An undeniably pertinent tale of misinformation and hysteria that misleads us all
Xhloe and Natasha need little introduction. Since they exploded onto the fringe theatre scene in 2022 with their meta-theatrical clowning debut ‘And Then The Rodeo Burned Down’, they have become cult favourites at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, recently winning their fourth Scotsman Fringe First Award in a row. Their formula; minimal props and set, slick physical theatre and deceptively complex plots, is familiar but thrillingly unpredictable, and arguably lends itself best to their latest production ’Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It’.
In a remote town recovering from a recent flood, two teenage girls have just crashed their truck into a stop sign. In attempt to cover their tracks, they accidentally create a storm of mass hysteria that swallows the town — Bigfoot is loose in the woods, and is coming to wreck havoc. What follows is a stunningly pertinent tale of fake news, misinformation and the nature of fear.
‘Bigfoot’ feels like Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland’s biggest show yet. As usual, what they are able to do with so little is stunning. The set consists largely of a single stop sign, yet we feel instantly immersed in the atmosphere of a town on the brink — the freezing nights, the dark of the woods, the lingering remains of a tragedy no one has quite recovered from. The pair lay out an entire community before us, showcasing breathtaking vocal and gestural talent with each character we meet, each with their own stories and pathos. Their script stands out particularly here, perhaps more naturalistic than we have ever heard it, and it’s a joy to witness the pair contrast this with moments of high energy clowning. It could be confusing, having so many characters played by just two actors (who use no props and never change costume), and perhaps it takes a moment to get up to speed, but this is what Xhloe and Natasha force you to do — climb onboard a story and see it through to the end. It’s Brechtian, really, but with a lot more heart.
But through the high energy physical theatre, genuinely funny moments and a punchy 90s soundtrack, there is a chilling sense that you’re being misled. The duo always have an eye on the audience, aware that they’re being watched, and like the townsfolk we meet, the audience is also complicit in the unravelling of falsities. We are left with a caution to never fully trust what we are shown, even if it’s by two effortlessly charismatic theatre makers from New York. This is when Xhloe and Natasha are at their strongest for me, using theatre in its most heightened form to tell a compelling story that is eventually destroyed by the limitations of the form itself. In ‘Rodeo’, it was how everything in theatre costs, and a story will never be finished as long as you’re still paying for it. Here, it’s how an audience can be totally beguiled by a story if we trust its tellers enough. It’s massively intellectual stuff, masked with instantly lovable theatrical prowess. With each production, Xhloe and Natasha bend the limits of theatre somehow further, which makes this truly vital work.
This show runs at Soho Theatre until 26th September. Tickets here.