Archive for March, 2008
So, I told you guys it was a worthwhile show, but now I’m going to lay it down. I have seen a lot of improv in my time at UCB and the Raw Harold continues to be the best thing I have seen in a long time. Last week’s show was exceptional and the improvisers, student improvisers mind you, surpassed their individual talents to create a truly inspirational show.
Yeah, Inspirational.
I walked away from last weeks performance saying “I want to improvise like that.” This is the same feeling I get when I watch 4 Square or Gravid Water. And not to say that I think Chris Gethard is trying to make any particular statement about what improv can be, but the fact of the matter is anyone could perform to the caliber of these performers if they risked and supported everything (like these performers do).
My last write-up I tried to break down the form of the raw Harold. I tried to equate the scenes I saw on stage to forms I had learned, tried to make jumps in logic, tried to find patterns. However, if there is a form, I can’t figure it out. I tried to keep track of scenes and for the most part this last performance did not follow any of the previous performance’s rules. Everything blended together; group games, scenes, meta, audience participation. I quickly forgot to write down the hierarchy of scenes, because I simply couldn’t keep track of them.
It’s like watching a con artist using slight of hand.
Now, while I’m saying there may be no discernible pattern, I do think there is a rhythm to the scenes. This rhythm I feel is not part of the form, if there is a form, but rather an indicator of the performers’ improv training. The scenes move in a quick succession, each performer taking focus and releasing it once it has been taken. Again it’s a bit of a magic trick the way the scenes work, each scene moving toward what each performer finds interesting and followed by the rest of the group unconditionally.
I could write further about the scenes last week; about Greg’s incredible ability to ground scenes, about Katie getting lovingly picked on by Jacob, about audience members replaced by improvisers, about one of the funniest references to Who’s Line is it Anyways’ Party Quirks, or my sister Amy getting pulled into the audience to reveal to the Raw Harold audience some incredibly personal information.
But in the end I think I’ll leave it as I began it — the Raw Harold continues to be the best thing I have seen in a long time. If you miss this show, you will be less of an improviser because of it. Take nap and see the show. Tonight at 11pm UCB Theatre.
Coming to a small screen near you March 25th, UCB’s ASSSCAT on DVD (link to Amazon $9.99). I’ve ordered a copy (cough… where’s that promotional copy… cough) and can’t wait to see these performances videotaped last year at UCBLA’s theater with special guests like Will Arnet (Arrested Development), Chad Carter (UCB), Sean Conroy (The Swarm), Andrew Daily (UCB), Ed Helms (The Office), Jen Kirkman (UCB), Tom Lennon, Horatio Sans (Saturday Night Live), Paul F. Tompkins, Kate Walsh (UCB). For all of you who are unfamiliar of the UCB’s ASSSSCCAT Show, let me assure you this is going to be fast, furious, and probably crazy funny. Of course, you’ll have to wait for my review to see if it lives up to the UCB standard, but I’m thinking if they spent all this time making a DVD, it’s going to be well worth it.
On the heels of their enormously popular TV show, the Upright Citizens Brigade, Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, bring you ASSSSCAT! an unparalleled improv comedy juggernaut. Beginning with a suggestion from the audience, a guest monologist tells a story that kicks off a series of high octane improvised sketches. From medical marijuana to embarrassing sexual encounters, no topic is off limits to the renegade performers who have helped make ASSSSCAT! one of the longest running improv shows in the history of the world.
Getting on in my improv age, as well as my actual age, I have become less and less impressed in the cookie-cutter Harold. Del, from what I have read, never intended the Harold to be the end all be all in improv forms. It was a blueprint and it was up to the improvisers to build their Harold as they saw fit. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Harolds I see, day-to-day, class-to-class, Harold night-to-Harold night, are 8 semi-terrified performers performing someone else’s form without a sense of their ownership.
One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.
–Anton Chekhov
Then I took Chris Gethard’s 501 at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade last year and near the end of the class he threw us the keys to the Harold, telling us in no uncertain terms to make it our own. The result was a performance which we, in the class, termed the “Pink Harold”. It was ours, it was passionate, it was inventive, it was unwatchable. But it was during the Pink Harold that our class realized that with enough support, inevitable listening, and a heaping of group mind — you could do just about anything to a Harold or improv and have it work.
Chris Gethard’s Explosion class, performing under the name ‘The Raw Harold’, has perfected the explosion into something which is truly stage worthy. The class, split into two non-permanent teams by Gethard, opens with something which most closely resembles an organic opening. The group then slides into scenes. The scenes themselves look to loosely follow the Harold structure, but they also seem to follow the focus of the whole piece, rather than stay wed to scene centric themes.
Read on…
Although technically not published yet (April 1st), there’s a new book available about the man, The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close ($16.47 from Amazon). I really don’t know much about the book other than that on first appearances it looks like a worthwhile read. I’ll update you when I get my copy and start in.
Order yours and we can be like Opra’s book club… except that I am white and don’t have a problem with Zebra cakes.
Update: Okay, who’s not a writer? Ben isn’t. The writer of The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close is none other than Kim “Howard” Johnson. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, he’s one of the co-writers of Truth in Comedy, the seminal book on longform improv which he co-wrote/edited with Charna Halpern and Del. In other words, the dude knows what he’s talking about.
I got the book today and so far it’s pretty good. I’m a little mystified by mentions of Del Sr. and Del Jr. and which one Kim is talking about from moment to moment, but hopefully that will end once we get past “Young Del” year, otherwise known as the “Pickle” years. Buy the book yo.
Photograph by Anya Garrett.
This New York based musical improv group is made up of two amazingly talented performers, Glennis McMurray and Eliza Skinner. Formed in 2003 for UCB NY’s 3-on-3 compitition, I Eat Pandas is one of the repeating crowd pleasers at the Del Close marathon, where I first saw them get a standing ovation in 2005. Many standing ovations later, at small clubs and larger venues, they consistently blow away my expectations from what is possible from improvised comedy.
I Eat Pandas is my pick for best musical improv group (yes, even over Baby Wants Candy whom Eliza is also a member). The quality if their performance is exceptional and their songs are brilliant and catchy. The only tragic part about I Eat Pandas, is that you’ll never hear those amazing songs ever again.
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Related, White people like musical comedy