FRINGE 2016: Caravonica

It's so easy to be turned off by the word clown. Just imagining it can carry collective emotions of childhood fears and whatnot. But there's no need to fear Caravonica.

In fact, I don't think it's possible to be afraid of someone so hilarious, creative and talented. Of all of the theatre and various other performance art I've seen, nothing I've encountered can quite compare to the weird brainchild that Caravonica crafted. Saying it was unique, captivating, and incredibly silly barely scratched the surface of how much fun this show was.

So let's break this down into two categories: Caravonica the clown, and Caravonica the musician.

Caravonica the Clown
The captivating part of Caravonica's performance as a clown was how extremely expressive he was, and how easily he brought different characters to life. With simple changes in demeanour, gesture and voice, he became completely different personalities in no time at a construction site. Through nearly wordless character development and pantomime, he told a simple yet entertaining story of these characters trying to work together on a project. His ability to create sound effects was truly inspiring; and had the audience (ofr me, at least) convinced that he rode in on a pony named Cindy, who he later travelled the world with, singing at each new place he landed.

Caravonica the Musician
I would be curious to know if there is an instrument which Caravonica that he can or cannot play. During his show, he sang, he beatboxed, he played the ukulele, the harmonica, the percussion, and the trombone, and not to mention that all of it was original music. In the fashion of today's one-man-band, he used a loop pedal to create layers and textures to already creative, imaginative music (one can only hope that Caravonica will release an album some day!). As he travelled the world on Cindy, he played music from each place he landed, even singing in Italian, Russian, and Spanish.

His incorporation of pantomime with original music was phenomenal. He used the construction site characters from the beginning of the show to assist in setting up his percussion instruments later on, also taking the time to involve participation from the audience. In general, it's safe to say that people don't like being dragged on stage and being forced to act silly, but Caravonica has just a gentle, open personality and such a warm energy that it seemed easy for the people on stage to open up and get into the spirit of the thing.

Overall, the show was amazing. I loved every second of it. From the weird, awkward noises, to silly gestures and facial expressions. I especially loved the music, and I highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone, whether you're looking for something new or you're a hardcore clown fanatic. There are four more shows to catch beginning Thursday through Sunday at The Wiggle Room. See you there!

This amazing and amusing one-man-clown show continues to play between June 16th to 19th at 3874 St-Laurent with the following times: 

- Thursday June 16 from 19:00
- Friday June 17 from 20:00
- Saturday June 18 from 20:00
- Sunday June 19 from 19:00

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Erica Bridgeman is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2016 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. She also hosts The F Hole every Monday afternoon from Noon – 2pm ET, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com.