The Love of a Clown

Paris, early 1900’s, a solitary clown (Chris Kinahan) recounts his life of love and lost, the people he’s met, and the acts he’s performed. On paper, the idea sounds brilliant, and the actual performance is flawless, with Kinahan himself (on stage at all times) giving his best.
Aided by some very inventive puppetry (by Jake Linzey, also seen this year in ‘Greek Myths for Kids’), the show rather than thrill, simply plods along at a meandering pace, as we look into Jacques the Clown’s memories of meeting the love of his life and loosing her, his stint at a major circus or meeting an array of extravagant characters, like Madame Muscat (Linzey’s best creation).
The issue is that, while it all looks and feels fresh and appealing, the script is let down by a feeling of missed direction (and missed opportunity), as characters appear and disappear without really leaving any imprint in Jacques’ character or the whole storyline per se.
As such, we are left with a series of vignettes, of moments in Jacques’ life, that, though interesting, are not strong enough to leave an everlasting impression. Pity, then, since ‘Love of a Clown’ has some good potential to be one of those rare gems at the Fringe.
As it stands, the show is good, interesting, but ultimately forgettable.

3/5

Adrian G. Velazquez