BWW Reviews: Around the World in 60 Minutes with Atlas Improv
By: Amanda Finn Jan. 19, 2015
Out on East Washington Ave lives a company of performers who perform acts of immense proportions- shows whose titles are unknown, obscure, and often totally absurd. In sixty minutes or so (in the late night Friday showcase at any rate) audience members are bombarded with spur of the moment comedy that leaves them knowing why the troupe's performance classes are selling out.
Friday 10 pm shows are the Double Feature showcase for Atlas which gives their company a chance to spread their wings past the competitive show from two hours prior. This particular evening, January 16th, featured a Shakespearian romp as well as a show called ABC Title in which audience members shout out letters to form an intriguing show title. Audience members were more than willing to assist the company from the get-go, shouting suggestions up to the front during the 'warm up' segment to get the show going.
Troupe members transported the audience back to the more eloquent time of Shakespeare when people (evidently) had to remind themselves that "we are cultured and fun". A time when men could pull off an imaginary dress, kings have erroneously long death scenes, and servants become a hybrid of Igor and Quasimodo.
Luckily the company does not riff off of the show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged which, while it is funny, is very clearly not the sort of off-the-cuff comedy people expect from improvisation. I for one expected misaligned jokes about different Shakespearian plays, but what the group achieved was much funnier than spoofing the Bard.
Once the cast had taken care of killing off the king and uniting their lovers, the second feature began.
Eliciting two letters from the audience, C and H, each individual from a new set of six performers came up with a name for the upcoming show. "Cherub-ian Horrors", "Cantonese Heroes", and "Child Hunters" were a few of the contenders that lost out, but "Cue the Heartstrings" came out the champion.
What ensued would be an avalanche of soap opera-esque storylines. One could call it one part Days of Our Lives and one part Freedom Writers, but I would call it a goofy story of one man's struggles with the ladies, the students, and basically every human being that he encounters. Incredibly, however, the performers managed to keep all of the ridiculous plot lines in sync, stay within their timespan, and still end the show with a reasonable conclusion.
Atlas Improv Company is far from a conventional performing arts group.
Improvisation is a theatrical art that does not often get the credit it deserves. This troupe is a unique group of individuals that have excelled in this difficult art form. While this was my first time visiting the small space nestled beside Blair St. BBQ, it certainly will not be the last. Groups that can consistently create new material and bring in new fans after more than a decade is a feat in a city like Madison whose arts community is growing day by day.
If Friday's performance was a placeholder for all shows done by the group, they deserve a hearty applause three times a week.
After all, when you're expected to entertain on the spot, it can often feel like you're holding the weight of the world on your shoulders.
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