theatre: Improvisors impress
Josh Devins, Photo Editor

Tucked in the back of a quiet neighborhood in West Vancouver, Mocking Horse Improv prepared for their opening night. The squad was hand-picked from the funniest of them all in the UBC Improv Team. Really, it's just a group of friends who happened to meet there. But Andrea, Jeremy, Owen and Rachel were meant to be together, or so they say. Parents and friends lined the aisles of the North Shore Unitarian Church, ready for something that no Unitarian Church had seen before.

The house lights went down and one by one, the performers appeared on the stage with perhaps the best opening dance sequence that the church had ever seen (except of course for little Jimmy's violin solo, but I digress). The troop was pumped, the music was blaring, and the crowd was cheering. Okay, so there wasn't much of a crowd, but it's not the size that matters, right?

The show began with classic renditions of improv favorites, with yours truly forced on stage to be the puppet master of one player. The players were excited, that was for sure. They broke into song, Shakespearean renditions of a day in the life of an audience member, and even a flashback to Blade. It was a great rendition of Blade, albeit in 60 seconds, but nevertheless, it was a hit. Not all of the audience seemed to catch onto that particular movie, but the troop caught on and switched it up. An on-the-spot performance of Mrs. Doubtfire that even Robin Williams would be proud of got the crowd going.

A short intermission followed an hour of laughs with the obligatory cookies and pop being served up in the church hallway. People gathered to discuss the first half of the show, and all seemed to be in good spirits. You know you're doing your job when everybody is smiling, and it's only intermission. The five-minute warning was announced and shortly afterwards the players got back to business. The crowd was in for something new though. Jeremy got up and explained a new and exciting format that they were trying out. A 20-minute foray into time and space followed in what seemed more like an acid trip gone bad than a comedy routine, but it certainly had its interesting moments. Hints of Alice In Wonderland crept in with talking rabbits, trees and apples. But the pièce de résistance was yet to come.

In improv terms, I don't know what this format of sketch is supposed to be called, but I call it hilarious. The troop was given a location (a bakery) and after performing a five-minute sketch of a simple customer trying to buy a simple cake, the audience was asked to choose the main character as they saw it. That person was then kicked off stage, and the scene had to be repeated with the same storyline, but without the main character. This proceeded until only one player was left standing. What happened next was unforgettable. Rachel and Owen in their best French accents, played the two main chefs. They were brothers apparently, and had a competitive edge. The players were the last two standing and were clearly the highlights of the show. Their off-the-cuff banter and physical comedy was a riot, and thankfully the small but energetic crowd recognised it.

For information on upcoming shows or private functions, check out their website www.mockimprov.com, and hopefully next time, the crowds will come out in force.

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