Best skilled figuring out nothing about it beforehand, And Then the Rodeo Burned Down will appeal the bejeesus out of you on the King’s Head Theatre
“The rodeo is the best place in the world!”
It is uncommon {that a} present can utterly shock you. Between adverts, synopses on web sites, even evaluations from award-winning runs in Edinburgh, particulars slip by means of and so one typically has a way of what’s to come back. As a paying buyer, that’s actually fascinating; as a reviewer, maybe much less so however irrespective of the way you’re approaching this present, you’re positive to be bamboozled and bewitched.
Trying to explain And Then the Rodeo Burned Down is to go on a hiding to nothing. Created by NYC author/performers Chloe Rice and Natasha Roland, the present explores gender and energy dynamics by means of vaudeville and clowning. With a queer perspective and an absurdist bent, it takes a novel have a look at life as a wannabe cowboy however as metatheatrics take maintain, it’s additionally about a lot extra.
I’ve tried my greatest there however the actuality is is that this can be a present greatest skilled. I might say that there’s a rodeo clown and their shadow however that flattens the richness of the exploration of id right here. I might say that one section takes place from the point of view of a bull in an existential disaster however that doesn’t point out any of the transcendent emotionality that emerges there.
Altogether, Rice and Roland have constructed one thing beautiful, sudden in its wealthy complexity and throught-provoking in the way in which that I like my theatre to be, Angelo Sagnelli’s ingenious lighting including good texture too. There’s plenty of exhibits opening within the West End within the coming weeks however its these queer fringes the place essentially the most fascinating work is going on.