Despite the fact that we caught a show at the Caroline of Brunswick last year we had somehow forgotten just how far away from the front it actually is! Our race through the Brighton night was not in vain though, as we managed to arrive with just enough time to grab a much-needed drink from the speedy barman (who, incidentally, was stood under the twin heads of Cerberus… gotta love Brighton!) before heading into the show.

We quickly found seats and noticed that the pre-show music was actually TV themes – I’m not sure that there is anything ‘cool’ about being able to sing along to Darkwing Duck but the nostalgia vibe is always reassuringly welcoming. Let’s. Get. Dangerous!

The room filled and, if my memory serves me correctly, without introduction, Dian Cathal starts the show simply by bringing the noise. Our clown is dressed in full Ash Ketchum cosplay and instantly wrestles control of the room – a skill that would prove invaluable throughout the performance.

This is a heavier show than the playful title and poster would suggest. It covers political issues (The Nazis are back, Russia is evil again etc etc) in such a way that breaks them down to a very simple premise. Older people knew this shit was coming but instead of fixing things they simply gave millennials a childhood heads-up through cartoons.

Hilarious right? Until you realise that Captain Planet actually featured climate change, dealt with AIDS and showed a child die from drugs on screen! Oh and Ash Ketchum is actually Jesus.

These topics are all part of the show and it is the impassioned delivery from our clown that makes this work as comedic material. The American accent may also help – I’m not sure that someone from Dudley shouting all of this in a pub wouldn’t instantly get them sectioned!

This is a show about the generations – How millennials feel that they were dumped upon unfairly by the Baby Boomers and Gen X, whilst also admitting that they didn’t really do anything to help the problem either, so are now doing the same to Gen Z. It’s even more worrying that the self-confessed Gen Zs in the crowd have to be asked to stop taking selfies and loudly chatting during the gig!

This is a really solid show from a clown who absolutely owns their space. Going with the Pokémon theme is certainly a smart way to pull in a crowd but there was so much more than that behind this fairly political piece of work. If Dian ever decides to write the show about their relationship with the Stonewall Riots, which is merely touched upon in this performance, then we could see this clown’s final form.

This is a show targeted towards a certain generation but that by no means makes it unenjoyable for any others. It offers some interesting perspectives and made us revisit a whole bunch of TV shows during the train ride home. We are very much looking forward to seeing what this clown does next.

Clown Stars: * * * *

@Laughing Horse – Caroline of Brunswick, Brighton