Clowns masters of meticulous mayhem

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/10/2009 (6171 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Oh, to be six again.

Technically, the MTYP season-opener Aga-Boom is recommended for audiences aged three and up. No matter how much you might enjoy your adulthood, you may find yourself envying the little juvies in your midst as they laugh, scream and engage in near-rioting over the course of this hour-long clown show, while most adults in the audience are obliged to engage in half-hearted (and largely unnecessary) efforts at crowd control.

The Las Vegas-based troop, veterans of Cirque de soleil and the Russian State Circus, began their Winnipeg run with a Thursday afternoon show for young school kids (public shows started last night), and by the chaotic finale, they rocked the joint, with at least one seven-year-old happily making his way to the school bus afterwards exclaiming: "That was the best play I’ve seen!"

If it ends in chaos, it starts with some meticulous clowning courtesy of Boom (Irina Ivanytska), the sole female in the trio, as she attempts some housecleaning, only to fall under the spell of a big red button bearing the cautionary message "Do Not Touch."

A message like that inspires more vocal audience reaction than a Jerry Springer sideshow, at least from the young ‘uns who loudly urge Boom to obey or disobey the directive. Her choice results in an appearance by one peeved astronaut (Valery Slemzin) before the narrative dissolves into more random clowning comedy featuring the show’s third star, Aga, played by director Dimitri Bogatirev, a guy who can perform juggling miracles with a small suitcase.

The huge sheet of paper that provides the simple backdrop will figure prominently in the action, providing the basis for some delightful illusion. The willingness of the cast to do damage to the paper scrim foreshadows the paper-fighting, balloon-bouncing denouement that feels for all the world like the finale of a particularly exuberant rock festival.

The Russian troupe is all about having a good time, an easy task given Ivanytska’s ability to charm and Bogatirev’s ability to whiz a toy airplane around himself with astonishing dexterity.

School shows notwithstanding, the sole educational lesson on view here is that, no matter how simple clowning appears to be, it is an art form requiring formidable skills.

Count the members of Aga-Boom as masters of the form.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca

THEATRE REVIEW

Aga-Boom

Manitoba Theatre for Young People

To Oct. 25

Tickets: $15.75

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