Loucas Loizou is a consummate performer. In this one-hander, his gentle yet authoritative manner creates a most credible character as he takes on the role of Giacomo Casanova, and brings him to life.
It was a performance well suited to the intimate venue, a private room off the Strathmore Hotel balcony bar. Too few people were in the audience but our closeness to the performer intensified the mood of the narrative.
Loizou was Casanova – or so we readily believed. He took us through a number of aspects of the character’s life and times, and readily drew our empathy, despite some of the revelations about Casanova’s character. In many ways it was an apology for the man’s actions and attitudes, which although abhorrent to some today, were clearly of their place and time. Mind you, Loizou made it clear that even in 18th Century Europe, Casanova caused his share of trouble, offending the morals of the society in a number of countries.
Despite the performance’s title, claiming that Casanova was ‘more than just a lover’, Loizou’s choices of the event’s of his subject’s life made it clear that he was indeed mostly a lover. He did, however, lead us through a number of other of Casanova’s qualities, highlighting his intellect, scholarship, charm, and his capacity to take on numerous roles in legal, medical and military fields.
This was an enchanting monologue, occasionally well illustrated by Loizou’s performance of a number of well-chosen original songs which he integrated smoothly into the narrative, and performed with conviction in his husky, educated-European voice while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Come Along And Dance and Bella Senorita were especially evocative.
This was a little gem of a performance, the kind of show you find in Fringe festivals here and elsewhere, if you search carefully enough.
