When you think about clowns performing, you probably assume they’re entertaining children. But for Slava’s Snowshow, a theatrical spectacle with an eight-person clown ensemble that lands in Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre between April 17-19, adults are the target audience. In fact, children under the age of eight are discouraged from attending, and children under three will not be admitted.
“The show is built for an adult audience. Children love it, too, but I’m afraid that their life hasn’t been long enough yet to catch all the different shades of humankind and the subtleties that we bring on stage every night,” said Onofrio Coluccii, who plays the lead role as The Yellow Clown.
The Tony-nominated show, created by renowned Russian clown and pantomime performer Slava Polunin, is known to be visually striking and physically engaging. It recreates an indoor snowstorm — the snow brought in from Siberia is dubbed “the warmest snow in the world” — and at one point, the audience is enveloped by a make-believe cobweb, turning them into active participants.
“It is a show that is hard to box in preconceived categories. It’s clown, it’s physical theatre, it’s dance if you want. It’s innovative and it’s already a classic,” Coluccii said.
Ahead of the first performance in the capital city, Colucci told tabloid! what really sets the show apart.
What attracted you to Slava’s Snowshow?
When I was still pondering if I wanted to continue my academic career in the University of Architecture in Florence [Italy], or give space to my other great passion for the performing arts, I saw a few fragments of Slava Polunin’s show previous to Snowshow called Yellow on VHS at Anton Adassinsky’s theatre workshop back in 1996. I remember thinking to myself that if I ever would have taken the path of theatre, surely I wanted to do something with that same potent poetry and buoyant visual expression.
What were some of the challenges involved in taking on a role like The Yellow Clown?
The Yellow Clown of Slava is not just a character. It’s a turning point for the whole world of physical theatre and contemporary clowning. To be in his shoes means a great honour, which comes of course with a great responsibility. I want to respect as much as I can the original structure and input that Slava himself gave to his form of art, and even though we can say that the show has naturally evolved, especially with the new generations of clowns, I always try to pay my due to the original concept of the show that, in my view, is and will always be considered a milestone in contemporary theatre, and not just entertainment.
On the other hand, what are the benefits of playing your character?
The benefit of playing the main character is the same as driving a luxurious car. You feel the vibe, you understand that you have to find the way to get the best out of it, not just push the gas. You realise that everybody is watching you in that moment and they feel that something is actually happening in their inner being.
What’s your favourite part of the show every night?
The first step that I take on stage. That moment when I get to “discover” the audience and we set the key that will be ruling the unveiling of the magic throughout the night.
The show was nominated for a Tony. What sets it apart from other theatrical shows, in your opinion?
It’s a show that can be enjoyed on different levels at once. There’s funny moments, melancholy, joy, poetry and a constant balancing between hope and disillusion, dreams and wishes, right on the edge between life and art. There’s the mind-blowing special effects, the music and mastering of sound ambiance. It is interactive and it changes every night, not in its essence, but in its outcome by the contribution of the audience.
You’ve been to 30 countries and 120 cities with this show. Do you find audiences in different countries react differently?
Absolutely. And you would be surprised in finding similarities, too. Italians and Russians, for instance, are both very emotional, but where the first [express it on the] outside, the latter keep it all inside. The essence is the same, but the outcome is very different. Mexicans are very festive, British are thoughtful and like to taste every single moment, and so on.
If you had to describe Snowshow in three words, what would they be?
Beautiful, buoyant, fun.
