Not just for the kids: Slava's Snow Show

I was surprised, turning up to see the hottest (or should that be coolest?) clown show in town, to see that the majority of the audience seemed to be firmly settled in the 35-55 age bracket.  Only shortly before the performance began did a number of youger audience members turn up.

Equally surprising is the show itself:  True, its a riot, but there are some incredibly moving scenes as well - at one point, for example, the main character acts out a protracted farewell scene at a railway station with ... himself, and a coat stand.  There is a depth of expression here that is rarely seen in most popular actors - and actors have the luxury of using words.

Some seasoned visitors came prepared with umbrellas for the inevitable water antics, but there is really no preparing for having an army of green clowns clamber over the heads of the audience or being blasted by a paper snowstorm.  Intermingled with this "expressive idiocy" (Snow Show creator Slava Polunin's own term) are scenes of deadpan surrealism - throw in a few ants, tall elephants and the odd rifle and you would have a tableau worthy of Dali himself.

It was marvellous during the closing 20 minutes or so to see grown adults behaving like children (or clowns) bouncing gigantic inflated balls (several meters in diameter) around the theater - the show truly seems to bring out the clown in everyone.  I heartily recommend this to, well frankly anyone, but in particular anyone who is a little weary of your average dry, run-of-the-mill theater pieces.

The show has just finished touring Germany and Austria, moving next to Italy, appropriately enough for carnival season, before moving on to Korea.