"Taken one wide-eyed, rubber-limbed performer at a time, everyone in the clown play 'Yōkai' is impressive...But while their show is marvelous moment by moment, it doesn’t exceed the sum of its charming parts...By the fifteenth sneaky entrance, the childlike naughtiness starts to cloy. As the show glides along like a recital, giving each actor a showcase moment, an overall sense of sameness also tiptoes in."
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"It’s going to take this European band of devised performers to tell us that it is all going to be okay. I’m more than happy to welcome the Oslo and Paris-based Krumple to our country in despair, in need of remedy...Awesome clown work that’s expressive, silly, and emotionally gripping all at once...The plot is only a small portion of what makes 'YŌKAI' so enjoyable. For simple magic and some profound laughs, visit the Tank at their new space on 36th Street. Don’t despair."
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"A witty and soulful amalgam of physical theater, clowning, dance, magic, and miniatures...Rather than seeking to enlighten, it mesmerizes abstractly, with stagy wisdom that seems beyond the years of these young artists but obviously isn’t...The six talented performers sneak or slam in and out, now characters, now puppeteers, now set constructors...always charming and disarming. We detect many influences and resonances along with plenty of hilarity and a lot of heart."
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“As content, it's a tad arbitrary, but it's delivered with style; all the better for the arch shonkiness that cuts through its cuteness. Helicopters on headbands whiz through the skies. Carolers cut out mid-chorus. As it relishes its shortfalls and failures, it seems to rejoice in resilience all the more. Like us, it keeps on carrying on, making the best of our fragile, little lives.”
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"Funny, clever, surreal and visually striking, this imaginative new show from The Krumple is a gift that keeps on giving…The central premise here–how people cope with the tragedies and chaos life drops in their lap–is universal and timeless. The stories themselves are engaging, but it is the method in which they are told that gives 'Yōkai' its gold star…Words are redundant in the face of such astute movement and razor-sharp timing."
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“An organic and heartwarming fringe gem…Words are savored by the Yōkai and transferred to expressions as wide as the Mile, whilst maintaining believable, eccentric characterization…Assured narrative imagination fuels the vibrancy of the style and vice versa. The quality of storytelling is refreshingly unpredictable but consistently clear…'Yōkai' reminds us that, in a world of theoretical divisions, the stories we make as individuals are a part of a greater narrative.”
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“A perfect mix of physical theatre, mime, and magical storytelling...Beautiful images rolling into one another, coming to life with extreme simplicity, is something truly admirable. The lack of narrative can be overlooked...the only disappointment is the slightly confusing ending. However, on the whole this show is genial, joyous and funny. This is the ideal family combination: children will be blown away whilst adults will be stunned. The perfect representation of the theatre’s magical power.”
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"The staging is a wonder…‘Yokai’ is at once tender, harrowing, heart-wrenching, and humorous, and through a series of perfectly crafted vignettes explores a spectrum of emotions which question what it means to be a human…A hidden gem of mime, magical storytelling, and physical theatre, performed by an incredibly imaginative and talented cast. It is unlike any piece of theatre that I have seen before, and is a work of art that remains with you long after you have left."
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