[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival review of Case Closed??, a wildly absurd courtroom comedy performed by acting students from the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute.
“A funny and fast-paced show full of havoc and improv, solid performances, and a highly Fringe plot.”
Case Closed?? Is an absurdist courtroom comedy revolving around the death of a clown at a clown convention, his sister the prime suspect and defendant in the trial of the clown-tury!
The ghoulish variety of witnesses, mostly appearing under duress, cover the spectrum of the clown universe, such as The Joker (the crummy Jared Leto version), Ronald McDonald and IT (who was very scary), and a selection of other miscreants with a clownish edge.
The result of all this, as you might expect, is a story that keeps changing as often as the witness’s testimony. Including the two lawyers vying, not so subtly, for one particular clown’s attention and a judge whose habit of sneaking a little tipple from her hip flask becomes more and more frequent and less and less subtle.
The story is an excuse for the inspired performances really, although it is rather fun. The clown makeup is absolutely brilliant, which really adds to the manic caper-ness and lends an unexpected authenticity which is charming. Also fun is the audience participation. The audience is the jury and are handed guilty and not guilty signs upon entry to the show, although the verdict was hardly a close call. I wonder how the improvisation during the shows affected the outcome each time!
All in all, Case Closed?? was a funny and fast-paced show full of havoc and improv, solid performances and a highly Fringe plot. The audience had fun, the actors certainly did, and the show was a big success, if purely on that count in my opinion! Bravo to all!!
The Cast:
Gayathri Krishnakumar, Charne De Jager, Keya Kalyan, John Nitschke, Noa Taieb, Monica Sharma, Nadia Carrion, Marcus Benjamin, Christan Anderson, Christopher Petree, Ricky Serrano Robles, Paule Sydr.
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