Fringe Review

How does one describe “Ned’s Night-Hole”?  Imagine if 1970s comedian Andy Kaufman delivered a TED Talk on a late-night show filmed in your parent’s basement and you have just cracked the surface of the mad genius that is “Ned’s Night-Hole.”

Part motivational speech, part late night parody, part diversionary performance art, “Ned’s Night-Hole” defies description in its content while coopting familiar pop cultural tropes from the 1970s to the present in its form. The entire act is a study in “performance interruptus.”  Ned enters with a guitar but is never able to play. He broaches philosophical ideas but can never complete the thought. Even his PowerPoint seems to take on a mind of its own.

The main idea of the lecture has something to do with U.S. monetary policy until it gets hijacked by Ned’s fetishized obsession with wolves. Given the title, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of sexual innuendoes (and out-uendoes) including an uncomfortable sketch involving a male member and a mousetrap, a videoed love story between a thumb and a wolf, and a full-on lupine burlesque number.

The genius of this production is in Ned himself (played by Alec Nicholas). He has created a character so memorable and so believable that it doesn’t even seem like an actor playing a role. The rest of the very strong cast includes Francois, the French DJ and sidekick spinning techno tunes and sound effects; an overgrown (in more ways than one) Peter Pan who serves as the production’s safety officer; a female burlesque dancer; and Alex, which you’re just going to have to see for yourself.

As is often the case in comedy, there is no challenge to white, heterosexual patriarchy in this production and the humor sometimes panders to a fraternity bro mindset.  “Ned’s Night-Hole” may defy description, but it is undeniably funny and wild fun.