Anna Kopacek, Atlin Hofer, Ella Berger and Kole Durnford in ‘Insert Clown Here’, photo provided by the company
Presented by Parlous Theatre
Part scripted parody of a Chekovian melodrama, part improvised sketch comedy—Insert Clown Here is absolutely my kind of theatrical mayhem. I read the pitch and thought: yes, THIS, of course! I went in with dangerously high expectations. I was not disappointed.
We open on a Victorian family—Grandfather, Mother, Son, Daughter and their Butler—staring morosely out at an overcast sky. Each laments how unbearable life can be. The Barron is on his way, though, and their anticipation is through the roof! But Zounds! They quickly discover he’s been leading several people on with his scandalous love letters! Can they suss out his true intentions?
The conceit here is that the lead actor playing The Barron is a no-show; in his place, a random clown has been thrown into the role. Each performance features a different local clown performer and the cast must try to keep the story on track, tugging this buffoon through an unfamiliar script and blocking. At the performance I attended, the clown was Sebastian Biasucci, brandishing a blond wig, shades and tatts in a Guy Fieri persona.
Flavortown references figured prominently. As did a truly delicious-looking pizza he’d brought with him. With a script by co-directors Jacob Willis and Kendelle Parks, this thrilling ensemble—Ella Berger, Kole Durnford, Atlin Hofer, Nicole Kleiman, and Anna Kopacek—brings eccentric, kinetic energy to their send-up of Chekovian tropes.
They preen, screech and scramble their way through the self-aware spectacle. Everyone is on the same page, including the audience, and part of the charm is seeing the looks on everyone’s face as they are met with dramatic obstacles and potential blocks. With wide-eyed theatrical desperation, they pull through and hilarity ensues.
Though the final five minutes felt a little muddled, I was thoroughly won over by all the glorious, farcical mischief.