“UnCouth” begins with Californian physical comedienne Windy Wynazz slowly pushing a mop onstage with a white fright wig on her head, looking like an apathetic albino version of Carol Burnett’s charwoman. Ordinarily, at this point I’d start by summarize the plot, but since I honestly have no clue what this show was about, I’ll simply list some bizarro bullet points.
Over the course of 50 minutes, Wynazz:
- Rubs a glove of Barbie doll heads in her armpit.
- Makes a deal with a devil puppet for a pair of silver shoes, which she takes forever putting on.
- Trades her blonde wig for a brunette one that makes her look suspiciously like Mark Baratelli’s Drunk Judy Garland.
- Gives an awkward lap dance to a kindergarten chair.
- Masturbates with an out-of-tune toy piano.
- Lip-syncs to a manic mashup of Lou Reed and Liza songs.
- Challenges an audience member to a Nerf gunfight.
- Uses a lazy susan as a Sit ‘n’ Spin.
- Encourages the audience to pelt her with fuzzy red balls, followed by a group hug grand finale.
I generally enjoy avant-garde clowning, and I hate to sound dismissive of anyone’s art. I can’t fault Wynazz’s commitment as a performer, but I just didn’t find her character emotionally compelling or even particularly funny. There seems to be a message about the corrosive effects of fame, but it beats me exactly what that message is. The great thing about Fringe is that there’s a show for everyone; I’m just not the somebody that this show is for.
UnCouth
Windy Wynazz – Oakland, CA
Venue: Pink
Length: 60 minutes
Rating: 13 and up
Price: $10
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This article appears in May 13-19, 2015.