Scratch ‘n’ Fly is an amazing demonstration in physical story telling. Who would have thought that a show lacking in words could produce such an eloquent tale?

Meret Weiss uses a simple list of diverse props. An old fridge, two halves of a large wooden stepladder and a suitcase represent the bulk of the inventory. Oh, and an egg. The egg is the little hero of the story and all it wants is a holiday.

Showing incredible agility, Weiss uses both halves of the ladder as stilts. She climbs up, down, in and out of a small fridge. At times, the things she does are such that you fear for her safety, particularly when you notice she is doing all of this in chunky high-heeled shoes. But this is not just a stunt show. There is a story being told and it has a clear wordless narrative.

At the side, sits Kim Oetliker. Described as the mad scientist of sound, it is easy to see, or rather hear, where this moniker comes from. Whatever aspect of the show Weiss is enacting, from the airport security checks to flight turbulence and beyond, Oetliker has a sound to accompany it. This is no ordinary sound scheme; he extracts sounds from the most unlikely of sources. The rolling of the hamster wheel was probably my favourite, but there are so many that it’s difficult to remember them all. He uses microphones of such sensitivity that the tiniest of sounds are projected as an audio backdrop for Weiss.

It’s an audio and visual delight – physical theatre at its most articulate.

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Scratch ‘n’ Fly at Bats is deeply rooted in the circus/clown tradition, with a central character whose childlike curiosity and innocence are sorely tested, but whose imagination and determination win through. 

Swiss born, Christchurch childhood, European clown training all combine in Meret Weiss, who climbs into, out of and on top of a fridge, scampers up ladders which she then turns into an airplane, and befriends an egg – before eating it.  But what I found more captivating than the on stage action were the deliciously weird sounds created by Kim Oetliker.  He’s obsessed, clearly, by sound, encouraging eerie noises from the most unlikely of objects.  The man’s a genius. 

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A great example of a Fringe Festival play and one suitable for all ages is Wing Production’s Scratch ‘n’ Fly written and performed by Meret Wiess and Kim Oetliker currently playing early evening at BATS. 

With no dialogue to speak of Weiss and Oetliker create a piece of theatre that is bewitching and intriguing in its simplicity yet thoroughly theatrical.  Using her considerable experience in clowning and children’s theatre, Wiess, with the aid of a few props, a very versatile fridge and two ladders takes the audience, and a hard boiled egg, on a fascinating journey through many nonsensical adventures involving airports, aeroplanes, boats, a dessert island and various other locations.

The strength of the production is its unpredictability, and Weiss’s physical dexterity and wonderfully animated facial features.  She is ably assisted by technophobe Oetliker who sits on the side of the stage providing innumerable sound effects that makes this production a pure delight to watch. 

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Good clowning is tragi-comedy at its most poetic, in that every syllable of performed action counts. It is human experience distilled to its poignant, insightful and often absurd essence. It moves us to laughter because it moves us. Good clowning is also ingenious in its metaphysical conception and its physical execution.

Such a work is Wing Productions’ Scratch ‘n Fly, by Christchurch-based international performers Meret Weiss and Kim Oetliker. Weiss’s clown aspires to make successes out of her failures. Oetliker is a truly ingenious sound effects magician.

The tale they combine forces to tell involves arrival via refrigerator, hunger, time, an egg, travel, security, insecurity, turbulence, near disaster, a biplane, crash landing, broken dreams, surgical intervention, a medial miracle, a tropical island, a feed at last, guilt, return to the fridge … and a happy ending.

The said fridge, a desk, a costume stuffed with secreted props, a hanging clock face and a two-part step-ladder are ingeniously utilised by Weiss in multifarious ways, with her ladder work especially making us gasp in trepidation and wonder.

And who would have thought a balloon could creak, or a deflating life jacket could evoke a swelling sea? Oetliker’s sonic effects are extraordinarily creative, and the means by which he achieves them could be more clearly shared with the audience. We strain to see what he’s up to anyway, so making it more accessible would distract us less from the central performance.

Counterpointed with a range of cameo characters, it is the essential humanity of Weiss’s innocent abroad, fallible, gullible, deep feeling, in the moment yet moving on with optimism – and semi-lingual so globally understandable – that holds our interest for the hour, through this soundly structured visual narrative.

Usually we pay big bucks to see this level of talent in high production-value clown shows at the St James. Scratch ‘n Fly offers a unique opportunity to see quality clowning in the relative raw.

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