There are quite a few shows every year which can't be categorised in the traditional sense of the Fringe programme. If you add enough physical theatre to your show, can it sneak into a different section? If you make a couple of jokes, is it comedy?
A string of unconnected scenes, characters who couldn't even convince themselves and a storyline that petered out halfway through the show really gave us nothing to come away with
Don't get me wrong: to start with, this was hilarious. The black hole character, apparently improvised out of an old bedsheet, gathered a few laughs to start with. But after one extended dance number too many, one storyline too few, and more pointless, throwaway characters than you can shake a stick at, all we could do was giggle nervously and wonder what exactly it was we were watching.
The effect was that of watching a group of kids perform a play they'd made up this morning. To start with, the thrown-together feel was charming - our performers brimming with confidence, and the whole feel light-hearted and brave. We're going to watch a love story unfold between an idealistic King and a wild princess - what could go wrong? But a string of unconnected scenes, characters who couldn't even convince themselves and a storyline that petered out halfway through the show really gave us nothing to come away with. What was the point? Where was this going? What the hell was that Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes bit about? Some may enjoy this particular brand of surrealism for surrealism's sake, and the addition of the word 'clowning' to their advertising will give you an idea of their style, but this was a style, and a show, with very little substance to it.
