EMA Review: Clown Bar Irresistible ★★★★★1/2

Comedy and Clown Kill In The Hard-Boiled World of the Clown Bar

By Erik Engman

Author, Clown and Improvisation Teacher, Theatre Critic EatMoreArtVegas.com

IG: ErikReviewsVegas

You walk through cheap beads into a dirty foyer. You enter into a dilapidated, sleazy room littered with tables, a dingy bar against the back wall, and a small stage up front. And the staff? Clowns. All clowns. Clown Bar by Adam Szymkowicz with original music by Brandon Scott Grayson is the latest immersive show at Majestic Repertory Theatre. This show is not for children. Rather it’s a hard-boiled detective story complete with gangsters, a femme fatale… and murder!

Former clown-turned-cop Happy Mahoney (Adam Martinez) returns to the Clown Bar after a long absence, looking for answers in the death of his brother, unfunny clown Timmy (Jeffrey DuBey). And the only one with the answers is the boss, Bobo (Erik Amblad), who stole the woman he loves, Blinky Fatale (Kady Heard). Rounding out the rest of the clowns are Dusty, the house singer (Steffan Scrogan), Petunia, the dumb but lovable waitress (Napsugar Hegedus), Shotgun, a gangster (Deven Ceriotti), Giggles, another gangster (Michael Kaczurak), Twinkles, the leader of the henchmen (Angel Mendoza), and Popo, the crazy and violent heavy (Rebecca Reyes).

The cast is just a delight, completely nailing the very distinct clown archetypes. Martinez carries the show with ease. His strength and passion ground this show in reality while dragging us into this dark and dangerous clown world. Heard is simply stunning, giving dignity and depth to what could have been a two-dimensional character, and made me genuinely care about what happens to her. Erik Amblad steals the show, with his menacing and demented portrayal of the owner. He gives the character such power it’s genuinely scary. DuBey gives a solid portrayal as the phrenetic, doomed junky brother, Timmy. Hegedus is adorable and sad as Petunia, expertly bringing out the pathos of the character. Ceriotti, Kaczurak, and Mendoza are great as the goonish henchmen. But there are two performers who stand out. The first is Scrogan, who gives an amazing and deep portrayal of the hapless singer, Dusty. And lastly, my favorite, Reyes who gives a hypnotic performance as the psychotic Popo, channeling both Harley Quinn and Tiny Tina from the Borderlands video games. 

Director Troy Heard knocks it out of the park again with this crazy and surprisingly moving play. I loved everything about it. The set design by Heard, coupled with the perfect lighting design by Cory Covell and the sound design Aldair Callejas, completely immerse you into the mood of the world from the first second you enter. It is both traditionally circus, but yet puts you at unease. Candice Wynants (costume design) and Gabbie Kenney (wig/makeup design) excel with outstanding costumes that capture both clown and gangster stereotypes together. Add to all of that a fantastic script by Szymkowicz that gleefully plays into all the hard-boiled tropes. It is so dense with great dialogue you have to pay attention to get every gem, and even then I believe I only picked up about two-thirds of the script. I will have to go back again to see if I can get the rest.

A bit of a warning, there is a “splash zone”. The closer you are to the center action the more chance you have of getting covered in glitter and/or a little wet. I got both, which to me is expected in an immersive show like this. Position yourself accordingly. Otherwise, I thought this was a perfect production. Be sure to get there early to hear the fantastic songs sung by Dusty, get your picture taken with the cast, and interact with the various characters.

What: Clown Bar

When: Thursday through Sunday at 7:30 pm, July 17 - August 17.

Where: Majestic Repertory Theatre, 1217 S Main St, Las Vegas, NV 89104

Tickets: $40 general admission, $20 college discount (Age 18-21), www.majesticrepertory.com/

Irresistible ★★★★★1/2

Director/Scenic Designer: Troy Heard; Production Stage Manager: Ana Gudino; Costume Design: Candice Wynants; Wig/Makeup Design: Gabbie Kenney; Lighting Design: Cory Covell; Sound Design: Aldair Callejas