SILENCE S’IL VOUS PLAÎT by Asha Deboran-Hotrum and Shannon Farrell (Illusion, Coffee and Poetry). At Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. July 10 at 1 pm, July 12 at 1:45 pm, July 13 at 7:30 pm, July 14 at 11 pm, July 15 at 1:45 pm. See listing. Rating: NNN
This rare mime show at the Fringe scores points for doing the art form justice, but the story should have raised the stakes quicker.
Mime artists Melanie Petriw and Robyn Barnes play two Parisians who meet by chance and set off to explore their city.
The miming is superb, as each scene is illustrated with striking, vivid physicality. What’s enticing about their mime work is the flexibility it gives the audience to fill in the long blanks.
But the ending comes so suddenly we soon miss these charming characters we were just getting to know.