Ein Tod kommt selten allein (Death seldom comes alone)
Ein Tod deals with the issues of death and coping. It's underlying concept, that death is a natural part of life that should not make us suffer, but has the power to make us laugh, is beautiful and has great potential for catharsis. Unfortunately, the overall show seemed to lack any true life or death stakes to make it possible to reach that cathartic state.
After a brief introduction, we are presented with two young clowns who devise a game of catch with a large red balloon. Eventually, the balloon deflates serving as the metaphorical death that these clowns deal with for the rest of the play. The relationships between the clowns and the balloon begin vague, as the clowns attitudes towards each other shift from friendly to mildly antagonistic with no clear motivation. Their affection for the balloon suffers from a similar ambivalence, and so their eventual shock and horror at the balloon's passing seems disconnected from any true emotion.
This early misstep makes it difficult to enjoy the games that the clowns play throughout the rest of the piece. Whether threatening the audience with their own suicides (which occurs too often and with little variety beyond the manner of death) or challenging each other to a cry-off over the grave of the recently departed, their suffering never feels honest enough to open up the path to laughter.
Giovanni!
A clown can exist in so many forms beyond the red-nosed variety. Giovanni, an "italian" waiter is one of those brilliant exceptions. With what can only be described as a laughable accent that does not try to be convincing, we are flooded with a linguistically complex description of the life of Giovanni. Who this character is remains a mystery throughout the play. His strange back story might be real or made up, and either way it does not matter. His message, which shines through all of his diatribes on childhood, family and career, is perfectly clear. Life is about connection and love. And it is his job to deliver both of these to his clients, the audience.
Just like his character, Hew Parham tirelessly serves his audience. He works his way across the stage with intensity and precision delivering a complex physical, verbal and emotional performance. Much like an expert waiter who can convince you to order the specials off the menu, he commands the audience's attention, without ever demanding it. And then, at the moment it seems he has lost his power to persuade, abandoned his will to go on, he throws himself fully into a tirade on how truly important it is for us to not give up on those things that truly matter. His inspirational words mixed cleverly with his absurdist visual imagery acts as a meat tenderizer for your soul.
In my opinion, the best clown shows use laughter to open up a small space inside of you, and then slowly reveal the deeper beauty that they have snuck into that space. Giovanni! is that kind of show.
Poofy du Vey in "Burden of Poof"
A silly title disguises a show of great emotional depth about a clown burdened by her innermost fears and paralyzed from experiencing life. At the heart of every clown there should be an honesty of expression. Often we are shown joy or anger, but fear by its very nature is sometimes too scary to reveal in its truest form. As Poofy, Courtney Cunningham taps into and bravely shows us the all-encompassing power of fear.
Poofy not only knows exactly what she wants in life, but she has built a To-Do list outlining it in detail. However, she is trapped in inaction and self-inflicted distraction, bound by her fears. As an audience, we completely understand Poofy's paralysis because of the visceral response Courtney Cunningham has to the real and imagined fears that surround her. The change of the lights or a perceived slight from the audience and Poofy is forced to quickly contort her face, body and attitude into a posture of protection or dismissal. She must deflect anything (good or bad) that comes her way, because everything has the potential to harm her. The bubble she has built for herself, may ineffectively protect her from her pain, but the pain in her eyes reveals her justification for creating it.
Anyone who has stopped themselves from chasing a dream can immediately identify with Poofy. And the tangibility of her anxiety, so beautifully portrayed, makes her eventual overcoming of those fears something to be truly celebrated.
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