4 posts tagged “del close marathon”
Number of shows I saw: 26.
Number of hours spent watching shows: 14.
Longest single stretch: 4.5 hours (Sunday, 3:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
Cost per show: ~77 cents.
Cost per minute: ~2.3 cents.
Number of Harold or ASSSSCAT style shows: 18.
Number of improvised musical shows: 2.
Number of times I was fed: 4. Two Dunkin Donuts breakfasts (courtesy Rogue Elephant and Ugly Stick), one real honest-to-god breakfast with bacon and bagels and OJ (courtesy Krompf), and one nacho chip (from Walsh and Roberts).
Naked audience members seen: 3
Naked audience members' members seen: 2
...more tomorrow, when I can do up my final review post.
I have a longer Del Close post to write tomorrow after the finish, but this one cannot wait. The reason is the sentence I am about to write.
Tonight, Katie was struck by a motorized cooler - twice.
I'm going to repeat this: Tonight, Katie was struck by a motorized cooler - twice.
Now, to explain:
Last year, when we went to Del Close, the last show we saw was the Upright Citizens Brigade - all four of the original cast members out for an hour. They goofed around a bit and then did an ASSSSCAT. It was enjoyable, if not quite as structured as the rest of the groups.
This year, we decided to again go to the UCB group timeslot; it was our 12th show of the marathon. I was standing towards the back, while Katie managed to be seated on the floor of the stage.
The cast (Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, and Ian Roberts - Amy Poehler was absent) had apparently invested their riches in a Cruzin Cooler. For those of you too lazy to click through, it's essentially an electric-powered cooler on wheels, capable of doing up to 13 miles per hour. Matt Walsh rode it around for most of the opening of the show.
At some point, Ian decided to jump on and decided that his primary goal should be to drive it straight into the audience. He drove right towards Katie and a few other people, and while it was not going terribly fast, it's difficult to move when you're sitting on the ground in a crowd. She was tagged in the ankle.
Not long after, Matt Walsh was again riding when Ian decided it would be a great idea to knock him over. He and the cooler happend to land almost directly on Katie's leg - yes, again. According to her retelling, he realized that things had definitely gone wrong, got a very serious look on his face, and asked her if she was okay. She said she was fine.
At the time, it was true - but five hours later, she has a very pronounced limp.
For whatever it is worth, I will probably be soloing all my shows tomorrow.
Wristband Get!
The mecca of improv comedy, the Del Close Marathon, starts this Friday at 4:30 PM and runs through Sunday. It is the single best comedy value in the city ($20 for over 150 shows), but it can be difficult to sort through the performer list.
Behold, a short guide to what I can personally recommend. Note that this is not discouraging you from sitting through hours of improv - I highly recommend you do that if you can. But if you're looking to drop in and out, well, here's what you might be looking for...
(All shows at UCB theatre unless otherwise noted.)
Delta Force 2: Operation Stranglehold
Friday, 6 PM
Rob Huebel & Rob
Riggle never fail to delight.
The Sunshine Gang
Friday, 7:30 PM
Brian Huskey returns to NYC! Briefly! (He performs again right after this.)
Death By Roo Roo
Friday, 9:00 PM
John Gemberling is an unstoppable madman.
Lazy Man
Friday, 10:00 PM
Ian Roberts does one-man improv.
Bro'in Out
Friday, 11:30 PM
Leo Allen has always been one of my favorite unsung heros, and his talk show is apparently awesome. Matt Walsh and Doug Benson will appear.
The Smartest Panel of Experts in the Universe Ever
Saturday, 1:30 AM
Most of the original UCB cast in a non-Harold setting.
Saturday, 2:30 AM
The indy rock favorites.
The House of Uster presents: Warcraft-prov
Saturday, 3:00 AM
This will be epic. MC Chris, Pat Baer, Gemberling, Gwinn, Terry Jinn, and more do a Warcraft-themed set. I can only hope my eyes stay open long enough.
Hammerkatz
Saturday, 6:00 AM
The Hammerkatz cannot be stopped. Catch them before they start shooting their TV series.
Primal Bias
Saturday, 11:00 AM
Channel 102 alums galore.
I Eat Pandas
Saturday, 4:30 PM
Eliza is funny.
Upright Citizens Brigade
Saturday, 6:00 PM
The original cast does an hour of Harold. Get there REAL early if you want seats for this.
T.J. Monkey's
Saturday, 7:15 PM @ Abingdon 2
Show Will some love. He deserves it.
Rueben Williams: As Seen On TV
Saturday, 10:00 PM
Most of these folks are also responsible for Improv Everywhere.
KROMPF Breakfast
Sunday, 8:30 AM
Ryan Karels and crew rock you with some breakfast.
MySpace
Sunday, 6:00 PM
Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel are part of the crew that take your MySpace profile and riff off it.
I will probably be hanging around UCB for most of the weekend; if you're heading down or thinking about showing up, by all means, drop me a note or leave me a comment.
