Six men take to the stage. They have no script, little - if anything - to rehearse, and no idea what they will do as they don’t really know what the audience is going to suggest - welcome to comedy improv.
The Whose Line Is It Anyway? gang - Stephen Frost, Richard Vranch, Steve Steen, Andy Smart, Ian Coppinger and special guest Phill Jupitus - return to the Laughter Lounge in the Róisín Dubh on Wednesday November 19 at 9pm.
Improv is surely the most difficult form of comedy. There are no scripts or prepared material. The comedians are dependent on audience suggestions and their own ability to come up with something fast and at the same time make sure it’s funny.
“I do understand that view of it,” Phill Jupitus told me when I interviewed him earlier this year, “but improv is more fun because the crowd are more involved and are investing in it as much as you are. In stand-up it’s more gladiatorial - it’s you against the crowd. In improv there is a feeling of a common endeavour, so as nervous as you might be, the audience are also nervous as they have to provide the inspiration for us.”
So what is the most outrageous thing an audience member has ever suggested Phill to come up with at such shows?
“There is always some young guy in the audience who will shout ‘Porn!’ and genuinely think he is the first person to ever suggest it,” says Phill. “He’s not! There’s not a night someone hasn’t shouted porn.”
So now you know, be original in your suggestions, and settle back for a night of belly laughs and wonderful tomfoolery.
Tickets are available from the Róisín Dubh and Zhivago.
