(4 / 5)

[To note: this is rated at a 3.5 but rounded up to 4 for wordpress]

Unless you have lived under a rock, you would have heard of the famous novel, Don Quixote. You may not know the story or read the book, but you’ll at least know the name.

I’m sadly one in the latter – I have no idea about the tale, I only know the names and that it’s a huge novel. But there’s nothing to fear with this: Don Quixote (is a very big book) is a one man show where Dik Downey tries to condense this huge tale in just 1 hour. Along the way, we learn that this is Downey’s first fringe, at the age of 63 and the comparison between him and the character of the delusional old knight is meant to be one of the same.

Through elaborate costuming, a circle of sand and multiple puppets and great prop concepts, we rush through this tale but with all the emphasis and gusto of a fully fledged production. Even if this is a whistle stop tour, Downey pours his heart and soul into it, engaging the audience, going off piste with funny anecdotes or diversions from the story to make it more relatable.

Puppets are used throughout, with, a moment of 3 puppets at once! I’m a huge puppet fan and the constructions of these in themselves are fantastic, ranging from life-size donkey heads to tiny Punch and Judy style hand puppets. The range of these give real levels to the production, alongside a clever magnetic costuming. Add in some slapstick noises, some traditional comedy moments and a dash of audience interaction and the comedy meets stylised art is complete.

What brought it down slightly were that there were just some moments that didn’t quite hit with the audience. Moments that were intended to provoke laughter sometimes didn’t hit the mark and lead with a little silence. Sometimes it felt that the balance of seriousness on talking about his trajectory in the industry and the comedy just didn’t quite fit together and may have been lost to some on its intention.

Don Quixote (is a very big book) has all the promise of something both wonderfully funny and artistic. The investment in the costuming, props and approach to the narrative are all brilliant, it just needed a slight bit of honing to really reach the audience on all levels.