Natalie Palamides @ Traverse Theatre
Natalie Palamides’ WEER is astonishing, chaotic, and a genuine win for the suspension of disbelief
WEER is an archetypal love story twice over: a primal two-hander where rom com meets classic tragedy. But this is no ordinary two-hander, as both hands are attached to the body of Natalie Palamides.
Splitting oneself down the middle to play two characters at once had been long abandoned, a corny relic of theatres-past whose most recent hit had been an ironic walk-on in NBC’s Community. Palamides knows its existence is a joke in itself and leans into the inevitable confusion it sows, but there’s also genuine magic afoot. Her characters are vivid and fleshed out, and the speed with which she snaps between Christina’s girlboss energy and Mark’s gormless side eye is astonishing. Her characteristically no-holds-barred performance, spun through a skilled web of propwork, sound and lighting, results in the rare magic great theatre aims for: a genuine suspension of disbelief.
WEER is also a ‘best of’ showcase for so many staples of clowning, each instance the platonic ideal of that particular gambit: the way she engages with the audience, the notes secretly passed out, and most impressively, the way she makes us think anything happening is an accident. There is no such thing as chance on her stage – Palamides is so much smarter and more in control than the audience will ever be able to anticipate.
The show is the epitome of orchestrated chaos; almost every prop and costume that will be used is already on stage when the audience enters, and by the show’s end every one of those items is strewn on the floor. We’ve been so consumed by the show that we only realise how exhilarated we are when Palamides comes forward for her bow, visibly exhausted.
Speaking about herself, Dolly Parton likes to say: “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap”. Great clown requires a lot of hard work and effort to create an impression of chaos and unpredictability. WEER is the richest, most ambitious example of that.
Natalie Palamides: WEER, Traverse Theatre (Traverse 1), until 25 Aug, 9.30pm, returns only