PUP TENT THEATRE
Rudely Elegant Theater and Gallery
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Happily, these lusterless warm-ups were followed by one of the most ambitious long-form improvisations I’ve seen: two related pieces, the first about sleazy Hollywood producers and the ways they decide which shows make it on the air, the second an improvised pilot created to try to please these producers.
In less certain hands this would have collapsed under the weight of its complexity. But Pup Tent is a tight ensemble. None of the usual mistakes were made–no one denied the reality of the scene, no one contradicted another actor’s choices–and everyone was able to quickly create Metraform’s trademark quirky characters.
These days most people over the age of 13 are so jaded when it comes to improvisation that only potty-mouths get excited when an actor asks for suggestions. Most people go to improv shows because they want to laugh, they know someone in the show, or they misread the newspaper listings. I know this notion violates the Zen-like faith most improvisers have in the importance of process over product, but what separates the improvisation-based shows that are worth watching from those that aren’t is how well they entertain.
