FRINGE: 3 IMPROV! plays
Everybody’s favourite game show has returned!
Edmonton’s renowned Rapid Fire Theatre presents another year of The Big Stupid Improv Show (Stage 17). The ever-changing cast of the Fringe’s most talented improv artists are Edmonton’s hidden gems of underground comedic culture. Among the cast is the frequent Fringer Mark Meer of Gordon’s Big Bald Head and Die-Nasty (and One Man Walking Dead, and others), as well as Matt Schuurman of The Red Shirt Diaries (see below).
The unscripted show begins with a vote, and team leaders are selected by audience members to compete in rounds. Each round consists of a skit concocted on the spot and subject to the audience’s scrutiny.
Contestants: Direct your imagination to a hilarious tale that unfolds before your very eyes, with no rehearsals and next to no props. This show never ceases to impress with expertly-executed adult humour, and is one of the best ways to exercise your imagination at the Fringe this year.
5 out of 5
***
For the 27th year running, the Die-Nasty: The Live Improvised Soap Opera (Stage 12) returns with another side-splitting saga. This Canadian Comedy Award-winning show is a Fringe classic and a must-see. With each episode, the renowned cast returns, as well as a special guest star. During a recent episode, we saw the death of actress Stephanie Wolfe, along with the fruitless endeavor of Edmonton mayor Don Iveson to promote his Fringe production of Share The Road – a play about bike lanes. The Mayor desperately attempted to interest the public in his Fringe production; he also visits an over-the-top cocaine-revved dance instructor, and a pair of ostentatious acting coaches.
These exceptional improvisers effortlessly play every character with chameleon-like precision. Their range is superb, their energy is electrifying, their hilarity even makes them crack up – called “corpsing” in the improv biz – and it’s outrageously dramatic. Die-Nasty is a smart adult humour that will have you at the edge of your seat for the next installment.
5 out of 5
***
Calling all Trekkies! If you missed Comic-Con this year (it’s actually coming up in September), well, don’t fear! Red Shirt Diaries (Stage 2) is another Rapid Fire Theatre masterpiece that would even make Spock laugh until he cried. Audience suggestions lay the groundwork for the latest voyage of the “U.S.S Improvise.” This show comes complete with Federation uniforms, a video intro and interactive video set designs. Everything except a script.
The cast includes some of Rapid Fire Theatre’s finest improv comedians, with special guest stars that will shock and amaze. The Mayor (see above) was once a guest of this show. For another episode last weekend, the Starship was left with a skeleton crew of only four: Commander BoBo, Commander Egg, Professor Fawn and Ensign Yogurt. The crew was sent to an unknown planet and ventured on an away-mission. Upon arrival, the four comrades were faced with an adventure they won’t soon forget – and no Red Shirts were killed in the making of this episode.
4 out of 5
