An engaging and interesting piece of theatre... a very personal piece of work
Scaramouche Jones is the latest Fringe visitation from Guy Masterson's Centre for International Theatre. This time Masterson directs, rather than stars in, this interesting reprise of a one-man production which debuted in Dublin in 2001 before going on to break all box office records for new writing in the history of the Bristol Old Vic.
That production starred Pete Postlethwaite and this, interestingly, stars the writer of the piece himself, Justin Butcher.
Butcher certainly has the voice and presence to carry the show. It is December 31, 1999, and the 100-year-old Jones has just performed his swansong as clown Scaramouche. He takes us back to his birth on the same day in 1899, the son of a Trinidad whore and a teaspoonful of anonymous English semen. He is pale of face and loved by his whore mother, but tragedy causes him to be sold as a slave to an Italian/English/Somali snake charmer. After a life of misadventure, he comes a kind of ironic full circle to England after being convinced by a Welsh passport officer that Jones is a true English name.
This script is brilliantly written by Butcher and the show can be experienced with the eyes closed; poetry drips from every beautifully turned line. And wry observations tumble out on 20th-century figures and the events that made them famous.
The show is truncated somewhat after 1951 when Scaramouche became Jones and his life as clown began. To see some mime and pathos would have enhanced the impact of the show - it almost feels as if something has been trimmed to create this 85-minute Fringe-length performance. And there could have been more of the 100-year-old in the performance of the opening scenes, which would have enhanced the gradual and ironic transformation to youth as we move through the century.
But Butcher used space well and worked very hard, in a theatre which lacks intimacy, to create an engaging and interesting piece of theatre out of his clever and very personal piece of work.
(Robert Horne - Adelaide Independent Weekly 22/02/10)
Scaramouche Jones, written and performed by Justin Butcher and directed by Guy Masterson is in its 9th year. However, it is only since 2008 that this production has been performed by the author of the piece, previously performed by Pete Postlethwaite and directed by Rupert Goold. It is this licence to change direction, embellish, cut or run away on a tangent that gives this performance a wonderfully fresh delivery. Confirmed by a couple behind me who, back for more, were delighting in the subtle differences to a previous experience of Butcher's Scaramouche.
The play hurls the audience through a series of outlandish adventures across the globe as Scaramouche Jones breaks his silence to tell his last tale. It is the story of his life, the story of the seven white masks that have made the clown Scaramouche Jones. Each white mask upon his already pale face is another layer of sour experience which swathes the psyche of the hero. His accounts slither delectably off the tongue in long serpentine streams, which form a poignant contrast to his mimed finale. Here, in the language of the English gentleman he wants to be, can be glimpsed the original Scaramouche of Commedia dell-Arte that is his namesake.
With reliance upon so few props Butcher can create the play in the minds of the audience drawing upon infinite variables to create something entirely unique each time. The lighting and the sound are impeccably timed and give just enough to feed the imagination. When I think back to it I recall sights, smells and characters which were never really there, just in the wonderfully vivid scene that was painted in my mind. For example a simple horn is transfigured from a machine gun to a new-born baby in rapid and apparently logical succession. Charmed as I was by the piece, I believed myself to see the look of bemusement in a white glove.....
As the story progresses Scaramouche sheds his well-worn clown suit and the seven masks to become his naked self, to face his end and his beginning. This is a beautiful account of coming to terms with a life lived. The healing salve that is Scaramouche Jones somehow finds and soothes our inner ill-fated clowns with a perfect balance of dark humour and honestly felt sadness. We are truly fortunate to have this production as a feature of the Adelaide Fringe 2010.
(Claire Gilham - Buzzcuts Adelaide - 23/02/10)
A stunning piece of theatre... hilarious and touching, tragic and genuine.
It's December 31, 1999, and white-faced clown, Scaramouche Jones, is about to turn 100. In his near-century of life, he's travelled most of the world and seen more than his fair share of heartbreak.
Justin Butcher, performing from his own script and directed by Guy Masterson, is outstanding in this non-stop, one-hour-and-twenty-minute epic bildunsgroman tale that takes the audience on journey from the West Indies through Africa, the Middle East, Venice, Poland and - harrowingly - a World War 2 concentration camp.
The script - drawing on sources as wide-ranging as Greek mythology, opera, the Bible and Gilbert & Sullivan - is a masterpiece of wordplay on its own, captivating and evocative and a delight for the ears. When combined with Butcher's electric stage presence and physicality, mastery of accents and grasp of timing, both comic and tragic, it becomes an enthralling and moving piece of theatre.
The set is simple but includes useful props; perfectly-timed sound effects, music and clever lighting add to the atmosphere and mood.
Scaramouche Jones is, simply put, a stunning piece of theatre - hilarious and touching, tragic and genuine.
(Jamie Wright - Adelaide Theatre Guide - 20/02/10)
Writer and actor, Justin Butcher, has also benefited from the guiding hand of director Guy Masterson, together presenting us with a totally captivating performance as a 100 year old clown, hanging up his red nose and oversized shoes for the final time as he retires on the eve of the new millennium, recounts his life story, and waits for death.
Butcher wrote the play a decade ago but, instead of performing it himself, he allowed Peter Postlethwaite to premiere the work, to enormous success. Butcher has, now, found the chance to perform his own work, and that is our good fortune, as we witness this terrific actor bury himself in the character of the silent, white-faced clown with a fantastic history to divulge.
Born of a Trinidadian gypsy whore, Scaramouche had an unusually pale face, his mother informing him that his father was an Englishman. This early childhood is the first of the seven phases of his life or, as he sees them, his seven white masks. The first five decades of his life take us through Africa, as an assistant to a snake charmer, Egypt, Europe and to the Nazi concentration camps, where he was put to work digging graves. As the children passed him on the way to their deaths, he would mime a grotesquely funny scene to them, depicting what was to come, lifting them to laughter and easing their fears. Finally, he is allowed to live in England and, as he must have a surname to enter the country, adopts the surname of the immigration official, Jones.
This is a story that is bleak, powerful, sometimes darkly comic and unbelievably real in the hands of this masterful actor. Scaramouche is a survivor, resilient and doggedly persistent in his belief in being an Englishman by right of his birth. Butcher shows us every pain, every misfortune that Scaramouche has suffered in an astoundingly poignant performance, rich in poetic language, stark in its subject matter and brilliantly executed. His use of his voice, facial expressions and body language are impeccable. This is a production in which even the most critical, the most negative and the most discerning will find nothing to complain about. Even the set, lighting and costume are exactly right.
It is rare to see something of this remarkably high standard and you owe it to yourself to indulge in an evening in the company of genius, while you can.
A CD recording of this work is available in the foyer after the show and there is now doubt that these will sell out, unless they brought a container load with them, so make sure that you get yours on the way out. You will want to relive this performance again and again.
Do not miss this production!
(Barry Lenny - Glamadelaide.com 22/02/10)
snowwhite wrote: What a wonderful feast for your eyes, ears and imagination. Rare are moments of this kind, where mastery of rhythm, timing, language and visual perfection combined capture the audience's attention a 100 percent. Incredible events came to life, of the saddest nature and absurdest comedy. Seven masks were revealed hidding the grief and loss of a life time. So many strands make you think about this piece of art for a long time.
A gem of acting and writing, just see for yourself!
jimbo wrote: brilliant theatre. This is another gen from the fantastic portfolio of performances brought to Adelaide by C.I.T. Let's hope they make it back to next Festival with more delights.
Gloria wrote: The must see of F10. You will find it hard to fault it. Sublime.
CaptainCat wrote: Saw it again. Deserves 6 Flags, IF i could give them.
angela wrote: The best thing we saw this year, inside or outside the Festival. A tour de force performed magisterially by the author, JUstin Butcher. This terrifying tour of the 20thC is, if anything, more relevant now than at milennium's end. Great stagecraft here as well (particularly loved the table as camel) and a dramatic soundscape as well. Six flags if they were available for Scaramouche, CIT and Guy Masterson. Please come back next year with the quality shows.
abmcs wrote: Justin Butcher's amazing talent shines through every facet of this production. With a show that speaks directly to your heart, this is a show not to be missed this Fringe. It's raw talent and ingenious writing at its best! This is what the Adelaide Fringe is all about.
ark wrote: AMAZING a beautifully crafted theatrical experience. A wonderful story expertly scripted and superbly performed! An absolute must see.
F10NATIC wrote: An exquisite master-class performance beyond superlatives. A transfixing carriage into other worlds in bygone times unfolding an extraordinary life story, realised with flawless poetic period language and characterisations throughout that in all equates to story-telling beyond supreme.
Only one other F10 show has given me spine chills during it. This gave me those while I stood at the end with the rest of the audience and felt the room's equally awed admiration and respect in mutual ovation.
lillen wrote: This is classic theatre. If you are passionate about this artform and its origins you need to see this show. The performance was very engaging, the words are delicious and i liked the use of 7 different white faces as symbols punctuating his life. Very interesting use of whiteness as the 'other'.
jamie_h wrote: PLEASE do not miss this! Justin Butcher is an absolute gem - he is extremely successful in writing AND performing this piece, about a clown named Scaramouche Jones reflecting on his 100 years of life (or his 7 stages/ 'faces' that he has worn). Clever, brilliant, touching, funny, emotional... I can go on and on. An absolute must see!
Day_Tripper wrote: There isn't really a lot to Scaramouche Jones. The story is very involved and intricate, and while there's no doubt it's an interesting story, beyond that there's not much else. However... it's the performance you should go and see. Justin's physical and vocal control are outstanding. He was perhaps a little too busy for my liking at the start, but that niggle soon passed. You may not remember much of Scaramouche's life afterwards, but the Justin's performance should stay with you. Masterful.Mona_Lisa wrote: An extremely talented writer and performer gives his all to portray the remarkable life story of the clown Scaramouche Jones. The energy ripples off the stage and keeps you transfixed until the last moment comes. I wanted the story to go on forever but alas the end comes to all of us eventually. If you only see one show at the fringe this year this is the one.......
Francene wrote: The most wonderful show I have seen since Guy Masterson's Under Milk Wood. Justin Butcher had the audience spell bound. His CD was a revisit of the most joyous kind - hearing again the story of Scaramouche Jones using such beautiful language. What a star - and cute, too, in the vein of Mick Jagger - with a mouth, voice and body to match.
CHARLIES_ANGEL wrote: Guy Masterson has the Midas touch. Justin Butcher's genius captures the comedy, tragedy and complexities of human existence into a one hour performance, something that took the great bard over 37 plays to achieve and it is simply mind blowing. But to steal the great words of the Bard; All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players, they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven FACES" He is simply Scaramouche Jones.
CatPil wrote: I was entirely carried away by Scaramouche Jones back at the beginning of the 20th century. It was that well interpreted that i could say myself I spent the night in company with the real son of a gypsy born in 1900. And then I learned that Mr. Butcher is the Englishman father of Scaramouche, his creator. Extraordinaire plume, mon ami!
edam_ wrote: absoloutely fantastic every go and see it before it ends
Glen_Christie wrote: When it comes to one-man shows, Guy Masterson is legendary. With Justin Butcher's 'Scaramouche Jones' he comes up trumps again. This piece is funny, thought-provoking, captivating and mesmerising. Scaramouche Jones takes us through his life - from birth to impending death, 100 years in 75 minutes - on a minimalist set, using voice and body to transport across time and the 7 seas. Butcher's performance, under Masterson's direction, is worthy of sell-out houses. A must see!
JohnH wrote: One of the highlights of the Fringe. A memorable script and performance both by a very talented Justin Butcher. I was totally mesmerised as Scaramouche Jones revealed his white masks and took me on a journey through the twentieth century.
Anne wrote: Enchanting! This is theatre at its very best.
DanSA wrote: I was completely seduced. The actor is such a charismatic performer and the writing is something else. Epic.
Janet wrote: GREAT PLAY - GO AND SEE IT
James wrote: Brilliant! We are incredibly lucky to have this play, these unbelievably talented people perform here. Justin Butcher's performance is so masterful one cannot help but be awed. I shall see this play more than once.
kenny wrote: Simply brilliant show - the script is intelligent and Justin Butcher breathes life into the character with an agile, energetic and incredibly engaging performance. I saw the show twice and enjoyed it even more the second time. The use of sound and music is terrific. This is the best piece of Fringe theatre I have seen. Don't miss it.
Cat_Woman wrote: Absolutely amazing!! Brilliantly written and performed by Justin Butcher who kept me mesmerized and deeply moved during the whole performance. As a vistor from the United States I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to the Fringe. Would give it a 6 if I could!
Innkeeper wrote: This is magical theatre performed by a master storyteller.
Madame_P wrote: Saw this again last night. This is perfect theatre. I have never seen anything like it, and it is my pick for the best show in the fringe. Standing ovation from the audience... Well Done Justin Butcher!
fringeaddict wrote: Justin Butcher is mesmerising in this incredible piece of theatre. Made me smile, made me cry. Just exquisite.
crazy_white_ma wrote: A tour de force of theatre- powerful and moving
tankililla_ wrote: this show is simply fantastic and should be number one the best show i have ever seen JB come back and do it next year
KateFraser wrote: Beautifully written, masterfully directed, and exquisitely performed. I have never been so moved by a piece of theatre. If you see nothing else this Fringe, see Scaramouche Jones.
heller wrote: ONE WORD… FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!
dlol wrote: An amazing performance by an excellent actor. The show is also fabulous. The writing is first class and the actor brings the words to life. It's moving and interesting and I felt that it was something of a privilege to be there.
Kay_Today wrote: This is a powerful work, performed flawlessly by the author Justin Butcher, and directed by the wonderfully talented Guy Masterson. If you like good theatre, don't miss it.
Kooky wrote: wonderful show - an amazing tale by an excellent actor! The story of each of his masks is enthralling! Excellent job Justin and Guy Masterson's Centre just keeps bringing these great actors to the stage!
fringeonmyface wrote: Simply Amazing! Butcher is mesmerising. A must see!
tankililla_ wrote: an amazing example of what great theatre is like Scaramouche is the century in human form each white mask is another story waiting to be told. Go on, plunge in and enjoy the best show in the fringe!!!!!
Fringalicious wrote: Brilliant acting, brilliant script. I was mesmerised. Easily the best show I've seen at the Fringe. I will go see anything JB does in the future. Please come back to the next Adelaide Fringe! Congratulations.
hebejez wrote: A genuine 5 star show. This is a superb opportunity to see a high quality theatre production in an intimate venue. Justin Butcher is riveting in this role and never loses his audience as the story unfolds. Get a ticket..... QUICK!!!
ontheborder wrote: Congratulations, Justin, on writing and performing your rivetting and wonderful play about the unmaking of the British Empire and the making of personal myth! You were incredibly generous in your performance as well as in meeting the audience after the show! Every Drama student should see this- Justin is a master of his craft! DO come back in 2011!
Vinylcutter wrote: This is unbelievably good. The acting is sublime and the way the clown's story is told is riveting stuff. I wonder why this isn't a mainstream Festival production because it is just pure quality. Those in the audience on the night I went were cheering and clapping. It deserves full houses. Do not miss it!
Madame_P wrote: I'll keep it simple - BOOK YOUR TICKETS TO THIS SHOW NOW BEFORE IT SELLS OUT! Such an amazing performance and an EPIC story. Tell your friends, because it is the BEST SHOW I have seen in years.
vollie-jen wrote: SCARAMOUCHE JONES is THE BEST THEATRE piece I have seen for years. Perfectly portrayed and acted, exceptionally clear diction, superb sound effects and lighting- The professional production will have you spellbound for the entire 80 min graphic telling of this fascinating clown's life. Don't miss it!
CaptainCat wrote: This has got to be the hit of the Fringe! A beautiful set in a lovely theatre. A glorious soundtrack and a perfect epic story brilliantly told by a master storyteller. Justin Butcher grips you from the off and whips you on a rollercoaster ride of his Clown's 100 year old life. There is not a wasted moment here. The story is huge to tell yet, you relive every moment with him from Trinidad to North Africa to Italy, to Poland, the Balkans and finally to London... You are there. STUPENDOUS STUFF!
Fringer wrote: This is superb theatre...insightful themes...clever dialogue...great script...and first rate performance from Justin, a consummate performer who is also a director of television and theatre. Scaramouche Jones reveals himself as he removes his 7 masks, and he also reveals the clown and fool in all of us. Go and see this.. you will be moved and riveted to your seat for 80 minutes...oh.. and did I mention Justin wrote the play as well! Anything this guy can't do?
Mia wrote: One of the most harrowing visuals is that of the sad clown, which conjures up the deep despair so often present under the happy masks that we wear. Scaramouche takes us through the journey of his amazing life, to show us how he came to be where he is today and the masks that he has worn along the way. Exemplary writing was emphasised by the quality and dexterity of the performance. With each layer that is stripped back, expect to be drawn further into the enchantment of this show.
