As the audience filed into The Blue Room Theatre, solo performer Domenic Anthony slinked around a table filled with decadent party foods, taking long and purposeful drags of his cigarette as he watched with piercing eyes. Don’t be fooled by cream cakes and cannoli platters, though; this powerful work was by no means indulgent and had the audience hooked from the start. 

Traipsing around with a slight limp and followed by a cloud of cigarette smoke, Anthony soon introduces himself as Paulie and welcomes us to Constantina’s 9th birthday party. However, the party hats the audience are wearing might be deceiving. Constantina and her friends (played by members of the audience, making for some delightful moments of audience engagement) are not easily pleased, and if you’re Paulie, this party isn’t a place for fun and frivolity. This is a bill-paying exercise, as he struggles to balance the fine line between ‘making silly little clown shows’ and ‘being able to live’.
 

The Balloon Dog Bites is equal parts laugh-out-loud funny clown performance and anecdotal autobiography, but most parts are poignant. Anthony delivers a powerful performance as Paulie, who is as endearing as he is crass. His stories range from Gaulier clown school tragedies to explicit retellings of his sexual encounters, yet Anthony manages to make every story relatable. Audiences relish in his radical honesty and full commitment to the extraordinary events that unfold, shining bright in the face of adversity, flavoured by hints of homophobia.

Director Mitch Whelan should be commended for managing to make this complex story easy to follow. Anthony plays multiple characters with great success, often interacting with each other in quick succession, but clear direction ensures the audience never misses a beat. 

If you’re looking for a fabulously queer and funny foray into the insecurities of a 30-year-old clown, you can’t miss this show!