Funny’s the game Improv’s the name
05/06/2010
Uncategorized
(SEAN LARA / LARIAT STAFF)
Saddleback College’s Improv team proved once again that they could morph almost any subject into something funny on Friday evening. Their humorous skills kept the audience in stitches as the team moved seamlessly from joke to joke.
“People were throwing their bras at us.” Justin Huft, 20, psychology said in response to the completion of the show, as the president and co-founder of the improv comedy troupe. Huft proved that his comedy prowess never goes to his head by showing off his dancing skills for anyone who wished to watch. They were interesting to say the least.
“Our level of attractiveness and funniness combined to a cataclysmic explosion of awesomeness.” Huft and fellow teammate Vince Breck, 20, deaf studies said. In exact unison. But in all seriousness, the team performed very well.
“We definitely had some strong jokes,” Breck said.
And strong they definitely were.
The show began with pre-show music blaring over loudspeakers, with select songs from current pop-culture. The improv team members wandered around the audience, welcoming friends and audience members alike while handing out raffle tickets simultaneously. The reason for the tickets was unknown, yet added a down-to-earth ambience to the pre-show setting.
After the pre-show, it was time to get down to business. Andrew Parkhill, 21, and Chris Liedholm introduced the team, a team with a very interesting fashion sense. Justin Huft held a briefcase and Brandon Blanks wore a black sequened vest.
The first game played was Kangaroo Kort. The object is to debate a current political topic, in this case gay marriage and homeland security. The jokes kept coming.
“The show was quite entertaining.” Jason Marks, 21, undeclared said.
Marks wasn’t the only audience member entertained though. One common liked game was the Dating Game. Three contestants sat side by side on stage while a lucky bachelor or bachelorette interviewed each contestant. The twist? Each contestant was either a different person, character, or disability. In this case this meant Abraham Lincoln/Helen Keller, the brave little toaster, and a person who melts when exposed to light. Dan Salazar, 18, computer sciences was the lucky bachelor who successfully guessed each contestant identity. It was hard to believe the entire show was unscripted.
“Now the show’s over we’re going to write the script for next year.” Justin Huft said jokingly. The show was far from scripted. Audience members were encouraged to participate by giving suggestions to the improvists. For one game specifically, Lines From a Hat, the audience was asked to make up phrases that were then written down on slips of paper, which were then spread out on the stage floor facedown. The point was for the team members to run a scene but then stop mid-scene and read one of the slips of paper out loud at random. The effect was hilarious.
“It’s my first show and I don’t have much to compare it to,” Hailey Laity, 18, said, “I like how they don’t have any boundaries.”
Boundaries were practically nonexistent as the team played the many different games, yet none so much as the game Sex Is Like… where audience members shouted out nouns, such as Disneyland or trees.
“Sex is like Disneyland, because you’re all sticky afterwards and you don’t know why.” Megan Blanco, 19, communications said, which caused a round of more laughter from the audience.
Each improv team member contributed their humor to make a fantastic show, but sadly this was the last of the year. Be sure to show your support next year though, the team loves their supporters.
“Thank you to everyone for coming,” Breck said. “And hope to see you next year.”