VIP-Concert @ Scott Theatre
4:00pm, Mon 1 Mar 2004
Score: 7
Short Review: Spandex-a-riffic!
An indecipherable, gruff accent barks out something akin to a welcome message, and Valeri Kaparulin & Gleb Ivanov take to the stage. Theirs is a very physical kind of comedy, mixing mime, classic clownery, and audience tomfoolery.
Opening with some simple mime, they rapidly moved through a imaginative bit of juggling ball-play (!), a rather risque tale involving Adam and Eve, and an excellent audience symphony. Throughout, Valeri’s rubbery face contorted in an audience-pleasing manner, whilst Gleb’s impossible gangliness sealed in the black spandex the pair wore raised many giggles.
The only problem with this show? The fact that there were just 13 people in the audience. In the vast expanse of the Scott Theatre, this was a tragedy. Valeri and Gleb, like most non-stand-up acts in the Fringe, deserve much better.