BONUS REVIEW - Mom?

So when is a 30-minute production with three highly emotive, physically expressive clowns – with red noses even – not an “all ages” performance? Welcome to the Fringe where things are not always what they appear. The subtitle says it all: A Comedy of Mourners.

A new ensemble called Box of Clowns has brought their production Mom? to Vancouver’s Fringe. Here we watch as siblings Victoria, Frank and Mango act on their realization that, “It’s time.” Time to scatter Mom’s ashes. They rollick, and weep and wail and giggle through the thirty minutes. I you’ve ever been the person given custody of the ashes, you’ll find this a cathartic experience. 

As a Portlandia fan, it was no surprise that they hail from Portland.  Welcome, Box of Clowns, to what some of us hope is the second weirdest city in the Pacific Northwest.

I’m not planning on taking the grandkids to this one (nor any recently bereaved friends), but if you like physical theatre and clowning, these guys deserve more than the five audience members who saw them on opening night. As they thanked all five of us for coming, they asked us to get the word out as, “It’s hard to be international artists and promote a show with only two days.”  They managed to raise $1400 on gofundme.com where they proclaim, “Clown theatre is very new and very ancient, and our ensemble believes this work should be nurtured by our community.”

I’m with you, Victoria, Frank and Mango (Laura, Jeff and Anna).  Come on folks – get out there and nurture the clowns. You never know when you might need to send in the clowns.