Memo to the good folks of Norfolk, Virginia: whatever you did last night, odds are that you were not at the Generic Theater for the improv and sketch portion of the Norfolk Comedy Festival. That was a mistake and you should sincerely be upset with yourselves. You missed what I’m certain was the best long form improv comedy ever performed in the region. However, you can take the first steps to reconciling with yourself by setting aside whatever plans you have for tonight and coming out to see a repeat of the same lineup that blew the roof off the Generic last night.
The night kicked off with a four member team from Richmond’s Comedy Coalition theater performing a montage style of long form improv comedy. Taking a single suggestion from the audience (FDR), the Coalition performed a half hour worth of inspired scenes. I thought that they were occasionally difficult to hear in the small theater, especially when they found themselves whispering (albeit in character). There were also times that I thought their scenes had found a natural end but rather than end them, they stretched them out a bit too long. However, they were funny and enjoyable throughout. My favorite scene of theirs involved a gay couple who descended from a long line of gay couples who had all fought hard through the years for their right to be gay, being ashamed of their daughter for throwing it all away and being heterosexual.
Cats Hugging Cats, a foursome from Charleston, SC, and Norfolk Comedy Festival fan favorite, took the stage next and asked for an audience suggestion in the form of stories of bad living arrangements which the Norfolk crowd had in abundance (crack smoking roommates qualify as a bad living arrangement, right?). The group then took ideas from those stories and used them to spin a half hour of ridiculous and hysterical tales.
Watching this group for the second time in as many years, I was left with the same thought I had last time, Cats Hugging Cats are masters of the game of the scene. The “game” of a scene is the underlying relationship dynamic that makes the scene work. The classic example is the Coyote who will always chase but never catch the Road Runner. Even in perhaps the least inspired scene of the Cats set, where a couple began talking about cycling and indicated that the woman was majorly into it and the guy had clearly had enough, all four Cats immediately jumped onto that game and played it through to a hilarious end where the guy could hardly walk while the girl was still dead set on cycling more.
My favorite scene game of the Cats’ set was the idea of “rescuing” things that don’t need to be rescued. For example, the reaction a man gets from his date when he shows her his house full of rescue pigeons. He’s met with the deadpan reaction, “Pigeons are native to here. You don’t need to rescue them.”
Next up was Norfolk’s own sketch and improv pioneers and festival hosts, the Pushers. The Pushers performed a style known as the Armando or ASSSSCAT. In this style, a single suggestion is taken from the audience and used to inspire a true story told by one of the cast members. That story, or monologue, is then used by the group to inspire a series of scenes. The idea is to use an element of the story to create something new, rather than simply reenact the story itself.
Tonight’s rather unfortunate suggestion was diarrhea. Pushers member Bradford McMurran barely skipped a beat before stepping out to tell a hysterical tale of stomach trouble at a legendary local music venue where anyone who grew up in the Hampton Roads area can attest one would not like to have such trouble. McMurran is a master self-deprecating storyteller.
The scenes that flowed from this story featured a nice mix of absurdity, physical comedy, and potty humor. My favorite scene of the Pushers’ set featured the always endearing Alba Woolard as a Rastafarian. Her Rasta accent was so funny, she seemed to have a difficult time not cracking herself up with it.
The final act of the evening’s first show was Bartenders, an improv duo from New York City. I’d never seen a two person improv act and initially had some reservations. However, that didn’t last long as Bartenders took the audience suggestion “Eskimo” and proceeded to build an intertwined story that blew me away with its incredible character work and plot development. Bartenders were so good at creating stakes within their story, building distinct identifiable characters, and finding the funny in various situations. They were so smart and so fast-paced that keeping up with them for their entire set gave me a sense of accomplishment.
The evening’s second show began with a disappointingly small audience for what turned out to be the best improv comedy I’ve ever seen. We’re From Here, a trio of talented ladies from Toronto, were everything that I love about long form improv comedy. They were engaging, smart, vulnerable, and hilarious. They were physical, high energy, and completely in sync. I was sitting among a group of local improv enthusiasts and have no doubt they all shared my appreciation for the talents of We’re From Here. Kudos to the Pushers for recruiting them to come to Norfolk.
Closing the show was Norfolk Comedy Festival headliners Squirm and Germ. These guys are incredible. They brought a style, energy, and vibe not seen before at the festival. With a mix of produced rap songs and self-described “witty banter” these guys made the crowd laugh until we cried. My favorite song of theirs was titled “Maine, MoFos”. The line “I want to live in a lighthouse” just slayed me. I’ve already watched the video for that song on YouTube 10 times and shared it with loved ones today.
It’s hard to convey how well received their act was. It was the hardest I’d seen a crowd laugh in a long time. These guys are apparently making quite a name for themselves and the Norfolk Comedy Festival is lucky to have them. You need to come out tonight and see them in person. And bring $30 with you because you are going to want to buy their CD and a t-shirt.
by Brian Garraty
Brian is an IT guy for a local healthcare organization by day, a part-time single parent by night, and a member of local improv and sketch group Nerd Alert. Find Brian on Twitter (@NULLgarity) and tell him how much you love him. Disclaimer: Brian performed in this year’s festival and is friends with a number of the performers mentioned above.
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