Between a heartwarming family comedies and bawdy reenactments of real holiday memories, there really is a show for everyone this season at Jet City Improv.
Headlining this year's holiday lineup is Upside Downton: The Christmas Special - a special three-week encore of the improvised Downton Abbey tribute that enthralled audiences last winter. Also returning for another year of gut-wrenching raunchy fun is Uncle Mike Ruins Christmas. All performances of Upside Downton are appropriate for all ages, but this is not the case for Uncle Mike.
Inspired by the BBC's runaway hit, Upside Downton: The Christmas Special is a hilarious and unscripted play following the trials and tribulations of a wealthy estate in Edwardian England as love, family, and the future of fortunes all hang in the balance. A cast of eight improvisers play the entire slate of upstairs and downstairs characters, weaving together brand new story lines at every performance based on suggestions from the audience. For this limited holiday encore of only six performances, audiences can expect to see even more joy and heartbreak as the improvised stories attempt to match the momentousness of the television show's infamous Christmas episodes.
The cast of last winter's runaway hit is returning this December and features some of Seattle's best improvisers and actors: Molly Arkin, Jon Axell, Nick Edwards, Randy Miller, Mandy Price, Ian Schempp, Laura Turner, and Elicia Wickstead. It is created and directed by Andrew McMasters.
Upside Downton: The Christmas Special runs Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Dec 4-19. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for students, seniors, and TPS members.
For those looking for something to counteract the holiday cheer, Jet City Improv is proud to present the seventh season of Uncle Mike Ruins Christmas. The cast of Uncle Mike solicits each night's audiences' most cherished holiday memories and re-enacts them, adding to the story an appearance from the obscene, vulgar, and generally perverse Uncle Mike (played by Mike Murphy, who returns for his seventh season in this role).
The cast of Uncle Mike Ruins Christmas also features all returning cast members from last year's run: Mike Murphy as Uncle Mike, Molly Arkin, Jon Axell, Graham Downing, Nick Edwards, Mandy Price, and Stephani Thomson. It is created and directed by Douglas Willott.
Uncle Mike Ruins Christmas runs Saturday nights at 10:30 on Nov 29 - Dec 20 and is not appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for children, seniors, students with a valid ID and TPS members.
Regular performances of Jet City Improv will also occur every weekend, with special holiday drinks at the bar and comedy for all ages based on festive audience suggestions. Twisted Flicks will also be getting into the holiday spirit with live re-dubbings of Danger: Diabolik at the end of November and Santa Claus (from Mexico) at the end of December. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for students and seniors.
*** About Jet City Improv Jet City Improv's mission is to educate, enlighten, and entertain audiences through the art of improvisation. Over the course of any given month, productions may include feature-length unscripted plays, their flagship Jet City Improv show, student showcases, and the popular improvised re-dubbed film event known as Twisted Flicks. Jet City Improv's production, education and outreach programs are based out of their bright yellow theater in Seattle's University District and are produced by Wing-It Productions, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
