Clowns are actually incidental to Playwright Scot Walker's entertainment, directed by Catherine Aselford. The clown conceit does provide a framework, though, for the three parts. It begins with November 22, a play about Patrick, a retired CIA operative played by David Berkinbilt and George Balulis as David, his companion at cards.
Patrick knows who really killed JFK but cannot reveal it under pain of death. So he engages young David in a guessing game. By nodding his head, he guides David to the answer -- and the play to its conclusion.
Act Two features Jennifer Mayberry as Kim in Screeches From the Zoo. With her sidekick puppet as Cop, Kim narrates her day at the zoo. The 6th-graders she shepherds get stuck together with cotton candy that attracts African killer bees, and that's just the beginning.
Mayberry and Cop take us on an entertaining tale -- not from bad to worse, but from worse to unthinkable.
George Balulis returns in Act Three's monologue Eternal Bliss as Lance, a U.S. Representative.
Lance's wife, who wisely never makes an appearance, rations her sexual favors. Her once a month is not enough for Lance who finds a prostitute, suffers a night of bliss, and tries to sort out the consequences.
This is not a recommended evening for children. It takes place at the D.C. Arts Center on 18th Street N.W. Try to arrive early so you can read Walker's notes and the Who's Who of cast and crew before the show. You might even be fortunate enough, as I was, to run into Scot Walker himself. For more photos, click here.
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