Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
So, Zed's improv show. Sadly, noise complaints …
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2003 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
So, Zed's improv show. Sadly, noise complaints are forcing Cafe Eclectica to close down -- the cafe doesn't have the capital to soundproof -- so I don't know where or when SF Improv will perform next.
A more than adequate night, with high points that made up for the low ones. Craig Lant was, as always, a good host and superb at playing the put-upon husband/father. Zed gamely put up with an overzealous audience in the "No You Didn't" game. (The performer tells a story but is interrupted by the audience saying "No, you didn't," and has to immediately change that bit of the story.) Such audience behavior makes me think that improv would be better without the audience, or at least substituting computer-randomized suggestions for audience suggestions. (Who am I, Leonard?) I didn't much enjoy the performances of the "winning team," who won because one member teaches acting and invited her students to the show.
My happiest discovery: Daron Jennings. Quick, funny, handsome. Reminds me of Mike Parsons. Best of luck, Daron.