Flopsweat, October 9, 2012 MPROV Preview

The Festival of Scriptlessness
by Kyle Allatt

Well, it’s happening again.  Get ready to shout out non-geographical locations and debate whether or not any of this crap was written ahead of time because this week MPROV: The 7th Annual Montreal Improv Festivals returns to... er... well, Montreal, I suppose.

Where has it been all this time?  I’ll hazard a guess and say the ether.  That mystical, intangible place where all improv ideas come from.  That’s right, none of these performers are actually thinking any of these things off the top of their heads, they’re all just witches.  Thankfully, we’ve called an amnesty on burning them for the time being, and instead will just sit in the audience and laugh at their antics.  For now.

Flop Sweat, October 6, 2012

Captain Spaceship and the Stars
Does reviewing improv make sense? ... Maybe?
by Kyle Allatt

Captain Spaceship’s premise is a fairly solid one.  Take all the kitsch, low-production, one dimensional characters, special effects, robots, aliens and ray guns of yesteryear’s greatest and/or crappiest Science Fiction TV shows and films and throw it all together in an hour long improvised epic.

A solid premise that produced a somewhat shaky, but ultimately fulfilling long-form improvised show.

Before going any further, perhaps an important question to ask is “Does it even make any sense to write a review about an improv show?  A show that will be completely different each time.”  Answer:  Maybe?

Flop Sweat, August 1, 2012

Venezuela (aka: Sean Michaels and Francois Vincent)

It's a Party - with no script
Montreal Improv Anniversary Weekend
by Kyle Allatt


[CharPo-Montreal is very happy to introduce an occasional column by Kyle Allatt. Kyle will be covering the improv scene in Montreal.]


The place is dingy, poorly-lit.  A fake brick wall stands against the back of a much too small stage.  Even though you’ve already paid cover to get in, you’re still harassed by overworked and underpaid staff to fulfill the two drink minimum, and they’re damn sure in a foul mood because of the crappy tips they get on the 7 dollar martinis.  

Your standard shithole comedy club.

This is NOT what you get going to Montreal Improv.

Instead, for some crazy reason Marc Rowland, Kirsten Rasmussen, Bryan Walsh and Francois Vincent, founders of Montreal Improv, have decided to create a warm, appealing and friendly atmosphere for their establishment, eschewing traditional comedy club conventions.