Sh!t Theatre’s sell out show from last year returns for a limited run at Summerhall, in what is perhaps the most bizarre, strange and utterly hysterical hours of performance art you’re likely to see at this years festival.
The hosts feel like deranged post-modern descendants of Monty Python
In DollyWould, two performers present their love for the one and only Dolly - simultaneously both the iconic country singer, and the world's first cloned sheep. As the two detail their trip to Dolly Parton’s famous personalised theme park 'Dollywood' the audience is treated to a surreal exploration of cloning, branding, and the quest for immortality in the face of certain death.
Initially, these themes appear disparate - however, they complement each other surprisingly well. This is achieved through the sheer comic ridiculousness of the two performers, whose clownish and buffoonish physical comedy makes light of weighty issues across various scenes, which sometimes feel like sketches. This is matched with a surreal sense of wit, that - at the best moments - makes our hosts feel like deranged post-modern descendants of Monty Python.
DollyWould is simply stunning to watch, and the show has an unnerving ability to make the audience consider serious topics in a way that never undermines the absurd comedy of the events unfolding on stage.
The show is, however, harmed slightly by its own success. You get the impression that the performers are very aware of how well they’ve done and a sense of self-serving flattery cropped up during the few technical hiccups in the show. Attempts to cover for these problems sometimes ended up crossing the line from simple humorous corpsing into unneeded improvisation at the expense of the larger show.
Still these are minor issues, and DollyWould remains a certainly unique and worthwhile theatrical event that will make you never look at both Dolly Parton, and sheep, the same way again.
