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A Clown Show About Rain

Silent comedy depicts mental health as an unpredictable sea
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A Clown Show About Rain

Silent comedy depicts mental health as an unpredictable sea

Mental health is depicted as an unpredictable sea in A Clown Show About Rain. Sometimes you can lay down a towel and bask on the deck under blue skies; on another day it throws you violently around the boat.

This richly metaphorical (mostly) silent comedy takes time to reveal its true purpose. It follows three characters, the Shipping Forecast-inspired Forth, Cromarty and Dogger, as they navigate a series of storms. A parallel storyline involves a couple on a camping expedition, where the politics of snacking are given a long overdue theatrical interrogation. While the latter plot provides some laughs, it feels underdeveloped in comparison with the first.

For the most part, A Clown Show About Rain is a sweet ode to team spirit and friendship. The choreography is a joy, and the ebb and flow of the sea is conjured marvellously. Mops are thrown across the stage with pinpoint accuracy. The cast combine the rule of three and a cup of tea with some of the most understated audience participation you could hope to see, and there's applause too for the impressive consumption of a biscuit. An occasionally brilliant and creative take on the reality of battling the elements.

Pleasance Dome, until 27 Aug (not 20), 1.40pm, £11 (£10).

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