Take in your piss and let them take the piss. The Old Fitz under the new regime Red Line Productions have ushered in a late show program to follow their main stage offering, beginning with BAD, a delightful piece of clown drollery.

BAD is so good it’s funny.

The lights go down in the bible black, Spartan no-back seating of the space, and the public address welcomes us to this production starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush.

In darkness visible, time passes, and the regrettable announcement that Geoffrey Rush will not be appearing this evening is made. From centre stage, a light, and a diminutive red nosed character in red shorts and silver cape, tights and boots introduces herself as Cate Blanchett. Her accent is kooky Francaise and the rest of her vocabulary is fluent gibberish.

Soon there is a knock on the door. Enter a tall, gangly red nosed character, with red bow tie and patterned waistcoat and bearing a brief case. She introduces herself as the philosopher but the diminutive caped red nose insists she is Geoffrey Rush.

This zany, absurd, surreal frippery is a self-devised piece by its two performers, Penny Greenhalgh and Kate Walder, and under the direction of Scott Witt, it is an engaging and simmeringly energetic entertainment.

Walder and Greenhalgh met last year in Paris at the acclaimed clown school, Ecole Philippe Gaulier, and their skills are admirably showcased here, playing to their contrasting physicality, and adhering to a lovely sense of play and timing.

BAD is a ridiculously good way of chilling out after a hot Sydney summer’s day.

Venue: The Old Fitz Theatre – 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo Dates: 14 – 31 January (not Mondays) Tickets: $15 all tickets Time: 9:00pm Bookings: Old Fitz Theatre – www.oldfitztheatre.com/bad