As we confront the space, we see three human sized cages in front of us, ready for us to then confront existence with three chickens.

That sentence in itself seems surreal and of course, it means that this production is also surreal. Lights come up and we see three different coloured chickens in front of us in human size, sat in the cages, staring out at us. Over the next hour, these chickens contemplate existence, time, their lives and what’s to come, all while they wait for their randomised fate of the broiler.

Along with the differentiating colours, the personalities of each chicken is different and in some ways giving a sense of the film Chicken Run – we have a hen who is a little wacky, a cockerel who is more matter of fact and another cockerel who is a little more of a higher class. They have been thrown together in unfortunate circumstances, bouncing off one another, creating naturalistic humour in their differences. They do feel like they have been plucked out of the famous film, with similar thoughts, interactions and a desire to escape their fate.

In amongst their interactions, the spotlight is drawn on each of them for a monologue about their life and existence. Their contemplation, while chicken lead, feels philosophical, and does give a feeling of something avant garde and thought provoking. Within these moments and their interactions, there are elements of humour but it is small and subtle, and it’s difficult sometimes to tell if this is meant to be humorous or an attempt at high art. Whatever it is, it is a piece of theatre you’d expect to go to at the fringe, for the eccentricity alone.

3 Chickens Confront Existence is a thought provoking and philosophical and avant garde piece of theatre, well catered for those seeking to discover the unusual at fringe. It however felt a little lost on what it was meant to be, whether serious or a comedy. Either way, it was a well performed and interesting production.