You’ve likely heard about the first modern novel, Don Quixote; you may have seen a film, musical, or documentary based on the lengthy book; if you are among the very few, you’ve read the book; and if you are among the elite, you’ve finished the book. Thus begins Dik Downey’s solo adventure in retelling the 1605 Spanish story in about 38 minutes, at Pleasance Dome (King Dome): Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book).
In a sea of 20-something performer-producers, 63-year-old Downey makes his Edinburgh Fringe debut, but don’t let this fool you, he is a seasoned performer in a clown troupe called Opposable Thumb Theatre, alongside Adam Blake. Per their website, the pair formed the group in 2013, and according to Downey himself, he’s been performing at other festivals, like Glastonbury, since his 20s. He’s made lots of puppets, painted himself yellow and played the kazoo and, perhaps his most famous act, fit three ping-pong balls in his mouth (which nearly killed him the last time he performed it).
Why this barely-modern Cervantes novel now? Downey informs us, reflecting on his career, that this is likely his last show. Might as well make it the most fascinating one yet, eh?
You can anticipate that Downey uses Quixote, the elderly, insane, romantic wannabe knight on one last quest, as a metaphor for himself, a clown out for one last grand performance. In the book, the titular character most famously tilts at windmills, thinking they’re giants, and hallucinates the beautiful Lady Dulcinea in a ‘sturdy’ village farmgirl. In the one clown show, Downey uses a puppet in place of his clowning partner and Sancho Panza, sticks props to himself with magnets (very clever), and is consistently unable to rise due to his 17-kilogram armour.
Recent interpretations of the book set Sancho Panza up as the ‘straight man’ and Quixote as the ‘funny man’, making fun of his impairments and his romantic illusions; in Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book), though, we see through the eyes of Quixote/Downey, seeing the grotesque absurdity of the disbelievers, the glorious past of loved ones (like the elderly horse, Rocinante), and the playfulness of each of us in the audience. Our Quixote is the straight man, and romance is not dead, even at the end of life or career.
To be too practical, especially at Fringe, is madness. Enjoy Opposable Thumb Theatre’s Don Quixote (Is a Very Big Book) at Pleasance Dome (King Dome) to see life as it should be.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
