A wibbly wobbly man does remarkable things with his body in a delightfully extraordinary performance that includes knee-synching to song… Weird maybe but truly breathtaking! Rating
Excellent
You come to the Edinburgh Fringe looking for entertainment – perhaps comedy, dance, puppetry or cabaret. What you might not expect to encounter is the extraordinary talent of Daniel Nodder who covers all of these elements and more in his one man show Only Bones. The man is a creative alchemist who generates something entirely unique and special as he seamlessly combines these many genres with exceptional body movement. It’s absolute gold.
Forget talk of big budgets; creativity and innovation is totally at the heart of this production, which features only Nodder’s body, his clothes and a lightbulb. But together, they take us to imagined worlds, encouraging us to suspend disbelief and embrace impossible achievements, and leaving the audience thrilled.
The production starts with a moment of true beauty. Nodder clasps a glowing red bulb, through which his finger bones clearly show – a beating heart that brings the show to life – before his hands dance at the speed of light, creating shapes and movement that are gorgeously artistic and breathtaking to behold. He goes on to tell extraordinary stories with his body parts at different scales and on changing planes, sometime standing, sometimes even upside down. These include the extinction of the dinosaurs, a romantic duet between his kneecaps and extraordinary rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ from his foot. You really need to see it to believe it – and I promise, you will be totally sold.
Nodder is a charismatic performer, who has the audience captivated and entertained not only with his movement but his delightful demeanour. This man has funny bones and it’s contagious. At times he’s a human emoji, using his face hilariously to convey emotion. But he’s clearly an artist above all, responding to music incredibly beautifully with balance, synchronisation, tension and drama. It’s the full package of art.
If you’re up for some risk taking this EdFringe this would be the show to see. There is really nothing like Only Bones and it will certainly have you body popping all the way to the bus home.
Created and performed by: Daniel Nodder
Concept and mentoring by: Thom Monckton
Only Bones runs at Assembly Roxy until Sunday 30 August as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
