“Improv is not about plot, it's not about solving big problems in scenes … It's all about being in the moment and responding to what you just heard from your scene partner” claimed Crawlspace Eviction director, Dan Sytsma in an article by John Liberty for the “Kalamazoo Gazette.” In their show “I Wanna Text U Up, Or Same Text Marriage” on Friday February 19, Crawlspace Eviction did not seem to remain in the moments they created, nor did they solve any problems. Members of the troupe seemed to compete more often than give to each other, and opted to break character and giggle along with the audience regularly. After the first skit about same-sex marriage in the military, Sytsma was inspired to turn to the audience and say, “[y]ou don't have to laugh.”
The show opened to a packed house at Studio 246 on North Burdick, in what was previously Whole Art Theatre. Despite a high energy approach Crawlspace Eviction could not justify occupying the stage for two hours. It got weighed down by over-explanation between games, and irrelevant choices within scenes. One started with an audience suggested situation depicted a brother, his sister, and her friend on girl's night and spiraled into violence and toilet humor. The brother wouldn't “put [a giant plug] in the hole” and so the girls were going to “take him out and shoot him.”
In article by Sebastian Fryer for the “Western Herald” that ran the day before their show went up, Sytsma said that the performers would follow the theme that titles the show as well as incorporate a movie theme—for the sake of the Oscars, and that Crawlspace Eviction tries to be “more scenic in our approach and not as gaggy in the games we choose.” In individual scenes the performers consistently leaned toward screaming, cheapening situations for a laugh, and violence instead of making more complex, satisfying choices. For example, the second half of the show opened with a “gaggy” Sytsma in a giant yellow chicken costume doing an interpretation of “Rambo.”
In the most successful vignette of the evening Crawlspace Eviction gave a hilarious nod to some performers' Alma Mater in a game that involved a Kalamazoo College student from the audience relating his entire day to be re-enacted with a twist onstage. It was one of the few moments when the performers worked together, incorporated the evening's texting theme, and made choices rooted in the scene.
The Western Herald
The Kalamazoo Gazette
Audience: The Index, Gazette or Herald
Nice short and simple review- it's clear that your opinions were strong. I like how you're willing to call them out on violence and toilet humor, whereas a lot of reviewers might feel pressure to just accept it or not comment. I might have gone with that a little bit more to prove your point more vehemently. However, still nice work in summing it up succinctly and citing sources!
ReplyDeletehey ada!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. I imagine it would be a challenge to review something like improv being as there is no plot and instead a string of games. I really enjoyed that you had an opinion and you stuck to it. I loved the detail about the chicken, classic. I also appreciate that you acknowledged a successful moment as well, I feel it really rooted your review
I enjoyed your review. I saw them last week for the third time. ( My experience ) I am appreciative of of the fact that you catered to both sides of the spectrum, some people would be turned off by their humor. I love the "Whose line is it anyway" feel and the fact that they laugh along with the audience.
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