The Bad'uns: Clown Acts of Contagion

See it if you want to see some prime clowning for our times, with a feminist bent.

Don't see it if you are in the mood for something serious.

Also It’s been many a year since I enjoyed clowning as much as I delighted in “The Bad'uns…” This all-women clown troupe keeps things simple, silly, highly physical &, since there are dozens of very short sketches over the 90 minutes of playing time, very short before they’re moving on to something else. Yet there’s also the comfort of continuity: Behind ubiquitous red noses & sometimes similar costuming, the core 7 clowns (there are 2 other costumed figures as well), have distinctive personalities & ways of clowning. Before long we know each one. And the many skits are arranged into 2 halves: In the 1st, all the clowns are street “criminals”; in the 2nd, they’re all figures in a medieval society, from nuns to aristocrats to servants. Both halves give ample opportunity to say quietly subversive things about women’s traditional roles. The troupe is smart enough to keep the politics entertaining. I haven’t laughed so much (& often at the stupidest things, I have to admit!) in a while.... Read more Read less

See it if you like mime-type action with little dialogue, here in ways that challenge you and make you think-excellent troupe with great expressions.

Don't see it if you want a play with a start, story line and ending. This is a series of vignettes on a variety of topics.

See it if Seven angry women with criminal tendencies try to flout looming ho-hum male oppression thru pantomime, humour, and the big red rubber noses.

Don't see it if Hard vamping and little attitude spell panties only slightly getting into a twist:"We draw the line/We won't toe the line/We cross the line"

Also "Whaddaya in for?--Busking with the intent to gain/Don't make me talk to you the way I talk to me/We see you and we tolerate you and we forgive you"... Read more Read less

See it if 7 fearless females confront you with jest, irony, satire and hints of deeper significance; refreshing to see woman-centered clowning

Don't see it if sometimes outstays its welcome; some material lands with giddy ludicrousness and other vignettes merely dribble away

Also Decroux and LeCoq and Gaulier, oh my!
A variety of modern clown & physical theatre techniques inform the aesthetic of Kendall Cornell (credited as creator/director) and her partners-in-anarchy, the Clowns Ex Machina company, represented here by 6 collaborators. None can match her masterful embodiment of "le cloun" or "le jeu" and her solos are decidedly the highlight of this uneven revue, loosely organized around the female outlaw archetype.
Wandering in and out of the sketches are a giraffe-like deer and walpurgisnacht-like figures, along with paper-bag-headed figures that suggest a darker, more ethereal realm to set off the ludicrous proceedings of the red-nosed variety.
A tighter editorial hand might have left us wanting more, always a good thing with this form. Nonetheless, there is enough bold physicality to the madcap vignettes and musical "numbers" to engage and at times incite a giddy delight.... Read more Read less

See it if Crazed but inventive clowning for grown ups (as in serious topics); leave children at home, brush up in your French and Norse and enjoy

Don't see it if if cannot appreciate inventive silliness

See it if you like EXTREMELY INVENTIVE, well acted with a VERY captivating script.

Don't see it if you need a tradition play with a typical timeline

Also I really enjoyed this show. It is a series of inventive short acts of fun and serious issues, counting about 20 short acts I think. Some were more on the 'artistic' side, others were serious. Lots of interaction with the audience, don't worry you will not be pulled onto stage. My favorite was a single cigarette smoking French clown bit, and the trip to hell, and the mothers putting rocks in their dresses to drown.... Read more Read less

See it if you like comical sketches.

Don't see it if you expect well-trained physical acts.

See it if You like whimsical improv inspired pieces by ensembles from a feminist's perspective.

Don't see it if You prefer traditional theatre or are expecting much dialog. This is not off-the-rails comedy either.

See it if Seeing women take on clown personas to play out their social roles was a blast.Some great riffs with some weaker writing.

Don't see it if You don't like women or parody.

See it if Funny troupe helmed by an ensemble of all-female clowns! Smart, witty and physical.

Don't see it if You don’t like clowns

See it if Quirky and beautiful production helmed by a troupe of only female clowns and physical theatre performers

Don't see it if If you don’t like physical theatre and clowns.