Geoff Sobelle’s Clown Show has opened at the newly reopened King’s theatre in Edinburgh as part of the international festival, a dizzying whirl through US history that imagines the country as a collapsing circus.
A night of anarchic chaos
The production is billed as presenting “the greatest show on Earth before it disappears completely”. It finds a gang of clowns in charge after everyone else has left town, with stripes and stars woven through the action.
The show takes aim at the American dream, with Jenn Kidwell at the centre of the chaos. Sophie Bortolussi walks tall accompanied by live music, while a clown loses their head and another gains an extra leg amid the mayhem.
Creative team behind the scenes
Sobelle, who also stars in the show, previously brought Food (2023) and Home (2018) to the Edinburgh international festival. The puppets are designed by Eric Wright and Julian Crouch, with props by Thomas Jenkeleit. Set and light design are by Maruti Evans, and costumes by Suzanne Bocanegra.
Music director Mike Dobson and musician-composer Elvis Perkins perform on stage, alongside Gideon Irving on banjo, Leo Gurevich on piano and flautist Domenica Fossati. Nikki Calonge appears with one of the puppets.
Inspired by a proverb
The show is inspired by a proverb: “When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.”
Clown Show is at King’s theatre, Edinburgh, until 30 August.
