The Weatherman

A clown show … about the afterlife

The Weatherman

Kiki’s solo show The Weatherman, has had successful runs around the UK, most recently at the Waterloo Vaults, and received four and five star reviews.

How would you pass time in purgatory? When he is given a banal job in the afterlife, Kiki Lovechild tries to amuse himself throughout eternity by creating new worlds from his imagination.

After years of enthralling audiences as one of the UK’s most innovative variety performers, Kiki’s first solo show introduces an entirely new side to this “endearing … funny” and “fantastically inventive” clown.

“Kiki Lovechild proves how unnecessary words can be in his charming pantomime of how to amuse yourself in purgatory. His show is beautifully paced and combines movement with sound and lighting that sweeps his audience into a world of fun and fantasy unlimited by earthly notions. Anything can happen on his stage and does, from umbrellas-swirling to multicolored lights flashing and unexpected gifts shared by a captivated audience. Nothing verbal can describe the magic of this production, and why should it? The show is an unforgettable hour that cannot fail to make you laugh and love being alive.”

5/5

The Latest, Brighton

“The Weatherman is a delight … Kiki has died and been sent to purgatory, a rather pleasant place full of interesting boxes, suitcases and a machine which controls the weather. The result is hilarious as he explores the boxes – there is a lovely gag when plumbing the depths of one that promises much – the hand plunges through the bottom and ends up grabbing what might be the contents, much to Kiki’s surprise. He also works wonders with a red silk dressing gown.”

Reviews Gate

Kiki Lovechild is an amazing clown. That might be a strange compliment, but I dare you to watch his hour long exploration of the after life and not feel better about being alive. In fact, if the afterlife is as much fun as Kiki‘s show, I am giving up any fear of death here and now.

The play starts with Kiki dying (rather clumsily) and ends with him rewriting his own life. During his time in purgatory he takes a job as a weatherman, mostly dealing out rain, unless that was a metaphor I missed.

The show is carried by Kiki‘s joy of discovering the various aspects of the afterlife. A trusty Weather-O-Matic, coats become his companions or foam airplanes. It’s never complicated but Kiki‘s enthusiasm and stage craft makes the audience forget itself in laughter.

The humour is both based in the use of funny props and physical storytelling that Kiki brings to the table. What sets his show apart is the quality of his audience interactions. Twice during the show I thought that the audience member was a plant, that‘s how good they were.

There is also something a little bit deeper then just fun and laughter going on. Whoever this clown is, he makes the best of his situation. Although he is occasionally sad, it lasts around the amount of time it takes him to notice something new, rarely long on the heavily propped stage. It’s non-sensical, it’s fun and it will create shed tears of laughter. Go see it unless you have a phobia of audience interaction!

4/5

Theatre Full Stop

‘The Weatherman’ is a one man show that follows Kiki Lovechild as he endeavours to find happiness amidst the loneliness of eternity. Tasked with controlling the weather as a means of working his way through purgatory, Kiki’s struggle to adapt to the afterlife is a reminder of the beauty of being alive. The most powerful technique used in ‘The Weatherman’ is the use of mime throughout. The audience never forgets that the performance is soundless apart from the soundtrack, but Kiki performs with such boundless energy that it does not detract from the show. Instead, it gifts Kiki with a childlike innocence and wonder at the world, which slowly deteriorates as the reality of afterlife begins to sink in. The production intelligently manipulates props and settings; creating people out of coats and broom handles, and in one beautiful moment the opening of an umbrella causes blue confetti to rain down on the audience. The audience participation of the piece is another highlight, and at one point foam planes are handed out and the audience encouraged to throw them through a hoop on stage. ‘The Weatherman’ is heartfelt and intelligent, mixing childlike wonderment and magic with the stark reality of spending eternity alone.

Savage