Clowning glory as Nani puts his own stamp on The Letter
The Letter A slapstick soliloquy
The premise behind this international smash hit from renowned Italian clown Paolo Nani, which makes its Scottish debut here as part of the Fringe, could not be simpler.
In Groundhog Day style, he repeats one scene 15 times. But in its execution, the audience get to watch a master craftsman at the top of his game in what is a wonderful, crowd-pleasing hour of mime (give or take the odd squeak, squeal, exclamation, mumbled mutter, or gasp) that flies by.
The scene in question involves writing a letter. On stage are a desk, chair, a bottle of wine, a glass, a framed photograph, pen and paper, stamps and an envelope. And that’s it.
having written and sealed the letter only to find there is no ink in the pen, Nani follows the exact same sequence of events – drinking some wine, writing the letter, sealing it and setting off to send it – only this time with each new vignette influenced by cue cards he flashes at the audience with themes written on them such as ‘drunk’, ‘backwards’ ‘circus’ or my personal favourite ‘silent movie’.
So we watch as pie-eyed Nani, swaying about the stage, suffering from double vision and getting tangled up in the chair, goes through the ordeal of putting pen to paper in a slapstick soliloquy of silliness that amply demonstrates his skills.
elsewhere, attempting to write the letter with no arms sees him engaged in contortions of physical dexterity that are hysterically funny and hugely impressive – try putting paper into an envelope using only your mouth and see how far you get.
each sequence operates as its own unique little movie or short story, and the fact the audience already know the plot doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm, with each skit a delight and offering a new perspective on events.
As a performer, Nani has a warmth and charm that is infectious. And with every glance and facial expression used like punctuation, he switches effortlessly from understatement to overstatement and back at the twitch of an eyebrow. his numerous curtain calls taken in various styles are richly deserved.
Fans of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton will love it. And as the festival prepares to draw to a close, if you’re looking for a show the whole family can enjoy, I suggest you make your way to The Letter post haste. Pleasance Courtyard, until Sunday