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8/22/10

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Del Close Marathon 12: Day 2

The first day of the Del Close Marathon is a wonderful appetizer for the weekend. It brings back people and shows that you haven't seen since the last DCM and brings an energy that only arises when people who love the same thing get together and crowd a basement theater for a weekend.

Just by construction, the second act is always the best act, which is why Saturday is the day to see great shows. After a nice, but antsy rest, my roommate and I made our way back to get in line for Improvised Shakespeare. Last year he overslept and missed the phenomenon that is Improvised Shakespeare and vowed to not miss it this year.

So we got prepared.

A man points us in the direction to the UCB.

We decided to get in line a few hours before the theater cleaning to get prime spots for Improvised Shakespeare, but by 4pm there was already a line.

Improvised Shakespeare sounds like an interesting concept, but it also seems impossible. How can these performers create (let alone improvise) a Shakespearean play? I have no idea, but they do it.

Standing ovations at improv shows seems like it would be a common thing. People getting on stage and creating utter brilliance from nothing would seem like it would warrant standing ovations, but it doesn't. I don't know why (I should ask Will Hines). I, personally, have only given/seen one standing ovation (discounting the last show for a group). Not oddly enough that standing ovation was given at Improvised Shakespeare at the last DCM.

Shakespeare got his suggestions from Christopher Marlowe. Improvised Shakespeare gets them from sweaty improv nerds.

If you were there, needless to say, Improvised Shakespeare didn't disappoint and they deserved every second of their standing-O. They deserved it, if not for their set, then for their amazingly high bar that they set that permeated throughout the night. And what better show to follow brilliant improv? How about the Greatest Mother Fuckin Improv Team in the Mother Fuckin Universe?

Death. By. Roo. Roo.

*sigh* I'll say it. I miss Curtis getting frustrated with the audience when he asked for a suggestion.

Roo Roo did a patented monoscene that could only be summed up in John Gemberling's outrageously yelling like an umpire "YOU'RE OUT OF HERE! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" to Gil.

Then some other show happened. You know which one. We won't talk about that.

But a great show was The Smokes.

Joe Wengert is a safe driver.

The Smokes were a great example in pulling focus to play and explore each of the characters. It was grounded and silly and a lot of fun. LA is so lucky.

After The Smokes a bloated Reuben Williams graced the stage with 11 performers. Imagine all 11 improvisers on stage, which is a lot, being funny. That was Reuben's set.

I wanted to stay for Apples & Oranges, being an obsessive Jon Glaser fan, but I had a schedule! And really it worked out for the best, seeing as I barely got a seat for the first show after the theater cleaning, The Benson Interruption.

It seems out of place that Doug Benson would have two shows at an improv marathon as a non-improviser, but you would be dumb to think that. Doug has been adopted into the improv community whether he has realized it or not.

[NOTE: Image is messed up and will be back up momentarily.]

Doug wonders why no one is sitting in chairs in the front row, then comes to the realization that the chairs are for the next show that he's in.

Doug's first guest was Paul Scheer.

"Tweet Off!"

Doug then had on Morgan Murphy and Todd Barry. Really it ended up being Doug and his guest talking, then having a tweet off. It was great.

The Smartest Panel of Experts is the best premise for being able to do a ridiculous character in a free form panel. Whether it's an impersonation (Rob Lathan's Mel Gibson) or a original creation (Seth Morris' Bob Ducca) or just a tree (Jon Daly's Sappity Tappity) they all take questions curated by Besser from the audience. This is officially the tipping point to the crazy late night shows, fyi.

Besser points.

Last year this next show was a sensation to be talked about in classes for months to come. It's a simple premise: The best "Straight Men" are all in a show together and through endowing either a character or a scene, they make themselves the straight man by making their scene partner the crazy one.

I think it's talked about a lot because it's the only gimmick show that actually teaches you something. Because you can't deny what you were endowed with, so you have to come up with how that detail actually makes you the straight man in the scene. It's the only show where someone walking off the back line to wash their hands in a bathroom is an edit line.

The Straight Men is a gimmick show that works as actual improv. Something that I hoped the next show would be. One Table, Infinite Waiters is what I would call a high concept show.

But having 40+ people on stage at one time is hard to follow.

But you can't be mad at a show that's just having fun.

Match Game '76 is fun every year, but the sheen of the gimmick wears off when the audience is prompting for the rape of a contestant even before a character on the show can. I think it was a mistake to release a video of last year's Match Game before the marathon started, if only for the fact that the audience came with an expectation and when that wasn't being met, they took it into their own hands.

That being said it still produced some great moments. Like Gethard (as the boy from Deliverance) getting into a paper throwing fight with an audience member that didn't seem playful or Jesse Falcon (as Buddy Holly) drawing the plane crash that killed him years earlier or Besser (as Iron Eyes Cody) picking up trash as various characters threw them at James Murphy (as the token Jack McBrayer).

Hype Man brought two things together: great improv and silly gimmick. The silly gimmick could have been a show itself, but it worked really well with the great improv. It also doesn't hurt that Eugene Cordero's playful energy naturally makes the audience on his side and up for anything.

Following the Hype Man was a welcome surprise replacement for Constantly Fighting Guys, Drawings by a Baby Eater. I've seen Howard Defendorfer draw people and I secretly want a drawing of myself, but I know better.

(The photo was double exposed on accident, but I love how it turned out. I wish this was a picture of just one show...)

Left Half: "When I say sweep, you say edit. SWEEP!" Right Half: Howard wants people to get their own fucking show.

Darryl! Darryl! Darryl was the chant, before a white man in a bright blue Darryl Strawberry Jacket emerged wielding a yellow bat. "Stand the fuck up!" he yelled and we obeyed. What followed was a 13 minute bit of people coming out as the NY Met's players. That might sound awful, but I assure you it was not.

Last year gave us the "9/11 Never Again" chant. It's safe to say they topped that this year.

"A black man, in black face. A black man, in black face."

From there I decided to make a break for the Urban Stages. There I caught the end of Woods & Garguilo so that I could see Stuck in a Whale.

Gavin and Gil hear a noise...turns out to be Alan Starzinki.

The show I regretted missing last year was Five Dudes. My friends never stopped talking about that show and how silly and crazy it was. I wasn't going to miss it this year and I'm glad I didn't.

Yes they danced. Charlie Sanders and Zach Woods weren't at the show so they were represented by a 5 gallon jug and a tall music stand respectively.

Eugene as Charlie Sanders. If only it were that easy to be Charlie Sanders...

I left after Five Dudes wanting to catch To Catch A Predator. It was twisted, wonderful, funny and just the right amount of male genitalia. To be honest I'm kind of over talking about how shocking it is to see Andy Rocco bottomless, because frankly it happens to much for it to be shocking anymore.

The final show before the theater cleaning was DAR SILICON. DAR SILICON consisted of Brendan and Jeff (correct me if I'm wrong) from the Kane Brothers along with Brendan's actual brother Owen Burke. What happened can only be explained by the rock nerd in me. If you asked me about the show it would probably go like this:

Random Person: What was good about the show?

Me: Everything!

Random Person: What did they do?

Me: Fucking rocked!

Random Person: Was there a trombone?

Me: Fuck yeah! It rocked!

The left picture was Chris Gethard talking to a 5 gallon jug alone on stage, while Bobby and Eugene are behind the curtains. The right picture is DAR SILICON in all their glory.

Again I double exposed this picture. It's my favorite picture because it captures what DCM is to me. It's the only time of year when the chorus line to an improvised punk show is "Pancakes" and when someone talking to a 5 gallon jug on an empty stage for (at least) 5 minutes can have a quite brilliance to it.

DAR SILICON was the only show I saw that deserved an encore performance and really Owen Burke failing across the stage is only transcendent if you get to see it twice. I left DAR SILICON's show pumped and ready for the strawberry sky just emerging. I was so happy, I felt guilty for going to sleep. Well not that guilty.

Second Day Awards:

Best Improv Show: Improvised Shakespeare, Death By Roo Roo, The Smokes, Reuben Williams (I really couldn't pick just one, they were each too amazing.)

Best Premise Show: Hype Man

Best Surprise Replacement Show: Howard Defendorfer

Best Quote: Doug Benson (as he hands out posters to people waiting in line): "Where the weed at?"

Sorely Missed: James Adomian & Rob Huebel

Best Seth Morris Show: The Smartest Panel of Experts

Best Use of the Stage: Owen Burke in DAR SILICON (You just had to be there.)

NOTE: I ran out of money to buy film, so Day 3 has no pictures. I'll just do a short wrap up of what I saw, as well as some of the craziness of the after party.

Del Close Marathon 12: Day 1

Ever since the last Del Close Marathon, my friends and I looked forward to the next DCM. Whether it was recalling the chant from NY Mets Monoscene Spectacular "9/11 Never Again" or just how amazing The Straight Men were, it gave us a chance to remember that great weekend.

Once again DCM came around for its 12th year. Sitting in line two hours before the first show began, it was hard to believe we were mere hours away from the best improv weekend of the year.

DCM Line ~2:30.

Riley wanted to plan where we were going to sit as soon as we got in, so he drew a blueprint to visualize the theater.

Riley in planning mode.

After waiting a few hours we were let in.

The first show was the press conference. Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh and Matt Besser came out to kick off the marathon and were almost immediately interrupted by a vuvuzela.

Besser demonstrates proper air-vuvuzela technique.

They called out for the culprits to show themselves.

Neil Casey laughs at Ian's threats.

After the big announcement of the second UCB Theater in NYC being opened in the new year, they they introduced the first team: Two Man Movie.

NOTE: Because I was shooting on film, I had to slow my shutter speed to take pictures during shows. Many of the pictures turned out blurry, but the ones that I will put up are fairly acceptable and don't look like a still from a Greengrass film. Not important for you to know, but I just wanted to preface. (If you are interested in seeing pictures that I didn't put up, blurry or not, email me.)

The first block of shows until the first theater cleaning were the best of the best. Highlights included:

Bassprov with (a very welcome) guest Jon Lutz: Learned that autism isn't real and that Sarah Palin probably doesn't have great tits.

Revolver: "I have to piss...blood!"

Last Day of School: Jim Woods. Nuff said.

Mother aka The Jon Daly Show

Audience after Mother.

I left the theater right after Mother to get back in line for the shows after the theater cleaning. Doug Benson's podcast, Doug Loves Movies, was the first show.

Doug looks at some "Dougouts" for name tags.

Shitty Jobs was the next show. It was, in my opinion the best example of UCB training. Game, heightening, strong characters and impeccable timing made this just a funny, funny show. Couldn't imagine what their sets are like with their full cast...

Dominic learns that Yu-Gi-Oh has no rules. Charlie smiles cause he wants to be a judge.

Following Shitty Jobs is The Mervin Douglas Show.

Horatio interviewing Gethard.

Skipping to the Christian Lighthouse Players the audience gets to see Seth Morris (arguably tying Charlie Sanders for the "Performer of the Marathon" award). I can't stop saying "Skateboard juice" and calling cool things "Half-pipe".

Philip (Eugene Cordero) prays for a good scene.

Christian Lighthouse Players is the same premise every year, but Owen Burke as the drunk father in the audience totally breathed new life into the show.

Following his gay-ish pastor in CLP, Seth Morris is the star of the next show as his immediately beloved character, Bob Ducca. Listening to Ducca on the radio is amazing. Seeing it in person is life changing. Morris knows this character and no matter what was thrown at him, he could somehow relate it back to his progress of building back his self-esteem/self-confidence.

Bob Ducca looks for love.

Bob Ducca's patented, perpetual sad face look.

Seth performed improv as Ducca with some audience members. It was uncomfortable for everyone, but Bob Ducca.

Then came the show everyone (especially me) had been waiting for, Wicked Fuckin' Queeyah. It wasn't in the marathon last year, which gave it a sort of cult status based almost completely on sheer hype. In short: It blew minds.

Purnell introduces the only show worthy of an introduction. (Except for maybe DAR SILICON. More on that later.)

Then magic happened. This was the best show of the weekend if only for the simple act of Kevin Hines grabbing Will Hines' face and throwing him to the ground. Needless to say, people smiled. Not because of hate for Will Hines, but just the awesome madness that this show was bringing.

Don't have sex with Derek Jeter. He has HIV. Seriously.

After the spitting, tossing and consuming of beer on stage, the next group couldn't have been more of a juxtaposition. Mrs. Darcy would have been appalled at what was on stage just minutes before.

Proper English ladies doing scenes based on the suggestion: Cocksucker. Only at DCM.

Next up some Chicago boys that go by the name Old Prospectors' Make 'Em Up Jamboree.

Just imagine momma.

By this time it was 3AM and it was time to see some naked bodies. Enter Baby Time with Winnie.

Babies.

Seth Morris in a cock sock, Gil with a full load in his diaper, Mike Still with a dangling bollock, Gabrus' as a tan baby, Neil Casey as a bearded baby, Jon Daly with a baby doll hanging out of his pj's and Anthony as a Jamaican nanny. Simply put: Just delightfully weird.

The last show I stayed for was The Improv Show with Jay Leno.

Diston channels his inner black Leno.

By this time I was beat and went home for some of that precious sleep.

The first day I saw a lot of great improv and premise shows. Plenty of not so great ones too, but no cares about those.

First Day Awards

Best Improv Show: Shitty Jobs

Best Premise Show: Wicked Fuckin' Queeyah

Best Seth Morris Show: Christian Lighthouse Players

Best Quote: (Said to my roommate as he was outside) Will Hines from across the street: "Hey guys! Improv! We're doing it!"

Best Use of the Stage: Doug Benson trying to walk on the walls like in Inception.

Sorely Missed: Jason Mantzoukas & Billy Merrit