I liked this. I did. But, I think the world is too easy on mimes. (Never in my life did I think that sentence would come out of me…) This show got a Standing O yesterday, and granted David Gaines is a great performer and works really hard for 55 minutes, but…I think a lot of the audience had never seen a mime show before. In fact, I heard someone say “I’ve never seen anything like that before!” And as someone who has had multiple friends go through clown school (don’t ask), and who has seen a fair bit of clown and mime, I have to say I think it’s kind of unfair that a solid performance benefited from the audience’s ignorance to earn a Standing O, rather than a stellar out-of-this-world performance earning it the old fashioned way. Which, as I’m sure you’ll point out in the comments, is more the audience’s fault than Gaines’.
The show is basically a one-man version of the epic Seven Samurai, and each of the Samurai are clearly recognizable characters with individualized fighting skills, marching gait, and way of seeing. I had fun meeting each of them. Only, sometimes the battle scenes are a little imprecise (wait, what just hit him in the head? Is that the sleeping Samurai or the star-throwing one?), and the pacing kind of drags in the middle. This show has toured several Fringe festivals, so it’s not like Gaines hasn’t had time to fine-tune it. This is what I mean about audiences being too easy on mimes – if we’re impressed with most of your show, we’ll overlook the messier parts, because holy crap, mime! There aren’t even any props! You just show us with your body what’s happening! Holy shit, mimes!!!!!!
Having said all that, I am in awe of how articulate a person can be just with their body. Gaines is an experienced and skilled performer, and this show is definitely worth seeing (especially if you’ve never seen a mime show – it may blow your mind).
