SoHo Playhouse will host the U.S. premiere of What If They Ate the Baby?, a darkly comic, award-winning two-hander by Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland. The play runs Off-Broadway November 19 through December 22 for a limited 25-performance engagement, with opening night set for November 22.
Fresh off a sold-out, triple-billed run at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the show earned multiple honors, including the Fringe First Award, Best Overseas Show, and Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe. Everything Theatre hailed it as “an absurdist masterpiece.”
Set in a picture-perfect 1950s-style suburb, the story follows housewife Dottie as she returns a casserole dish to her neighbor Shirley. What begins as an ordinary visit soon turns unnerving, as smiles tighten, footsteps echo upstairs, and secrets simmer beneath the surface. Drawing inspiration from McCarthy-era paranoia and the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, the piece blends physical comedy, queer clowning, and biting social commentary to explore surveillance, fear, and American womanhood.
Rice and Roland—who write, direct, and perform the production—also designed the set, sound, and costumes. Angelo Sagnelli serves as lighting designer and production stage manager.
Known for their highly physical, historically influenced clown work, Rice and Roland have been artistic collaborators for more than a decade. They are three-time Fringe First Award recipients and have earned accolades including the SoHo Playhouse Encore Series Prize and an Offie Award for Best Performance. The duo was recently featured on Theatrely’s “31” list of emerging theater makers to watch and has been described by The Telegraph as “the Fringe’s most dynamic theatrical duo.”
Performances take place at SoHo Playhouse, located at 15 Vandam Street in New York City. Tickets are priced at $45.50 (including fees), with varying showtimes. Run time is approximately 65 minutes. More information and tickets are available at sohoplayhouse.com.
Founded in the legacy of Edward Albee’s Playwright Unit Workshop, SoHo Playhouse continues to champion innovative voices through its Lighthouse Series and International Fringe Encore Series, redefining Off-Broadway for the 21st century.
