Running away to the Circus at The Studio at Paradise in Augustine’s for “Murder! At The Cirque Du Banquet! The Terrible, Final Case Of Detective Ace Dekkard” feels like a long sentence. And it is. But it’s worth it for the Dead Parrot Collective’s sophomore outing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
When famed travelling troupe Cirque Du Banquet is stunned by a vicious killing, only one man can be trusted to find the guilty, the new world’s greatest detective, Ace Dekkard. He faces a circus dripping with secrets, a network of criminal clowns and enemies on all sides…will this truly be his last case?
Connor McCord is our Detective Ace Dekkard. McCord plays Dekkard like he was born to. You get the feeling he’s enjoying every second. The mysterious, hard outer shell of Dekkard suits McCord, but he still manages to bring layers to Dekkard. Card tricks galore, lots of self pondering and monologuing aloud all help keep Dekkard feeling fresh and fun. McCord handles Dekkard with a suaveness and coolness that is to be admired, one that feels common among the archetype of his character, yet feels fresh and very funny here amidst the Maddness of the setting.
Paul Tomlinson plays Detective Vinnie Cassino. Tomlinson portrays a skittish nervousness to Cassino that contrasts nicely to Dekkard’s brooding. He manages to be the fanboy caught in the whirlwind while also feeling like a competent detective in his own right. Throwing funny one liners in the mix, mainly being a voice of reason among the Maddness and acknowledging very cool things Dekkard does means Cassino is an audience favourite from the start.
Jack Jarvis Gouther is excellent as Ringmaster Relish. Gouther commands the stage as Relish, he’s achingly funny, loud enough to be heard clearly by the whole auditorium and feels very comfortable playing comedy, especially the larger more OTT style in Relish. He throws in lots of little Spanish lines and references here and there that, if you know a base level of Spanish, you’ll know are just not quite right. Gouther lavishes in this and levels it up to the extreme; providing laughs at any given opportunity and demanding every ounce of the audience’s attention while he does it.
Brianna Jolly plays Scarlett Soufflé, Yum Yum and a few more fantastic characters throughout. Jolly throws herself into each character, bringing infectious energy wherever she goes, whoever she may be. A believable sheltered and slightly disturbed child one moment, and a woman on the run from some shady people the next. Jolly isn’t off stage for much of the play but not once do the characters feel like they bleed into each other, showing Jolly has a strong grasp of each character she puts on display here.
Chelsea Moles is superb as Lavender Lemongrass. She brings a touch of TOWIE to the otherwise unanimously American group of characters in the show. Moles’ ability to punctuate a moment with sincere and in your face abruptness (or flatulence) is hilarious. Her character feels comforting and all knowing, yet mysterious and kept at arm’s length from the audience. This is intentional but Moles manages to keep the audience on side throughout. Involved in some important stuff down the line, Moles bides her time and gives the audience what they need to know at the right times.
Erin Clark is excellent as Clownmaster Pepper. She makes for a mean mob boss, yet allows just enough fun into the performance for it to be very funny and dynamic from start to finish. Clark keeps Pepper a mystery for the most part. Her ability to handle the much bigger clown Bon Bon and never making it feel silly or out of place, all aludes to Clark’s ability to hold her own on the stage.
Declyn Tracey plays the strong man Horatio Mustard. Tracey doesn’t have many scenes but the ones they do have are very solid. Conveying a range of emotions in a short amount of time, Tracey holds their own here, adding layers to Horatio and gaining the audience’s sympathies. Referring to himself in the third person and showing a softer side than first realised, the audience are left wanting more of Horatio.
James Sharp Plays Bon Bon, the big non verbal Clown in Pepper’s gang of miscreants. James uses his size and his physicality expertly well here, making him seem like he could snap anyone in two if he wanted to, but also that he would never disobey his boss, Pepper. Getting a surprising amount out of “ugh” as his only lines of dialogue, Sharp conveys lots without saying really anything at all.
Jordan Monks plays many different parts throughout Cirque Du Banquet. Each is funny, lived in and are welcome additions to the chaos. With some really good accents and some questionable ones (only adding to the sense of fun that is a clear aim throughout) Monks is yanked this way and the next in a short space of time, while always seeming on top of things. His stand out role here being Slick Rick Rivers, a sleazy pimp man that screams Jim Carrey’s The Mask, Monks provides some side achingly funny moments too.
Lev Siegel has the most parts to jump between, 7 in total. Lev manages to give each unique mannerisms, postures and attitudes, never confusing the audience for a second. An impressive feat considering how much chopping and changing there is to be done.
The main story of Murder! At The Cirque Du Banquet! is very strong. Setting a brilliant detective against an eclectic group of circus performers, all with something to hide while being scared of clowns and having to drag along a newly promoted detective with him sets the scene for over an hour of hilarity and mystery. The story written by the majority of the cast is easy to follow and keeps the audience on their seats, waiting to find out whodunnit. The writing from Connor McCord and Paul Tomlinson is strong too. The dialogue is effective, sharp and funny. Nice self aware, fourth wall break nods are added in fairly regularly to keep the tone clear and to keep the feeling of the mystery fresh. The direction from James Sharp is excellent and he uses his cast to great effect. Keeping a consistent tone throughout, using a large amount of set (putting other fringe shows to shame and making this feel almost big budget) and allowing his actors to play and be at their best proves Sharp has an understanding of how to direct a funny and effective piece of theatre.
The mystery in the show is genuinely intriguing, while managing to be impressively funny. Each supporting character feels like they have enough time and feel fleshed out, simultaneously giving the main two characters their time to be in the spotlight. The actors all do a great job in making their parts feel real and believable. The format of the script and the staging was very effective and mature. There’s creative sound design that helps add to the usual dark noir feel, if a little too loudly. The only footnote is that the show is slightly too long and meanders ever so slightly at the end. This is unimportant, however, as you’re too busy having too much damn fun to notice. Overall, this piece from Dead Parrot Collective has had lots of hard work and passion poured into it, making it truly fantastic and absolutely one to see this Edinburgh Fringe.
Theatre Scotland 
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