EdFringe Review: A Clown’s Lullaby

I was curious, going into the new Rotunda Theatre, on the grounds of George Heriots’ School, just what sort of family-friendly show the company responsible for The Rotting Hart would produce.

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What I found was a clown show suitable for anyone, including those with a dislike for that red-nosed species of humanity. Ola Olsinova is said clown, white-faced, but otherwise rather neutrally garbed. She holds her compact circus tent with her eyes, and gently exaggerated gestures; no words are necessary.

It’s not the audience and clown’s first meeting, however; she was in the queue on the way inside, sobbing expressively over images of war playing over and over on her mobile phone. There will be no clownish chaos once inside, but there will be fun, games, a little music, all as a means to cheering up the clown’s despondent friend, Loo Krayina, calling for help from far, far away.

Journey not destination

It won’t work, but everyone will try nevertheless, and all the laughter and fun along the way, along with the more pensive moments, will be worthwhile in themselves.

There’s something rather meditative to A Clown’s Lullaby, an experience touched with melancholy, but brought alive with the children and adults who willingly acquiesce to the clown’s wishes, whether it’s helping her to clean her fluffy coat (if you remember Channel 4’s curious puppet POB, you’ll know what to expect), or joining her small band of fellow clowns, annointed with red noses and able to understand her.

Said little band becomes a tiny clown therapy group, sharing experiences of being bullied or other persecutions to help everyone appreciate Loo Krayina’s struggles with ‘Mr Bellicose’. It’s sweet, simple, and rather lovely. It’s also not overdone, the show counterbalancing such introspection with simple, laugh-inducing merriment.

There is, however, a little scope to push the production a little further, particularly where it comes to inducting the tent into being an impromptu choir. Just a little more hand-holding would pay off, as all involved take responsibility for the Clown’s lullaby. It’s a small thing, because Olsinova does such a lovely, sensitive job of bringing everyone into her orbit and keeping them there. They want to sing, they just need a little more enabling.

Ultimately, the show doesn’t preach or dictate what everyone leaves the tent thinking. It’s a gently provocative experience, with clear political underpinnings and sympathies, but without easy answers. Instead, I think writer and director Daniel Orejon just wants you to feel, and in that A Clown’s Lullaby certainly succeeds.

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