Rannou's Wordless Western Premieres at Edinburgh Fringe
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Olivier Rannou premiered his wordless, one-man spaghetti western at Edinburgh's Church Hill theatre as part of the Fringe, performing entirely through mime, clowning and physical theatre
- Bakélite, the French theatre company, produced the family-friendly show, which runs at Church Hill theatre until 11 August
- Rannou conjures a rattlesnake from string and cacti from wooden planks, while constructing a morphing set on stage that includes a wooden horse which clops off on its own
- Émilie Rougier composed the electronic score, with the reviewer noting it ranges from electric-didgeridoo sounds to tinkly fairground tunes, flipping the mood between light and dark
- Alan Floc'h and Alexandre Musset designed lighting that evokes a relentlessly glaring desert sun and eerie night
- The review frames the show as 'eccentric and entertaining' but 'bemusing,' with Rannou's cowboy carrying an edge of existential angst alongside Road Runner-like mishaps
Why it matters: In a Fringe programme crowded with spoken-word theatre, this wordless, family-friendly show from French company Bakélite offers audiences a rare non-verbal option built on physicality and prop invention. The reviewer's ambivalence — calling it both 'eccentric and entertaining' and 'bemusing' — signals that the production's appeal hinges on audience appetite for abstract, Beckett-tinged clowning rather than narrative payoff.
Ask SkimNews
