Hollywood Fringe Festival Theatre Review: Four Clowns

 Four Clowns

Conceived and Directed by Jeremy Aluma

75 minutes; $5 - $10

Synopsis: Four actors perform a series of vignettes that present the human struggle from being a kid all the way to adulthood.   Oh yeah, they’re clowns.

Review: Four Clowns is an improv comedy show broken up into three sections: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.  Each phase of life offers a variety of skits, including a boy molested by his teacher, another bullied by his brother, a teenager spurning his first love due to peer pressure, and an adult taken ill who must be operated on.  Although it may not seem like cheery subject matter, I assure you it most certainly is. 

With such a talented group, it’s hard to pick a favorite performer here.  Amir Levi may be the funniest of the four, though Raymond Lee has the most range (if you ever need an impression of a half dolphin/half sheep, Lee is your guy).  Alexis Jones has a beautiful singing voice, and her line delivery was great, even when speaking gibberish.  Kevin Klein (not that one) brought a manic, self-conscious energy to the show.  He was the most comfortable letting the seams of the play show, sharing with the audience the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants nature of improv.  I can’t help but think that someone needs to send these actors over to SNL to save it. 

The show, though a lot of fun, could have used a bit more discipline.  Skits went on a little too long, interludes occasionally seemed directionless, and the group relied a little too heavily on killing one or all of the main characters to find their way out of a dead-end skit.  The actors played fast and loose throughout the show, less artists than performers having a blast.  It was impossible to resist their infectious spirit, but I just wished the screws were just a little tighter.  Ultimately, they were better comedians than improvisationalists.  Mario Granville deserves a special shout-out for his spirited piano playing throughout the show.  He ably created the soundtrack for the various skits, and his introductory pieces in particular were especially difficult. 

Best Line: Throughout the play, we witness the Sad Clown (Jones) being verbally abused by her mother. She befriends an audience member and periodically goes to him for comfort, leading to the following exchange--

Sad Clown: Why is my mother like that?
Audience Member: Because she’s mean.
Sad Clown: I’d rather be mean than sad.

The most succinct explanation for bullying I’ve ever heard.

Bottom Line: The cast is extremely talented and likable.  The show could use a little cleaning up, but you’ll have a great time, regardless.

This particular show simply titled Four Clowns only played once at the Fringe Fest.  However, you can catch the troupe’s other show That Beautiful Laugh (family friendly) on June 21st (8pm) and 23rd (9pm).  You can find tickets here.  

Dan Johnson is a freelance writer in Los Angeles helping cover the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival for Cinesnatch.