A Clown’s Lullaby
★★★★☆ Melancholy
Rotunda Theatre (Venue 65): Fri 7 – Tues 18 Aug 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson.
Crested Fools’ A Clown’s Lullaby at the Rotunda is a display that is as pensive as it is humorous, and exactly the sort of thing that people who think they don’t like clowns should go to see.
Written and directed by Daniel Orejon, it features Ola Olsinova as a white-faced clown. Her friend Loo Krayina (Daria Sydorenko) appears on her phone in tears, and it is explained that Mr Bellicose has been mean to Loo. The performer enlists audience members to become clowns to sing a lullaby to help Loo Krayina get to sleep, but becomes distracted by other concerns and games.
Ola Olsinova in A Clown’s Lullaby. Pic: John Mannion.
While there’s a playfulness and a light touch to it all, there’s no getting away from the darker concerns. Before the show starts, Olsinova is out in the queue interacting with audience members, but what she is mainly doing is crying on seeing images of war on her phone.
And the spectre of war is never far away, not only in the name Bellicose, but also in Loo Krayina (try saying it out loud). It’s not done in a way that would frighten younger attendees unnecessarily, but is always there. While much of the performance reassures, there are no easy answers or reconciliations.
Orejon’s script and direction are pitched just right, with the content designed to appeal both to children and adults. Indeed, it might even be more appealing for adults, with the playfulness shot through with that wistful longing for the land of lost content.
Olsinova’s performance is beautifully controlled, precise of gesture and endlessly witty. She involves the various audience participants with charm and ease.
flexibility
It has to be noted that on this particular occasion, the performance was affected by a potentially serious mishap involving the venue that was in no way the fault of the performers. It is a testament to the flexibility, preparedness and calmness of Crested Fools that it did not derail proceedings.
There are a couple of moments that are slightly less successful, notably the attempt to get the audience to become a choir, which needs a little more careful corralling and more explicit instructions; otherwise, the narrative (largely wordless but multilingual when speaking does occur) is wonderfully clear.
The whole thing is perhaps also just slightly too long.
There’s real charm here, however, in a performance whose control and generosity are very impressive.
Running time: One hour no interval).
Rotunda Theatre (Pip), George Heriot’s, Lauriston Place, EH3 9EQ. (Venue 65).
Friday 7 – Tuesday 18 August 2026.
Daily: 2pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Crested Fools website: www.crestedfools.com
Facebook: @CrestedFools
Instagram: @CrestedFools
Linktree: @crestedfools.
Ola Olsinova in A Clown’s Lullaby. Pic: John Mannion.
ENDS
