Puddles sits mournfully on stage as we file in to the Circus Theatre. He’s a vision of luminous white — apart from his dark high tops and bright red laces.
Puddles Pity Party is a cabaret performance with a twist. Renowned worldwide and best known for his YouTube pop covers, Puddles’ show sold out at the recent Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The sad clown with a gift for singing appears in classic, lily-white pierrot makeup with a slightly dishevelled crown tilted ‘just so’.
While people get seated, Puddles pops gum into his mouth. By the time the show starts, he has accumulated so much that he can barely chew. Perhaps you’re wondering how he will sing? Don’t worry, he has a solution: his suitcase is an ideal place for his gum to rest while he performs. As words on screen tell us, this is a party that has to turn out right.
Puddles’ esteemed baritone rings out as he sings modern classics like ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Royals’, ‘Chandelier’, ‘Hallelujah’, and ‘Happy Birthday’. During the latter he ‘forgets’ the name of each audience member that he has sought out. Instead of singing their names, he sings ‘Kevin’. By the end of the show, we’ve learnt why — Puddles is rather fond of Kevin Costner.
Not only is he gigantic in stature (at just over two metres in height), and in the possession of a magnificent voice, but Puddles also has a tendency to maraud around the periphery seeking out audience interaction. He has a surprisingly approachable and likeable nature, the result of which is a willing cast of participants that befriend the clown, acting as props, backup singers, and assistants on stage.
Almost everything Puddles does is tinged with a sombre tone. However, while he sings sad songs, sways despondently, plays frustrated gags and pleads wordlessly with his chosen audience members, everyone around him has an irrepressible smile on their face.
Puddles Pity Party has the audience singing along, laughing, and in some cases dancing, as Puddles creates a delightfully touching and riotously funny party that does turn out right.
Puddles Pity Party runs from January 29 to February 4 at the Circus Theatre in Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge. Tickets available here.
