A well crafted surrealist piece with a lot of ideas
Stephen Catling returns to the Fringe with his new show Clown Fish Out Of Water. This is a piece of surreal clown stand up that runs through a lot of ideas while providing a perspective on Catling’s own life experiences.
Catling is a warm performer, who takes you through a very strange set well. He builds a connection nicely with the audience that builds throughout the show. A great deal of his likability comes from the honesty that he presents, talking about everything from Disney remakes to autistic masking. He is incredibly open about how he has to deal with situations and how tiring they can actually be, shining a light on some of the hardships faced with neurodiversity. It becomes a fascinating watch, with some genuine and poignant moments throughout. He has an awkwardness in his style of performing that only adds to the show and the humour of his jokes. Catling has crafted a brilliant character, who is a clown fish very much out of water.
The set is written well, and is maddeningly surreal. The mix of physicality, clowning and stand up form a show that is firmly and fantastically alternative. This vein of alternative comedy can be challenging to watch, but Catling puts in a good effort to really find the humour and embrace the perplexed nature of the audience in certain moments. He is aided by several props, which are well used, be that the variety of masks he has, some octopus discharge or a Burlesque lettuce that puts on a bit of a show.
The performance is slightly stunted by its own ambition. There is a lot thrown at the audience in a very short space of time. A slight simplification could help develop this piece further. With this, the call to arms to support and protect the weird and wonderful of the Fringe may have more power.
Catling produces a good show. It is enjoyable and very strange in equal measures. He is a capable and passionate performer who wants to shout about the beautiful weirdness we see at the Fringe. And really, the Fringe is a place for the strange and the Surreal, and he is absolutely right. We should support these sorts of shows and help them fight the profiteering racket, or we risk losing them altogether.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/stephen-catling-clown-fish-out-of-water
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: Wee Container 1 at Hoots Potterrow
Dates: 7th – 31st August
Time: 22.30
Ticket prices: Pay What You Can
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 16+ (Guideline)