Mimirichi - Paper World 4 stars, Edinburgh

Mimirichi - Paper World

4 stars Pod Deco, Edinburgh
Click here for all Edinburgh festival reviews

Lyn Gardner
Friday August 13, 2004

Guardian

Clowns and me are not a good combination. They don't like the fact I am an old grump, and I get irritated by the way they try too hard. But this Ukrainian quartet, each with their distinct personality, melted my stony heart. In fact, they could have come home with me and I wouldn't have complained.

They may not be as profound as Derevo's whey-faced strays or as heart-breaking as Slava, but they do succeed in making both young and old gurgle with laughter. This is undoubtedly the happiest 90 minutes I've spent on the Fringe this year.
It is a show that spreads a little joy and almost instantly turns the entire audience into a community as we join in a paper fight and pass giant sheets of paper over our heads. Dominated initially by a huge screen of paper behind which they play silhouette games peopled with giants and monsters, the company quickly move on to some simple and brilliantly handled audience participation, before getting down to the main event - tearing down the giant screen and letting everyone play with the paper.
It is amazing how quickly mature grown-ups revert to childhood given the chance to throw paper around and make a huge mess. The quartet don't quite have enough material to last the full 90 minutes, but the show is full of invention and madness, celebrating a lost childhood while also tapping into its fears.