Inside Joke With Dave Foley
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Saw Dave Foley speak last night at Inside Joke at UCB as part of their The Best Comedy In The Universe Festival.
Archive for November, 2006
Billy the Mime
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On Saturday, I saw Billy The Mime as part UCB’s The Best Comedy In The Universe Festival. Initially I hadn’t been too keen on the show, as mimes annoy me, but a fellow improviser heartily recommended his performance. So, I checked it out.
This audience member was a very good sport.
I’m not sure if Billy the Mime epitomizes modern Mimery (Real word?), but it was very funny stuff. My favorite part of the show was his Thomas Jefferson piece about his relationship with slave Sally Hemings, which was graphic and hilarious.
Christopher Reeve flying
My favorite part of the evening was watch a fan of Billy the Mime, who herself was a Mime, attend the show. I don’t really understand the rules of being a Mimer, but If you are a mime, do you always have to dress like a mime and not talk? She certainly gave the impression that being a mime is a lifestyle choice. She bought her ticket, got a beer, and got a seat without saying a word. The best part of each of her interactions were watching the faces of people she came in contact with. I realized that mimes, like clowns, are really scary out of context. She certainly freaked the hell out of me.
(more photos after the jump)
Improv 201 Class 6,7,8
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Dear Improv Diary,
Although I am a few weeks late, I thought I would reflect on my 201 class at the Upright Citizens Brigade New York.
The Whip at Drury Lane in 1909
As I alluded to earlier, things over at UCB had definitely become more interesting. Jon Daly, our instructor, was called away for a writing gig out in California and was replaced by Neil Casey of Death By Roo Roo. At first I was very nervous about the instructor change 5 weeks in to an 8 week class, but Casey proved to be an excellent instructor.
Stephnie Weir Spotting In Union Square
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Just went out for lunch and saw Stephnie Weir checking her cell phone by the Coffee Shop in Union Square. At first I had trouble placing her face, but then realized I was going to see her tonight at UCB’s The Best Comedy In The Universe Festival.
So, I think somebody is trying to tell me to remind you fine people to, if you haven’t already, make your reservation for Weirdass this evening at 8pm.
It’s the show I judge all other’s by. It is, bar none, the best improv performance I have ever seen.
A Warning About Outrageous Characters
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While it’s important to choose strong characters, I wanted to take a moment to warn you that picking a strong character and picking an outrageous character, are very different things. An outrageous character choice is always a possible way to go in a scene, but if it turns out that character in your head isn’t as funny as you thought it would be on stage, you and your scene partner are going to be stuck with it for the entirety of a scene… possibly for an entire performance.
There’s nothing like a one eyed lisping hunchback with a gimp arm and an audience not laughing, to really bring this point home.
If you do find yourself on stage playing a crazy character and think “Shit! This is a total mistake, no one is laughing,” the last thing you should do is renege on your choice. Completely commit to your character and stay with it. Chances are, the more time you spend in your outrageous character’s shoes, the more material you’ll have to play with. Play it for all it’s worth. If you don’t get huge laughs, at least you can add a solid performance and solid support to the scene.
Now get limping.