Tony Tanner’s Charlatan@Assembly

Tony Tanner’s Charlatan is an exceedingly simple performance: one man on stage, his only prop a single chair, the only sound his voice. And it’s not stand up. Although there are a few humorous lines, Tanner has the unenviable task of talking quite seriously, for an hour, about the life of Sergei Diaghilev, the 20th century impresario who founded Ballet Russes and mixed with the likes of Picasso, Chanel and Debussy, but of whom the majority of Fringe-goers will never have heard.

But Tanner is a consummate actor, and manages to imbue Diaghilev’s story with the interest it deserves. He completely transforms himself into Diaghilev, relating his stories with such palpable feeling in his voice and expression that one can easily forget, at times, that he isn’t in fact talking about his own life.

He gets swept up in ‘his’ memories, embarking on one story when it reminds him of another, which he delves into with enthusiasm. He relates how he drew the best Russian dancers away from the renowned Maryinsky Theatre and brought them to Paris as the Ballet Russes, boasts of how he recognised the talent of the then unknown Stravinsky, from whom he commissioned the famous Firebird score, and frequently refers to his complex, passionate relationship with Nijinsky, who eventually became schizophrenic after splitting personally and professionally from Diaghilev.

Although the stories are fascinating for those with prior interest and knowledge of dance, Charlatan will undoubtedly be quite dull for others. And despite Tanner’s admirably engaging performance, the format of one man talking about Diaghilev’s life, mainly in chronological order, for an hour, is not the most imaginative or effective tribute. There is a section where Tanner/Diaghilev cursorily runs through the ballet Petrushka, moving around the stage, dancing small parts and using different voices for different characters. His genuine excitement is infectious, and the performance would benefit from more creative interludes such as this.

However, perhaps the predominantly simple format adds to the show’s charm: it reminds me of sitting in my Granny’s living room and listening to her stories of her younger years. Except that Diaghilev’s stories are a tad more interesting.