Rachelle Elie first came to Wakefield in our first Piggyback Fringe Festival to perform her wonderful Joe The Perfect Man. It was about a loser guy auditioning for the titular role of Macbeth and, basically, mayhem ensues.
I am not a fan of the 'traditional' clowns that we know from birthday parties and the circus. They have always, quite frankly, creeped me out. However, Elie brings forth a long legacy of the clown in her work. It is funny, tragic, and deviously twisted reflection of who we are. I loved Joe, I loved the show, and I just love Elie.
So I was very excited that Elie had returned with a third show. I was anxious to check out what she had next in store for us. Her last show discussed her decision to become a clown and her path towards that goal. Joe even made a brief appearance within this narrative.
Big Girls Don't Cry continues this exploration into the motivations behind clowning and the decision to pursue the art. We are introduced to new characters that not only make us laugh, but force us to confront our own fears about childbirth, commitment, and true self reflection. And, God love him, Joe returns triumphant!
On our way out, some people felt that some of this work was rehashed from older works. It is true that Joe's portion is right out of her first offering to us, and the birthday clown was seen in her second play. But, with some reflection, I believe that there is more to this decision than mere repetition. There seems to be a trilogy here involving the process of trying to reflect humanity upon itself, the effects this has on the performer, and the motivations behind deciding to dare such a thing.
Pretty deep for what we often perceive as just clowning around.
For me, though, I was just so very happy to see Joe prove himself to be the Perfect Man one more time.
Afterwards, Eric and I were drafted into the game designed and performed by our intrepid young improv troupe WIT. What a pleasure it was to work of the energy of such young and incredibly talented performers. I have seen the work of these kids in our Film Camp and in last fall's Dreamwalker and I am constantly honoured and amazed to b a part of their company. They will be performing nightly so check them out.
Eric and I returned home and spent a couple of hours over a bottle of wine with a dear friend staying with us for the night. Lara is a member of our theatre company but has spent the past year abroad. She is on vacation and made sure to check out our little festival. We caught up and remembered past adventures until the wee hours.
It was a perfect way to end the first night of Piggyback. While the theatre is great, the community flavour of this event is profound. We are all given yet another chance to frolic about the village with each other, friends and family having fun together and catching up with each other's lives.
Today I have marking to do, then some errands. But tonight will once again be a full night of theatre.
See you there!
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