Review: Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It

Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It is an innovative and brilliant new show written and performed by New York clowning duo Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland. Fresh from a sell-out show at the Edinburgh Fringe accompanied by a galaxy of 5-star reviews, the duo play teenage best friends in small-town America. So writes Calum Skuodas for theQR.co.uk…

After the pair hit a stop sign with their car, they claim to have seen Bigfoot to get out of trouble and embark on an escalating series of misdeeds to back up the sighting. But their plan quickly spirals out of control as misinformation and hysteria begin to spread.

The show combines a hectic script with cutting-edge clowning, and features a nine-foot puppet of Bigfoot that is used to great effect throughout. It’s as funny as it is innovative, and an incredible piece of physical theatre. The duo draw the audience in by portraying a whole town’s worth of characters, from the over-the-top cashier to the worried housewife, via sheriffs, mayors and junkie twins.

Each character is fleshed out even in the short time they have in the story, which is a testament to the talent of their physical performance and the thought that went into each line of writing.

High-Octane Physical Comedy and Controlled Chaos at Soho Theatre

The script is fast and accelerates throughout, but sometimes derails, leaving the show on the verge of confusion. There is a long section near the start of the show about a Dairy Queen – some kind of ice cream shop, I gather, and not an actual monarch – that is not relevant to the rest of the show.

“The show combines a hectic script with cutting-edge clowning, and features a nine-foot puppet of Bigfoot that is used to great effect throughout.”

The pair get away with it simply because confusion is a central element to the storyline, and it hardly takes away from what is a genius creation. They even handled their own sound design, which makes use of frantic poppy remixes to bring the narrative to boiling point.

The staging stays fresh in the small space thanks to the duo’s immaculately choreographed movement, and they play with perspective in a way that keeps the audience thoroughly engaged. Angelo Sagnelli’s lighting design perfectly layers another element to the performance, creating an atmosphere of unreality with moody, supernatural purples and greens.

All in all, Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It is an incredibly clever, well-performed and meticulously thought-through production that demonstrates why these two are recipients of no fewer than three Fringe First awards for new writing. They fully deserve their three-week run at the Soho Theatre, so put this show on your list of must-sees for the month.

Featured Image: Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland in unison, photos by Jennifer Forward-Hayter