Little Lark of London

“Long live the king!”

Note: This review is based on a recording of a live performance

They may say “Long live the king” in the opening number, but the show actually starts with the death of the king. Bad Clowns: Long Live The King is a comedy show in which Christian Dart, Sam Walls and John Bond take on the roles of different characters in a medieval kingdom, all vying to become king, but it’s not a simple line of succession – instead, audience members will be choosing who takes the throne by the end of the show. Will it be Prince Christian (Christian Dart), Councillor Sam (Sam Walls) or Slop Boy John (John Bond)? Only time will tell.

The audience is introduced to the three main heroes of the story through song. There is Prince Christian, the son of the king and “rightful” heir, Councillor Sam, whose personality can be summed up with villain tropes and Slop Boy John, who seems to just be along for the ride. All three of them are meant to be celebrating the King’s birthday, but are greeted with quite the surprise – the king is dead, and a new one must be chosen. Immediately, everyone is vying for the throne and is given the task of visiting the “oracles” in the forest. 

Even though the three performers mostly stay as one character throughout the show, there is some clever usage of cloaks and choreography to allow each of the three potential heirs to have a moment to hear the prophecy from the oracles (or old hags) as the other two actors don black cloaks and cackle. Christian, Sam and John are all given the same prophecy – they must find the “right heart.” As one might expect, each of the men takes this a little differently, leading to three wacky adventures involving love, sacrifice and dragons. 

As one can expect from a Bad Clowns show, there is plenty of silliness to be found. From breaking character when one actor slaps another to Slop Boy John talking about how difficult his journey will be and then quickly crossing the stage without issue, there is a high amount of gags and jokes throughout. The final battle takes place in complete darkness with only sound effects, which is quite amusing and hopefully gives the performers a break! While there are plenty of comedic highlights, the bits have a tendency to go on for just a little too long, losing their effectiveness. 

The concept of the show is an interesting one, claiming that audience members will be able to determine who ultimately takes the throne based on what they witness in the show. I was hoping for a little more audience interaction, potentially through votes for what each character should do next, as only a few members of the audience actually participated, including one audience member who played the “Mistress of the Whore’s House.”

Ultimately, Bad Clowns: Long Live The King is a silly take on medieval monarchy with some great gags, but it struggles a bit when it comes to the concept of an interactive show,  with only a few audience members having roles and only one vote to determine the future of the kingdom. Dart, Walls and Bond are all talented comedians and work well together – I look forward to seeing what comes next!

Bad Clowns: Long Live The King runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 30 July to 17 August. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.