Theater: The Art of Clowning in Brooklyn
If you’re trying to attract a sophisticated crowd, there are words it is wise to stay away from. Clown, for instance, comes freighted with associations: red noses, fright wigs, face paint, fear.
So Theater for a New Audience is sagely touting Jos Houben and Marcello Magni, the European stars of its season opener, as “physical theater artists.” But these two — original members of Simon McBurney’s company Complicité and trained by the mime master Jacques Lecoq — are exquisite clowns.