Zeek Tech Productions from Toronto Canada presented 1-Man No-Show at the Orlando International Fringe Festival. In the lobby as people lined up to go in the theater, Isaac Kessler the performer was shouting to the crowd in a scratch battery powered microphone speaker system that he wore on his chest. I couldn’t understand a thing he said. At the time I didn’t realize her was the performer for the show I was about to see, I just thought, “That’s odd.”
It is rather hard to define what 1-Man No Show is. For the longest time I thought I was watching a pre-show where Isaac was warming up the crowd. Everything felt quite unscripted. Audience members were brought on stage for chaotic bits which were funny yet confusing.
The show was billed as a solo clown meltdown where high art meets high stupidity and that seems an accurate description. Another Fringe performer, Martin Dockery and his mom were in the audience and Issac fixated on them to comic effect. He seemed to want Martins’ approval while wanting to protect Martin’s mom from any of his raunchier unhinged bits. He invited the audience to heckle his show as it ran off the rails.
Issac wore a black beret and dark clothing seeming very formal for a clown. On bit involved absolute stillness with an excruciatingly long pause. After a while the audience began to laugh. Was this a comedic silence or was the audience just uncomfortable and looking for some form of expression.
I was laughing for the full length of the show, but I am not sure exactly why. I would go to watch the show again since I know there is no reproducing the chaos that transpired on that stage. If you are open to seeing a show that leaves you saying WFT did I just see, then this was the show for you.