Toronto Fringe Review: Insert Clown Here

There’s been a steady stream of “show goes wrong” themed plays in recent years, but none has operated more meticulously than Insert Clown Here. The general conceit is that an actor has been waylaid from a 19th-century melodrama and our titular clown is there to fill-in last minute without knowing the script.

The show quickly establishes a very heightened Chekovian world of pomp, leisure and traditional drawing room drama, then the clown enters. It took our guest performer a moment to get their bearings. In our case as soon as the clown realized that they didn’t need to crack jokes but simply react honestly to the actors’ scenery chewing the show reached its sweet spot. 

Every actor commits to the world 100%. They’re having as good a time as the audience gleefully tormenting the Clown. Co-directors and co-writers Kendelle Parks and Jacob Willis have crafted a script with plenty of moments for everyone to dial it up to 11, they’ve also loaded it with enough improv prompts to push any guest performer out of their comfort zone. 

There’s not a single weak link in the cast with everyone understanding exactly what they’re there to do. Ella Berger and Kole Durnford steal every scene they’re in with some of the most deranged line reading I’ve ever witnessed on stage. Insert Clown Here is easily the most fun I’ve had at a Fringe show and I strongly recommend making a trip to Tank House Theatre to see it.

Insert Clown Here is on now until July 15 at Toronto Fringe. Shows and tickets times.