Saint Loony

Come one, come all, to witness Saint Loony—and hear the confessions of a clown from the Crescent City. New Orleans, 1954. Petey “Loony” deLune—a Creole Catholic circus Pierrot driven by a monastic devotion to clowning and crippled by alienating addictions—breaks his trauma-induced mutism after years of hiding a terrible truth. He confesses the memories, mistakes, and misdeeds that drove him away from the Crescent City and into the Big Top as a pilgrim and penitent. Sharing anecdotes from circus life and reflections both on the saintly role of clowns and on sainthood as a whole, Loony recounts his origins as a suppressed orphan in Jim Crow Louisiana; the friendship with a Black youth that brought him to life; the fateful tragedy that cut his childhood short; and his culpability in that unspeakable crime. "Saint Loony" explores the importance of joy in a hurting world; white passivity in racist violence; the collapse of moral binaries in a racial society... and, above all, whether someone who transmutes his private shame into public joy can become holy despite complicity in atrocity—whether a man who failed to act in the face of evil can ever be redeemed. *** Praise for Richard Canal Tinius's award-winning solo show "Cry, Blueberry" at the Camden Fringe 2017 includes: "Richard Canal Tinius takes no prisoners in his performance, and I have to take off my hat for his bravery, boldness and generosity. There should be more artists like him." – LAURA ALIER, The Play's the Thing ★★★★ "... performed with a deep, rich voice and the sort of baritone dulcet tones that wouldn't be out of place in a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical." – CHRIS OMAWENG, London Theatre 1 ★★★★ "... makes his audience gasp and laugh – and perhaps weep the tears of our souls too." – JUDI HERMAN, Jewish Renaissance ★★★★

Company

Richard Canal Tinius

Venue

The Cockpit

Ages

14 and over