Francisco de Nata is a reminder of how powerful softness can be. It asks very little of its audience yet gives back so much.Rating
Unmissable!
Some performances grab you with spectacle or noise; others sneak up on you with gentleness and charm. Francisco de Nata falls firmly into the latter camp. I walked into Soho Theatre expecting to be entertained, but I didn’t expect to be so completely disarmed. Against all logic, I would happily spend an hour watching this giraffe do just about anything, including nothing at all.
Created and performed by the brilliantly inventive Keaton Guimarães-Tolley, Francisco de Nata graces the stage with a delightful exploration of distraction and wonder. Over the course of an hour, we are invited to witness Guimarães-Tolley playing the most hardworking, and equally distracted, giraffe. He greets the space with quiet confidence; every gesture feels intentional, careful, and inviting, yet never self-indulgent. The audience is placed firmly at the heart of each moment.
The premise is deceptively simple. Francisco has one job: paint the ceiling. That’s it. But simplicity, in this case, is the greatest trick. Almost immediately, the task drifts into the background as Francisco’s wide-eyed fascination with his surroundings takes centre stage. His attention wanders, landing on us, the audience, and for this hour we become his unconventional support circle. Without force or fuss, the performance evolves into a shared experience built on trust, curiosity, and play.
While we are presented with Francisco’s whimsical world, there is an undercurrent that resonates deeply: the distraction from a job you don’t love is something we all understand. Guimarães-Tolley cleverly interrogates this theme, taking us on a journey where we cannot help but fall in love with the mundane, through a character whose unwavering optimism transforms ordinary life into something extraordinary.
What’s remarkable is how naturally the audience is invited in. Participation is woven through so gently that you barely notice it happening. There’s no pressure, no embarrassment, no sense that the performer is one step ahead, waiting for you to catch up. Instead, Francisco meets you where you are. He lowers himself (metaphorically speaking) to your level, offering warmth, openness and just a hint of flirtation. The result is an atmosphere where people want to join in. By the time dancing enters the equation, it feels not only acceptable but inevitable.
This giraffe is a rare kind of clown. He doesn’t rely on tricks or mockery, and he never turns the audience into the punchline. The humour arises from sincerity, from the joy of shared attention and the simple pleasure of slowing down together. It’s playful, yes, but also unexpectedly moving. At its heart is a unifying theme: trying to complete a task while life’s distractions keep pulling us aside, only to realise that these distractions carry their own joy and love. The message of Francisco de Nata is clear: while we all have jobs to do, we must not lose sight of the beauty and wonder life has to offer.
Francisco de Nata is a reminder of how powerful softness can be. It asks very little of its audience yet gives back so much.
Written, directed and produced by Keaton Guimarães-Tolley
Puppet maker: Irina Anghel
Francisco de Nata plays at Soho Theatre until Saturday 31 January.
