Last Tuesday, the Oxford Imps, Oxford University’s improv comedy group, descended upon Nashville as part of their mini-tour of the United States.
Their show, a well-publicized fundraiser for the Belcourt Theatre preservation fund, packed out the Belcourt’s famous 1925 Hall. The first act was a tightly paced games set, while the second was a fully improvised musical. Overall, the Imps’ performance was confident and well-polished.
Playing the game
Improv games can be tricky. Games sets are often shallow, with improvisers sticking to tried-and-true gimmicks and superficial gags. This style of play usually results in light, forgettable, entertainment. Games truly shine when the improvisers play committed, connected scenes while allowing the games structures themselves to provide the comedy. This style of play provides the audience with something both funny and interesting.
Fortunately, the Imps dug deep and generally provided scenes anchored in clear relationships and strong emotional choices. The games maintained focus and provided a satisfying sense of development. Meanwhile, host Andy Murray did an excellent job of warming up the audience and keeping the show moving. The importance of a strong host in a games set cannot be overstated.
The first half ended with a multi-scene game in the style of Shakespeare. It told the story of a poor old wrapper of candy bars named Rappio whose position was challenged by a knavish magician. The story moved at a good clip, with the players creating fun, quirky characters while integrating the key Shakespearean ingredients of jealousy, love, and mistaken identity.
What’s this in my wardrobe?
Musical improv is always a crowd pleaser. The idea that someone would stand before an audience and make up a song on the spot is automatically gripping, even if the actual songs or the singing aren’t destined to change the world of music.
This was more or less true of the second half of the Imps show, an improvised musical based on the suggestion “Narnia.” Narnia is a “loaded” suggestion - one which brings with it an entire suite of predefined information and expectations. Loaded suggestions provide an abundance of material for parody, but they can also be restrictive. The existing material can make it difficult for improvisers to “break through” into a unique world of their own creation.
Such was the case in the second portion of the show, in which the Imps struggled to find new territory apart from the obligatory Lions, Witches, and Wardrobes. They did manage to include Mary Poppins (played by Nashville native Christopher Schuller) and a cowardly chimney sweep named Burt as the story’s villains, but reliance on another well-known character created its own set of funny, but somewhat restrictive, references.
Fortunately, the cast’s charisma and the magic of spontaneous singing held the crowd’s interest for the full forty minutes. Even without the musical component, improvising a coherent story for any length of time is a significant challenge, and the Musical Imps are to be commended for pulling together an enjoyable tale.
Devilishly Fun
All in all, the appearance of the Oxford Imps at the Belcourt was a big success. They performed confidently, with charm and trademark British wit. Perhaps the thing that stood out most about their performance was the level of polish. In our post-show discussions, the Imps admitted to rehearsing five or six hours per week, and it shows. With crisp edits, clear group chemistry, and general sense of ease, they offered a great evening’s entertainment that the several hundred patrons certainly enjoyed.
FuseBox Theatre is grateful to the Imps for putting on a great show in our home town and giving us permission to post clips of it here. We extend our sincere appreciation for their contribution to the growing community for improv and sketch comedy in Music City.
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The Oxford Imps are an Improvised Comedy Troupe based in Oxford, in the U.K. Formed in 2003, the Imps have toured to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, USA, Bosnia and Holland. They have performed over 200 shows in Oxford, including at College Balls, Charity Events, Arts Weeks and Private Functions.
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