Fringe review: Tchocolatl
Clown performer Pamela Pilawa brings her delightfully chaotic alter ego Pa The Traveller on a globe-trotting chocolate adventure. ★★★★
Bouncing with energy, Pa The Traveller Clown stumbles into her show at The Lab in Fool’s Paradise. Taking a seat, she looks at each audience member, asking when the show will start. By the time she’s jumped on stage, you’re already giggling as the show starts.
Bringing us on a journey to discover the origin, production and history of chocolate, Pamela Pilawa (aka Pa The Traveller Clown) takes the audience through Switzerland, Mexico and Spain, delivering fun-first education with this physically comedic and interactive play performance. From start to finish, children are dancing in their seats, calling out to her as she fumbles about the stage with her classic bumbling clown style. Volunteers are brought on stage to help her use maps and cook things up, although there’s still plenty of fun to be had for the shyer little ones as Pa also has fantastic chemistry with the wider crowd.
A particular standout moment comes when Pa asks for each child’s favourite chocolate flavour, then makes a distinctive dance move to represent each contribution. During her ending dance party, Pa still has those moves memorised and it’s this attention to detail, alongside her cheery disposition, that makes the children feel thought of, and her show so consistently engaging. Pilawa’s performance is resoundingly joyful and well-articulated. Every little one will be delighted to be there in her show, and every adult along for the ride will be just as overjoyed to have been included.
Tchocolatl is playing at The Lab in Fool’s Paradise from March 6 – 15
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