one4review | On 04, Aug 2024

An almost full house of people who know what they are there for and a performer willing and capable of giving it to them is an electric thing. A comedy show which moves you to tears (of laughter or sorrow, and in cases of brilliance such as this, both) is a thing of beauty and delight. I’m not allowed to give six stars, so reporting the standing ovation and the enthusiasm of the exiting audience will have to suffice.

Trygve Wakenshaw does mime. Exceptionally well. But he also does comedy and storytelling, and he understands that sometimes the laughter is louder if we’ve been heartbroken minutes before. His crowd work – without speaking – is phenomenal. He builds a narrative from apparently silly little things – and they do seem so, to begin with – and before you realise, you’re entirely committed to the welfare of things you cannot see and which do not exist, and you’re rooting for this man and his friend.

There’s nothing about this show which drops marks, not the performance of the mime, nor the structure or the pace or the sound design, and absolutely not the commitment or passion of Trygve himself. This is not a show you can remain aloof from, and it continues to reveal itself well after the performance. Sublime.

Reviewed by Laura

Assembly Roxy
20:15
Until 25th (not 12th)