Variety

Hilary Chaplain has enjoyed engagements with her short comedy pieces in Freiburg, Germany at the Palazzo Colombino Freiburg and the Kristallpalast Varieté in Leipzig, Germany and at UFA-Fabrik in Berlin.  She has performed her solo variety theatre pieces at Fabelhaft in Austria, Clownin in Vienna, (female clown festival) the Festival International de Pallasses (female clown) in Andorra, Anjos do Picadeiro 2006 in Brazil the FILO Festival in Londrina, Brazil, IV Encuentro de Narices in Granada, Spain,   the Atlanta Fool’s Festival, the Funny Women Festival in Chicago, the Crazy Women Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, PSNBC in New York City, Caroline’s Comedy Club, Surf Reality among others.

Classically Trained Musician – 7 minutes

This audience favorite is about an extremely nearsighted member of the orchestra late for the concert. She loses her glasses while preparing to play her instrument – the triangle. We learn she is late for the performance because of a recent tryst with her lover. How do we know? She finds her blouse is half off and she’s wearing handcuffs.

Classically Trained Actress – 8 minutes

While performing Portia from “Julius Caesar”, the actress breaks the heel off her high-heeled shoe. She attempts to continue, but finds she is walking crookedly and this just won’t do for Shakespeare. Tape fails, glue is too tempting to sniff, pearls go flying and clothes are ripped, but the show must go on.

Classically Trained Singer – 4 minutes

A singer enters and tells the story of the French song she will sing. The announcer has a problem with her French pronunciation and attempts to correct her. Finally, they put a marshmallow in her mouth the way a speech teacher might put a cork in the mouth of a student to force pronunciation. It works! She adds more and more as she sings in French finding the altered sound quite beautiful.

Cinderella – 5 minutes

The story of Cinderella told in English that you that you would swear sounds like Yiddish!

Frank’s Lunch – 5 minutes

Frank sits down for lunch only to find that someone has eaten everything in his lunch bag. A simple, sweet portrait of a man, hungry and distraught.

Photos

Videos

 
Classically Trained Actress
 
 
Classically Trained Musician
 

Reviews

“A great clownesse and physical comedienne – a divine mix…”

Circus Sundays at the Waterfront Museum

Hilary Chaplain’s hysterical variety numbers will leave you gasping for air.  She has delighted audiences at Palazzo Colombino Freiburg and the Krystallpalast Varieté in Leipzig, Germany as well as Galas, Clubs and Corporate events worldwide. In her “Classically Trained Series”, she explores the vagaries of performing—costumes gone awry, equipment no longer where it was set, other members of the production suddenly becoming intrusively helpful—do not defeat Chaplain’s characters; these are unstoppable women. The simplest of mishaps that from sheer annoyance value could send anyone’s day out the window, are overcome with brilliant determination. Imagine Sid Caesar meets George Carl, in a female form.

Ivanna Cullinan NYTheatre.com

“Wow! The virtuosic super actress Hilary Chaplain took over the stage! She destroys everything, barely mastering the triangle and creating chaos with a Shakespearean monologue. Bravo! That’s the kind of comedy we wish for from our idiotic television talking heads. Congratulations!”

Blitz City Magazine. Freiberg, Germany

Performances

  • Palazzo Colombino Freiburg: Freiburg, Germany
  • Krystalpallast Varieté: Leipzig, Germany
  • Fabelhaft Storytelling Festival: Austria
  • Umbrella Festival: Portland, WA
  • Moisture Festival: Seattle, MA
  • Vermont Vaudeville: Hardwick, VT
  • Physical Fest: Liverpool, UK
  • L’Auguste Rendez-vous: Quebec city
  • Chico Chica’s Boom Boom w/ Jango Edwards: RaiArts, Barcelona, Spain
  • UFA Fabrik with Marcus Jeroch: Berlin, Germany
  • The Medora Musical w/ the NY Goofs: Medora, No. Dakota
  • Clownin Women’s Clown Festival: Vienna, Austria
  • Duckie at Royal Vauxhall: London, UK
  • Bindlestiff Family Circus Cabaret: NYC and Hudson, NY
  • Anjos de Picadeiro: Rio de Janeiro
  • IV Encuentro de Narices: Granada, Spain
  • Klovne Festival (clown): Svendborg, Denmark
  • Clowns International Festival Gala: Weston-Super-Mare, UK
  • Scheinbar Variety Theatre: Berlin, Germany
  • FILO International Theatre Festival: Londrina, Brazil
  • Festival International de Pallasses: Andorra la Vella, Andorra
  • The Crazy Women Festival: St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Phyzgig: Portland, ME
  • PSNBC at HERE: NY, NY
  • Atlanta Fool’s Festival: Atlanta, GA
  • Caroline’s Comedy Club: NY, NY
  • Stand Up New York: NY, NY
  • Gotham Comedy Club: NY, NY
  • Monday Night Magic: NY, NY
  • Theatre For A New City: NY, NY
  • Surf Reality: NY, NY
  • The Slipper Room: NY, NY
  • People’s Improv Theatre: NY, NY
  • Celebration Barn Theatre: NY, NY