REVIEW: The Chaos of the Bells
As the holiday season creeps in, the Brave New Workshop once again flings open the doors to its own festive universe with The Chaos of the Bells, a cheerfully unhinged comedy sketch revue that revels in the most delightful absurdities of the season. Lucky for us, chaos turns out to be an excellent comedic strategy. From the moment they kicked off the show taking a clever dig at Purple Rain, I knew they were ready to bring their “A game”.
What makes The Chaos of the Bells especially fun is its willingness to wander far beyond traditional holiday tropes. Sure, the staples are there including strained family gatherings and the existential weight of holiday traditions, but the writers have also embraced sketches that are so strange, so specific, and so committed that they can only be described as “you had to be there.”
A standout example: a gloriously unhinged ode to the sexiness of ham. Yes, ham. It’s the sort of premise that should not work under any circumstances, and yet through sheer performer commitment, it becomes one of the night’s biggest laugh generators. It’s that BNW magic trick: taking the mundane, inflating it to the point of surrealism, and then selling it with commitment to the bit.
The sketch that lingered most for me involved two elderly neighbors exchanging holiday popcorn tins. I would go further in attempts to describe why such a scene would have me tearing up with laughter but I cannot envision any way in which worlds could adequately describe the hilarity that ensues, largely produced by the comedic acting chomps of cast members Lauren Anderson and Rita Boersma.
While the BNW recycles some sketches in this production, the familiarity doesn’t feel stale; it feels like tradition. Like unboxing ornaments you’ve owned forever, the familiar sketches carry their own comfort.
The Chaos of the Bells is absurd and weird but underneath those layers sits a genuine sense of community, a feeling that we are all sitting together and taking a collective breather from the world outside. I walked out of the theater with cheer and feeling lighter. And truly, what more can you ask for this time of year?
Chaos of the Bells is at the Dudley Riggs Theatre in Minneapolis through January 17, 2025. The website says ages 14+ but, due to some raunchiness, this is not a show I’d go to with more than one generation of relatives (of any age) and I also wouldn’t recommend it for anyone under 18.
