emperor of america

In 1860s San Francisco, a penniless man named Joshua Norton declared himself The Emperor of America. The city treated him as such: paying imaginary taxes, printing his declarations in the newspapers and, when he died, thousands paid their respects at his funeral. Ecole Jacques Lecoq-educated Breadknives tackle this remarkable tale in their playful cabaret show. With minimal props (a couple of crates and a coat stand) and a band who occasionally foray into the action, the stage is transformed into the Wild West.

This is a company trained in physical theatre, and it shows. The movement sections in the production are extremely well executed, the fight scene a particularly complex and high octane sequence. These sections are fast moving and high energy, which is exactly what a show of this type needs. In the less physically demanding sections, the cast’s strength is their physicality. They embody a host of characters including rugged old men, cowboys and, during a bizarre moment in a brothel, Guillaume Mason (Mark Twain) plays a 13-year-old prostitute. Props are mimed with acute accuracy; the cast have the ability to transform a room from a saloon to a brothel within seconds in adapting the way in which they move around the space.

Where the production falls is in its pacing outside the sections of physical theatre. Much of the dialogue is unnecessary and laboured, whilst songs from Lady Peacock (Hanna Cormick) don’t have the strength to be anything but a filler. It’s also a shame that the female characters seem to play no concrete role beyond decoration, with male characters given the focus and the women often resigned to clinging by their side.

Despite these issues, The Emperor of America is engaging and eccentric, capturing the curious setting with lively physical theatre. The live band are hugely beneficial to the production and the soundtrack has all the Wild West style the show asks. An engaging look at a truly peculiar story that’s full of heart throughout.

The Emperor of America is playing at C Too (Venue 4) from 8-17 and 19-31 August 2015 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For more information visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.