Fringe Show Reviews

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Master Orloff & Madame Clodille's Penny Arcade Freakshow Beautifique or The Illusionary Box

Written by: Incarnate Ensemble

Presented by: Theatre Incarnate Winnipeg, MB

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Our Rating: Your Average Rating:

07/17/2011 1:44 PM | Comments: 0

Studio 320 (Venue 15), to Saturday

The freak show is a minefield of human emotion: curiosity and discomfort, sympathy and revulsion.

This tale of a seedy ringmaster’s love for his freak show star, Clodille, hits every note in turn. Incorporating elements of pantomime, this wordless performance explores lust, love and exploitation in unsettling slow-motion, scored with plinking xylophone notes and the lovely, spare strains of a music box.

But there’s incoherence and little pathos in the sum of the parts, with Orloff’s inner turmoil and sadomasochistic urges only vaguely understood. And it’s hard to overcome the discomfort of seeing one of the secondary stars, a young girl, look on at a performance meant for a mature audience, however well-shielded she may be from the intent.

For audiences willing to brave a challenging hour, Theatre Incarnate offers some dark, affecting images to carry home, and real magic in the play’s unexpected conclusion.

— Lindsey Wiebe

From the official Fringe Festival program:

A travellin' pygmalion sideshow of mirrored afterbirth and broken concrete. Step right up, peel back your fascination and watch the angry midget Orloff's obsession with the beastly freak Clodille. Round and round she goes … transmorgifying for yours and his entertainment. Utilzing elements of pantomime and illustrative physical theatre, the following act is not a playhouse for children or the illiterate.

Recommended For: Mature Audience

Length: 60 MIN

Tickets: $10

http://www.theatreincarnate.ca/

http://www.facebook.com/group.theatreincarnate

Warnings: Subject Matter

History

Updated on Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 1:44 PM CDT:
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