OBSERVER: Chimp
There is a certain simian similitude to Conor Lynch’s contribution to the Fringe Festival. Given there is no dialogue, Lynch, in the appropriately titled production Chimp, must convey the desires of his alter ego in mime from captivity to an almost civilised entity.
While the anthropological mimicry may not be sufficient to distinguish a capuchin monkey from a bonobo it is sufficient to draw the audience in and make them part of his show.
Indeed, audience participation is integral to the show’s success. This is both entertaining and dangerous. Lynch builds the rapport with the crowd from the outset.
He even managed to confiscate a beeping watch from an audience member on the night I attended while behind the bars of a simulated cage. The danger here lies in not knowing how the audience will respond, there being ample room for improvisation in this regard. This also means that the performance will be different each night.
Lynch wins over the throng making use of earrings, glasses and the reactions of those attending. He has them join in a chorus of chest beating and primitive cries by the end of the night. This is after he has wined and dined a member of the audience having taken on the trappings of coat and tie to become civilised as the performance unfolds. There is a primordial beat and tempting banana, however, that draws him back to primate reality.
Lynch’s show is an opportunity, perhaps, to allow us to let go of our inhibitions and timidness crossing that nexus between spectator and participant. It might even be a way of suggesting that we are closer to our primitive roots than we thought. But most of all, it is entertaining fun.
Review by David McLean