Jared Athias on Todd Sullivan

Dear Todd,

I was interested in seeing a clown show due to the unexpected nature of the form. A clown can present themselves in a magnitude of ways, providing an infinite possibility of personas, gags, and hooplah. But it is a fine line between high art and utter disaster. Nothing is off limits, and the audience is almost trapped by the whimsy being presented on stage. Your presentation of Maniac, conveyed the idea that no one, including you, could possibly know where the act is going, and yet somehow you built a captivating narrative that made me question my dreams, responsibilities, identity, and morals. 

In the beginning of the show I found myself naturally searching for a narrative. But as you blindly guided the audience’s responses and reactions I found myself no longer searching for a narrative and happily accepting the performance towards it’s natural conclusion. Your presentation of a character who is navigating three trials to reach a sort of enlightenment forced a level of engagement from the audience that looked, at times, almost uncomfortable from a performer’s standpoint, and yet you managed to make every response feel natural, planned, and accepted. It was a sort of freedom from structure that allowed for a more playful performance to shine through. I found myself feeling like I was watching improv theater, where you were “yes and-ing” your way through the act. And just when I thought everything was completely random and unplanned, you performed the most unassuming of magic tricks, turning this unorganized clown into a masterful wizard.

Maniac was a jaw-dropping, unexpected experience that had me questioning who was really in control of the show, right up until the very last second when I realized it was the man in front of me the whole time. Your ability to quickly gain the audience’s trust made the whole show that much more cohesive, I felt as if I was helping to build the show right then and there. An accomplice in a murder where everyone involved is each other’s unique alibi. 

Your new friend,

Jared

Todd Sullivan is the creator/performer of Maniac, which ran September 9th and 10th at the Philadelphia Fringe.

Jared Athias is the creator / performer of Palatable, which ran September 8th and 9th at the Philadelphia Fringe.