Following their critically acclaimed run at last year’s festival, Three Chickens Confront Existence returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their eggs-traordinary show, promising to make audiences both laugh and cry. This surreal and hilarious production offers a fresh perspective on humanity and our place in the universe—think Waiting for Godot, but with chickens.
Tragedy and comedy intertwine as three factory-farmed chickens explore mysticism, power struggles, class inequality, mythology, and religion, all while delivering emotionally charged antics and unexpected twists. As they await their imminent trip to the broiler, the trio engage in debates, games, feuds, and emotional experiments in search of peace of mind and a greater sense of purpose.
The returning cast includes Eric Kirchberger (Voice of the Orange M&M; Sandman, New York; Comedy Central, HBO Comedy) as Reginald, Audrey Rapoport (Bull, Cheers, Thirteen Days) as Helen, and Matthew DiLoreto (The Blue Man Group; Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre) as Bronseman. Costume design is by Sasha Richter (The Irishman, Boardwalk Empire, The Gilded Age), with the show written by Bill Schaumberg.
Schaumberg reflects, “In a time of great fragmentation I felt drawn to a story that is universally human (despite the fact it doesn’t contain a single human character). These characters are trapped and literally can’t look away from the truth that we’re all going to die—and we don’t know when.”
Critics have praised the show as “strangely cathartic and surprisingly moving” (The Scotsman) and “engaging and gripping with unexpected twists” (Ed Fest Magazine).
