Zoe Wohlfeld @ Underbelly Cowgate
With superb voice acting and expert clowning, Zoe Wohlfeld's Dog Funeral feels like an instant cult classic
Twinkles, Zoe’s family dog, is dead. It’s safe to say this might be the worst thing to happen to anyone, ever. At least, that’s what Zoe thinks. Having watched a short animation upon the show’s intro about her young life with Twinkles, we know Zoe Wohlfeld has since grown up. But here in front of us, she is stuck in time; the little girl she was when she first got him.
The petulant Zoe enters the room in a Victorian-esque gown, holding a candle to her chin. She holds a painfully mournful and intensely funny facial expression which she shows off to audience members as she makes her way to the stage. Once in the limelight, her character thrives, indulgent in her own grief and looking for comfort in the kindness of strangers. After some crowd interaction – a scene where her face gets sprayed with a water gun since she can’t cry real tears is a real gem – she decides she’s had enough. She stomps off stage, hysterically wailing, “I'M LEAVING!!!” As we coo in chorus for her to return, she reemerges, reluctant, but glad of the attention. She jumps into a box and cries out “EVERYONE HATES ME BECAUSE I’M SAD!”. Again, it’s up to us to reassure her otherwise.
Dog Funeral has a simple premise, expertly performed by a clown who knows exactly how to keep a crowd engaged. Its hilarity lies in Wohlfeld’s contorted facial expressions, which are both deeply evocative and wildly unnerving. Her voice acting is also superb, used minimally but incredibly effective when exercised. At times you swear you can see a smirk on her face. She knows this is funny, and it doesn’t matter whether she’s breaking character or not.
This show is a subtly moving portrait of grief from the perspective of a child who is struggling to make sense of it. Touching on themes of mortality, rejection, loss and eventually acceptance, Wohlfeld captures the way in which, when we lose someone we love, we revert back to the age we were when they left us. Dog Funeral feels like an instant cult classic.
Zoe Wohlfeld: Dog Funeral, Underbelly Cowgate (Jelly Belly), until 30 Aug (not 17), 5.25pm, £12.50-£14.50