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 Saskatoon
StarPhoenix,
August 4, 1999
Izzy
is a lovable, gentle clown with some serious self-esteem issues.
In this sweet, oddball little play we learn all about Izzy as
she waits for her blind date.
Izzy
has met the man over the Internet, and they've arranged a face-to-face
encounter in the park. She is early and agonizes about what impression
it will make: does it show that she's too eager or that she's
punctual? "I hope he's the one," she chirps nervously in her wedding
dress and red clown nose.
In
her desperation to be liked by Mr. Right, she tries to anticipate
every move. "I'm not a planner," Izzy insists. "I'm totally prepared
to be spontaneous."
Shannan
Calcutt draws her character with warmth, tenderness and wit. Izzy
is so fragile, so unsure of herself and so desperate to be accepted
that she goes over-the-top trying to convince us (and herself)
otherwise. It's both funny and touching.
Calcutt
brings us into Izzy's sad little world through audience interplay,
at one point getting someone on stage to be a fill-in for her
increasingly late Internet date. It's effective and hilarious.
"Do
you think I'm pretty?" she repeatedly asks the audience. Yes,
they all answer. This simple, 45-minute clown piece is a charmer.
Jenny
Gabruch of The StarPheoenix.
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