Clout are a new young company of Lecoq graduates who have created a memorable production that engagingly epitomises some of the methods the school has made popular. We follow the unfortunate story of the hapless and endearing James Flynch, a young man unceremoniously dumped in the opening minutes of the show for being ‘ridiculous’ and ‘boring’ (which he certainly is, all too-loud voice and gauche clumsiness) by a girlfriend who he fails to get over in the ensuing holiday in a strange English seaside hotel.
It’s a simple concept but the company develop consistently interesting and unexpected choices in their characterisation and storytelling. It’s great to see such original characters being put forward by a young company. Frank Minelli, for example, the disarmingly charming and passively threatening New Jerseyite who keeps the furniture in his room protected by sheets, both tries to adopt Flynch and to force his pretty and inscrutable wife on him in a thrillingly ambiguous game. The story moves through absurd hotel farce, poignant character-driven drama and hilarious and bizarre dance sequences with the shifts in tone giving dynamism to the whole.
The production is stylish and atmospheric. Dream sequences, where the stage image is bisected by silently statuesque female figures in yellow one-pieces inspired by Flynch’s memories of his girlfriend’s love of swimming, feel straight out of David Lynch. Transitions between sleep and wakefulness, drunkenness and the cold hard light of day are slickly executed choreographically, demonstrating a really articulate use of rhythm and space. The piece is well acted too, with its extremely diverse cast of characters grounded in detailed and well-observed physicality.
This is a bold first production, full of striking images and creating an interesting and original world. The storytelling takes rather a leap in the closing sequences which, though foreshadowed, feels abrupt, but this is a young company with bright ideas and the skills to match them. Flynch, Lookingestablishes Clout as a company to watch.