Horse Play

Review by Ned McVicar

Horse Play: An Earnest One Man Show Based on The Saddle Club fully earns the label of Earnest. It's the style of show many comedians would have trouble fully committing to, and instead of looking the concept in the eye would avert their gaze to wink at the audience instead. I'm so glad it wasn't one of those comics that tackled this show.

If you've seen the Saddle Club, you already understand how genuinely hilarious the concept is. If you haven't, as was the case for me, I can't recommend enough that you don't watch it before seeing this show. The Saddle Club is a book and TV series written for young horse lovers revolving around 3 best friends at the Pine Hollows Equestrian Academy, and Horse Play faithfully recreates the first episode. The consistent source of comedy is how incredibly Jett commits to portraying the narrative of a kids show from 2001, to the point that I got way too invested in whether Lisa Atwood's first day at riding camp would be successful or not, and I wouldn't dare deprive that joy from any other soul.

Additionally, Horse Play offers a surprising second course, the comedy equivalent of being re-impressed by the taste of your cocktail as you taste it the second time in a night on its way to the bowl. Before watching Horse Play I had never seen the Saddle Club, but after watching, I raced out to watch the source material for myself. Belly-laughing at the reality of the source material, experiencing the brevity of scenes that were stretched into a full length monologue, it was a genuine delight to be able to consume the Saddle Club in such a joyously unique form.

Jett's performance is comfortingly unhinged, as is the set they stand upon. Furnished sparsely, save for a borderline defunct porcelain horse suspended by springs straight from a rusted trampoline found under a bridge, I couldn’t decide if it gave Grandma's heirloom or Saw trap. The script holds an iron grip on the tone of the original Saddle Club, and confidently exudes relatability to the target audience of 13 year old horse girls, comprising 0% of the actual audience.

A departure from Jett’s usual style, I can’t stress how glad I am to see it. I think it’s far too common for comedians to hit a stride early and hold onto it instead of facing the scary unknown of pushing yourself further out, so the confidence and bravery required for a show like this is nothing but a good omen for what Jett’s future holds.