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★★★★
If there are two names I heard countless times at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, it is Xhloe and Natasha: the US-based theatre makers whose work has been the talk of the festival in recent years. Combining clowning, comedy and absurdist physical theatre, the creatives are responsible for three Scotsman Fringe First-winning shows and two of these have transferred to Soho Theatre in London for a couple of weeks. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to see one of the pair’s shows during their London transfer, I headed to Dean Street earlier this week for ‘A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First’: a play that looks at 1960s Boy Scouts in the United States alongside soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War.
Performance style
Xhloe and Natasha take audiences back in time to the 1960s in their personas, costumes and physical performance style. Every piece of the show has been carefully curated to fit elegantly together, fusing the endearing stories of the young Boy Scouts Ace (Natasha Roland) and Grasshopper (Xhloe Rice), with that of mature soldiers in combat. It looks at boyhood, gender roles in society and how patriotism affects identity, with Xhloe and Natasha drawing on their own military family upbringings in the writing.
It goes without saying that the pair are some of the most talented fringe performers that I have ever seen. My only struggle with the show is 60 minutes doesn’t quite feel long enough to fully appreciate their wider intentions with the work. It is incredibly abstract, reflective and political and I would have appreciated slightly more breathing room to process the dual narratives. The work had a profound impact on me and I wanted more time to absorb and take in the power of their theatre making.
Atmospheric elements
It is important to note that there is no set, with the actors creating this show entirely through their own motions, spoken word, a pre-recorded audio track and vibrant lighting changes by Angelo Sagnelli. From the green and red lighting to the atmospheric audio, it is inspiring how the creatives can take audiences to so many places with merely a tyre for props. Additionally, the use of harmonicas and The Beatles soundtrack elevate the 60s atmosphere of the piece, providing some welcome pop cultural references.
Exquisite physical theatre
The synchronicity in the movements is astonishing. Despite playing two unique characters, the pair perform as one, mirroring each other’s positions. Their performance style relies heavily on physical theatre and the precision of each step is nothing short of exceptional. They also manage to effortlessly capture childlike energy on stage, with me sometimes forgetting that they are adults in real life.
Imaginative and deeply compelling
The fact that I am still processing the play a few days after the performance is proof of how thought-provoking Xhloe and Natasha’s work is. They are at Soho Theatre with their double bill of ‘A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson or God’ and ‘What If They Ate The Baby?’ until Saturday 29th March, performing the shows on alternate nights. The artists are definitely worth watching, particularly if you like theatre that makes you question society’s conformities throughout history.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
*My ticket for ‘A Letter To Lyndon B Johnson or God: Whoever Reads This First’ was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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