9 / 10
The show’s central joke—”we can’t afford to keep the lights on,” “we can’t afford a cliché,” “we can’t afford a B-plot”—turns theatrical poverty into a philosophical argument about who decides what art is worth. It’s a mindf*ck in the best possible way.
8 / 10
The conceit starts tripping on its own feet when it devolves into rope-a-dope role-playing where you’re unsure who’s who and who wants what. And yet, and yet. … There is a genuine artistic sensibility in this show, which Xhloe and Natasha directed with Tom Costello. Every time I became a little frustrated with its tilting into whimsy, that feeling was superseded by a surreal bit of slapstick or the perfect music cue at the perfect time from the well-curated playlist, which includes the likes of “Ring of Fire” and “(You’re the) Devil in Disguise.”
Ars Nova has added a second and final extension of And Then The Rodeo Burned Down. The show marks the first Off-Broadway production of playwriting and performing duo Xhloe and Natasha.
See what the critics are saying about And Then The Rodeo Burned Down at Ars Nova, the first Off-Broadway production of playwriting and performing duo Xhloe and Natasha. Read BroadwayWorld's Review Roundup here!
Ars Nova has extended AND THEN THE RODEO BURNED DOWN, the Off-Broadway debut of Drama Desk Award-winning duo Xhloe and Natasha, due to overwhelming demand.
Ars Nova will present the Off-Broadway debut of playwriting and performing duo Xhloe and Natasha in their award-winning And Then The Rodeo Burned Down after an appearance in Ars Nova’s 2025 ANT Fest.
| 2023 | West End |
West End |
