| Issue #41, January 19, 2007 |
Just Say Yes at Alison
Global warming got you down? Need a little laughter in your life? Then head to Alison in Bridgehampton on Saturday night – you’re sure to come away with a sunnier disposition and some good jokes to tell around the water cooler. On those two nights, Long Island’s only native improv comedy troupe, Just Say Yes, will be taking audience suggestions and their own hilarious situations and weaving them into two revelrous nights of hilarity. If the name sounds familiar, you might have caught one of their workshops at Guild Hall, or perhaps heard about an impromptu set at one of the many venues they have performed in around the Island. Their performance at Alison’s is sure to bring even more accolades to this home grown troupe of comedians, as every improv set is different and every joke is new spur of the moment, and catered to the audience watching them, right there and then.
Led by Jonathan Peters, the troupe consists of members Josh Perl, Marcus Johnson, Stephan Scheck, Mike Krasner, Susan Cincotta, Michael Horn and Dan Becker. Stephen Scheck describes the troupe as “a bunch of somewhat harmless theater performers,” yet when their long lists of accomplishments are revealed, their true identities as seasoned professionals are exposed. Jonathan Peters, Josh Pearlman, Susan Cincotta, Josh Gladstone and Michael Horn, are all “heavily experienced” stage actors and combined with the quick wits of Mike Krasner and Marcus Johnson, both professional stand-up comedians who perform regularly all over Long Island, the result is truly mesmerizing.
Unlike most improv comedy troupes, which rely on tight-knit group chemistry and insular group dynamics to create entertaining scenarios, Just Say Yes chooses to be more daring by inviting the audience to play with them. Midway through the night at any one of their packed performances, the room is already buzzing with the anticipation of who will be chosen to perform alongside the experts, Just Say Yes. Of course, if you prefer to sit on the sidelines and cheer them on instead, the group makes sure that no matter who joins them, the scenario will always end with a good laugh for everyone both on and off stage.
“So what is improv all about?” you might ask. For devoted fans of “The Colbert Report,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Monty Python” and movies like Waiting for Guffman, Spinal Tap and Best in Show, improv is nothing new, as all of those TV shows and movies are virtually unscripted, with loose plotlines and relationships, leaving the rest to the preternaturally funny actors. Improv makes acting fresh and new and is one of the only forms of comedy that can wow an audience in five minutes flat. Instead of memorizing lines and trying to deliver them as if they had never been said before, members of Just Say Yes and the aforementioned comedies start with an idea, situation or relationship and then run with it. Sometimes, an actor won’t even know what character he is playing until the scene starts up and he figures out how he fits in the scene. Other times, a character might be all he’s got to work with, like Borat from the “Ali G Show,” and the interactions he has with other people, which become unruly comedic scenes. The name, Just Say Yes, is taken from the most beloved and adhered to principle of improvisational acting. In order to keep a scene going, the actors must agree to keep acting together and the easiest way to do that is to agree with one another. For example – one actor might say, “Would you like to have a drink?” If the other actor says “no,” then there is no scene and his partner will have to scramble to come up with another idea. If he says “yes,” then the scene has hope. If you’re still not sure what to say, why not borrow some one-liners from the masters themselves, Just Say Yes. Here are a few of their favorites, which should get anyone out of a comedic dead-end:
“If the fish smells, it’s because it has a nose.”
“If the egg salad is fresh, don’t step in it.”
“Never settle on a one liner from a Lawyer (I’m not a
Lawyer so I can’t legally say).”
“I would scalp you, but someone beat me to it.”
“Crossing the pond does not mean having Jesus floating
on the water.”
“My potato skins need a shave.”
“My potato skins look so great, Mr. Potato Head just hit
on them. (He always was a dirty ol’ spud.)”
Improv is even more entertaining to watch live than it is on the movie or TV screen. The kinetic quality of throwing out an idea and watching a troupe of master actors turn it into a hilarious scene cannot be reproduced on the screen. So turn off your TV, skip the movies and head over to Alison. And if you happen to get pulled up onto the stage, do yourself a favor and just say “yes.”
Just Say Yes will be performing at Alison, located at 95 School Street in Bridgehmapton, on at 9 p.m. on January 20 and 27. For reservations or more information, call (631) 537- 7100.
– Sabrina C. Mashburn
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