Blizzard review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | The Motley Wherehaus

At 2024's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, people would not stop telling me to see Piotr Sikora’s clown show Furiozo: Man Looking For Trouble. Naturally, I missed it. I did eventually catch it later that year at Edinburgh Fringe, and from that point on, Sikora locked himself onto my must-see list. So when I learnt he was bringing a work-in-progress, Blizzard, to this year’s Melbourne Comedy Festival, I was properly excited.

We follow a Polish soldier on a strange, snow-covered journey. There’s a lot of snow. And an orange. And a creature of sorts. For the most part, the work is silent, with fragments of Polish and very little English. But Sikora’s ability to tell a clear, compelling narrative without relying on language is where the magic really sits, everything is communicated through physical comedy, audience play, and a constant (non-verbal) dialogue with the room.

There’s also an inventive use of props throughout, with items carrying a surprising amount of the storytelling. From horse heads to pieces of a soldier’s uniform, objects are literal depictions of what they are, but their purpose is revealed in how they are handled on stage. The portrayal of Tanyusha, marked by a hanging red dress, is striking in its simplicity, while the creature’s transformation is ridiculous but very convincing.

Sikora has a strong instinct for audience participation. He may be the one narrating, but it’s the interactions with the audience that drive the story, making space for spontaneous play to emerge. There’s a wonderful battle scene where, with no verbal cues, he conducts the entire audience into creating a full score composed of bomb explosions and the clash and scrape of swords in combat.

What’s particularly fascinating is the balance between structure and spontaneity. The work feels carefully shaped, but Sikora is confident enough to step outside of it, lingering in scenes, playing with the audience, or following an unexpected thread before gently steering things back on course.

As a work-in-progress, there are elements that are a bit too loose. The beginning, chaptered as “Chaos”, sets a tone but doesn’t quite match the strength of what comes next. The piece could dive directly into the story, allowing for further time to explore this unique, fantastical world that proves highly engaging once it takes hold.

A good clown show will make people laugh, but one that truly stands above the rest does more than that, it sneaks up on you and makes you feel something real. It may be in its early days, but Blizzard already has that spark, balancing absurdity with an emotional weight running beneath the surface.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: The Motley Wherehaus, 432 Queen St, Melbourne
Season: until 19 April | Thurs - Tues 9:45pm

Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $17 Full | $14 Conc & Tightarse Tuesday

Bookings: Melbourne International Comedy Festival