Toronto Fringe Review: The Rhinoceros Collective

Prepare to be bowled over by sketch comedy troupe The Rhinoceros Collective at this  year’s Toronto Fringe Festival! Consisting of six members – Frank Behar, Chelsey Bowler,  James Goldman, Spencer Pearson, Becca Robitaille and Le Truong – the group bring an  electric energy to the stage in a 59-minute sketch show that is both delightfully silly and smart. Made up of three segments with three specific audiences in mind (that on paper appear to have no real connection): cavemen, chess and the Illuminati, each section, when  seen performed are amusingly well-meshed in their chaos. 

The first of the three sections ponders the question, “Did cavemen have game shows?”. Well, if they did, they were sure to involve a wheel of some sort. The ensuing and opening sketch hilariously showcases (pun intended) the game show variety zeitgeist that came with the times. In another sketch, in quite the comedic meta moment, two stand-up comics perform impressions to vastly different results. You’ll get a peek into prehistoric cavemen life, complete with history class confusion, those looking for things to do, the evolution of animals, worrying weather reports and the ushering in of a new era. 

If you’ve ever wondered what chess speed dating looks like – and even if you haven’t,  because the sketches are sure to make you laugh – then the second component of the  show is for you. Who would have thought that chess and speed dating had similarities? Well, they’re both sports in their own right, and the shared awkwardness of making moves, both on the board and in the proverbial romance field are comically covered with accompanying play-by-play commentary. There are great sketches to follow, including a game between Sherlock Holmes and long-time nemesis James Moriarty, and the drafting of chess pieces for battle, where the physical comedy is just right. 

The final portion of the show dared to ask, “Can children join the Illuminati?”. There’s a catchy theme song to go along with the subsequent Illuminati Junior sketch, structured as  an episode of a children’s show. Happily tuned in, with each sketch, the viewer is taken deeper into the conspiracy by way of an Illuminati branding board meeting, a communal dance sequence that’s nothing to sneeze at, selective celebrity recruitment and  desperation of raising reasonable funds. 

A ticket to see The Rhinoceros Collective is an hour of wackiness, centred around three very different questions and three particular audiences, making for a sometimes absurd, but always fun show. The sextet of Behar, Bowler, Goldman, Pearson, Robitaille and Truong deliver their satirical farce with such enthusiasm that you’ll be left wanting more of the differing worlds and the entertaining sketches found within. 

The Rhinoceros Collective runs until July 12th as part of Toronto Fringe. Schedule and Tickets.