Scaramouche Jones @ Assembly Rooms
Scaramouche Jones brings the tragedy of the clown to the fore in an expertly written and performed retrospective on the 20th century
To those who you who think you’ve heard the tale of the tragic clown before – you have not heard this one, and you must. Justin Butcher’s self-penned play Scaramouche Jones is a triumphant display of the emotional depths which clowning can reach when taken up by so expert a performer.
Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, Scaramouche Jones shows its audience man reduced to his true self: a clown, a ridiculous old clown. Nearing one hundred years old as the twentieth century breathes its last, Scaramouche recounts in eloquent monologue the story of how he was born and how the clown was made. It’s not a funny story, often, but he’ll make you laugh in the telling of it. It’s the story of a pale-faced boy born in Trinidad to a gypsy mother, who sings of his long-lost English father whom he dreams to find. Following her murder, Scaramouche is sold into slavery at age six. He spends the next twenty four years of his life trawling around Africa after his master, a snake-charmer, and his beloved snake, Benjamin Disrailee – no association. When disaster strikes yet again, the winds of fate blow Scaramouche to Venice, Poland, Germany, and finally, England, gaining each of his ‘seven white masks’ along the way. These masks symbolise the defining incidents of Scaramouche Jones’ hundred years of life, his face irrevocably stained white by them all. What makes the clown is not humour, but horror.
Nevertheless, Butcher’s playful performance ensures that Scaramouche remains always a clown at heart. This prevents things from becoming completely bogged down in misery; both Butcher and his protagonist feel a responsibility to keep their audience entertained even in the darkest of moments. Most of the more traditional clowning featured in the show happens, shockingly, at a concentration camp in Split. Butcher’s performance here is outstanding, deftly intertwining terror with delight. Physical theatre, clowning, and masterful storytelling settle into harmony under his guidance, casting a spell of theatrical reverie over the audience. This will not be the funniest clown show you’ve seen at the Fringe – but it will be the best.
Scaramouche Jones, Assembly Rooms (Bijou), until 30 Aug, 4.10pm, £16.50-£19.50