Improv comedy makes me nervous even when very skilled practitioners tackle it. Perhaps it's that there's always an ever-present chance for complete and abject failure. But I knew on Saturday night at Summer Arts that I was in very good hands with Dasariski, an L.A.-based group known for its "slow play," or longform, style of comedy in which a single audience suggestion triggers an entire 45-minute plot.
The word combustion comes to mind with this process -- it's as if the audience suggestion provides the spark, and the story and characters just come roaring along almost of their own accord, with little details here and there providing the embers that further the flames. The suggestion from the audience on Saturday was "birthday sex." The actors took off on a giddy narrative that included a randy 90-year-old grandmother and three of her grandchildren preparing for her birthday party.
The most interesting thing about watching the process is observing how the three men interact with each other as the story swoops along. Occasionally one will simply step in and stomp down a storyline as if it's an unwanted weed. Other times they'll play along full hilt to the point where they're practically grinding a routine into the ground -- and getting laughs because of it. In the midst of almost nonstop verbiage, the driving factor in all this is non-verbal communication. Fascinating.
I laughed a lot, especially at the three hapless grandsons grinding through the party preparation process. (The depiction of an obnoxious disk jockey was hilarious.) I do have to say that having three men perform on stage does create sort of a lazy approach to the issue of gender, and that the temptation of these actors is to go for more cheap jokes at the expense of women than I felt comfortable with. Their women were pretty insipid. Perhaps Dasariski needs to recruit a woman for the team to kick these guys into shape.
I thought the show was exquisite. If you enjoyed the long form, our local improv troupe Blimprov also does long form as well as short form. Last three shows have sold out! I invite all to come out sometime.
P.S. I gave the suggestion "Birthday Sex." Pretty wild that they took that of all the suggestions. Lol.