My overall impression
THEATRE REVIEW #290 – Four Clowns – Halfwits Last Hurrah!
“”The Four Clowns – Halfwits Last Hurrah!” Is Magical, Vaudevillian, Slapstick, Comedy Tour De Force!”
Written By Lorenzo Marchessi
The Fringe Festival is an amazing experience for those who love theatre, original theatre and fresh entertainment that is pure creativity done live in front you! The award winning international company of players known as the Four Clown began in 2010 and notable been recognized for their broad skills and talents with the focus on comedy and pure raw entertainment. This year’s performance was no exception to their enormous talents and gobs of humor!
This production The Four Clowns – “Halfwits Last Hurrah!”, is a an amazing journey of farce and comedy written by Jamie Franta and Don Coliver and marvelously directed by David Anthony Anis. This show has comedy, dance, comedy, puppetry, comedy, acrobatics, comedy, song, comedy, slapstick – oh and did I mention, lots of comedy.
Don Colliver plays the Master of Ceremonies Butterbeans Arbuckle and his amazing ability to enchant and enthrall the audience with live quips and witticisms will have you in stitches. He was bright and light-hearted but pleasant silly and sharp with his scenes. His wonderful chemistry with Elizabeth made the show so much for than just fun, but so lightly touching.
Elizabeth Godley is Nimrod, Arbuckle’s faithful assistant and right-hand man/person/woman who has a great little physical and audio/verbal noise she makes as her way of communicating. More than a grumble but less then a word, Elizabeth spoke with such a hysterical garble that had the audience laughing every time she uttered a sound. Elizabeth was faithful, fun and well-focused which made her so endurable to feel for every time she participated in Butterbeans activities.
Dave Honigam plays Fritz Inderdorf an acrobatic partner in gymnastic with his sister Helga. Dave was very limber and active and quick witted with the puns, parodies and innuendos that he and his ‘sister’ both gave. I was also impressed with his physical strength as well!
Jennifer Carroll plays the sister of Fritz, Helga, who is strong, just as acrobatic and filled with the sibling loyalty that just is hysterically funny to watch. Her chemistry with Dave is very visceral and extremely physical but they have a great on stage chemistry together!
Jolene Kim plays The Real McCoy an obviously Asian female (complete with a curly mustache) playing a tough western stylized cowboy with money and power as well as the knowledge to know what is funny. Along with her henchman she has some of the funniest moments with Butterbean. Always serious in her delivery but always with very funny results in her on stage actions.
Dancing her Burlesque styles into you comic hearts is Jamie Franta as the Burlesque Blonde who dances (and whips) her way through the show. Quite witty and often seductive she swoons the audience as often as she can.
There is also the enchanting balancing skill of Helene Udy as Madame La Merde who makes balances dishes on stilts as funny as it can be. Two wonderful performances come from the every handy and always abused stagehand played by Benji Kaufman and the Liquor Vender wildly played by Julia Davis who both are physically sharp and great at communicating very funny ideas and in most cases without saying a word!
Charlotte Chanler has her ventriloquist hysterical skills as she plays Pruella Tickledick her hand partner have some classic and very funny bits that not only keeps you on your toes but makes you charmed by her amazing martial arts trained puppet.
McCoy’s henchman are played by Tyler Bremer and Jamarr Love who both loved their acts of slow-motion fighting, kidnapping and general disorderliness in dealing with their boss The Real McCoy. Well times and choreographed the hits are unexpected and very funny!
The entire evening is musical enhanced as pianist Wayne H. Holland III tickles the ivory’s in sync and comic timing to this wonderful vaudevillian style production, just like in the old silent movies! Wayne was always silent but amazing at keeping the freshness and rhythm of almost every scene they performed. He was a truly wonderful accompaniment for the whole show.
As I, an audience member during this one evenings performance, was accused or will be accused as the cause of anything that may go wrong – and of course – everything did go wrong – which made for a really enjoyable evening.
You gotta check this group out – whether at the Hollywood Fringe Festival or at a local theatre when they’re in town – The Four Clowns – “Halfwits Last Hurrah!” – shouldn’t be missed! They are comedy supreme and energy high – laughing is something you just won’t be able to stop doing during their show! I’m not kidding! Check them out at www.FourClowns.org and www.HollywoodFringe.org tell them Lorenzo sent you from www.FaceBook.com/TheGeekAuthority !
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