Little Lark of London

Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble is a self-described “punk-rock comedy show” that surrounds the life of Furiozo, “an aggressive hooligan with a giant heart.” The show begins with three loud knocks to the door and then, as Polish rock music begins blaring, Furiozo enters in all of his glory, with “Furizo”’ written across his torso and the man himself roaring in delight and fury. The character, portrayed by Piotr Sikora, is a fascinating mix of angry at the world and enthusiastic to greet the audience, staring down some while shaking the hands of others. 

The show gives us a peek into the life of Furizo, letting the audience see how a hardened criminal can fall in love and try to break the cycle that he has born into. One of the highlights of Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble is not Sikora himself, but how the audience is brought into the show. It begins with Furiozo shaking hands with audience members but then not letting them go, taking them on stage with him to help him with the show. The only problem? Furiozo is a silent clown, only able to tell the audience members what he wants through miming and the occasional nod or shaking of the head. While there were a few misunderstandings due to the lack of speech from Furiozo, all of the audience members eventually catch on, laughing along with the audience at themselves.

Another character in the show, Furiozo’s partner, is played by a mannequin in a pink wig, an inanimate object brought to life by Furiozo’s own movements. It is incredibly interesting to see how Sikora quite literally makes it so that the woman only has power when it is given to her by Furiozo himself, making for an unbalanced dynamic. While there are some laughs from Furiozo’s interactions with the mannequin, there are also moments of sweetness as well as more sombre moments as Furiozo fights with his inner demons. 

Ultimately, Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble is an interesting clown show that does a great job of going into concepts like toxic masculinity while still remaining sweet and funny, though it would have been nice to know in advance that it was a non-verbal performance. Sikora is fantastic with the audience who only enhance the show, making for a fun hour that is truly made individual by its audience each night. 

Furiozo: Man Looking for Trouble ran on 26 and 27 April at Soho Theatre. More information about the run can be found here.