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Burnt Tongue
an engaging treat
The 'for adults only' show features a
tour-de-force performance by its star.
Noel Gallagher
The London Free Press
Rating: Four Stars (out of Five)
Though its sole focus is on a delightful clown,
Burnt Tongue is definitely not kids' stuff.
In fact, a "for adults only" tag is affixed to the
quirky but engaging show that opened its five-day
stay in the Grand Theatre's McManus Studio last night.
It also features a spell-binding, comic/poignant tour-de-force
performance by its star, Shannan Calcutt.
The actor portrays Izzy, the red-nosed, white-faced clown
in a wedding dress, waiting for her blind date, a mystery
man she met on online.
"I'm totally prepared to be spontaneous," quips Izzy,
clutching the basket that contains a picnic lunch
and her bridal veil.
And Izzy's audience is advised to be prepared for a
45-minute ride on a high speed, emotional roller-coaster
that makes stops at the peak of exhilaration and the
desperate pit of disappointment.
Arriving early for her appointment in the park ("I'm
not too eager, I'm punctual," she explains), our spunky
heroine attempts to kill time and keep alive her romantic dream.
The show is directed by Sue Morrison who, with its star,
created the stage piece that has been touring North
America for the last two years. Calcutt, a product of
Indian Head, Sask., and graduate of California's Dell'Arte
International School of Physical Theatre, has a well-earned
reputation as one of Canada's most prominent clowns. She's
drawn best female performer awards at the Vancouver Fringe
Festival (2000) and the Victoria Fringe Festival (1999 and 2000).
Burnt Tongue, which has aired numerous times on CBC
Radio's Definitely Not the Opera, is the first in the
critically praised Izzy trilogy, which also includes It's Me,
Only Better! and Out of My Skin.
In Burnt Tongue, we all empathize with the fragile
focal figure's search for acceptance and her battle
against self-doubt and the growing fear of loneliness.
Giddy bravado is the last line of defence for this
optimistic character trapped in a negative world.
"I'm a totally awesome person!" declares Izzy and,
by the end of the show, we all agree. There's much more
to this one-clown clown show than just some fooling around.
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