Iowa City Show, Feb. 15 2008
We had a show. Order in the comments!
Labels: Iowa City
posted by evan schenck at 12:42 PM
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13 Comments:
1. More Personal Correspondence
by Evan Schenck
Evan writes three angry letters about a coat, a newspaper, and a demon dog.
2. Have a Happy Valentines Day... With your Significant Other... Or Else
by Eric Jesteadt
Something involving waltzing and guns, I think.
3. Diary of a Twelve Year Old
by John Bates
A death in the dysfunctional family of crazy people leads to laughter.
4. Makin and Breakin
by Katy Baggs
Michael Tabor makes em and he breaks em, and when he's breakin em, he has some special shoes he wears.
5. Sleepwalker
by Mirri
Song.
6. 3 Guys and a Baby, Minus the Baby
by Brad and Alex
Illicit backalley porkchop deal goes sour over chip and soda offer.
7. Interview, 3:30
by Nigel Brown
Yale graduate goes for a job interview with an insane man, stays for the awesome dental plan.
8. A Shivering Mound of Godless Formless Soulless Horrors from Beyond the Moon
by Luke Christensen
A therapist talks about one of his patients and her compulsion.
9. Girl in the Black Dress with the Burrito
by Eric Landuyt
Poetry about a precariously balanced, drunken burrito aficionada.
10. Coming Out
by Leigh
Leigh confesses a dark secret that her conservative parents could never approve of.
Spoiler: She is clown.
10.5 Point Five
by Luke Christensen
Luke is naked for Valentine's Day, but impresses no one.
10.X People, Who are they
by Lisa Leaverton
Late addition to the order. Broadcast news program explores the state of humanity, trying to find the mothers, the caretakers, and the children.
11. Making Friends
by A. Theresa
Friends are made with scissors and newspaper.
12. A New Beginning
by Eli Wilkinson
Female college student has abusive relationship, is raped, makes clean break, and is then murdered randomly.
13. I Would Have Done this at the February 1st Show, but I did Dance Marathon Instead
by Eric Jesteadt
Parody of WGA Strike. Michael Tabor and John Froehlig Jr. strike for a place in the credits and living wages, but are mollified by promises and spare change.
14. The Crusader
by Nick Beatty
Monologue about innocence lost in the Middle East.
15. Flu Shots
by Flabbergasted Jakers
Monologue, with chant, about how Flu Shots are stealing your money and don't even actually help you very much. Am I right?
Eli is doing a review. Why? Because I can!
1. More Personal Correspondence
by Evan Schenck
This led me to believe Evan was always an angry prick. That is if I didn't know him. But mainly this letter was true to life. Just kidding. I thought It had its very good moments though I was sad ppl were laughing really only when Evan swore.
2. Have a Happy Valentines Day... With your Significant Other... Or Else
by Eric Jesteadt
Eh. Get a gun that looks realish. Nerf really doesn't cut it.
3. Diary of a Twelve Year Old
by John Bates
Can best of just be the Best of John Bates? I love you man. Every piece is pure gold. This one was great because of the small little lines that a twelve year old would say.
4. Makin and Breakin
by Katy Baggs
If I didn't know this was a Katy piece I would've thought it was a old school Michael piece. Way to step up Katy! The repetition at the end was great. Michaels energy really got the show going.
5. Sleepwalker
by Mirri
Nice song. Though I kept wondering when it would end.
6. 3 Guys and a Baby, Minus the Baby
by Brad and Alex
Funnier than lasts weeks. Brad and Alex really have good chemistry on stage. Buying porkchops with shoes is great.
7. Interview, 3:30
by Nigel Brown
This piece could've been SOOO good if the cues were faster. The little hesitations really slowed this piece down. Try running it before the show next time to get that timing perfect.
8. A Shivering Mound of Godless Formless Soulless Horrors from Beyond the Moon
by Luke Christensen
This was a nice slow piece. It really made me wonder what she did.
9. Girl in the Black Dress with the Burrito
by Eric Landuyt
True to IC at night. Could that Washington St. Mexican restaurant be Pancheros?! I think so. Dumb hos and their burritos.
10. Coming Out
by Leigh
I was waiting for it. I knew there had to be a twist because of her delivery. If she had come out as a lesbian it would've been more personal in delivery. But a clown made for a nice ending.
10.5 Point Five
by Luke Christensen
Actually my gf was impressed by the size of Luke's penis. She said it was like a small tree with an abnormally large limb.
10.X People, Who are they
by Lisa Leaverton
This piece could've really used some preshow work. I felt it was too stretched out across the stage. Tighten it up and it may go better next time.
11. Making Friends
by A. Theresa
Cute.
12. A New Beginning
by Eli Wilkinson
I had a cousin at Virginia Tech so N. Illinois really got me. I wanted to show that sometimes there is no reason for a persons death and the tragedy of some ppl who die when they are trying to pick up the pieces. I loved how people hesitated clapping.
13. I Would Have Done this at the February 1st Show, but I did Dance Marathon Instead
by Eric Jesteadt
Point of interest Eric. Stage directions should be in ITALICS and on a separate line and bracketed () Even I got lost up in the booth where stage directions began and text ended. Thus why this piece dragged.
14. The Crusader
by Nick Beatty
I think it could've been clearer and a time period needed to be established. I assumed it was the first crusade and about the massacre at Jerusalem but clarification would've been helpful. Also you might consider not pacing so much because the piece loses power if you pace. I thought the whole thing should've been delivered on your knees looking up to god and down at the blood covered streets below you.
15. Flu Shots
by Flabbergasted Jakers
I agree. I have never received a flu shot in my life and I feel they are pointless. I've seen my friends get sick from the shot more times than I have gotten the flu naturally. Waste of money. Like that dollar Jake stole. Wasted on flu shots...
On the light copy I handed in, the subtitle read, "by Katy Baggs and Emily Dickinson." I can't sample and not cite!
>Monologue, with chant, about how Flu Shots are stealing your money and don't even actually help you very much. Am I right?
I totally forgot to put the "am I right"s in this one! Man...
1. More Personal Correspondence
by Evan Schenck
I liked the third one best. The image of the wife silently weeping has stuck with me. I think it would have been funnier if I read Marmaduke. But thats my fault
2. Have a Happy Valentines Day... With your Significant Other... Or Else
by Eric Jesteadt
I didn't get it
3. Diary of a Twelve Year Old
by John Bates
Where does he get these quriky characters? He just keeps getting better and better.
4. Makin and Breakin
by Katy Baggs
I thought this was a Tabor piece (I didn't have one of the print outs..) but it was really funny, and I loved how it fit tabors reading style
5. Sleepwalker
by Mirri
I really liked the song. But I would have cut the bridge. I was expecting a fade out but then another verse came in.
6. 3 Guys and a Baby, Minus the Baby
by Brad and Alex
It was better than last week's. The title of their back alley pork chop business was the highlight...
"bitches"
7. Interview, 3:30
by Nigel Brown
I agree about the timeing issues. But I loved the experssions, and the set up.
8. A Shivering Mound of Godless Formless Soulless Horrors from Beyond the Moon
by Luke Christensen
I'm to busy thinking about Luke's nakedness to rember this one..
But i remeber it was diffrent from Lukes usual stuff and I liked that.
9. Girl in the Black Dress with the Burrito
by Eric Landuyt
I've seen this happen in real life. I liked how eric sapped the humor out of it and gave it an edgy twist. You had my complete attention
10. Coming Out
by Leigh
Adorable
10.5 Point Five
by Luke Christensen
Luke, I'm thinking dirty thoughts about you....
10.X People, Who are they
by Lisa Leaverton
I liked how they read the script, and how all the lines were delivered. the interview with winter at the end confused me a bit.
Keep Writing!
11. Making Friends
by A. Theresa
I wish she had gone through it step by step... I still fuck it up..
12. A New Beginning
by Eli Wilkinson
This was really well written.. but made me horribly uncomfortable.
14. The Crusader
by Nick Beatty
There wasn't supposed to be any political undertones in this. it purely has to deal with the first crusade.
I have got loads to learn about effective staging.
15. Flu Shots
by Flabbergasted Jakers
I liked it. Im suprised there was no referance to mind control.
1. More Personal Correspondence
by Evan Schenck
Ah, Evan, you play an angry bastard so well. Just don't be an angry bastard every week because then everyone will say, "Oh, it's the angry bastard again" and lose appreciation for the dry wit mixed in with your angry bastard persona.
I also thought the imagery of the Marmaduke segment was wonderfully surreal. I saw a huge Great Dane not long ago and had a perfect mental picture of the great beast you described.
2. Have a Happy Valentines Day... With your Significant Other... Or Else
by Eric Jesteadt
It needed something more because the contrast between romantic waltzing and the lonely guy getting shot wasn't that humorous. I agree that a more realistic gun would have helped a lot. I do enjoy it when people do performance pieces without dialogue, but this one needed a stronger concept behind it.
3. Diary of a Twelve Year Old
by John Bates
JOHN IS AWESOME. Interesting characters+clever narration+witty dialogue=AWESOME.
4. Makin and Breakin
by Katy Baggs
This definitely did sound like an old school Michael Tabor piece, but it did have some of Katy's trademark wordplay. I liked how the lyrical poem and the monosyllabic chant illustrated how someone could be "made" or "broke." It made me think Michael was one-half psychotic record producer and one-half psychotic mafia hitman (the two are actually kind of similar, i.e. Suge Knight).
5. Sleepwalker
by Mirri
Very pretty. I think if it had been a little tighter and shorter, it would have been extra haunting.
6. 3 Guys and a Baby, Minus the Baby
by Brad and Alex
These guys improvise so well that part of me wants to believe they secretly rehearsed beforehand and had a plant yell out "pork chop." If they did, that is some damn foul skullduggery. If not, that is some damn fine improv.
7. Interview, 3:30
by Nigel Brown
I enjoyed it, but the pacing could have been a little snappier. I liked the "Printer 1 or 2" part.
8. A Shivering Mound of Godless Formless Soulless Horrors from Beyond the Moon
by Luke Christensen
The title made me think it was going to be goofy, but the serious tone was a nice surprise. I like the idea of a therapist/doctor/general authority figure being just as unbalanced and insecure as the people he treats or manages.
9. Girl in the Black Dress with the Burrito
by Eric Landuyt
Based on a true story.
10. Coming Out
by Leigh
At first, I thought, "She obviously knows we're all thinking she's a lesbian and she's going to surprise us with something at the end." But she seemed so genuine that I started to believe she really was just telling us all she's a lesbian and I wondered why she would feel the need to announce that to an audience (does she really need public approval for her sexuality?). The tension created by these two expectations had me all worked up, so it was actually a relief to hear she was a clown.
Long story short: Good performance.
10.5 Point Five
by Luke Christensen
I kind of saw this coming, but I applaud Luke's daring. No Shame may be infamous for onstage nudity, but it takes a fair amount of courage to actually do it.
10.X People, Who are they
by Lisa Leaverton
I think this was trying to be a darkly funny social critique, but it didn't really work for me because neither the humor nor the social criticism were really strong enough to stand out.
11. Making Friends
by A. Theresa
This was cute.
12. A New Beginning
by Eli Wilkinson
I hope I performed this effectively.
13. I Would Have Done this at the February 1st Show, but I did Dance Marathon Instead
by Eric Jesteadt
Eric, DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK TO THE AUDIENCE. I've said it before, and I will say it again, DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK TO THE AUDIENCE. Also, don't hold your script up in front of your mouth because it blocks the sound of your voice.
As for the piece itself, everyone's delivery could have been clearer and stronger. That doesn't mean just speaking louder, it means knowing why you're saying what you're saying at the time you're saying it.
14. The Crusader
by Nick Beatty
Pacing the stage was distracting. Standing still would have helped everyone focus on what you were saying. I also think you could have developed the images of your character's experiences and clarified his specific feelings instead of lapsing into vague generalizations. I like the concept, though.
15. Flu Shots
by Flabbergasted Jakers
Predictable and not very funny. I've heard the "why'd I get a flu shot because I never even got the flu" joke plenty of other times. I wish that Jake and Michael would try something new.
This is boring. Post reviews or something peoples! Or I'll get MEAN!
snotnosed, I'll post a review if you do.
"Dumb hos and their burritos." is my favorite rhyme of the moment right now!
Also about Jakes piece. I thought the overall idea was a little stale but the line that asked "did you know that heart disease and the flu combined kill more people in the U.S. than any other disease" really tickled me. really. So i thought that this and a few other moments definitely made up for it.
Michael, your reviews are always "I don't remember" for everyone but your own pieces and the pieces your friends wrote.
I remember every single piece!
Michael, your reviews are always "I don't remember" for everyone but your own pieces and the pieces your friends wrote.
Awwww, snap, the trooth hurtz.
--
This is my revue:
Evan Schenck
People didn't like this as much as I liked it. Either it wasn't as funny as I thought, or putting it first in the order was a mistake and I should have left it for after the audience got warmed up. I dunno.
Eric Jesteadt 1
I didn't see this because I left to make sure nobody was coming in late.
John Bates
John Bates is pretty much always good at putting this stuff together. His monologues are funny and sharp.
Katy Baggs
I loved the Hell out of this piece. It was perfectly written for Michael and he performed it just like he usedta.
Mirri
This was a little on the long side but I thought it was really good.
Three Guys with no baby
Hey, there was only two guys. This was less manic than last week, so it didn't have the same impact, but it was still good. Maybe the lower energy had something to do with them being without their third member, or maybe it's just the mutable nature of improv comedy.
Nigel Brown
This was okay but could have used a little work... I think it was pretty similar to the kind of stuff I tend to do (straight man in ordinary setting meets insane person). I thought the ending was the strongest part, with Luke crying on his shoulder and Nigel threatening to mace him in a very fatherly tone.
Luke Christensen
I have to confess that it was actually me who made that title, and I did it without even reading the piece because I thought it would be better that way. I assumed from the tone of the piece that the patient was either cutting or burning herself on her upper thigh. It was a pretty good short monologue.
Eric Landuyt
This piece echoed sentiments that I have myself had, but I'm not sure I was a big fan of the poetic format.
Leigh
Hah, nicely done.
Luke's .5
I didn't get a good look at his wang so I'll take Eli's girlfriends word for it. The joke was a little pat ("what am I gonna do with that?") but I commend Luke for having the balls to bring his balls out on stage.
Lisa Leaverton
Was this a section of a longer work, perhaps? I liked it. The strangely impersonal style and the way that single characters stood in for whole groups were interesting.
A. Theresa
Cute
Eli Wilkinson
Wow, thanks for just depressing the shit out of me. It was a pretty okay story despite it's unrelenting darkness.
Eric Jesteadt 2
This piece made me die laughing, during a part where I was basically the only person in the entire theater who actually was laughing. I was suddenly struck by the absolute wrongness of what they were doing in the theatrical sense and I couldn't handle it.
Nick Beatty
I was more into it when I thought it was taking place in the Middle Ages, and then it suddenly seemed to be about the Iraq war and I got introspective and sad. I don't believe that this was unintentional, Nick.
Flabbergasted Jakers
I'm not sure this was quite as good as previous Flabbergasted Jakers, but I still liked it okay.
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