Children's Express reporter Nalina Eggert reviews a one-man piece of clowning around at the Belfast Opera House for BBC Radio Ulster presenter John Toal.
John Toal: How did you enjoy it?
Nalina: Even though I'm absolutely sick of clowns - I did my art project on clowns and it exploded in the kiln, so not a good experience - even so, I really enjoyed it. I had a really good night, his appearance, and his performance was spectacular. He had this energy - I don't know how he did it, for two hours he kept the audience on their toes. It was a mixture of amazing accents and just the way he held the story.
He's a hundred years old when he tells the story and he's looking back on his life. As he does it he takes on the character of others, and it's the story of the first fifty years of his life before he became a clown and how things developed. Some of the issues in it were quite startling at times and I felt a wee bit uncomfortable. Obviously, being younger, maybe it's not every teenager's cup of tea. There were times when humour was blended with the darker side of things, the way clowns are. A lot of people are scared of clowns.
John Toal: So is he a clown in much of this? You mentioned the other characters…
Nalina: Well he's dressed as a clown - when he begins he's coming back after a performance, and he's sort of musing to himself. He's going over the memories of what other people had said of him. He's not acting out one part and jumping over to the other side and acting the other side obviously - it's very well done, the way he's interpreted it.
About the team
This article was adapted from a review of Scaramouche Jones by Nalina Eggert, 15, for BBC Radio Ulster.
