Ripples of surprised laughter flowed through my body as I watched Colonial Circus – History, Clown Style. That’s because this show is taking full advantage of the space that the Fringe creates for audacity and experimentation.
Off the top, performer/creators Shreya Parashar and Sachin Sharma riff on Buddhist chanting, for instance, in a bit that goes on for frickin’ ever — and just keeps getting funnier because of their characters’ blissful, illogical commitment to it.
I loved the weirdness of audience interactions. Entering the crowd to talk to a woman, Sharma asks, “May I approach the bench?”
And I appreciated the pointed material about European colonialism, including its imposition of Christianity and European conceptions of propriety and gender.
All this said, Colonial Circus loses steam in its final laps. And, although the claim here is to a bouffon style of clowning, this work is too gentle and sincere to live up to that billing. Pure bouffon is ruthless and manipulative. Colonial Circus is maybe bouffon lite.
Still, big thanks for the artistic adventure.
Remaining performances: September 13 (12:15 p.m.), 14 (5:00 p.m.), 17 (8:25 p.m.), and 19 (8:15 p.m.) Tickets and information.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin
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