*Cue the Ennico Morricone music*
This here be the story of Bangtail, the “baddest cowboy in Texas”, a fierce sharpshooter who could never get “got”. But when this rugged root’n tooter meets his match and loses his way, he experiences a crisis of manhood and has to completely rethink his life. How does he do that? This one-hour cowboy comedy show from seasoned clown Lil Wenker will answer just that…all while gleefully parodying the tropes of the Wild West and the masculine mystique.
The Gallery at the Courtyard of Curiosities provides a nicely intimate venue so Bangtail’s complete absurdisms can be appreciated up close and personal. Adorned with leather chaps and teaspoons in place of spurs, Wenker’s Bangtail chews the scenery like it was their trusty cow chewing on their cud. With endearing playfulness mixed in with the gravitas of Eli Wallach, her facial expressions and gravelly vocal exaggerations inhabit the archetypes of Spaghetti Westerns and cowboy fiction. Be warned: wherever you may sit, you may be called upon to perform in Bangtail’s numerous comic bits across the show. Audience members are invited to perform sound effects ranging from farm animals to a cactus (don’t ask), and even at one point the drunk object of Bangtail’s affections. The largest role being “The Nemesis”, whose several encounters move the show into unexpected new territory when Bangtail loses a fight and then takes up life as an accountant named Alan.
This is clowning at its most practised and polished. Wenker playfully dissects our concepts of masculinity through send-ups of the everyday salaryman and the male fantasy ideals of fictional outlaws. Deliberately farcical and surreal, Wenker’s command of the stage and boundless energy make for an absolute riot of a time. While the pacing can feel uneven towards the end with the abundant scenery changes, the laughter never stops coming with one visual gag and deeply amusing pratfall after another. It's definitely a show that relies on the willing participation of its audience to be along for the journey. Fortunately, on this occasion, Wenker scores big with an enthusiastic actor cast as “The Nemesis”, who boldly takes her instructions with gusto and elevates their performative rivalry to unexpectedly great heights.
Wenker has crafted a fantastic and subversive spoof anchored by an over-the-top animated performance and wonderfully tongue-in-cheek non-sequitur humour. Bold, fearless and original, it’s a heck of a good time that pulls the audience in all kinds of crazy directions. It's a lot of yee, and a lot of haw!
****1/2 Four and a Half Stars