Comedy in the Moment:

The Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

This Page Was Most Recently Updated: Monday, August 6th 2007

 

Copyright © 2007 Hy Bender

Email: hy@hyreviews.com

 

7th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

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7th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

 

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

 

Rating: Varies wildly from show to show, but ***½ for overall experience

 

There are two types of people in the world: Those who find Jiffy Pop as much fun to make as it is to eat; and those who prefer to skip the interim steps and buy their snacks pre-popped.

 

If you're in the former group, you'll probably enjoy improvisational comedy—which not only supplies laughs, but shows you the process performers take to get to them.

 

Many of the best improv comics in the country will be converging July 22-24, 2005 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (307 West 26th Street) for a continuous 3-day festival. (And I mean continuous—some of the most popular acts come on around 3:00 am.) Admission for the entire 50+ hour extravaganza is only $20—though, like a trendy nightclub, when the house is packed you must wait on line for people to leave until there's room to let you in.

 

The marathon is an annual UCB ritual to honor the memory of Del Close, who pioneered and championed improvisational comedy for over 30 years, tutoring such comedic icons as John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, John Candy, and Mike Myers.

 

Close led a colorful life. For example, according to his writing partner Kim Johnson, in the late 1950s the U.S. government conducted experiments with the sleeping mind for which Close was a paid participant. When he prematurely left the program, Close received a letter from the government stating "You owe us two more dreams." During the 1960s, Close roller-skated through the sewers of Chicago with a flashlight strapped to his head, shooting rats. And in 1999, Closes dying words were "I'm tired of being the funniest one in the room."

 

Hundreds of improv troupes apply each year to participate in the Del Close marathon—and the cream of the crop will be unleashed this weekend. (For a complete schedule, visit www.delclosemarathon.com.)

 

By definition, there's no telling what to expect from these impromptu performers. But to give you a taste, last year's festival offered such pithy observations as "Michelle Kwan's a really good skater, too bad she's Asian...;" gangs of celebrities, including multiple versions of Burt Reynolds, partying and periodically beating each other up; and some maniac pretending to be Tony Hawk slamming his body repeatedly between the back wall and a column at the foot of the stage, until it was impossible to not see the graceful arc of the nonexistent skateboard beneath him.

 

If one performer epitomized last year's marathon, however, it was the guy who abruptly stood on his head and then declared "I'm wearing the world as my hat." With that simple move and seven words, he transformed our entire planet—with all its governments, cultures, and conflicts—into his personal apparel. It was a demonstration that no matter how bad things get, we can always use imagination to empower us. And that's the true magic of improv.

 

The down side, of course, is that in between those transcendent moments on stage, there can be long lags when nothing genuinely interesting happens. In this way, improv comedy is much like life itself.

 

For that matter, it can be argued the purest form of improv is created not by professionals, but by everyday people under structured conditions. This is unquestionably the most popular and commercial form of improv—it's called reality television.

 

Small wonder that safe and predictable scripted TV fell victim to Richard Hatch dropping his shorts, Omarosa railing against falling plaster, and William Hung providing a rendition of "She Bangs" no one ever dreamed possible.

 

By the same token, if you've tired of retread sitcoms and Adam Sandler vehicles, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre awaits to give you the world—as long as you're willing to stand on your head.

 

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8th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

 

www.delclosemarathon.com

 

www.ucbtheatre.com

 

Rating: Varies wildly from show to show, but ***½ for overall experience

 

From 4:30 pm on Friday, July 28 till 12:30 am on Monday, July 31st, the world-famous Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre played host to a gathering of the best improv comedy groups in the country for around-the-clock performances of over 150 shows. A mere $20 bought entrée to the festivities at any time However, during peak hours it was necessary to wait on line until enough laughter-sated people left the packed theatre and created the room for new audience members to come in.

 

Day #1 highlights included Horatio Sanz (SNL) performing a screamingly funny impersonation of Dr. Phil expounding upon the details of celebrity private parts; Matt Besser (UCB, Crossballs) delivering a hilarious caricature of MySpace co-creator Tom Anderson as a screechy-voiced horror whose only hope of making friends is via the Web; a mob of comics filling the stage with different oddball versions of Andrew Dice Clay (although master comedienne Jackie Clarke ended up topping them all as an outraged Nora Dunn); and UCB co-founder Ian Roberts giving one of the most brilliant anecdotal one-man shows I've ever seen...improvised on the spot.

 

Day #2 featured a mock wake for wonderful UCB co-founder Matt Walsh (currently starring in Comedy Central's Dog Bites Man); shows from such stellar comedic talents as Paul Scheer (Best Week Ever, Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story) and Jason Mantzoukas (We Used to Go Out); and a version of Gene Rayburns' old TV show Match Game '76 packed with such pseudo guest stars as Charles Nelson Reilly, Bill Cosby, Mr. Spock, John Wayne Gacy, and Flipper (and which turned into chaos when Gacy tried to strangle Flipper...).

 

Day #3 concluded with such delights as a MySpace show, in which Paul Scheer and his gang visited an audience member's Web page and then performed improv skits about it; a bitter-sweet monologue from the brilliant Michael Delaney about his constantly-feuding grandparents and the upside of hate; and (for an extra fee) three hours of improvisations by the male founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade—Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, and Ian Roberts—on subjects ranging from memories of Del Close to how to evade someone trying to hand you a screenplay.

 

The festival was also a showcase for scores of improv groups from New York, LA, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., etc. I was able to catch only a fraction of these, but among either my favorites or audience favorites were The Swarm, The Stepfathers, Wicked F*ckin' Queeyah, Scheer-McBrayer, Bassprov, Baby Wants Candy, No Posers, Mother: The Soundtrack, Bro'in Out, Code Duello: Hamilton & Burr, I Eat Pandas, and Emanciprov!

 

As comic Owen Burke put it, "This marathon is like Christmas in July." For those who love comedy, it was a magical weekend.

 

If you missed it, the next one isn't until July 2007. However, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre hosts terrific comedy shows—at a cost of just $5 or $8 per ticket—virtually every night throughout the year. The theatre is located at 307 West 26th Street (off 8th Avenue). For a schedule of its upcoming shows, please click here.

 

To read my preview of last year's Del Close extravaganza, please click here.

For more info on the 2006 marathon, please visit www.delclosemarathon.com.

 

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Comedy in the Moment: 9th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

 

 

One of the most magical events in NYC, the annual Del Close Improv Marathon ran continuously from Friday, July 27th at 4:30 pm until after midnight on Sunday, July 29th. Groups from all around the US and Canada—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Phoenix, Austin, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Ontario, Toronto—performed more than 150 shows, typically in 30 minute blocks, for over 50 hours.

 

As in past years, tickets were a mere $20 for the entire weekend—an incredible bargain. Paul Scheer remarked last year the appropriate charge would be around $600, and he mostly wasn't kidding.

 

As usual, the down side was way more patrons than available space, causing long waits to get into the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at 307 West 26th Street, which seats about 150. However, the congestion was somewhat eased by the rental of the two additional venues just a couple of blocks from UCBT: The Hudson Guild Theatre at 441 West 26th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues), which seats 99; and the Fashion Institute of Technology Kate Murphy Amphitheatre at corner West 27th Street & 7th Avenue, which seats 280.

 

Friday was a fabulous opening night, with dynamic and hilarious shows from brilliant improv troupes. Some highlights:

 

 

Death by Roo Roo and The Stepfathers

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie Clarke, Jason Mantzoukas, Billy Merritt, and Michael Delaney

As for individuals, Jackie Clarke, Jason Mantzoukas, Billy Merritt, Michael Delaney, Chris Gethard, Bobby Moynihan, John Gemberling, Lennon Parham, Neil Reynolds, Matt Tucker, and Brett Gelman (playing "Andrew Dice Hitler") were among the stars who shined especially brightly; but there were dozens of wonderful performers.

 

 

The guys of the Upright Citizens Brigade: Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, and Ian Roberts

There were also frequent appearances from such comedy celebs as UCB's Matt Besser (playing both shrill-voiced MySpace Tom and affable Jimmy Stewart to perfection); UCB's Ian Roberts (as an unforgettable cunning retarded person), UCB's Matt Walsh (acting as an easy-going pedophile), SNL's Horatio Sanz (portraying a brother of Dr. Phil with a robotic beard), Human Giant's Paul Scheer (as a prosecutor of evil), and The Daily Show's Rob Riggle (carrying a baseball bat with a top that pops off to display a disturbing sexual device).

 

 

Saturday featured a few improv stars at their very best, and others who were deliciously absurd. Some highlights:

 

 

Paul Scheer and Jack McBrayer

 

 

 

Flipper, C, C + C Improv Factory, and Brett Gelman

 

 

Sunday at UCBT featured an unbroken block of stellar talent for the last eight hours of the marathon...climaxing in three spectacular ASSSSCAT 3000s. Specifically:

 

 

Baby Wants Candy, and a young Respecto Montalban

 


 

 

There are actually many lovely moments than hundreds of people will cherish from this marathon.

 

I should mention that I focused on covering the events at UCBT. There were superb shows at the Hudson Guild Theatre that I simply never had a chance to catch.

 

I also missed most of the shows at FIT, which played host to some of the biggest stars of the festival:

 

 

 

 

The Swarm, Horatio Sanz, Rob Riggle, and Joe Bill of Bassprov

 

The truth is, this marathon was so crammed with talent and imagination and wonderful people that you could've skipped all the shows I saw and still enjoyed a rich and exhilarating experience.

 

Huge kudos go to Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, UCBT-NY Artistic Director Anthony King, UCBT-LA Artistic Director Seth Morris, and everyone else who helped create this wonderful cultural event.

 

This year's marathon is over; but the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre continues to play host to superb shows—improv, sketch, stand-up, and more—virtually every night. You can read the schedule for UCBT-NY by clicking here. And please visit HyReviews.com daily to check out my picks of the best comedy in NYC...which you can jump to right now by clicking here.

 

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7th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

8th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

9th Annual Del Close Improv Marathon

 

Other Review Sections on This Site:

Home Page

Hy on Human Giant

Hy on Theatre

Hy on Theatre Discounts

FringeNYC 2006 coverage

FringeNYC 2005 coverage

 

Hy's Other Sites:

HyOnYourBook.com

HyOnYourScript.com

HyBender.com

 

 

Copyright © 2007 Hy Bender

Email: hy@hyreviews.com