Edinburgh Fringe: Trygve Wakenshaw KRAKEN

Trygve Wakenshaw: KRAKEN
Reviewed on August 11th, 2015
Underbelly, Cowgate

by Joanna Orland

Trygve Wakenshaw has crafted one of the most fascinatingly silly shows in existence with Kraken. Wakenshaw first came onto the physical comedy scene with his cult hit Squidboy. Kraken is his sophomore project which he has generously brought back to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, alongside his latest show Nautilus.

How this man has the energy to perform both Kraken and Nautilus in the same night, every night for the duration of the Fringe, is beyond comprehension. Kraken’s intro alone is so strikingly intense that as an audience member, I couldn’t even hope for anything more. With a near wordless performance, Wakenshaw has the audience wrapped around his finger with a deeper connection and ease of two-way communication than between most couples in attendance.

The flow of Kraken is amazingly seamless. One miming sketch morphs into another naturally as Wakenshaw embodies his actions and uses reincorporation to form the basis of both audience understanding and the show’s comedy. One recurring scene involves a Loop Station, an imaginary one as most of Wakenshaw’s props are. He gets the audience to understand the concept through repetition, and at one point gets us to voice his loops, perfectly without even need of him muttering a word of request. This is the power that he has over his audience. We were fascinated and fully on board, 100%.

As Wakenshaw promised to deliver improvised interpretive dance in exchange for us leaving the venue promptly after the conclusion of his show, much of the audience were keen to stay behind with his flirtatious comedic allure drawing them in beyond the realms of Kraken. His masterful physicality being a key factor in this fascination.

Daily ticket sales to Nautilus no doubt increase heavily after a Kraken performance, and I for one cannot wait to see more of Trygve Wakenshaw’s comedic charms.