Tape Face, aka The Boy With Tape On His Face, is New Zealand born actor and comedian Sam Wills. His act is basically an updated mime/clown one with the gimmick that he never speaks, hence the tape. While already well known on the circuit he became very well known when he reached the final of America's Got Talent last year. So much so he had a several-month residency in Las Vegas earlier this year. He is also, to some of us anyway, known as the estranged husband of a certain cabaret chanteuse ...
Anyway, we were late getting in, and standing in a large crowd for 40 minutes is not my idea of fun. Eventually we got in to see quite an elaborate stage setup - the biggest I've seen so far at the Fringe - and as we were to find out accompanied by an elaborate light setup and VERY loud music and sound effects.
The show started with a very loud and sibilant music sequence which was almost painful to listen to while lights shone straight into my eyes - setting a pretty poor mood back a good few points. Finally Tape Face enters ... First is the "spinning plates on sticks" routine, which while always interesting is hardly bleeding edge and nothing we haven't seen a million times before. Finally that ended and the show proper started.
It was billed as a sort of "Best Of", loosely structured around Tape Face falling asleep while waiting for a show to start and each routine co-incided with a stage announcement counting down time to first positions and curtain up. However most of these routines involved getting members of the audience up on stage and getting them to do silly things while he gurned. To be fair he gurned and clowned around well, the energy level was pretty high and some of the routines were quite funny (I did laugh a number of times) but apart from a nice hand-mime of John Lennon's "Imagine" there was very little of his stuff - much of which was seen in the run through of America's Got Talent and is available on YouTube. To be fair the final routine, involving a member of the audience with a bag over his head, spiked gloves and a helluva lot of balloons, was quite good fun ...
I just didn't enjoy it that much. It was over-produced by far (perhaps a hangover from Las Vegas) and I would much have preferred a simpler show with more solo pieces from him. I'm glad I went, as it means I never have to go again ...
No comments:
Post a Comment