Whose improv is it, anyway?

By Jess Decina

Arguably, one of the most important aspects of improvisational comedy is not that the idea has to be funny. It’s about the ability to take an idea and sell it; to make a concept, however random or ordinary, seem hilarious to an audience.

And when that idea is not a five-minute game, but two 30-minute miniature “movies,” the concept of selling it becomes invariably more difficult. And I’m sure the cast of Alpha Psi Omega’s The Moving Picture Show could share a few words on that. Despite the difficulty of long-form improv, the cast managed to pull off a very funny hour of comedy from out of nowhere.

Although each show produced its own movies, the premise was consistent. At the start of show time, The Moving Picture Show’s host, junior Mike Scuilli, introduces himself as a “world-renowned director.” He informs the audience members that – surprise! – they have all been promoted to assistant directors of his next film. The audience will provide him with suggestions which will shape the basic concepts of the movie. From that point on, the show relies heavily on the cast’s performance.

That cast, boasting a slew of talent, did not disappoint. Most notably, seniors Kerry Bowers and Casey Jost kept the audience laughing even in the most difficult parts of their scenes.

In one memorable role, Bowers played a mother who cares more about the security of her Chevy Lumina than she does her own daughter. In this character, Bowers spent much of her time gliding across the stage, speaking in an exaggerated British accent. Bowers’ dead-on delivery combined with her antics on stage kept the crowd laughing.

Jost’s performance, which featured witty one-liners and solid connections with other jokes, kept the show fast-paced when needed. Often, his actions and dialogue would pick a slow-moving moment off its feet and toss it into a new direction. Jost cleverly ended one of the films by imagining that the entire movie had been a dream, which turned an otherwise boring scene into a hilarious parody of the ending from The Wizard of Oz. Another feature of the show was its incorporation of short-form games into the scenes. Easily one of the most effective games was where the director could control the emotions of the characters on stage by calling out a word. In one particular scene, the emotions “moody” and “lustful” were applied with hilarious results.

As alluded to before, this form of improv is a difficult one to master. If the timing isn’t perfect and the pacing is too slow, it does not go unnoticed. The show had a few slow moments and ran a little too long in some places. These mistakes are definitely forgivable, but one can’t help but think switching back to short games is the better (albeit far less demanding) alternative.

The Moving Picture Show adds to an outstanding resumé of comedy shows from Alpha Psi Omega. The cast and crew alike took a big step by rising to a new challenge and giving it their best efforts. Cross “long-form improv” off the to-do list; it’s a job well done.