27/08/26

Underbelly Bristo Square (Dairy Room), Edinburgh

It wouldn’t really be the Fringe without a spot of mime and luckily, New York-based Broken Box Theatre have brought along six performers, who take it in turns to present the Double Take – a series of nine short pieces where not a single word is spoken. Even the announcements for each successive scene are written on a chalkboard. Today we have Blake Haberman and Ismail Castillo, who are both incredibly skilled. Mr Haberman is blessed with features that, when painted white, seem to embody the word ‘lugubrious.’

They move expertly through the sketches, which vary in tone and subject, from funny to thought-provoking to poignant – and I marvel at the performers’ ability to convey really quite complex stories through movement and gesture. I particularly like the sketch where Castillo is trying to prepare a meal whilst watching YouTube chef Haberman, occasionally having to rewind and fast forward him when things go wrong.

I am particularly moved by a sequence that deals with the subject of dementia, featuring Haberman as a father teaching his young son how to skim stones – and then, as the piece moves on in time and his condition deteriorates, how that simple act helps the two of them to reconnect.

The different stories are linked by the actions of a voracious snail, simply and effectively delivered by Castillo, using just his hands.

The hour-long set seems to literally whizz by and I leave feeling that I have observed a masterclass in the art of mime. Those who love the form should seek this show out at Underbelly while there’s still time to catch it.

4 stars

Philip Caveney