The Last Clown, Pleasance Courtyard, Review

Image
Rating (out of 5)
4
Show info
Company
Derevo
Production
Igor Fomin / Josia Werth (Lighting) Grigory Shmidko (Sound) Pavel Semchenko / AKHE (Video Art) Elena Yarovaya (Design) Stepan Lyubimov (Stage) Andrey Bobylev (Set & Props) Anna Bogodist, Isolde Matkey, Elena Yarovaya (Management)
Performers
Anton Adasinsky (Performer & Director)
Running time
80mins

Derevo have a unique style and approach to theatre, and in this their 20th year, they continue as they began.

Anton Adasinsky delivers a solo show this year and explores the mythos of the clown, the tension between outward happiness and inner sadness, the constant cycle of success and failure. The show uses a huge range of media to create a frightening rich and powerful mixture of theatricality; visually stunning images blended with audience involvement and always, always we are left with more questions than answers.

Derevo don't just push the envelope, they tear it apart and then drag it round the stage as another device to communicate, engorge and engross their audience. There is a fine line between chaos and challenge, there is very little space between the cutting edge and falling over that edge, but that is where Derevo live, that is their natural habitat and over the years they have attracted and developed an audience who look for something different. That difference is predicated on a rich mixture of butoh, mime, unforgettable and heart stopping visuals.

Some of the references are undoubtedly lost in translation between the performer and audience but it doesn't matter that much. A Derevo performance is denser in content than collapsed neutron star. If you didn't catch something, or understanding something, don't worry in two minutes another scene will unfold to visually feast your eyes on.

Anton Adasinsky as the solo performer is obviously at the heart of this production, an intense, humorous and focussed individual he naturally commands the attention of the audience. Anyone who spends anytime on the Fringe should have Derevo on their list of shows to see, if only to challenge their preconceptions of what theatre can be.

Aug 8-13, 15-20, 22-28 (17:40)