On both Friday and Saturday night, Fairfield University’s improv group, On the Spot, gave high-powered, high-energy performances in the Levee.
Both performances left both jam packed audiences laughing hysterically and wondering how anyone could make up entertaining plots about Disney and glass eyes, Star Wars and soul music, Iowa disco, tribal ballet, and the color purple.
More amazing than the performance is the fact that topics like those above are merely standard operating procedure for On the Spot.
The show went from a human singing symphony to ironic monologues to choreographed tap dances.
The show essentially ran the gamut of all entertainment varieties in a single hour. The players read each other amazingly well and worked together like a well-oiled machine.
This is particularly impressive because they have only been together for a little over four weeks. In addition, five of the players are completely new to the group, making the troupe an almost perfect blend of old and new players.
Even though the show style is improvisation, it is apparent that a lot of work went into the production, not because the performances looked rehearsed, but because the players had such a high level of comfort with each other.
All the players supported each other during all of the skits, regardless of whether or not they were involved. If soul music for a light saber duel was needed, the sounds were immediately provided.
If a dance was required in the background, the players got in position. If a body was needed for a prop of some sort…well, you get the picture.
Above all is the obvious fun that the group had during the performance. It’s impossible not to have fun when the troupe is giving you straight-faced stories about “Boston Public” and unicorns.
The more fun the players had, the more fun the audience had; the troupe captivated the audience with the material, but also enveloped them with their own energy and adrenaline.
The sheer variety of talent that the troupe demonstrated made the entire night. While one player spoke seriously to the audience about a significant other who was cheating on them, another would do an interpretative dance around the area, while still another would sing an impromptu tune.
Towards the end of the hour, the entire troupe got in on a 42nd Street song and dance routine that ended with one player conducting the rest and drawing them out on the final notes. Like the final number, the improv group played the audience and egged them on so that when the finale came, we could only marvel at the inventiveness and wonder at the skill.
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