It takes a quick wit to be able to preform improv, and the Generic Improv Peep Show crew for the Bring Them Back Alive show delivered on Saturday Dec 5.
On it’s second night, the audience was treated to Franco Falcon dancing to several iconic dance songs, including Apache by the Sugarhill Gang, Michael Jackson’s Thriller and the Macarena.
The audience seemed a little hesitant to participate in the show, but as the show progressed they gradually warmed up.
“If the crowd isn’t feeling it, you’re not going to have a good show,” Simone Finley said, a GIPS member.
The GIPS crew did a good job of pumping up the audience in between sketches and when calling for input.
The show did hit a road bump mid-show, when setting up a scene, Finley was asking audience members for an emotion.
Someone yelled schizophrenic and immediately and almost collectively the audience shuddered.
Anyone who was uncomfortable with the joke had to ride it out. Aside from that, the show did entertain in a none-offensive way.
There were a few dirty jokes thrown in for good measure, but they were not crass and were smoothly and rapidly delivered to the enjoyment of the crowd.
Assata Chavies, one of the performers, said, “We don’t like to throw dirty jokes, but sometimes they come to mind […] and I was like okay my mom is in the audience, I got someone from church here.”
She added that it’s always important keep in mind how the crowd is going to react.
One thing that improv performers have to keep in mind is the general raptness of the audience, delivering jokes or acting out skits that an average audience member would pick up without much context.
This is something that the GIPS members did not have to worry about much. Even when there was a joke that many couldn’t grasp, sometimes the comedy came from its delivery, as opposed to the punchline itself.
The audience was a good mix of old and young, making sure that it would be able to bridge pop culture references and laugh about them.
It was one thing that GIPS alum, Jeff Tucker, took advantage of.
During a sketch in which Finley had to guess what or who another of the performers were for her party.
Tucker who was supposed to be Adele, took full advantage of her recent single, “Hello,” and threw out well delivered Adele cliches.
He said, “It’s great fun, improv is like riding a bike once you learn how to do it you fall right back into it. It’s fun to hang out and have fun.”
Tucker said that he didn’t attend any of the rehearsals, but that it was fun nonetheless.
Another stand out performance was Enzo Canepa, another alum and Emmanuel Plascencia.
His best sketch was during a reality show sketch in which he was a leprechaun who built taught another performer, Plascencia to build rainbows. Their interactions were wonderful to watch and received the most laughs.
“One of the first things you feel, and one of the things I do is feed off of everybody else. It kind of gets you in the moment,” Canepa said.
Overall, Bring Them Back Alive promises better laughs than an episode of Saturday Night Live, a caveat though, because while the GIPS crew is sharp and talented, it is the audience that drives them.
So offer comedic suggestions, engage them and that little effort put in will pay off with laughs and a good time.
