The Big Big Improv Show

The Midnight Society—MTYP – Richardson Studio Theatre

Always a Fringe highlight, and for a reason. With a cast of extremely talented local improv artists, the gimmick of an elimination game style competition of different directors helps give them a ton of inspiration and opportunity to play with each other and chew the scenery. At the head of the show we are shown four different scenes presented by four different directors, each having a different idea fleshed out by audience suggestions, and one by one they are eliminated after each does a scene until only one is left to reach its completion.

The show that made it to the end of my performance was a musical riff on the Nightmare Before Christmas, the performers coming up with songs on the spot to flesh out how Thanksgivingtown and it’s turkey king almost ruined Easter. The artist playing Jesus didn’t have the full cultural context for the resurrection story, but got the gist when the residents tried to crucify the villainous scarecrow for his perfidy. Other highlights include a time travel story animated by teaching an e-bully how they did it physically in the 90s.

Josh Fidelak