Colleen Hammond is currently a Critical Insight fellow at Pittsburgh Public Theater, in partnership with American Theatre magazine.
By COLLEEN HAMMOND
The haunting jangle of an accordion creeped through the stale air of The Mr. Roboto Project, as a small crowd of lonely hearts converged on a sea of rickety, mismatched chairs. Moments later, decked head to toe in blue, red and white stripes, Chanel Samson emerged from behind a black curtain that had seen better days.
Samson, who uses they/them pronouns and performs under the moniker Chanel and The Circus, strode onstage with an accordion in hand, to lead the room in a cathartic, solo musical comedy All The Boys I Blocked. The hour-long show about the horrors of modern dating kicked off the first weekend of Pittsburgh Fringe Festival, March 20 and 21, in the Bloomfield/Garfield area, with a barrage of instruments and audience participation.
for All the Boys I Blocked, an opening performance
at the 2025 Pittsburgh Fringe Festival.
Samson began the show with the song, “You’re Blocked,” about the joys of blocking someone on social media after a breakup and setting clear boundaries.
Emotional boundaries emerged as a prominent theme in the show, but what made Samson’s performance so unique was their ability to practice what they preach. All The Boys I Blocked is a highly interactive piece, with audience members frequently being asked to share breakup stories, sing along to original songs, and even perform onstage alongside Samson as a variety of ex-partners.
While audience interaction can often be forced and uncomfortable, Samson seems to tailor the performance to each patron’s comfort level. Instead of twisting the audience’s arm to partake in their shenanigans, they offer a gentle invitation to play in the wild and wonderful world they create.
Subsequently, Samson was able to reach physical and emotional depths with the Fringe audience, a connection unheard of in an hour-long performance. Within minutes of starting the show, Samson ventured into the crowd in search of “the love of their life.”
Through the maze of chairs, Samson invited audience members to embrace them. One person gave a quick peck on the cheek while another went right in for a full kiss on the lips. Others shied away from the interaction, and Samson more than respected their choice. Near the end of the show, Samson indulged in a classic post-breakup meal: A tub of their favorite ice cream. With their face dripping with chocolate, they once again ventured into the front row and humbly asked a person in the front row to wipe their face clean. Despite the mess, the person obliged in a stunning act of vulnerability and connection.
Even in the grandeur of a full face of drag-inspired clown makeup and a set of oversized striped pants, Samson’s performance was remarkably human and deeply relatable. They never let the exaggerated nature of the genre detract from the seering humanity of their performance, a clear sign of a master clown.
Beyond their stunning emotional range, Samson’s clowning chops were on full display with their expert prop work. Throughout the show, Samson utilized a series of comically oversized props — a gargantuan British passport, a pair of torso-sized cardboard beer glasses, a massive inflatable cell phone — all a hallmark of textbook clown techniques. Steeped in ennui, Samson nodded to the French influences of clowning by lighting a contemplative cigarette and pondering the fall of yet another relationship. But as they took a melodramatic drag, the unmistakable buzz of a kazoo rang out from the cigarette.
Samson’s performance marries the unbridled queer joy of a Chappell Roan concert with the searing honesty, humor and timeliness of Bo Burham’s musical comedy. Even for those with a fear of clowns, it was impossible to resist the endearment of this earnest, heartbroken, punk rock princess, caked in clown white.
PITTSBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL
The 2025 Pittsburgh Fringe Festival is going full throttle through Friday, March 29, when the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side is host to the closing event, JOSEPHINE: A Burlesque Cabaret Dream Play, with Tymisha Harris as the first African-American international superstar. The international award-winning, one-woman biographical musical combines cabaret, theater and dance to tell the remarkable story of Josephine Baker. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. Tickets: https://pittsburghfringe.org/events/josephine/. Festival details: https://pittsburghfringe.org/.
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