINITELY) QUESTIONABLE ACTS CB Goodman and Josh Rice, Performers, New York City. This show covered a lot of ground from personal histories of the performers, to notorious characters who once made headlines, all under the label of "neo-vaudeville". The nudity almost seemed as though it was done on a dare--the motivation behind it was not otherwise clear--and that made it less funny than it might have been. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be funny--I guess I'm not sure. The performers brought a lot of energy and intention to their well-rehearsed material. Only there were many lost opportunities for connection with the audience and each other.

See it September 20th at 8:30 pm

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.

PINOT & AUGUSTINE

9/8 7pm:  PINOT & AUGUSTINE Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell, Performers
The show description in the festival brochure is spot on. I would add that the performers are proficient clowns, highly skilled in physical comedy. Their relationship is clear, and beautifully interdependent, expressing their dreams of greatness. There is rivalry, role-reversal, creative problem-solving, cheating, mischief and stupidity. Each and every task is given proper importance, raising the stakes. The audience loves when Pinot, the boss clown, is knocked off his self-important pedestal by forces beyond his control (Augustine, the audience, and his own stupidity), and Augustine, admirably devoted to her service, gives in to her rebellious tendencies. They have accomplished a difficult task: a fully-realized, well-executed clown show. Without spoiling anything, there is a musical duet that is sweet, heartfelt, and makes a lovely theatrical picture. I was moved by its simplicity. It gave the audience an opportunity to sit back and enjoy a quiet moment. Audiences need those moments to breathe and absorb, as much as the performers need them. I have seen many clown shows that move at such a high energy level without breaks in rhythm, that it can be exhausting for the audience. This is pure, funny, and successful clowning.

See it Wednesday,September 10th, 7pm

2014 CLOWN FESTIVAL BEGINS...FIRST SHOWS...

Hello again and thanks for reading...

My favorite time of year has rolled around and here we are at another Clown Festival. The Brick Theater is the focal point of clowning in New York for the month of September, and well worth the trip to Williamsburg, Brooklyn (if you don't already live there). I live in Queens--the other, cooler Brooklyn  &:0)

I always try to see as many shows as possible during the course of the Festival. However, I will have to miss some due to scheduling conflicts. That's my advance apology to the performers whose shows I will not be able to attend. It kills me to miss anything in the Festival! A couple of other notes: Unless otherwise indicated, all performers are also creators of their shows. Showtimes listed will only convey next possible date to be seen--my posts sometimes come out too late for same day attendance.

For those performers new to New York, welcome! To those returning, welcome back! We are fortunate to have all of you right in our own backyard.

To the audience--you are the lucky recipients and patrons of this unique, offbeat, and funny theatrical form with a long tradition of various styles. Be prepared--many clowns interact with the audience and even make them part of the onstage antics.

"EVERYBODY DANCE NOW !"

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POOFY DU VEY in "BURDEN OF POOF", Courtney Cunningham, performer, 
Los Angeles, CA

9/6 7pm: First official show of the festival (Opening parade, pie fight and cabaret, notwithstanding) is not an easy spot to be in--the opening act of the entire festival! Poofy is a perfect way to begin. She is a charming clown who draws us in right from the top of the show. Well-attuned to the audience, her improvised interactions were sharp--she never missed a beat. Audience members new to clowning will have a wonderful first exposure to a clown's personal journey that is mystically intertwined with theirs, and employs many traditional elements of the form.

You can see it Wed. 9/10 @ 8:30 pm.

EIN TOD KOMMT (DEATH SELDOM COMES ALONE) Kerstin and Sepp Egerer, performers, Bavaria Germany

9/6 8:30 pm: As the title suggests, this show confronts a heavy subject, told on a very simple scale. We are not sure exactly who or where these two clowns are in the world, but their emotional life is very clear. Their story is a dark tale centered around a red balloon. This is not a laugh riot type of clowning. Kerstin and Sepp work well off of one another, and do not approach the audience directly. We are witness to a very personal story of suffering.

You can see it Thursday Sept. 11 at 9:30 pm

Saucisse: A Foo Musical, Return of the Old Timey Clowns, Closing Remarks

Saucisse: A Foo Musical, Helen Donnelly, Toronto, Canada. Every time I saw Helen after the performance I attended, all I could say was a gushing "I loved your show." To give that feeling proper articulation is no easy task.  I can't even say why it defies expression.  Perhaps because Helen Donnelly has created a beautiful solo clown show, exhibiting the best elements of theatrical clowning and any written description cannot adequately describe the experience of being there. However, I will give it my best bumbling attempt. A minute into the show I realized that the mustachioed storyteller was speaking entirely in gibberish. I understood everything perfectly. The language had just enough English and French to solidify the audience's comprehension. Even when singing, the audience completely got what was conveyed in the unique language. Foo, the hero of the musical--complete with an overture at the top of the show--is a cowboy-ish desert dweller, peddling wares, clashing with security officers, and star-gazing. Foo meets Saucisse, a pig and a mystic, and their friendship and adventure is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking. We are immediately drawn into the imagined world of the character(s) and captivated by the clown's lovable personality. There is audience interaction and direct reference to the silliness of the play- acting, such as Saucisse being a puppet, not a real pig.  One audience member in the front row apparently yawned during the performance.  This did not escape Foo's observation, and became a recurring joke from that point on.  Foo's appearance: ridiculous puffy shorts, cowboy boots, animal-eared purple hood under a straw hat resembling a cowboy one, and striking facial makeup, enhances the world of this story. I wasn't exactly sure if Foo (a male) was human, but it didn't really matter.  All of it makes sense: the language, the look, the music. I still don't think I've done justice to the effect this show had on me. It was simply top-notch.  I loved it from start to finish.

Clown Cabaret Return of the Old-Timey Clowns Hosted by John Towsen.  I will name all the performers here in order of appearance:  John Towsen-host, Hank Smith, David Tabatsky, Liz Bolick & Therese Schorn, Christopher Agostino, Jim Moore, Jan Greenfield, Terry Dineen, Stephen Ringold, Zeke Peterhoff, Fools Unlimited, Bernie Kramer, Michael Trautman.  It was a pleasure and a treat to see acts ranging from clowns in red noses to serious solo acting, singing, vaudeville-style skill acts and just about everything in between from veteran performers, some of whom had not performed these acts in many years.  Each act was introduced by someone in the audience who knew the performer(s). This added a personal and delightful touch to the evening. John Towsen's affable presence as master of ceremonies gave the show a wholeness and kept it moving along.  I hope that when I have put a few more years on my clown career (already have quite a few) that I don't have to be categorized as "old-timey", and a few comments were made by performers in this regard as well. The bottom line is that clowns get better with age.  Their acts become refined and enriched with time and experience, as was evident in this cabaret.

Closing remarks...
Well folks, another Clown Festival has come and gone. I am so glad that I got to see as much as of it as I did, and regret that I couldn't make every last show. C'est la vie. It is inspiring to see the volume of work being produced worldwide. I am happy to report that it is a thriving art form. It is my wish to see it gain a wider audience and appreciation in the theater world.  Writing about the festival is fun, but it often doesn't do justice to the live experience of a clown show.  It is very alive, improvisational, and audience interactive, and that is something that doesn't translate well to the written word. Youtube videos don't convey the full energy of the live performance either.  Get thee to the theater!  As always, I'm thrilled to be a part of this festival, and to be in a position to meet all the people who pass through. Thanks to all the performers, producers, audiences and lovers of laughter.  Ciao friends!