In The Trenches: A Double Feature

That Dog Was A Band Now—The Rachel Browne Theatre

Wow did these actors have a lot of spunk. Since this show is split into two parts so will this review:

The first half was a long term clown sketch involving three clown troops trying to cope with the war going on around them. What started off as very dark subject matter turned into a silly romp of hilarity as the actors use everything from their barrack tent to body parts as props. The three clowns were very good at what they did and no sound or prop was left untouched. While I did really enjoy the sketch, I felt some of the jokes went a bit long. The golden comedy rule of three was completely ignored and some of the gags were really predictable. I would probably not bring any children to this play, as there is quite a bit of violence and death, but I would totally bring my friends back. This was a super fun and silly show with a few extremely heart warming moments.

The second half was stock comedy involving classic comedia dellarte tropes. The story is predictable but the jokes were fresh and funny. The actors are extremely high energy and very physical, this kept the pace going at rapid speed. The commitment to their characters was extremely impressive. I had quite a few belly laugh moments. This is certainly not a play that you would bring any children to (a cut off penis prop took care of that), but I left wanting more from this extremely talented clown troop.

Both halves are very different but together they create a fantastic piece of clown theatre. Well done to all involved!

Kaitlyn Kriss