Lil Wenker review: Bangtail is a rootin’ tootin’ good time
Edinburgh Fringe
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Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
Image: Hudson Hughes
by Zoe Paskett
The baddest cowboy in Texas can dodge any bullet sent his way. He can climb a whole mountain and be back down in time to seduce the lady sipping dirty martinis in the saloon before the sun sets. One thing he can’t do is make an audience member moo convincingly. Fortunately, that just makes the whole thing funnier. A highly interactive show, Bangtail is everything you want from a basement-dwelling Spaghetti Western.
Early on, Lil Wenker effortlessly achieves a level of audience commitment that is often hard to come by. And it’s a necessary thing; this show hinges on active participation, with all of the characters but Bangtail being played by audience members. It’s skillfully done by slowly building a soundscape of a Western – the cow, the wind, the rooster, the lone coyote – allowing everyone to take part in some way.
Midway through, when Bangtail’s assertion that he “can’t get got” is put to the test, it emerges that maybe he’s not quite the hyper-manly cowboy he’s made himself out to be, prompting a full-on identity crisis that strips away his bravado and turns the tide of the show.
Created with director Cecily Nash, who also worked on the fantastic Troll, it’s a very fun and silly show and you can’t help but root for this surprisingly sweet character as he searches for his purpose in life, whether that’s as the baddest cowboy in Texas or a much more mundane life’s calling.
A rootin’, tootin’ good time!
Lil Wenker: Bangtail runs at Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) at 16:15. Tickets here
