Times Colonist (Victoria), Page E06, 18-Sep-2004
Improv a Moving Target, Sometimes In Sights
By Susan Down
What: Victoria International Improv Festival
Where: St. Ann’s Academy
Continuing today
Improvisational comedy theatre, with story lines made up on the spot, is difficult to review because it’s a moving target — what I criticize or rave about won’t be what you see, anyway.
What I can talk about is the general level of talent, not only on stage but off, this weekend in the second year of the Victoria International Improv Festival. If the number of yellow-shirted volunteers is any indication, it’s clear that this is a well- organized event. As a result, the hosts, Victoria’s Impromaniacs, have attracted a strong lineup of shows from places like Regina, Edmonton, Seattle and Berlin.
The first performance I caught was !nstant Theatre, a trio of Vancouver lads who claim, in the program, to have broken new ground in the improv world. Maybe so, but it wasn’t a trail I could follow. After choosing a name from the audience — Chris — they each announced what that name meant to them, whether it was a childhood friend with an angry outlook on life or a place (Fort McMurray). They proceeded to weave these stories together with clever scene changes, such as a bingo game that turns into a highway wipe-out on a motorcycle that transforms into a party scene.
Unfortunately, their cultural references really narrowed their potential audience and made their comedy seem, at times, adolescent. If you were not familiar with the tv sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, then half the jokes and characters would have hit the ground with a thud.
I was glad I stuck around for the second show, this time from Edmonton’s Rapid Fire. Once again, a male trio created a series of characters, but they did so with a maturity that raised the absurd plots to new heights.
They used classic improv formats such as a tag team monologue (in the voice of a Peruvian engineer who runs a fruit stand), a trio of animals in an Aesop-style fable, as well as an inspired situational playlet set in a soup kitchen. “I’ll have my soup on the terrace,” says a homeless character — who turns out to be a deposed king — as he climbs out to sit on top of his box. The group’s solid acting skills allowed them to sketch a scenario – – whether corporate backslapping or medieval treachery — with just a few character strokes.
Because improv talent is so varied and whimsical, I can only suggest a strategy for potential audiences. To make it a satisfying evening, order a double or triple scoop of shows rather than sampling just one. After all, they are arranged in bite-sized chunks of about an hour. With that in mind, prepare to be transported far, far away from anything remotely predictable, while watching the gears grind in the actors’ brains. It’s a rare journey.
*****
I agree with Susan- coming to just one show is like going to Disneyland and only going on one ride. The doors open at 6 tonight and I think $25 for a full night of random radical rayguns, romance and riots is just about the best deal you’re going to see all year. And as a special bonus I’m co-hosting with Rayner. More fun that this you can’t get with a sharp pointy stick.
And for once it’s totally worth it to buy the t-shirt. Kyle’s Mr Bombhead rocks the dome. I have one and I’m seriously considering buying another.
I should really be writing up some sort of short review for you, but no time. When things touch ground again after tomorrow I should have a bit more time for writing. And posting pics.
Right then- see you tonight!
Sorry I missed the festivities… I was supposed to go with Grant last night and found myself asleep.
I’ve been sleeping a lot, lately.
As for the Bombhead… I love him. I think the Viif should fly Ky out here as payment or something. (Not that I have any personal interest in seeing him or anything!) ;)