Rossellini started performing Link Link Circus earlier this year with a stint in NYC, and she toured various points in Europe before landing in London this week. (The gang was right to tell Ross that she\u2019s \u2018too international\u2019.) So a few days ago husbo and I and Stanley Tucci (true story) made our way to Southbank Centre for the first of her shows and learned a bit about animal behavior. Nothing we didn\u2019t already know, really, even though Rossellini has been studying for a masters in animal behavior. But she skims over the basics: Skinner, Aristotle, Descartes, Pavlov. Our star begins at a podium and tells us we are in a sort of theatrical conference, in which we\u2019ll be discussing animal behavior and the various theories on whether they can think and feel (they can btw). Overall, we\u2019re exploring the link between animals and humans, which is why she called it Link Link.<\/p>\n
\u200bRossellini, dressed like a ringmaster in a Picasso painting, jumps back and forth between presentation styles during the show, with the help of her assistant, Schuyler Beeman (no relation to Stan). She shares the work of the aforementioned scientists by referring to their cartoon busts on pedestals; she talks about her love for animals; she plays weird short films (including a clip from \u2018Green Porno\u2019); she plays home movies showing her various dogs throughout her life (the best part); she uses stuffed animals and children\u2019s toys to talk about the animal kingdom. Beeman, dressed in a beekeeper outfit that\u2019s been painted black, comes on and offstage with various props or sometimes to act as an animal himself, and he\u2019s naturally pretty comedic so it\u2019s always more fun when he\u2019s around. There\u2019s no real clear way to describe what was happening on the stage or what it\u2019s about. The format is akin to her \u2018Green Porno\u2019 films \u2013 a series of shorts about the same general subject but different in tone and design. \n \nThe inconsistent presentation makes the whole show feel disjointed, and its central message or point confused, but it\u2019s a pleasure to watch Isabella. She obviously loves animals (yay) and loves sharing her thoughts about them with the world. More than anything, though, the Circus is a pleasure because of her dog. Her dog is SO FORKING ADORABLE, and honestly I have no regrets about paying $34 (that\u2019s pounddollars) to watch her and Beeman play with the doggo for 75 minutes. My only regret is that I didn\u2019t storm the stage to pet that wittle face myself. Playing Pan, short for Peter Pan, her dog (I think the real name is Darcy?) comes on and off stage (courtesy of Beeman) dressed in adorable costumes (that poor dog) ranging from sheep to chicken to lion and it is wonderful. I was making audible squee noises but you know what, so was everyone. If anyone was doing a social experiment to see if dog lovers would pay money to literally just watch a dog live onstage and not even be able to pet him, the answer is yes. I almost stage doored for the dog but decided that would be weird. I just love dogs guys okay. \n \nPan the adorable doggo absolutely makes the show (she can roll over SO well), and it\u2019s wonderful to see her get so many treats (I was so happy for her). But even without Pan\u2019s presence, the Circus is a good time. Isabella is a special kind of old-fashioned movie star who has wriggled out of her former role (while dressed as a caterpillar probably) and is creating extraordinarily unique works in a way that no one else at her level of fame or respectability could. Though it\u2019s likely more a question of \u2018would.\u2019 \n \nINFORMATION<\/strong><\/u> \nLink Link Circus is playing in Belfast next week. for the rest of you, the entirety of \u2018Green Porno\u2019 is on YouTube.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Theatre Thursday! Today we are talking about Isabella Rossellini\u2019s Link Link Circus, which played at London\u2019s Southbank Centre this week. Isabella Rossellini is wacky. Like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\n
Isabella Rossellini and Her Dog in Link Link Circus - Laughfrodisiac<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n