January 21, 2011
In their promotional material, Oxford Comedy Deathmatch promise to deliver “your favourite pantomimes improvised right before your very eyes.” Indeed, when the nine members of OCD bounded onto the stage at Wadham’s Moser Theatre last night to raise money for the Pathway Workshop, they embraced the traditional pantomime tropes with gusto. Comedy wigs, pantaloons and garish dresses were in plentiful supply, and the audience booed, hissed and rallied in choruses of “he’s behind you!” from the offset.
However, the notion of “improv” was unfortunately called into question very early on, when the narrator kicked off the performance of Cinderella by reading from a script. Despite the disappointing presence of a script throughout, the show did feature many of the customary audience-participation games beloved by the improv comedy genre and the cast showed an unwavering willingness to tackle the challenges thrown at them during games involving word-play, song and mime.
Unfortunately, some of the skits, in particular the Jeremy Kyle and costume-swapping sketches, would have benefited from an earlier intervention by the bell that rang to signal the end of scenes. However, while scenes were occasionally a little drawn out – and the extent to which dialogues were improvised was sometimes questionable - many of the skits were a great success. Highlights included John Hammond’s narration of an educational video supposedly played on an old betamax and a scene in which audience members were invited to take to the stage and move the limbs of Cinderella and the Prince on the actors’ behalves.
Indeed, it was a treat to see Ida Persson (Cinderella) and Nathan Grassi (Prince Charming) perform together, as they were among the strongest members of the cast. Nathan demonstrated particularly strong improvisation skills, reacting very quickly and drolly to changing situations, and unexpectedly stealing the show by way of his understated performance of a camel. Ida also deserves special mention for her sharp wit and creative responses. Too often women are under-represented in live comedy, and Ida more than held her own among her male peers.
The pantomime’s finale was an audience sing-along, which worked surprisingly well and was a stirring way to end the show. Although OCD lacked the spontaneity and fluidity of top-class improv comedy troupes, this was more than compensated for by the infectious enthusiasm of a cast who are willing to get stuck in and not take themselves too seriously. The high energy performances, whirlwind costumes changes and occasional flashes of comedy brilliance make the Improv Panto a thoroughly enjoyable evening – and an inspiring way to raise money for a local recycling project.
However, the notion of “improv” was unfortunately called into question very early on, when the narrator kicked off the performance of Cinderella by reading from a script. Despite the disappointing presence of a script throughout, the show did feature many of the customary audience-participation games beloved by the improv comedy genre and the cast showed an unwavering willingness to tackle the challenges thrown at them during games involving word-play, song and mime.
Unfortunately, some of the skits, in particular the Jeremy Kyle and costume-swapping sketches, would have benefited from an earlier intervention by the bell that rang to signal the end of scenes. However, while scenes were occasionally a little drawn out – and the extent to which dialogues were improvised was sometimes questionable - many of the skits were a great success. Highlights included John Hammond’s narration of an educational video supposedly played on an old betamax and a scene in which audience members were invited to take to the stage and move the limbs of Cinderella and the Prince on the actors’ behalves.
Indeed, it was a treat to see Ida Persson (Cinderella) and Nathan Grassi (Prince Charming) perform together, as they were among the strongest members of the cast. Nathan demonstrated particularly strong improvisation skills, reacting very quickly and drolly to changing situations, and unexpectedly stealing the show by way of his understated performance of a camel. Ida also deserves special mention for her sharp wit and creative responses. Too often women are under-represented in live comedy, and Ida more than held her own among her male peers.
The pantomime’s finale was an audience sing-along, which worked surprisingly well and was a stirring way to end the show. Although OCD lacked the spontaneity and fluidity of top-class improv comedy troupes, this was more than compensated for by the infectious enthusiasm of a cast who are willing to get stuck in and not take themselves too seriously. The high energy performances, whirlwind costumes changes and occasional flashes of comedy brilliance make the Improv Panto a thoroughly enjoyable evening – and an inspiring way to raise money for a local recycling project.