Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Sawdust Symphony
Michael Zandl, David Eisele, Kolja Huneck
Genre: Circus, Physical Theatre
Venue: Zoo Southside
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
An ode to the human desire to create – three men, some tools and a soundtrack. It sounds bizarre and it is, but this circus come physical theatre show really delivers the goods. Brilliantly bonkers, Sawdust Symphony combines expert circus skills with originality and a lot of laughter.
Review
I love the smell of sawdust in the morning – seeing Sawdust Symphony convinced me of that.
An ode to DIY and the human compulsion to create, Sawdust Symphony is innovative and highly original. Who would have thought that an hour relating our obsession with DIY and creating could make such compelling viewing? And yet…
The stage is set, a plain raised platform of planks. Two performers, then a third, arrive on stage in a frenzied rush race to fashion crude chairs. Each has a distinctive style and way of doing things that is developed as the piece goes on. One uses power tools and an ostensibly professional approach, the second is more of a hand tools man while the third covers himself in dripping white paste as he attempts to put his chair together. Finally, in what feels like a nod to TV ‘making things’ shows the actors present their chairs to a round of applause from the audience. And from there on, organised chaos ensues.
Man 1 is power tool man heaving lathes and other large pieces of equipment onto the stage, Man 2 is more of a hand tools man with a particular penchant for hammers, and Man 3 is your hapless DIY amateur, doomed to forever wallow in dripping white gloop. Each actor defines his character with precision and together deliver a fantastic ensemble performance with exquisite timing. Exploring the desire to create from vision to construction with all its frustrations along the way, Michael Zandl, David Eisele, and Kolja Huneck combine their superb circus skills with a deadpan approach to hilarious effect.
The set design is simple, yet completely apt and versatile. The raised stage turns out to have a series of trapdoors of various sizes which allow the performers to appear and disappear at will . While the performers do not speak there is a mostly operatic soundtrack (Juliano Abramovay and Lasse Munk) providing a backdrop to their movements. The ghoulish drawn out voiceover – “I could be comfortable here, this smells like home” as the inept amateur drags himself, Golum-like, dripping white, across the stage are chilling and funny. The lighting from Sanne Rosberg is spot on. Technically as well as performance wise, Sawdust Symphony hits all the high notes.
Sawdust Symphony is co-produced by Provinciaal Domein Dommelhof – Theater op de Markt, Le Palc – Pôle national cirque – Châlons-en-Champagne, and produced at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by Ruby Glaskin for Performing Arts: Made in Germany.
Beautiful images- a man twirling a huge wooden caber-like tool bathed in a sea of light; nails that pop up randomly across the stage thwarting attempts to hammer them down; and finally a shower of sawdust that falls gently lit from above as magical as fairydust. Sawdust Symphony is a delight – go and see it if you can get a ticket.
