Improvoker

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.