Australian clown Conk’s show Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour at Summerhall, Edinburgh, delivers exactly what its title promises: 60 minutes of the same song, with the same backing track and little embellishment. Despite the endurance-test premise, the performance becomes one of the most joyful hours at this year’s fringe.
A Ruthlessly Simple Premise
Connor Dariol, known as Conk, resists any temptation to twist the song into new shapes. A large clock on an upstage screen marks the time, and the audience’s initial reaction to the opening chords is an aghast laugh. The song’s identity is revealed early, and its repetition tests patience from the first cycle.
Building to Ecstasy
Conk’s relentless pep and occasional anxious glances at the clock are part of the subtle process. By the fourth or fifth performance, he modulates the lyrics, adding a funny spin on the singer’s relationship to the story. In the second half, he cuts loose with wilder antics, including a sinister whisper and posing scantily-clad on a chair, but always tethered to the song’s ridiculous truth.
By the end, the audience is fully involved, with the experience devolving into an ecstatic communal moment. The show runs at Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 31 August.
