Bepo
Production: Bepo the clown’s whistle-stop-tour of playing the fool in the 21st century
Venue: Drama Barn
Rating: ****
Perhaps one method of defining art is as something which becomes more than the sum of its parts. Bepo the clown’s whistle-stop-tour of playing the fool in the 21st century (hereafter referred to as Bepo before I use up my word limit on the play’s title alone) certainly has many parts: glitter, bananas, face paint, sweets, a well-placed bowler hat… These are the superficial elements of the production. But, like the make-up of the show’s clowns, beneath the surface lies much, much more.
Which is good news, as I was somewhat reticent to approach Tom Vickers’ new play. Frankly, I was pretty baffled by last term’s The Sun in the Cellar, where Vickers proved he had good ideas but failed to develop them properly; consequently, the 45-minute production left me feeling as if I’d walked in on the second act of a play, having missed an exposition that would have given the events portrayed the tension and grandeur they deserved.
Although Bepo is only 15 minutes longer, it packs a huge amount of ideas into an hour of marvellous, thought-provoking buffoonery. Vickers skilfully weaves tales of human conflict from such events as the failed Hungarian revolution of 1956 and the war in Iraq within a stage-show of boisterous tomfoolery. It really shouldn’t work, and yet it does: Bepo and his comic confederates become the travelling circus that accompanies history on its otherwise weary journey. If The Sun in the Cellar was all talk and no trousers, then Bepo should be congratulated for its varied and colourful wardrobe (just to literalise this rather laboured metaphor for a second: the costumes were wonderful, and I sincerely hope that military jackets become a permanent feature in Chi-San Howard and Francesca Murray-Fuentes’ wardrobes).
Aside from the competency of the writing, the show’s strength lies in its menagerie of performers, whose ability to improvise and get the audience on side from the off was crucial to the success of the piece. The comic timing of Max Tyler as Bepo was impeccable, only outshone by the brilliantly dynamic performance of Josh Littlewood as Mr Shifty. Rosie Fletcher managed to portray the character of Thursday as being both extraverted and introspective – no mean feat – resulting in a performance that combined the punky bombast of Toyah Wilcox with the contemplative mannerisms of Sue Perkins. All I’ll say about Harry (Henri Ward) is that he is to be commended for his ability to deliver the performance rules and regulations under such trying circumstances – you’ll see what I mean…
Francesca Murray-Fuentes and Chi-San Howard’s proficiency at physical theatre proves them as versatile at acting as they are of limb. In terms of the play’s overall conceit, their characters of Comedy and Tragedy are key, and Murray-Fuentes and Howard rise admirably to this challenge. Writing them as twins, Vickers takes care to point out how tears of laughter and tears of sadness can – and must – come from the same source. Which aptly brings me on to the negative side of this by-no-means-perfect production. The latter half of the play veered towards a didacticism that made me wonder if the finale would involve asking the audience to donate to Amnesty International.
Tyler could have been more bombastic as the play’s eponymous clown – in fact, it was unclear why Bepo in particular was supposed to be the ringleader of the collective, as the character could have been given far more to do. At some points, Fletcher’s character could be more arch, and in general the cast need to bring greater overall conviction to their performances. Case in point: while the scuffing of lines by Murray-Fuentes and Howard (who somewhat ironically stumbled over the word ‘eloquence’) could well be down to first-night nerves, it’s indicative of the need for the ensemble to have a bit more faith in Vickers’ script, believe the smiles smeared onto their faces, and give themselves wholly to every moment of this admittedly demanding performance.
Which, basically, is the main message I took away from Bepo. Perhaps moments of unease make us tense not because they contain uncertainty but because they contain potential; every opportunity for laughter is also one for tears – yet if you want it to, a smile can be painted over any sadness. I for one left the Barn wearing a huge grin, which – given that I’d just sat through a potted history of the past hundred years of global conflict – is frankly remarkable.
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