A lineup like this is too good to fail, and even when it does, it’s hilarious.
The Edinburgh International Improv Festival wrapped up on the 8th of March, and it did so with a handful group improv shows (an appropriate send off for a festival so community led). These shows had stacked line ups, including one of which A Young(ish) Perspective attended – What the Hell? An Incredible Improv Show.
This show was made up of Amanda Breen, James Dwyer, Chris Gethard, Oscar Montoya, Aaron LaRoche, Monika Smith, Kimi Jackson and Lyndsey Frank. These comedians came up with a series of sometimes-connected sometimes-totally-tangential scenes prompted by audience stories that make one say “What the hell?”. A true range of talent on the stage that night led to an onslaught of bits, all flavoured with each comedian’s particularities. These were the most engaging moments of the night, as comedians figured out how to slalom around another comedian’s idea, add to it or knock it down. This was not combative; it was improv in collaboration. When each performer is equally as confident and talented as the next, it creates a sort of cascade of bits – which is certainly the best way to describe the show that night.
Two stories were conjoined together into one large tapestry of scenes, including dad advice, an ever-evolving tampon bit and an apparently offensive wedding attire salesman. After this, the group took one word and ran with it – “Hopscotch”. And while the scenes that followed were delightfully spiraling (at some point including a Goblin Avatar commune), Hopscotch didn’t wind up occurring. The initial attempt included a father-daughter disagreement about easter baskets, which one could see resulting someway in Hopscotch. But, as the final scenes evolved, the show wrapped up with callbacks instead.
This is the only minor thing that brought the show down. The large, talented and multifaceted group may have broken up a level of synchronicity, leading to tenuous scene resolutions at times. However, this onstage talent was also the biggest strength. Amanda Breen, Monika Smith and Oscar Montoya were the most controlled of the troupe, managing to create clear set ups in their scenes, allowing for natural development, and also capable of playing a clear role in the scene to make room for laughter. Aaron LaRoche, Lyndsey Frank and James Dwyer were extremely bit-form that evening; these comedians would truncate or interrupt scenes in order to contribute their own bit of silliness, my favourite of which was each comedian separately developing the gun pointing bit. Kimi Jackson was an ace-in-the-hole, often taking on unexpected characters who were funny in mere expression, like an overexcited bridesmaid or a miscellaneous Swedish man. As an industry veteran, Chris Gethard was a standout. His expertise in the medium makes him extremely comfortable rambling on about Avatar to humorous effect. By the end of the evening, it was clear that other comedians were ribbing Gethard a little bit, as they continuously attempted to return him to an uncomfortable character.
In the end, this was the show’s biggest advantage. Each comedian was skilled enough to create laughter, but it was also evident that the fun for the performers was in being able to catch each other out. Push a bit out or pull it back in. While the structural integrity is the only technical mark down, when you’re watching something as fun as this, it’s easy not to care about that. And if Improv can’t make someone care less, what can?