Review: CLOWNTIME at Dance Loft On 14

Dire statistical upticks remind us that we're not quite out of the Pandemic Era. Live theater is still largely virtual; tickets are being sold for the fall but with crossed fingers the performances will actually go on.

So it's still a rarity that live theater actually exists, especially something like John Feffer's one man "Clowntime" this week at the Dance Loft on 14th. Unlike productions down the street at GALA Hispanic Theatre, it's even being presented without a plexiglass barrier between performer and audience.

It's still such an oddity that show director Yury Urnov seemed emotional at greeting what he said was his first live audience in 18 months.

The performance is not entirely without a net - "Clowntime" theatergoers are asked to wear masks; chairs are spaced apart instead of elbow to elbow.

And the cast surrounding Feffer in the show appear entirely via video or recorded audio.

But it turns out that this is not because of any COVID precautions. Rather, it's just a reflection of Fringe Festival type work where one-person shows proliferate and the easier the portability, the better.

"Clowntime," for its part, will be presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival digitally next month. And Feffer's show provides fond memories of the strange flights of one-man fancy that proliferate at Fringe fests, most of which have been canceled for a second consecutive summer.

The criterion for going out to theater for the last year and a half was kind of stark: Is it worth risking one's life to see?

With vaccination, that fear has lessened. Standards, therefore, may have been lowered.

And it's kind of fun to see Feffer, a grown man who by day is foreign policy expert at the Institute for Policy Studies, cavorting among the cardboard boxes that provide the set (and screens for the videos). There's a playfulness to his approach, in which he animates a conversation between college couple using dolls and toys, much as a youngster would.

His story is about a world where the populace is judged by their humor quotient and joking has taken over every aspect of life. His inspiration may be a video he shares of Southwest Airlines stewardesses doing their unnecessarily jokey preflight safety announcement; or it could be the late night TV monologues that have served as news updates since before the Trump administration.

In such a world a humorless person, as Feffer portrays, is not a king but an outlier - a dangerous rebel in college, but also a valued straight man for a President who thinks his own routines will be enhanced. It's all a little erratic and frankly half-baked. There are very few laughs in it, it turns out.

Feffer succeeds in creating a real rapport with the video (by Kelly Colburn and Dylan Uremovich) - the way a child may immerse himself among playthings.

And overall it's gratifying to see someone present their ideas so boldly, and demonstrate how much work they put into it - Feffer plays and composes some of the music that accompanies the piece, alongside orchestral works from Charlie Chaplin and Scott Joplin (A brief glimpse of a Tom Lehrer songs indicates the direction for his satirical songs as well).

It's clear Feffer put in the work to create a show during the lockdown. It's up to audiences to get their theatergoing muscles back in action. Thankfully, attendance (if vaccinated) no longer requires updating your will. But I wish there was a Fringe Fest surrounding it where it could have nestled more comfortably.

Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission.

"Clowntime" will be performed through July 23 at Dance Loft on 14, 4618 14th St NW, Washington. Tickets are available online.

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