Improv Fest 2 - The Thursday
So, Thursday night was another mixed bag of performance – a full spectrum in fact. I’ll give Alistair and the boys credit, they have managed to put together some pretty interesting and diverse evenings of performance. That’s one of the reasons it’s easy to sit through a mediocre show, you know there will be at least one that’s better after.
Highlights – Razowsky and Suton – they blew me away. Their honest, and simple performance was totally engaging and enthralling. I give them kudos, they deserve it. And, I’m sure that the ensemble now has a full grasp of the knowledge and skill at their helm (if there was any question of it in the first place). I also hope that their performance had an impact on the less art-oriented improv companies here in Vancouver.
Second Highlights – Drum Machine. Jill Bernard is flatly amazing to watch on stage. Her solo performance was amongst the most engaging I have ever seen, and was certainly the best improvised solo performance I have had the pleasure of observing. Though the editing and the music within the performance were not as tight and polished as on would see in a rehearsed show, her sense of play and the sheer joy of performing evident on Jill’s face thought the performance was more than endearing and easily smoothed out any wrinkles. In short, it was wonderful.
The rest of the evening consisted of Buckshot and Benny, and Landed Gentry. BB was a performance of quiet conversation. The characters were committed, though they were not themselves enough to fully engage me. Their interaction felt sincere and the sense of discovery was there, but was often underplayed. The performance was interesting and not without merit.
The opening act of the evening clearly has a long way to go when it comes to assessing their skills as performers and as a company as a whole. Their performance attempted to emulate the more advanced styles of performance featured in the festival, but without the advanced skill set needed to produce such work, their performance fell flat, though it is important to acknowledge their efforts to challenge themselves by committing to more advanced work.
The ensemble still suffers from the clear inadequacies of some of its members. Unfortunately the weakest link adage is true in this case, and it’s preventing the skilled members of the ensemble from creating the utterly amazing work they could be. It’s like a speedboat at full throttle with the anchor down. Luckily, I can enjoy the nuggets of gold because I know what to look for.
That’s the festival so far for me. I am enjoying myself.
Highlights – Razowsky and Suton – they blew me away. Their honest, and simple performance was totally engaging and enthralling. I give them kudos, they deserve it. And, I’m sure that the ensemble now has a full grasp of the knowledge and skill at their helm (if there was any question of it in the first place). I also hope that their performance had an impact on the less art-oriented improv companies here in Vancouver.
Second Highlights – Drum Machine. Jill Bernard is flatly amazing to watch on stage. Her solo performance was amongst the most engaging I have ever seen, and was certainly the best improvised solo performance I have had the pleasure of observing. Though the editing and the music within the performance were not as tight and polished as on would see in a rehearsed show, her sense of play and the sheer joy of performing evident on Jill’s face thought the performance was more than endearing and easily smoothed out any wrinkles. In short, it was wonderful.
The rest of the evening consisted of Buckshot and Benny, and Landed Gentry. BB was a performance of quiet conversation. The characters were committed, though they were not themselves enough to fully engage me. Their interaction felt sincere and the sense of discovery was there, but was often underplayed. The performance was interesting and not without merit.
The opening act of the evening clearly has a long way to go when it comes to assessing their skills as performers and as a company as a whole. Their performance attempted to emulate the more advanced styles of performance featured in the festival, but without the advanced skill set needed to produce such work, their performance fell flat, though it is important to acknowledge their efforts to challenge themselves by committing to more advanced work.
The ensemble still suffers from the clear inadequacies of some of its members. Unfortunately the weakest link adage is true in this case, and it’s preventing the skilled members of the ensemble from creating the utterly amazing work they could be. It’s like a speedboat at full throttle with the anchor down. Luckily, I can enjoy the nuggets of gold because I know what to look for.
That’s the festival so far for me. I am enjoying myself.
posted by Mike Fly at 9:15 AM
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