THE IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY – Written and Performed by the company. Presented by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Garner Galleria Theatre, 14th and Curtis, Denver) through July 26. Tickets available at 303-893-4100 or DenverCenter.org.
You’d think – after all the titles they have yelled out at them – that they could have come up with a better name for their company. But it’s short enough and tells the story of what you are going to get when you attend one of their performances. A totally new and original Shakespeare-LIKE play created right before your eyes. The night I attended Blaine Swen, Randall Harr, Brendan Dowling, Steve Waltien, and Joey Bland – five brilliant comedians and Shakespeare scholars verbalized a performance of THE TAMING OF THE BRO for their stunned audience. Can’t say wrote it – because there was no paper involved.
Can’t really review it either – because it will never be done that way again. They may be able to create a show that merges aspects of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW and TWELFTH NIGHT some time in the future, but it will contain different words, a different story line, and different characters. Let me just say that I was laughing from the opening prologue created on the spot in rhyming couplets by one of the cast members. The others sat just off the stage, two on each side, listening. At the conclusion of the prologue (or it ran out of steam), two members of the company jumped on to the stage and began setting up the story. No conversation – no consulting about what to do – just jump up and do it! What incredible moxie (I could have said something else, but there are women reading this!) that takes. What incredible confidence in their fellow players. They develop (or stumble) into the story creating multiple characters (main and secondary) all in somewhat Shakespearean language and syntax (except, of course, when the Bro in question falls into a Joisey accent).
But this was our show. You will see an entirely different one. Members of the company have been doing this together for twenty years. While it is a challenge every night, there are patterns and plots that have been explored enough times that it seems apparent that part of it comes easy and part of it doesn’t. But they worm their way through it. At our performance, because of gender-bending and multiple parts assigned to the same actors, they would have to occasionally call a halt and determine who was who on the stage at that particular moment. But always with the greatest of humor and self-deprecating honesty. These guys are pro’s. They are NOT going to be thrown by anything that happens.
Several of the remaining performances are sold out already, with good reason. You don’t have to know much about Shakespeare to enjoy these high-energy madcap players. It’s best if you just go online and get your tickets now while you still can. You’ll regret it on July 27th if you let them leave without seeing their show at least once. NOW, you dolts!!
A WOW factor of 9!