“I’ve worked tirelessly to create this atmosphere of bemused silence,” joked Joshua Ladgrove, aka. Neal Portenza, towards the end of his off-the-wall performance. It was a fitting quip, Ladgrove’s Friday night crowd merciless in their indifference. Now, let’s be clear about something: this is not a terrible show. In fact, it’s a very good show. Even if you don’t buy into this particular review, Ladgrove has received great acclaim and boasts sold-out Fringe Festival seasons. On the evening in question, though, he clashed with an audience that made him pay for being brave and ambitious.
Did they not get the character? Maybe, but then again, what’s not to get? Portenza is the epitome of surrealist silliness. There’s a childlike sense of play and mischief about Portenza’s on-stage shenanigans, something universally relatable. To that end, the character could probably stand on its own. It’s courageous, then, that Ladgrove should favour a far more interactive approach instead. In this show, he frequently calls upon audience participation to augment his comedy. In fact, it’s a cornerstone of the entire hour. So, in summary: it’s kind of vital for the audience to, well, participate. Therein lies this show’s potential to falter and never recover.
On this particular evening, Ladgrove found himself wrestling with the worst case scenario. Lumped with an apprehensive, momentum-killing crowd, he was doomed to struggle. He gave the audience as much as possible, expending energy on everything from rhythmic gymnastics to portrait painting. However, they were resolutely unmoved by his segments of clowning around. Ladgrove’s superb charisma and imagination went entirely to waste. Even when he simply attempted to converse with the crowd, he was met with stone-cold silence, as if he had spoken to them in Spanish.
To that end, in statistical terms, this show was undoubtedly an outlier. If you ever have the opportunity to see Dr. Professor Neal Portenza, head into the show with an open mind. It’s great and wildly different to conventional stage comedy. Have fun, embrace the silliness and, above all, participate. Don’t ruin it for everyone else.
