Musical Improv Comedy: No, Seriously
Author's note: I am currently taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade's Training Center. I am in no way affiliated with nor have anything to do with the improv troupe mentioned in this article. They are just funny—really, really funny.
One of my favorite things I learned in law school was a quote from a judge written in the decision of an absurd case in which she attempts to describe how hard it is to explain what makes a joke work. Judge Kimba Wood writes "[e]xplaining why a joke is funny is a daunting task; as the essayist E.B. White has remarked, 'Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process....'" Leonard v. PepsiCo, 88 F. Supp. 2d 116, 128 (S.D.N.Y. 1999.)
I am going to guess if you are reading my reviews of primarily theater that you do not have an avid interest in jurisprudence, but Judge Wood is right. Explaining just how funny something is makes it less funny. The two are often inversely related—the harder you explain the less funny it becomes. This is, in my estimation, especially true in improv comedy. I love improv comedy—I love watching it, I love creating it, and I love discussing it. This last part is tricky as being "the guy who always talks about improv" can be dangerously similar to being "the guy who is an annoying jackass." The problem is people try to describe why a particular improv show they saw was funny. Improv is an experience in the moment. The best way to get someone to appreciate why it works is to get them to go—admittedly, they might be skeptical. They might be more skeptical when you tell them you want to go see musical improv, but you should tell them this very thing.
The first time I saw any musical improv is when I was living and studying in London in the fall of 2015. Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical was doing a run on the West End, and I had to go. It sounded weird, and it sounded fun. I *had* to go. When I asked a couple friends to go, I got some combination of no, hell no, and ew. One friend said "that sounds like the most cringe-worthy horrible experience I can imagine." He was wrong, so said Clint. I was ultimately, gloriously correct as I was vindicated by the 2016 Olivier Awards where Showstoppers took home an award for Best Entertainment and Family. It beat out stagings of The Lorax, Peter Pan, Alice's Adventures Underground, and the world-famous I Want My Hat Back. Apparently the last one is based on a children's book, but when I first read it, I really wanted it to be a romantic comedy about Abraham Lincoln and Mr. Peanut. It wasn't.
I thought musical improv was just something I'd have live in my past as a fleeting memory of times gone by until I started going to more shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade. UCB has a ton of really fun shows, but something caught my eye. Rumpleteaser it said. I felt teased and rumpled yet intrigued. I went to a show, and I was hooked. The troupe does incredibly strong, funny work that just happens to have an incredible musical element. But the thing is—you don't have to like musicals to appreciate it. You don't have to have any musical understanding, have a strong appreciation of the history of musical theater, or even have heard of Stephen Sondheim to like the show. It's just damn funny comedy that adds an incredible element.
Musical improv hasn't yet made it to Broadway (*fingers crossed*), but you should still give it a try. The next Rumpleteaser show is Friday June 1 at UCB's Hell's Kitchen location, and it only cost $12 to go. Do you know what else you can get for $12? Apparently three bags of candy at Party City. That sucks and will give you cavities and sadness. I am no dentist, but I am almost certain your teeth will be in better shape if you replace all candy consumption with musical improv consumption. That's just a fact.