Review: MAL

by Patrick Langston, Ottawa Citizen
June 22, 2010

Being a clown is no laughing matter. Just ask Rachelle Elie, who you may remember from her terrific clown show Joe: The Perfect Man that played the Ottawa Fringe in 2008. This time, Elie dips into past shows to recreate some of her red-nosed characters and, in the process, take us on her journey to becoming the pro she now is.

Elie is a very funny performer, but we learn her hilarity has been hard-won: you try doing three clown shows a day for birthday brats or getting lambasted by every reviewer in town. And make no mistake: a clown’s soul is always on display; that bright red nose, as she says at one point, is the “smallest mask in the world.”

Elie wasn’t entirely on her game Monday night, muffing lines several times, and MAL isn’t as coherent a show as was Joe: The Perfect Man. But it’s still a treat.

At Mercury Lounge until June 27.