The cast of the “Superego” podcast were among the incredible performers that had audience members in stitches on night two of the Kansas City Improv Festival. (Photo property of Superego)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Last night, I had the chance to attend night two of the five-night Kansas City Improv Festival at Crown Center’s Off Center Theatre where four Improv groups performed incredible routines and generated lots of laughs.
Kansas City’s ComedyCity kicked off the night’s festivities with an impressive mini-set. The troupe was divided into two teams of three ComedyCity athletes: the Sharks and the Jets (the teams were named after the gangs from West Side Story). Both teams’ goal was to receive as many comedic points possible before the end at the set and whoever won would receive bragging rights for the whole year.
After entertaining the crowd with hysterical games such as Forward Reverse (where the Jets received lots of laughs for their take on a skydiving trip) and Shakespeare Switch (where the Sharks delivered an intriguing take on what the Bard would have written at a Freight company), it was time for the Tie Breaker game. In this final round, the group had to rely on their stand-up skills to tell a joke involving 185 sets of anything that the audience would through at them. At the end of the set, the Sharks defeated the Jets and received the coveted bragging rights.
The next group was the Austin-based Confidence Men. This trio specialized in improvising two-act plays in the style of the legendary and celebrated playwright David Mamet. For 20 minutes, the group delivered laughs on their take of a fascinating take on The Wizard of Oz, where apparently the Wizard’s marketing director banged Dorothy and enraged the Lollipop Guild so much that they called for the guy to be punished. At the climax, not only does the marketing director surrenders to the Munchkins but also the Wizard himself quits his job.
Three original members of the Improv group Der Monkenpickel made their triumphant return to the Kansas City Improv Festival. Jeremy Carter, Ed Goodman and Corey Rittmaster entertained audiences with captivating set that featured the trio performing routines involving a diverse group of objects and location including a stadium with a lawnmower and a war zone.
Finally, the cast one of Los Angeles’s most popular podcasts Superego closed the night with a live podcast of their show. For those who have not had the pleasure of listening to their podcasts, this group specializes in improvising different profiles of self-obsession. Every month, Superego brings on a special guest comedian on the show and their guest was Colin Hanks. Together, the quintet entertained the audiences through numerous Improv routines that not only amused the crowd but also provided caricatures of popular things in pop culture.
There is still time to register for next week’s three events. To find out about next week’s acts, head to the Kansas City Improv Festival’s website: http://kcimprovfestival.com/
To learn more about the following groups that performed, visit their respective websites:
- ComedyCity: http://www.comedycity.cc/
- Confidence Men: http://www.confidencemenimprov.com/
- Superego: http://www.gosuperego.com/
