Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Julieta
Gabriela Muñoz presented by Chamaeleon Berlin
Genre: Clown, Physical Theatre
Venue: Summerhall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Julieta is a charming character who just wants to pass the time in an interesting way – with a deliciously feisty side that is very funny and a bit daring! Creative non verbal physical theatre.
Review
Julieta arrives through a narrow door into her living room and begins her day. She ponders and mutters to herself, as she decides what to do.
Dressed in a homey green and white floral housecoat over an orange dress. with bright blue slippers, Julieta looks so much like someone’s aunt we met years ago, but with bigger hair! The decor of her home is attractive, stylish and cozy with a place for everything, including the cafetière and single coffee cup hanging on their hooks in a tidy little row. Her home is full of character, with a portable radio and television from a few decades ago, and nostalgic pictures on the wall papered walls.
What does one do when alone every day? When one is retired? Gabriela Muñoz has thought about these things and developed her character, Julieta, that is relatable yet wonderfully quirky.
Julieta is a non verbal physical clown character that is immediately endearing and engaging. Without uttering a word – just a few sounds – Julieta communicates everything that she is thinking and feeling by her subtle facial and gestural reactions. Muñoz has such clarity of her physicality and motivation in each moment and sequence of personal routines that we can understand what she is doing and her point of view to everything.
Julieta is a charming character who just wants to pass the time in an interesting way – with a deliciously feisty side that is very funny and a bit daring!
The transformational set is very creative and beautifully designed to suit the needs of Julieta’s lifestyle and is one of the highlights of the show, in fact it is like another character on stage complementing Julieta perfectly!
While many of the things Julieta does are banal and common to most of us, she does them in her own way, which is fascinating. For example, she makes phone calls, channel surfs on her tiny TV, prepares a drink, and even plays tic tac toe with herself – and enjoys winning! But Julieta is not always content and she seeks other experiences with hilarious results. No spoilers here, but Julieta is spontaneous and charmingly finds opportunities and gets her way.
Muñoz doesn’t miss a moment and plays each part of the physical storytelling with an attention to detail of human reactions that makes this performance work so well. The beguiling quality of the physical acting and clowning by Muñoz is utterly masterful!
Original music by Natalia Lafourcade adds to the atmosphere and storytelling but is not overbearing and plays during selected sequences. The addition of music early in the piece worked in tandem to enhance the dynamics of Juliet’s movement and punctuate her movements in an interesting variation of repeated actions. Muñoz is author, performer and director of the show with set design by Rebekka Dornhege Reyes and Gemma Raurell Colomer.
Julieta is in her own world and glances at the audience at first, but notices she is not alone half way through the show and acknowledges us mischievously. There are moments of humour, pathos and poignancy throughout this show and Muñoz transports us into her world and into a magical reverie – and we are more than willing to accept her invitation to go with her into the world of our imagination.
