Nathaniel Jones: 2 by 2 ★★★★☆

Nathaniel Jones: 2 by 2, Biblical Chaos of the Best Kind ★★★★☆

Nathaniel Jones: 2 by 2 takes Noah’s Ark, throws in a bucketload of biblical puns, an entire zoo of animal jokes and a healthy dose of queer chaos, and somehow turns it all into a ridiculously entertaining solo show.

The premise is clever from the outset, and Nathaniel Jones attacks it with extraordinarily high energy. The storyline is surprisingly well constructed underneath all the madness, providing enough structure for the silliness to run completely wild without ever losing its way.

And silly it is. Stupid, crazy and ridiculous, all in the best possible ways.

There are biblical puns. There are animal puns. There’s plenty of audience participation. There are moments of genuine hilarity and, at one point, something I can only describe as chaotic perfection.

This is definitely a show that thrives on a “yes, and” audience willing to jump aboard the Ark and play along. On our night, that’s exactly what Nathaniel got, and the relationship between performer and audience elevated the whole experience.

But underneath the queer hilarity and high-energy madness, there are also unexpected moments of reflection. They give the production just enough substance without weighing down what is ultimately designed to be an hour of joyful nonsense.

Nathaniel Jones: 2 by 2 is clever, queer, wonderfully unhinged and extremely well put together.

Get on the Ark. Embrace the chaos.

★★★★☆ Four stars.