Review | Trauma clown John Michael’s got dead mommy issues and he’s coming for you in the remarkably funny ‘Meatball Séance’

Meatball Séance

Created and performed by John Michael, developed by Arlo Howard, directed by Sammy Zeisel. Until July 16 at Streetcar Crowsnest Guloien Theatre, 345 Carlaw Ave.

So there I was, standing on the stage of the Guloein Theatre holding a pile of spaghetti and freshly-cooked meatballs, while a wild-eyed man wearing silver jockey shorts and a cooking apron ran in circles around the stage and called me “mom.”

John Michael’s “Meatball Séance” — which recently was named best solo show at the 2022 Ottawa Fringe — is more than interactive theatre. It’s a wild trip into Michael’s frenzied consciousness that all but compels the audience to come along. He refers to himself as both a performance artist and a trauma clown, and I don’t think that what he’s doing in this show could be called acting. Rather, it’s an amped-up performance of self in which he externalizes grief and neediness beyond the point of absurdity. What’s remarkable, given how dark that sounds, is that the show is genuinely funny and he’s incredibly lovable.

The premise is that he has a new boyfriend and he wants his mother, who passed away nearly a decade ago, to meet him. So he conjures her by making her meatball recipe (the set includes a portable cooktop) and casts audience members as stand-ins for his absent loved ones. He offers an opt-out — you can cross your arms if you don’t want to be brought on stage — but really, there’s no place to hide as he bounds and crawls all over the seating area with the house lights up. All that to a soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac hits.

This is one for adventurous Fringers and anyone who’s looking to test their personal boundaries — a dish of catharsis with a side of garlic and fennel.

To view the list of the Star’s top picks from the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival, click here.

Tickets: fringetoronto.com

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