one4review | On 11, Aug 2025

This wordless Swiss duet, Wooden Impact, pairs Daniel Borak (tap dance, amongst other things) with Manuel Leuenberger (marimba, amongst other things) for a sleek, inventive hour where music and movement are equal leads, and yes, it features the only marimba at this year’s Fringe! It begins in near-darkness as Borak enters from the audience and Leuenberger’s instrument glows. Under blackout, illuminated mallet heads turn rhythm into light, simple and hypnotic. With no dialogue, the show sketches a clear concept: tap and marimba in conversation, framed by mood-shifting lighting and occasional silent-cinema nods (a Chaplin hat, a black-and-white projection). The repertoire leaps from Bach to contemporary pieces and freewheeling improvisations, each vignette distinct yet cleanly staged.

From our seats, the experience is giddy and generous. A blistering solo, toe stands, tight circles, snap-fast turns, and draws mid-solo applause. A whistled melody floats over marimba; then a body-percussion game escalates from claps to chest slaps to floor thumps, silly and precise in the same breath. The cajón episode goes delightfully feral as Leuenberger drums the box, the floor, and the sides, clearly loving the chaos. A deadpan “living statue” gag lands hard: Borak feeds coins to restart the music, and the room howls. Later, five-mallet fireworks meet taps on doors, steps, and stage; boxes become drums; sticks click; a black-and-white projection syncs to live playing; and juggling blooms from clubs to a diabolo, always, somehow, on the beat.

The finale, Emmanuel Séjourné’s “Generalife”, tightens everything. Bathed in orange, the humour drops away, and the pair deliver a high-velocity, serious closer: Borak’s lines are razor-clean, and Leuenberger’s phrasing is surging and warm. The strengths are undeniable: fearless variety, immaculate timing, and a rapport that invites the audience in on the joke before reminding them of the craft. If anything, trimming a couple of variety detours could sharpen the through-line. But the invention is the joy. Distinctive, big-hearted, and beautifully played, Wooden Impact is a standout you feel in your chest.