jonno

Something does indeed go boom in the course of The Accident, a strange and fascinating solo show by Jonno Katz. It might well be your mind. Katz is the charismatic original from Down Under whose eccentric brilliance has erupted Up Over with such solo pieces as Cactus and The Spy. This, his latest, is a weird marriage of conventional storytelling, comedy that’s performance art about performance art, plus explosive, free-form dance segues that seem to convey the energy of the unhinged imagination being born and reborn. This sounds like an accident waiting to happen, I realize, all artsy and pretentious. But The Accident isn’t. It’s wild, inventive, and very funny. The narrative purports to be the tale of two brothers. The younger, Sebastien, is a human statue “at a crossroads, like” with big dreams of being a conceptual artist and “subverting the dominant paradigm.” His elder brother Roy is a bit of a bounder, a swaggerer who proposes to his girlfriend with the words that every woman wants to hear. “I want to be, like, in a poly-amorous relationship.” Not only does Katz delineate the characters with a mesmerizing economy, we understand the precise dynamic between the brothers and we seem to know the whole layout of the house, its domestic routines, its festive uncorking of champagne (with complete physical trajectory of bubbles). There’s a kind of lunatic virtuosity in this kind of physical precision. And that’s before we get to the development of Sebastien’s grand plan for a radical reinvention of art installations everywhere. It makes Dr. Wonka’s chocolate factory look kind of half-baked. I’m not going to tell you what it is, except to say that, once seen, Katz’s depiction of digestive bacteria at work will never be forgotten. If The Accident is all about accidents, random occurrences, the cosmology is presented with eerie physical precision. It’s possible that Katz is a force of nature; anyhow, like all accidents, you can’t take your eyes off him.

**** Liz Nicholls, The Edmonton Journal

Jonno Katz is a one-man whirlwind, a physical performer deserving of the highest accolades. His physical ability onstage heightens The Accident, an already curiously enjoyable script about two brothers, the younger dreaming of a high-concept art installation, the older of his low sperm-count. His performance is fluid as he twirls from one character to the next, swapping between them as they converse, argue, kiss and even fornicate. Elsewhere, he excitedly runs through the entire digestive process, teeth to anus, acting out every part as he goes. It’s equally comic, twisted and genius.

**** Paul Blinov, Vue Weekly

Jonno Katz wins the “Adam Lambert award” for the most improved Fringe performer. For years the genial Aussie performer has been moving toward this year’s (and for that matter -last year’s) show. He has developed a unique stylecomposed of mime, movement, gymnastics, storytelling and stand-up, in the service of fantastic but strangely fascinating stories. He also finds a beating heart behind all the physical movement. He certainly does in this year’s show, The Accident. Katz is a true son of the Fringe — you won’t find anything like this elsewhere. Two brothers, Sebastien and Roy, have come to rely on each other after their family dissolved. Roy is a fast-talking taker — Sebastien is a dreamer who leans on his brother. He is also the creative one. He comes up with the concept of a conceptual piece of art — a huge warehouse filling machine that mirrors the human digestive system with food entering at one end and, well, residue coming out the other. He calls it, among other things, The Crapper. It’s a comic premise and quite ridiculous. You’ll laugh your way through The Accident but in the process learn a lot about the complex relationship between two brothers — and perhaps gain an insight or two into the human condition. There are moments that are quite touching.

**** Colin Maclean, The Edmonton Sun

Edmonton Fringe Festival
Something does indeed go boom in the course of The Accident, a strange and fascinating solo show by Jonno Katz. It might well be your mind. Katz is the charismatic original from Down Under whose eccentric brilliance has erupted Up Over with such solo pieces as Cactus and The Spy. This, his latest, is a weird marriage of conventional storytelling, comedy that’s performance art about performance art, plus explosive, free-form dance segues that seem to convey the energy of the unhinged imagination being born and reborn. This sounds like an accident waiting to happen, I realize, all artsy and pretentious. But The Accident isn’t. It’s wild, inventive, and very funny. The narrative purports to be the tale of two brothers. The younger, Sebastien, is a human statue “at a crossroads, like” with big dreams of being a conceptual artist and “subverting the dominant paradigm.” His elder brother Roy is a bit of a bounder, a swaggerer who proposes to his girlfriend with the words that every woman wants to hear. “I want to be, like, in a poly-amorous relationship.” Not only does Katz delineate the characters with a mesmerizing economy, we understand the precise dynamic between the brothers and we seem to know the whole layout of the house, its domestic routines, its festive uncorking of champagne (with complete physical trajectory of bubbles). There’s a kind of lunatic virtuosity in this kind of physical precision. And that’s before we get to the development of Sebastien’s grand plan for a radical reinvention of art installations everywhere. It makes Dr. Wonka’s chocolate factory look kind of half-baked. I’m not going to tell you what it is, except to say that, once seen, Katz’s depiction of digestive bacteria at work will never be forgotten. If The Accident is all about accidents, random occurrences, the cosmology is presented with eerie physical precision. It’s possible that Katz is a force of nature; anyhow, like all accidents, you can’t take your eyes off him. ** Liz Nicholls, The Edmonton Journal Jonno Katz is a one-man whirlwind, a physical performer deserving of the highest accolades. His physical ability onstage heightens The Accident, an already curiously enjoyable script about two brothers, the younger dreaming of a high-concept art installation, the older of his low sperm-count. His performance is fluid as he twirls from one character to the next, swapping between them as they converse, argue, kiss and even fornicate. Elsewhere, he excitedly runs through the entire digestive process, teeth to anus, acting out every part as he goes. It’s equally comic, twisted and genius. Paul Blinov, Vue Weekly Jonno Katz wins the “Adam Lambert award” for the most improved Fringe performer. For years the genial Aussie performer has been moving toward this year’s (and for that matter -last year’s) show. He has developed a unique stylecomposed of mime, movement, gymnastics, storytelling and stand-up, in the service of fantastic but strangely fascinating stories. He also finds a beating heart behind all the physical movement. He certainly does in this year’s show, The Accident. Katz is a true son of the Fringe — you won’t find anything like this elsewhere. Two brothers, Sebastien and Roy, have come to rely on each other after their family dissolved. Roy is a fast-talking taker — Sebastien is a dreamer who leans on his brother. He is also the creative one. He comes up with the concept of a conceptual piece of art — a huge warehouse filling machine that mirrors the human digestive system with food entering at one end and, well, residue coming out the other. He calls it, among other things, The Crapper. It’s a comic premise and quite ridiculous. You’ll laugh your way through The Accident but in the process learn a lot about the complex relationship between two brothers — and perhaps gain an insight or two into the human condition. There are moments that are quite touching. ** Colin Maclean, The Edmonton Sun