Don Quixote (Is A Very Big Book) theatre review: Slick slapstick antics
Dik Downey combines puppetry, clowning and garish medieval costumes into an hour of roaring slapstick sketches and eager audience participation
Dik Downey, facing a mid-life crisis, has one simple mission: to single-handedly perform the entirety of Don Quixote in just 38 minutes. What follows is a slapstick comedy with hilariously cringeworthy audience participation. From the get-go, Downey draws the audience into an intimate conversation about his desire to perform one last perfect show; it’s a surprisingly reflective moment as he unbuckles his belt, removes his trousers, and changes into medieval knight’s armour. The plot is ridiculous, matched with equally ludicrous sketches; a Punch And Judy-style fight between Downey and his puppets, a horse that licks the audience with a pop-out tongue, and a donkey aptly named Donkey-Otay. Downey builds rapport with the audience, dragging viewers on stage to knight him. The laughter rarely lets up.
Amongst the hilarity, the show is genuinely impressive. Sound cues land seamlessly, except when they deliberately miss in moments reminiscent of The Play That Goes Wrong. The puppets are well-crafted, their delicately sculpted faces balancing the slapstick humour with an artistic edge. After all the action, the show concludes with Don Quixote dying quietly in bed. It’s a moment that reflects Dik Downey’s existential anxieties and shapes a surprisingly tender ending to a hilariously farcical show.
Don Quixote (Is A Very Big Book), Pleasance Dome, until 31 August, 3.25pm; picture: Andre Pattendon.