Arts
Impromptu Fun
At New York’s improv comedy houses, tickets cost less than $10, and drinking is optional
dietrich@nyu.edu
A boat owner, glowing with gruff pride over his new yacht, announced to his friend that he wanted to buy a new dock. Mishearing, the friend agreed that buying a duck was a great idea.
Along came the owner of a smaller boat, who happened to be selling some remarkable talking ducks.
As the first boat owner began negotiating to buy a duck --the duck sassily promoting himself in a soul singer’s deep baritone --a second talking duck tried to attach himself to the sale. This annoyed duck number one, who had been hoping to escape his whiny compatriot.
A moment later the comedian Dominic Dierkes, who was playing the boat owner’s friend, stepped out of character.
“When I suggested buying a duck, I didn’t anticipate any of this,” he confessed to the audience.
That’s improv comedy – it’s improvised, as the audience watches. Part of the pleasure is watching the comedians think on their feet – seeing how they react to the news that they’re a chicken, a drunken astronaut, or Dick Cheney.
It’s also one of the cheapest form of urban theater. At $5 to $10 per head, cover charges are far lower than at established comedy clubs, and there’s rarely a drink minimum. Improv is also great entertainment for teenagers and under-21s, since drinking isn’t obligatory.
Ticket prices can be kept low because most clubs and comics make their real money teaching improv classes, said Shannon Manning, a performer who is a spokesperson for the Magnet Theater.
“Also, we don’t know what’s going to happen on stage, so it’s harder for us to say ‘this is a $12 show,’ or ‘this is a $20 show,” she said.
Improv performers contend that theirs is the most honest form of comedy.
“You can’t fake it,” said Nick Packard, a member of the New York University-based improv troupe Dangerbox. “You can write some good jokes and give them to an actor, and people will think he’s really funny. But with improv you’re really putting yourself out there.”
You can find some of New York’s best improv clubs in the hip downtown neighborhood of Chelsea:
The Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB): The Sunday night “Asssscat!” show is the highlight of the week at one the city’s best improv houses. The show often features comedians from Saturday Night Live; Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz, a founder of Asssscat! are mainstays. You might also see comedians from Late Night with Conan O’Brian or the Daily Show with John Stewart.
“At Asssscat! you have the chance to see the people who’ve made it on SNL doing what they came up doing,” Packard said.
307 W. 26th Street
Tel: 212-366-9176
http://www.ucbtheatre.com/ny/
Recommended shows: “Asssscat!” show on Sundays, 7:30 p.m. ($8), 9:30 p.m. (free)
The People’s Improv Theater (The PIT) is in a space about half the size of UCB, and focuses on classes (it won New York magazine’s “Best Improv Lessons” award, and Time Out New York’s “Best New Development in Comedy” award). Many performers are students and their teachers. Show quality varies; some of the beginner performances are painful to watch. Best bet: Wednesday evening shows by the teachers, with names like “The Faculty” and “Big Black Car.”
154 W 29th Street, 2nd floor
212-563-7488
http://www.thepit-nyc.com
Recommended shows: The Faculty, Big Black Car. Wednesdays (free)
The Magnet Theater, opened in March 2005, offers a more “theatrical” experience, one aficionado said. It counts star instructor Armando Diaz, founder of a now-popular long form style called The Armando Diaz Experience,” among its faculty. “It’s new, but I really like Magnet,” said Dangerbox troupe member Raphaela Weissman. “It’s less pretentious than UCB.” Manning recommends families and under-21s check out The Project, which runs on Sunday nights and features independent teams. “It’s more of a party, fun scene, so it’s great for young people,” she said. At the end of the show there is a chance for audience members to participate. “It’s really fun,” Manning said. “It’s not competitive; it’s supportive.”
254 W 29th Street
212-244-8824
http://www.magnettheater.com
Recommended show: The Project, Sundays ($5)
Surprisingly funny. The improv comedy group Tiny Spectacular is one of several troupes that put on casual, inexpensive performances at New York clubs.
Photo by A. Marino