2015ERICTHE_9DStanding on the greyscale stage in a tutu and boots, this old clown (who I’m going to call Eric the Fred for the purpose of this review) has reached the end of his tether. He tears off his tutu and wig, gets a new suit and makes himself up with immediately recognisable clown make-up, and we descend into what feels like a rabbit warren of fantasies and memories.

A performer at the end of his road, Eric the Fred is reliving his better days. There is no real plot to this piece – it feels more like a series of episodes in this old clown’s mind. These episodes are sometimes amusing, sometimes sad and sometimes poignant, but with not enough story to hold them together, I’m afraid it feels like a rather long hour.

Standing on the eerie stage at the very beginning in his tutu, boots and electrified hair, Lynam wonderfully captures an effectively unsettling combination of darkness and silliness. As the show goes on however, this marriage between darkness and farcical slapstick doesn’t sit together so well. Occasionally this clown character feels frustratingly simplistic, appealing to the audience with wide eyes and a comically gaping mouth or making an absolute meal of getting that tutu off. The character is not one I could really connect with.

Chris Lynam is clearly a brilliantly skilled clown and performer. The show’s staging is quite a feat, particularly the beautiful original film projections played on the screen covering the front of the stage, which forms a kind of canvas for Eric’s mind. The many tricks and effects are a pleasure to watch and, visually, this show is absolutely stunning. Lynam has done something ambitious in combining storytelling and clowning in this show, but here the combination does not quite come through and EricTheFred, while a spectacle, does not move far beyond a series of acts.

EricTheFred is playing at Assembly Roxy from 18-23 and 25-30 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For more information, visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.