By Nick Dussault

If you’re looking for something truly unique to do Saturday afternoon, check out the Rough and Tumble Theatre’s “Red Brick Line.” Part performance art and part walking tour, this strange little play is actually quite entertaining.

ON STAGE
Funded by the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Vita Brevis Project, the free show takes place along the Freedom Trail. With audience in tow, the actors walk their way through this whimsical little tale of a misfit named Sam and his pursuit of the perfect, yet elusive, breakfast.

Two very different narrators explain very different events in history at several stops along the red line. Though quite witty, there isn’t really enough of this banter to maintain the show’s continuity, especially when transitioning to other performance sites.

A little more work on the narratives and the logistics of the traveling show would greatly enhance the experience.

Some of the finest moments, however, are the unplanned encounters with pedestrians and motorists along the performance route. The reactions of people who accidentally end up in the middle of the sow range from annoyance to delight, with the impatient, harried Bostonians providing some of the afternoon’s biggest laughs. Lighten up, it’s supposed to be silly.

In their flyer, Rough and Tumble promises that “at no point will you learn anything” and “At dinner tonight you can say, ‘I saw the oddest thing downtown today/’ They’re absolutely right on both counts. But what they don’t tell you is that it’s also charming, refreshing and fun. Go ahead and take that walk, you might just laugh a little. Nick Dussault

The Rough & Tumble Theatre Performance will be held on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. The show begins at the Shaw memorial on Boston Common. For more information, call the Institute of Contemporary Art at 617-927-6613.