What would happen if you randomly inserted a clown into a Chekhovian-style melodrama? Parlous Theatre’s answer is a brilliant* show full of chaos, laughs, gasps, and fun. Spectacular* from start to finish, Insert Clown Here leans heavily into the melodrama genre while simultaneously subverting everything we think we know about it. Written and directed by Kendelle Parks and Jacob Willis, you’ll literally never see the same exact show twice due to the very nature of the show itself. If you missed this juicy* show at Toronto Fringe Festival last summer, now’s your chance to experience this truly unique production.

The premise of Insert Clown Here is that the main cast are performing a piece of melodrama entitled “The Visitor” which has been dreamed up by Parks and Willis. However, the main character, the Baron, is played by a clown. This clown is someone different for each performance, and going in they have no idea about the plot of the play or what their role is going to be. They’ve had over twenty-nine different guest clowns over their six runs of this show, which is an astonishing feat in an of itself. However, it means that it is impossible to see the same show twice; while the basic plot of “The Visitor” remains the same, how the clown interacts with the other characters and the pure chaos they create is going to be different with each performance.

Morgan Joy played the Baron at the performance I attended, and her clown character is this hilarious, middle-aged Lesbian with a “Karen” haircut, garage door eyeshadow, and can produce vegetables out of her overalls at will. The fact that they kept referring to her as the Baron and didn’t change the he/him pronouns they were using somehow made it all the more funny, as she’d occasionally question it or fight back. Her mannerisms were over the top hilarious and the way she’d use song lyrics to get herself out of sticky situations had me in stitches. My favourite thing she did though, was sticking up for the butler; the family routinely treats the butler poorly, but every time they did, she spoke up on the butler’s behalf. Her genuine care for the other characters was refreshing and sweet, and made the show meaningful on a whole other level.

Irene Ly’s production design was spot on; the artwork all over the walls, vintage sofa and chair, along with the revered clock (a play on Chekhov’s gun), immediately let us know the period we were in a the class of characters we were about to meet. The costume design is equally as transportive, and I loved how the clown kept calling the mother “Aubergine” due to the beautiful colour of her dress. It’s such a familiar world for the audience and yet it made the clown stand out so much; the juxtaposition reinforces the ideas behind the play perfectly.

Huge kudos to the rest of the cast of Insert Clown Here, they had an even more difficult job than the clown does! They have to stick to their script, while guiding the clown through the plot, making sure they stick somewhere close to the blocking, while doing a smidge of improv based on what the clown is giving them. Ella Berger and Kole Durnford play the love-struck daughter and son, who both pine for the Baron, and they were absolutely delightful in their roles. They really leaned into the love triangle aspect of the play and used the melodrama to make some truly laugh-out-loud funny moments. Margot Greve plays the mother, and her constant refusal of the clown’s advances had me in stitches; she had to subtly, and at times not so subtly, guide the clown through those moments garnering much laughter from the audience. Atlin Hofer players the Grandfather and I’m wildly impressed at how well he’s able to hold his composure throughout the play; there’s so much happening around him and yet he didn’t let it show at all. Rounding out the cast is Nicole Kleiman as the butler and Alexis, she became a favourite thanks to the clown’s interactions with her and how she rolled with everything that was thrown at her. I cannot emphasize enough how talented these actors are to be able to do a show like this night after night; while they’re anticipating the pandemonium the show brings, there’s no way for them to know exactly what’s about to happen, yet they handle it all with grace.

Insert Clown Here is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before or am likely to see again. See it once, twice, or five times, you’ll still never see the same show repeated. Running at the BMO Incubator at The Theatre Centre until May 19th, make sure you get out to see this delightful production. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.parloustheatre.com/insert-clown-here

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*In their opening to the show, writers/directors Kendelle Parks and Jacob Willis gave me some interesting suggestions as to some adjectives I could use to describe their production. I took their suggestions under strong advisement.

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Cover Photo: Margot Greve, Atlin Hofer and Ella Berger. Photo by Maxim Luca Bortnowski

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