IC Show April 11th
We had lots of music and not-so-sober person operating lights! Order in the comments!
posted by luke at 2:08 AM
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posted by luke at 2:08 AM
10 Comments:
1. Butcher John & Sam Berry In: Butcher John & Sam Berry Take a Walk, or When the Ink Ran Out by: Greg Machlin & Joe Luis Cedillo
1.5 Luke's Faux Pas #1 by: a Sad, Lonely Man
2. Song by: Leigh Mather
2.5 Love by: me
3. Brown St. 200 by: Jamal River
4. Villainous Suicide by: Eric Jesteadt
4.5 Luke's Faux Pas #2 by: a Sadder, Lonelier Man
5. Less than Three by: David Rout
6. Song by: Mirri (of the pop variety)
6.5 Ayo, I'm Tired of Technology, Too by: Me
7. The Engineer's Watch by: Katy Baggs
7.5 Luke's Faux Pas #3 by: Damnit, Why am I still Sad and Lonely?
8. List of Recent Accomplishments by: Janani
8. A fun Improv Game by: Luke & Eric
9. Phrase-am-I by: John Bates
First off, I have to apologize for putting the songs so close together and two improv pieces in a row.
Also if Eric Jesteadt reads this (or anybody else I suppose) has an incredibly short piece (a .5) could you tell me when you turn it in or have it clearly indicated? That could make stuff a little easier, and the show a little more smooth.
Adam Burton here -- something I had hoped to get in the announcements but then true to form I didn't make it to the show: There will be a percussion recital in the music building at 2pm on Sunday that y'all might enjoy (in Harper Hall, which is in the middle of the music building -- and the music building, for those who don't know, is just north of the theatre building).
I usually think of percussion as a backdrop for the music, but I'm learning that when you bring the drummers out front, they do some mighty cool stuff.
This recital includes a trio of drummers performing three pieces from the Terracotta Warriors that plain'n'simple kick ass, some good solo marimba stuff, a solo 4-timpani piece, a marimba duet that is pretty amazing when they get it right (suspense! will they get it right??) plus some pieces I haven't heard yet... but definitely an engaging show.
Did I mention it is also $1 LESS expensive than No Shame?
And Jamal will be there.
Also, I doubt I would have said all of this during the announcements, so I guess it's just as well that I'm posting it instead.
A review from Board-Member-for-a-Night #3:
1. Butcher John & Sam Berry In: Butcher John & Sam Berry Take a Walk, or When the Ink Ran Out by: Greg Machlin & Joe Luis Cedillo
This was fun in a "doesn't make much sense but doesn't really need to" sort of way. John Bates' dying moans were very funny.
1.5, 4.5, 7.5 Luke's Faux Pas #1-3 by: a progressively Sadder and Lonelier Man
These were all true stories.
2. Song by: Leigh Mather
I liked the brooding nature of this song. Leigh sang it well.
2.5 Love by: me
I think this one should have moved faster and been a true .5. I figured out where it was going pretty early and was consequently underwhelmed by the punchline when it finally came (no pun intended).
3. Brown St. 200 by: Jamal River
A pretty little ditty. Jamal gives very distinctive voices to his songs.
4. Villainous Suicide by: Eric Jesteadt
Decent writing done in by poor execution. The "thunder" needed to sound more realistic to help the joke get across.
5. Less than Three by: David Rout
I liked the concept of this poem, but I think the delivery was a little too stop-start. A little extra revision and rehearsal would really improve the flow and help the language support the imagery.
6. Song by: Mirri (of the pop variety)
Catchy song that sounded like Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morrissette mournfully making love while a somber Shakira occasionally peeked in on them. I did feel like there was one verse too many though.
6.5 Ayo, I'm Tired of Technology, Too by: Me
A little rough on the delivery but still a pretty funny story. More rehearsal could have made this one better.
7. The Engineer's Watch by: Katy Baggs
This story had a good combination of dark humor and poignance. The concept and characters were interesting and believable.
8. List of Recent Accomplishments by: Janani
There were moments when Janani was very cute and funny, but overall, this piece was unfocused and too long. Ad-libbing made it sound very natural but also made it drag. This would have been a great monologue had it been streamlined.
8. A Fun Improv Game by: Luke & Eric
This is one of my favorite improv games. Luke and I played off each other pretty well, but I think my energy and focus could have been better.
9. Phrase-am-I by: John Bates
This was an interesting game that I haven't seen too often. It probably would have been better earlier in the order rather than closing the show, but it was fun and involved the audience.
I want "Me" to keep doing pieces. Also, get sober people to run lights.
Everyone I do apologize that I couldn't be at the show because of my illness. I shall never leave you without a good light op again. Once again, I am sorry.
1. Butcher John & Sam Berry...
If I could do over, I'd change Butcher John's line about Calvino, but it was fun, and I'm glad Joe was finally available to do this sketch.
1.5 Luke's Faux Pas #1 by: a Sad, Lonely Man
#1 was actually my favorite.
2. Song by: Leigh Mather
Good, but not super-memorable.
2.5 Love by: me
"Me" is steadily improving. This was way better than "Really."
3. Brown St. 200 by: Jamal River
I really liked the lyrics to this--it's one of my favorite Jamal songs. I was still singing it when I left that evening.
4. Villainous Suicide by: Eric Jesteadt
This was tightly focused and funny; definitely one of Eric's top 5 pieces.
4.5 Luke's Faux Pas #2 by: a Sadder, Lonelier Man
These were all funny.
5. Less than Three by: David Rout
Although this didn't necessarily hold my interest, we need David Rout, because we lost Arlen Lawson.
6. Song by: Mirri (of the pop variety)
Mirri is one of the more underrated NoShame performers out there--she consistently does good work, and doesn't do easy comedy stuff.
6.5 Ayo, I'm Tired of Technology, Too by: Me
Funny story, needed rehearsal.
7. The Engineer's Watch by: Katy Baggs
Cool, but it's hard to match the giant Italian sphere story.
7.5 Luke's Faux Pas #3 by: Damnit, Why am I still Sad and Lonely?
See above.
8. List of Recent Accomplishments by: Janani
Maybe it was a *little* long, but I don't know how many people could make up something this funny, and poignant, on the spot. And the physicalization of the car was great.
9. A fun Improv Game by: Luke & Eric
Nicely done, guys. Somehow the closing moment really felt right.
10. Phrase-am-I by: John Bates
John's great. I may have made the phrase too easy to guess.
And, yeah, we'd all like to see non-drunk people on the lights, but you'll notice he was the ONLY ONE with his hand up!
Another thought--we had a cool, generous audience this night, and I think it had something to do with the high-energy, fast intro that John, Eric, Katy, Luke, and I brought. The intros need both enthusiasm and speed. Honestly, it might just be a matter of having more people up onstage, running around. In fact, I'd like to see Iowa City institute the old-fashioned "audience shouts out the numbers really quickly while board members read the order the 2nd time."
I'd also like more energy in the intro. I think the board made it short and matter-of-fact because of the period when it got really unfocused and shambolic, but more enthusiasm would get the audience more involved.
P.S. I think the temporary board members did a good job filling in.
Thanks again everybody for helping out. It was a fun night
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