Produced by Ann Noble with Unmuted Participants and captured on Zoom, Little Parts Hunts a Baby Daddy is about a clown expecting a “maybe baby”.
Part monologue, part confessional, part storytelling, the play progresses as Little Parts looks for the perfect father for her supposed child from six online candidates.
There is puppetry at play within this piece utilising everyday props you might find in the house; as the clown works through her criteria, with boxes stacked behind her and the requisite red nose.
Running at 72 minutes, this is a direct to camera performancs which relies on its words and gestures to reach the audience. It is very American in attitude, and has a laid back, laconic style.
Noble finds the value in the absurd with her clown, as tragic as she is funny. She posits “clown logic” and daddy issues as she sets out on her quest. Her close-up work is beautifully done and her connection with the camera keeps you watching.
If there is no conception date, or due date, or baby: then what? How weird can things get? As Little Parts works through the Google Forms, we meet the maybe-Baby Daddies through both their eyes and hers.
Clearly there is baggage here both with the clown and her applicants, and this quirky tale touches on issues of mental breakdown, trauma, and chronic illness while pursuing a deceptively light clowning tale for older viewers.
An intriguing show which has enough to make it stand out from the crowd.
You can watch Little Parts Hunts a Baby Daddy throughout the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at C Arts: tickets available here.
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