Pajama Men: 2 Man 3 Musketeers

The Pajama men really don't stop for a moment. Characters blend into one another and back again before our eyes. The audience has to stay on their toes to keep up. In fact, even the Pajama Men themselves lose their place sometimes, taking over from each other mid-sentence.

This show sees them retelling the classic tale of The Three Musketeers. How true this version is to Dumas’ original work is not as important as how well they bring the characters to life; they give themselves to it completely. It is incredible to see a grown man in pajamas transform into a 17th century French aristocrat, simply by putting his hands over his face like a large moustache.

Part of the act's appeal is the duo—Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez—challenging each other to increasingly crazy actions and characters, each competing to make the other crack by throwing off-script curve balls. This improvisational element renders the action that much more vivid, drawing us in; indeed, Allen and Chavez even pretend to be part of the front row at points, where they discuss what’s going on. It’s wonderfully self-aware, lending an extra dimension to the performance – and the audience buys it completely.

They manage, somehow, to get the gist of the story across, in a lightning fast hour packed with laughs and impressive—if surreal—sketch, drama and improvisation.