My Uncle's Shoes

What does it mean to fill someone else’s shoes? When that footwear is roller-skates and stilts, as in My Uncle’s Shoes, the answer is a hell of a lot. This wordless show from Brazilian Companhia do meu Tio follows a travelling clown and his clumsy, clueless nephew, as the former attempts to teach the latter the skills of his precarious trade.

This simple framing premise offers ample opportunities for Companhia do meu Tio’s two performers to showcase their considerable talents. There is a comic physical disparity between the duo, one small and wiry, the other large and lumbering, which is only exacerbated in performance. Uncle skips and spins, while nephew stumbles and slips. But eventually the skills of both are allowed to emerge, as they execute impressive and surprisingly tender joint routines.

The simplicity, however, is also a drawback. This is the stuff of a half hour skit, not an hour and a quarter long show. There is not enough narrative fuel to motor the piece forwards for its entire length, resulting in dull and laboured repetition. There are only so many laughs that can be had out of an attempt to tie shoelaces.

My Uncle’s Shoes fares better with the central relationship, one of frustration, grudging respect and creeping affection. The conclusion may be predictable from about a third of the way in, but the route taken in order to reach it remains poignant nonetheless. It’s just a shame that it drags its heels.