Review: Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It, Soho Theatre

Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland have got it down to a fine art. Every inch of their show Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It is perfectly timed, efficiently paced, and balances humour with social critique.

Two teenagers have just been in a car accident, hitting a stop sign. When questioned by the town sheriff, they say they were distracted by something near the road – some kind of creature. Interest piqued, the sheriff wonders: have they seen Bigfoot?

Capitalising on the idea, the bored teens decide that a pranking spree would liven up their days. It starts fairly innocuously, with giant footprints left next to pushed-over mailboxes and low-level vandalism. But the town, already months deep into a flood recovery process, latches onto the idea, reporting their own interactions with the beast. As the situation grows, spiralling far beyond their control, the girls wrestle with their roles in the chaos.

Despite the comic nature of much of the story, just below the surface there are very serious issues at play. From the proliferation of conspiracy culture to the lack of resources available to small communities in times of crisis, and the changing nature of truth to the power of fear, Rice and Roland are not afraid to hit where it hurts. The story goes from a (very funny) extended joke about an owl to an emotional gut-punch of a monologue on grief like it’s nothing, the transitions always effectively jarring rather than clunky.

The duo blend clowning, puppetry and clever production design to create a whirlwind of a show, bringing a small Appalachian town and all its characters to life. The speed at which they switch between personas is incredible, and makes it hard to believe that there are only two people on the stage; it gets slightly confusing in the final act as illusions are dispelled and the truth comes out, but the ambition of the project and a triumphant ending pull it back around.

Interspersed through the action are pop music-backed passages where the pair ‘become’ Bigfoot with the help of giant paw props and an articulated head on a stick. For how basic the set-up is, it’s surprisingly effective. The four paws, dangling from a stop sign at the back of the stage when not in use, are a constant presence, the very idea of Bigfoot haunting the town.

Rice and Roland are so in tune with each other that their almost-tumbling flows into the piece as part of the conversation. Bouncing off of each other and around the stage, their movements are as fluid and snappy as the script.

Xhloe and Natasha have once again proved themselves as forces to be reckoned with. Their last London show was upstairs at Soho Theatre, while this one saw them grace the main auditorium. At this rate, they’ll be filling even larger venues in no time.

Writers, Performers and Co-directors: Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland
Co-director: Tom Costello
Lighting Designer: Angelo Sagnelli

Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It plays at Soho Theatre until Saturday 26 September.