When two American teenagers joyride into a stop sign, their quick-thinking excuse to avoid punishment is to blame Bigfoot, sparking mass hysteria and outcry. But what really is terrifying this suburban neighbourhood? It is this daft and dark story which is explored in this inventive and creative new work from accomplished physical theatre duo Xhloe and Natasha.
Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It originally garnered great hype after an acclaimed run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the momentum does not stop in the larger Soho Theatre space, with the duo’s energy impressive and tireless throughout. While the initial story focuses upon the two teens desperate to con their way out of trouble, the piece soon segues into exploring political backhanders, working-class American hysterics and a nod to the States’s stoner culture through effortless multi-rolling, which brings the comedy and the play’s more unnerving ulterior motives to the fore.
It is a cleverly crafted script. The two teens’ story quickly takes a dark turn when attempts to manifest the illusion of Bigfoot’s existence are turned on their head by the shocking discovery of a mutilated, torn-up dog, which coincides with an intriguing subplot regarding the Appalachian town’s recovery from a devastating flood and the political deceptions in restoring the town’s clean water supply. What Xhloe & Natasha’s script achieves so neatly here is the blend between the absurd conspiracies and the ones that feel more recognisable, creating a piece that comments more widely on social outcry and paranoia.
Yet it is not just the script where the piece shines. A hugely successful physical theatre, clowning, duo, Xhloe and Natasha’s (Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland) physicality is remarkably on display here. The pair’s clown-inspiration is evident not just in their face-paint, which takes on a more sinister approach once some truths are revealed towards the play’s climax, but also in their goofy and relentless commitment to slapstick routines and deft physical choreography. While some of the deliberate pauses between lines for dramatic effect linger for a little too long, the production’s rampant speed, combined with some gorgeous lighting and a booming 90s pop soundtrack, thrusts the play and its ideas with great effect at its audience.
Meanwhile, lingering over the stage is an enormous nine-foot puppet of the terrifying sasquatch, looming over the characters and town, in an otherwise bare set, representing not just the scary beast but the internal conflict and terrors which grip all of the residents here. The production, in this sense, does a great deal not to overplay its hand, leaning into the absurdity to set the scene with extended blackouts and roars, but also using more subtle twists of dialogue and a clever use of projected questions to make the piece feel more like an inquest into what happened, blending sincerity with absurdity effectively.
While the title might suggest a daft hour spent at the theatre, in reality, Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It is anything but. An ingenious physical theatre piece that questions our inner fears and the conspiracies which hold society together, and threatens to pull them apart.
