Created, directed and performed by Mexican mime artist and clown Gabriela Muñoz, “Perhaps, Perhaps, Quizás” premiered in New York in 2010, and has since been performed around the world at various clown festivals.
It toys with the ideas of love and emotional connection, is the “one” or a “one” out there? Perhaps… A lovelorn woman in a wedding dress gorging herself with cake in a chintzy décor does sound like a clichéd rom-com, not of the best kind, but Gabriela Muñoz’s childlike playfulness and involving the audience save her from becoming a grotesque Miss Havisham, and the performance a depressing banality.
The show begins with a short film styled like a silent comedy, with the heroine unsuccessfully stalking a waiter that catches her romantic interest. Admittedly, it adds nothing to the performance and Jackson Lane’s curtained backdrop was not the best place to project it.
Dressed in a tulle wedding dress, in clown face of one quizzical eyebrow and cupid lip, is at first astonished at the assembled audience, but before long she is relishing playing to the gallery and eventually targets some members, bringing them on stage to engage in a mock wedding. With a certain amount of glee and definitely mirth we watch her unwitting helpers and Muñoz mime the ceremony and a romantic bride-groom tête-à-tête, with elaborate toilet paper usage and unpredictable mishaps. Watch out for the side-splitting sequence with the “spilled wine” and that’s all I am giving away…
“Perhaps, Perhaps, Quizás” does not go beyond conventional images and symbols and the connection sought is achieved through the involvement of the audience. It gives the performance an organic, an improvised lustre and coupled with Muñoz’s comedic timing and talent we enjoy an hour of laughter in this gloomy January weather. Four stars just for the pure entertainment and escapism.