Review: THE DAY I GOT THE HORN, Soho Theatre
John Binjuice has put on his armour and been to the shops for tinned peach slices. It was hell. Who wouldn’t be scared when the world is crawling with rhinoceros’? So he’s hiding inside the office building, where he works as a…well he’s not actually sure what he does. He occasionally puts on a show on the rooftop to pass the time, but he has to be careful not to attract attention. Welcome to the rhinocalypse…
The show (which was previously called A Bad End) was initially performed at the Royal Theatre in Northampton in October 2024. It has since been performed at The Rotunda Theatre as part of this year’s Brighton Fringe Festival. After its current performance at Soho Theatre, the show is heading to Gilded Balloon from July until August as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
The design of the show gives nothing away so we walk in completely unsure about what to expect. A drum set is scattered about the centre of the black box stage space, with a sound board resting on one of the pieces and clothing draped on a chair. Amidst the dim neon blue lighting, we spot that there are party hats underneath our seats and our curiosity about what this clown show is going to consist of only grows.
Jacob Aldcroft’s style is very much built on more narrative storytelling and persona based clowning. His character, John Binjuice, is a very casual, charismatic and down to earth clown, with a love of creativity and performance. Aldcroft is very good at keeping the audience engaged not only with his palpable energy, which he sustains at a level that would challenge the most seasoned dancer, but also with his encouragement of audience participation.
Yes, this show does have a lot of audience participation and no one is safe, even if you choose not to sit in the front row. The level of participation ranges from getting an audience member to improvise a scene reacting to the first signs of the rhinocalypse to getting the whole audience to put on the planted party hats and make rhinoceros noises.
Audience participation can be quite nerve-wracking if it isn’t within your comfort zone but Aldcroft is exceptionally good at making the environment feel safe. He encourages us to actively support and laugh with each other, hitting all the right notes of the fundamentals of clowning: creating a community atmosphere, permission to laugh and setting free the inner child. Aldcroft also deliberately breaks character during some of these moments to remind us that we are just playing pretend, and it’s because of this that we are really able to relax and have fun during the show.
So what is the show actually about? What is the point of it? This is where Aldcroft’s talent as an artist really shines through. We think that this particular idea of a zombie apocalypse flipped on its head is very creative and feels original; rhinos have emerged and are taking control of the earth and people aren’t changed by being bitten, they decide that they want to give into the allure of the simplicity of the rhinoceros. We root for Binjuice to survive and hiding from the rhinoceros, at first, seems like a very smart idea.
But the rhinoceros is in fact a metaphor for business mentality, where true creativity, artistry and individuality is sacrificed for the sake of profit and simplicity. Aldcroft uses the character of Binjuice to explore ideas about how terrifying this world can be for an artist and how much simpler it might be to just give in and join the herd. He tells stories of those who made choices that killed their creativity, who regret their decision to become a rhinoceros and are fighting to change back.
He makes a statement that the loss of art results in the loss of connection and empathy within the world. That it's better to be scared and make a statement anyway, than it is to try and blend in because you’ll lose the best parts of yourself: your flaws/imperfections, your emotions, your thoughts, your feelings, your insecurities and the part of you that is creative and does have something to say. These things that make you a fundamentally unique human and help you find your people. Things that help us connect and relate with each other, so we can make this world significantly brighter.
There is a stand out moment in the show which illustrates all of these things so well and is by far one of the most beautifully profound scenes. Aldcroft comforts Binjuice when Binjuice loses himself to the rhinoceros and tells him that it's okay to feel scared and insecure, he doesn’t have to hide these parts of himself and he doesn’t have to be a rhinoceros.
This show definitely challenges our perceptions of clowning in the best way by demonstrating that comedy, in this case light-hearted and soft clowning, can be used to effectively make deeply profound statements in a way that feels safe and gentle.
Ridiculous in the best way. Thought provoking yet fundamentally wholesome. Genuine laughter wrapped tightly in the warmest hug.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Megan O’Neill