Jofus and the Whale
Fish and Twiner's Bait Shop
La Mama
9 February 2021
La Mama Courthouse
to 21 February
lamama.com.au
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| Lily Fish in "Jofus and the Whale" |
The first night back at La Mama since March 2020. Friends, strangers and sparkling plonk! What an unmitigated delight!
And Jofus and the Whale is even more delightful. And perhaps the perfect metaphor for getting out of 2020 is Jofus escaping from a whale's gross and squelchy – so squelchy – insides.
Jofus in red nose, white tights, red striped socks and a tailored button-up jack and matching beret is Lily Fish's clown. Fish and her director Kimberley Twiner are founding members of the outrageously wonderful ensemble PO PO MO CO, who spent a lot of lock down dancing in the front yard of a house in Brunswick for passing traffic. PO PO MO CO often make shows for grownups, but Jofus is for everyone.
It’s a story of a Jofus and a whale. And a fish called Roger. And a dog called Samantha. It's a bit Moby Dick, biblical Jonah, Everybody Poops, Jacques Cousteau, and a reflection on obsession.
And it’s physical comedy at its most- skilled and honed. Being multiple characters, contemplating quests, and taking on the responsibility of being the first show in a theatre-as-loved-as-much-as-Melbourne-itself is a mighty task. Being your authentic clown that could only be from your heart, and letting audiences know and love you without any barriers is also a mighty task.
In her director's notes Twiner talks about clowning, being alone and the important thrill of play and being stupid: "When the idiot is truly initiated, they have become brave, brave enough to do something very scary, to stand there, alone to look people in the eye, and to simply be one big-huge-absolute-unforgettable-unmistakeable dingus."
Jofus is a dingus, a dingus who is as thrilled to be back in theatre as theatre is thrilled to see Jofus. Twiner’s direction keeps the story moving and doesn’t let Jofus be indulgent, and Lisa Mibus’s lighting creates a world that’s easy to believe is under the sea or in a whale.
Jofus and the Whale is joyous. And wonderfully odd in all the ways that leave you grinning inanely for an hour. Underneath your mask, of course.
