Review: DELUSIONS & GRANDEUR - ZOO Playground (12/08/26)

Classical cello and clowning proves a compelling combination

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A dichotomy of comedy and classicism kicks off this year's fringe adventure, as we delve into cellist Karen Hall's world, where she takes clowning, solo cello playing, and smashes them together in a genre-defying new work that is bound to have you talking. This new work takes a deep dive into the life, hardships, mental strain and crippling self-doubt that often comes with the territory of being a professional freelance musician, framed by means of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach's 7-movement Suite No. 1 for solo cello, a piece of music which you would be hard pressed to find absent from any cellist's core repertoire.

Karen Hall in "Delusions and Grandeur"

The big draw for this solo work, that spreads out the various movements of the solo suite throughout its roughly one hour runtime, is how much of herself Hall has shared, as this is about as raw, honest and unfiltered a piece of theatre as you're going to experience. She takes to the stage pre-show to eat her sandwich, often a luxury in the world of professional music performance, before diving straight into the prelude, followed by a rather stirring, profound discussion about what it means to be a practitioner of recreating somebody else's centuries-old work.

We experience every high and low of Hall's life and times, from her early career work in the TV show "Glee", to the pitfalls of teaching, the dehumanising nature of objectification, including various outfit changes, and a detailed look inside the gig bag of a freelance musician. We see her removing rosins for her bow, metronomes, and a comedically high number of pencils, among a plethora of other items, that highlight the considerable personal expense that comes with this undoubted labour of love, and showing us the side of being a professional musician that many don't get to see.

Karen Hall in "Delusions and Grandeur"

What equally keeps us hooked is that Hall doesn't just address her audience, but actively engages with them, using their own experiences to tailor the performance to each group of people in attendance, giving the show a quasi-improvisatory feel. This means that, barring a minor miracle, we will never have the same show more than once, keeping it fresh from night to night. But more than anything, for this commentator anyway, is just how universal so many facets of the musician's experience seem to be, from our California native performer spilling her guts, to this reviewer and one-time professional musician who hails from this side of the Atlantic.

As a relative insider, I feel that I am at a distinct advantage over others present at this show, so I couldn't possibly speak for those without the same shared knowledge. However, as skilled a musician and performer as Hall may be, the very personal experiences she shares, and the degree to which she bares her soul, are what truly make this such a compelling new solo piece, and will undoubtedly be the thing that make it so universally accessible.

★★★★☆ (4*)

"Delusions and Grandeur" runs at ZOO Playground until the 30th of August (tickets)

{PR/Gifted Tickets}