Presented by Fork & Shoe Theatre Cooperative
Written and directed by Charlie Snow
Scenic and lighting design by Isaac Zerkle
Choreography by J Cramer
Musical direction by Elise Brown
Costume design by E. Rosser
Puppetry design by Nick Chieffo
Featuring: Caleb Palmer, Mabel White, Tiffany Santiago, Robert Thorpe II, Cara Clough, Sophie Pels, Michael J Blunt

December 11 – 14, 2025
BCA Plaza Theatres
539 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02116

Review by Maegan Clearwood

BOSTON — In spite of all its weirdness, the world of Horseplay (Played by Medusa the Horse) isn’t very different from our own. Animals talk and pickles are an illicit substance, but in the offices of equine billionaire CEO Medusa Maria Groucho Martini the 10^th, the capitalist machine churns along as unfeelingly as ever.

At the machine’s mercy is Julie Fern the Unpaid Intern (an appropriately frenetic Mable White). Practical, well-educated, and constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Julie has eight other jobs, but this time, she thinks, maybe this time, she will finally unlock the secrets of adulthood.

Julie is the protagonist of Horseplay, but her boss (an imposing and glamorous Caleb Palmer) is its sparkly star. Eccentric, self-centered, and utterly dimwitted, Medusa seems to have tripped and fallen her way up the corporate ladder. When her company’s secret formula is stolen by a trio of revenge-seeking French buffoons, she strings poor Julie along on the most grueling magical road trip imaginable.

Playwright/director Charlie Snow, with Fork & Shoe Theatre Cooperative, delivers a play that is simultaneously bizarre and all-too familiar. Aesthetically, it absurdism incarnate, overflowing with puns, non sequiturs, and pitch-black humor. But structurally, Horesplay is a linear buddy comedy that doesn’t push any dramaturgical bounds.

This results in an awkward tension: the comedic bits (pun intended) flourish in isolation but never quite coalesce into a satisfying finished product.

The play’s flaws would be less noticeable if it were restructured as a series of surrealist vignettes or a fast-paced one-act, rather than a conventional conflict-oriented narrative. As it stands, the play can’t quite sustain itself over the course of an ambitious two-hour runtime. Julie’s arc is unwieldy and repetitive, and the jokes struggle to stay fresh.

That said, many of the aforementioned comedic bits stick the landing, and Snow’s staging is consistently clever. It’s unendingly fun to see how the artistic team brings literally impossible stage directions to life through scrappy stage magic. Just a few examples: Medusa, bedecked in bedecked in southern belle charm and an elegantly tousled blonde tail (costumes by E. Rosser), clacks away on intimidating tap shoe hooves; the road trippers escape near-certain death at the hands of an abominable snow creature vis a vis jumping puppets (puppetry by Nick Chieffo); the onstage band makes sickening slurping sounds every time Medusa guzzles down another jar of illicit pickles (music direction by Elise Brown).

Horseplay trots along where it should go at a farcical gallop, so many of Snow’s sharp gags hang in the air too long. Still, it’s chock-full of funny moments, thanks in large part to the supporting cast, who rotate through an astounding number of fantastical side characters. Cara Clough, who is featured as a cutthroat French thief and Julie’s mother, has some of the most commendable, committed line deliveries I’ve seen in some time, and Sophie Pels’ physical comedy skills shine as Little Horse and the Mime.

Compared to the onslaught of Christmas Carols on virtually every other Boston stage right now, Horseplay is refreshing. Boston is lucky to have Fork & Shoe around to keep things weird (if not boundary pushing) at the BCA.

If you enjoyed this article, please consider making a donation. Every cent earned goes towards the upkeep and continuation of the New England Theatre Geek.