Francisco de Nata at Edinburgh Fringe ★★★★★
★★★★★ Francisco de Nata | Underbelly Bristo Square
Francisco de Nata is a yummy revolution as an adorable giraffe. Stick your neck out, have a laugh, and join his yellow wonderland for a better life.
Finally a kids show for adults, where nonsense is allowed to live alongside a polished performance from Francisco de Nata aka actor Keaton Guimarães-Tolley. What to expect? Well, a clown with a giraffe head in revealing leopard print pants – obviously! Performing in the holy birth place of great École Philippe Gaulier trained clowns like Elf Lyons, aka Daisy at Underbelly (aka a cloakroom), Francisco will distract you from the DVT-inducing seating in this sold-out venue, with his uniquely charming and breathtaking energy.
Part Mr Bean, part sexy coy Giraffe, and part camp hero in a jock strap, Francisco de Nata gives us permission to laugh at ourselves whilst asking us to do the ridiculous. This weird and wonderful show reminds us of the simple pleasures of silliness, whether it’s being kissed by a giant cardboard giraffe head or holding his washing line full of leopard print pants. Batshit humour suits the late night slot in Bristo Square, and Francisco de Nata has clearly become a cult hero – and we are here as his disciples. From painting a ceiling ahead of his grandma coming home, to catching a drip (!), mundane activities becomes a surreal delight which will leave you snorting out your drink with laughter.
DISCLAIMER: The giraffe get-up is not just a cringey gimmick – the beautiful audience connection hums with genuine feeling, and Guimarães-Tolley’s sublime physical comedy acting talent is the real deal. Francisco de Nata has honed an encyclopaedia of facial expressions, and has the reactions of a cat – dealing with uncomfortable audience interactions with skill and joy. There should be room for this noble act on late night TV: long live alternative comedy, and hopefully a commissioner likes giraffes!
Francisco de Nata is an irresistible treat at the world’s largest arts festival. Fun is alive and kicking, and you need this goofy giraffe in your life to rediscover your inner child and let go of being cool.
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
