It was a night millions of years, and decades of cinematic obsession, in the making. HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS stormed the stage at The Clocktower Cabaret, bringing full bodied chaos, prehistoric camp, and sonic wizardry to the Denver underground. The show, performed by the ingenious minds of @recentcutbacks, the New York based-comedy theater ensemble, was a high-octane parody of Jurassic Park reimagined through the lens of physical theater and foley sound.
From the moment host Libby Zambrano took the mic, the tone was set, wild, weird, and wonderfully unhinged. Aerialist and burlesque bombshell Noelia Antweiler kicked things off with a stunning dino strip tease and aerial performance that had jaws dropping like the T-Rex paddock fence. Then came the cosmic oddity that is Walter Cosmic, whose humor and knowledge brought genuine hilarity to the dino drama.
The one-woman foley phenom Kelly Robinson was able to conjure everything from prehistoric roars to vibrating water cups using nothing but sheer creativity, live props, and surgical comedic timing. With every squawk, stomp, and swish, she kept the audience laughing and gasping in awe.
The show itself was a chaotic masterpiece. The physical comedy was razor-sharp; the nostalgia was lovingly warped, and the timing, down to each dino footstep, was comedic gold. Audience members cackled, shrieked, and cheered through clever scene recreations, cardboard props, plastic toy recreations, and hilarious sound effects delivered in real time. It was theatrical wizardry disguised as slapstick brilliance, and every single second was entertaining.
Missed it? Don’t worry; the BUTTS are back. Recent Cutbacks is headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer with Hold On To Your Butts (12:30 p.m.) and Fly, You Fools! (3:10 p.m.) at the Pleasance Courtyard, July 30–August 25. Get your tickets now at recentcutbacks.com/fringe.
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Photography by Zack Hartman. Follow on IG @zhartmanphotography.
