My overall impression
I am amazed, dazzled and definitely amused by the brilliant improvisations dealt by this fascinating company. Just think, every show you see will be different but I can only comment, and praise, the one I was lucky enough to witness. Since suggestions come from the audience (and not all seemed pre-set) the series of sketches are actually created on the spot – improv, duh! Favorite sketches, done effortlessly yet with keen precision, include: a man drowning in a leaky submarine, with sound effects “drip drip drip” to curdle your blood; O.J. Simpson in jail deciding whether to have water or juice; a roundelay of gibberish conversations being translated by a cheerful moderator, and a couple searching in a haunted house for the remains of a (maybe) dead relative. All the sketches have sound effects added by members, moody piano music by accompanist Jake Anthony, and mind-boggling challenges of time, place and people. Viola Spolin started this genre in the 1930’s and her Spolin Players demonstrate her genius. Long live improvisation and actors such as these who have the talent and energy to do it. In my acting years I thought learning lines was difficult but, hey – this is impossible!!! Go!
Morna Murphy Martell, theater critic for NOT BORN YESTERDAY and theatrespokenhere.blogspot.com.
