On the Spot

DF: Improv comedy. There, I’ve said it. I find myself sitting in the theater, worrying that things won’t go well. That the audience suggestions will be flat. Or simply that improv as a form is no match for a well-written and rehearsed show. I’m afraid I’d have to admit that I found my fears realized. The night I saw Something Wonderful, there were some great moments -- but mostly they were in the more scripted sketches. (I can’t say more because I’ll spoil the fun, but you’ll never think of Gift of the Magi in the same way.) The actual improv stuff was far more hit-or-miss, and because the opening-night audience was an adoring mass of friends, family and other theater professionals, the whole thing was a bit too self-reverential for comfort.

TZ: Writing a review about improv comedy. The trouble is, nobody sees the same show, since it’s, well, improvised. I loved Jen Childs’ skit about a very pregnant, very high-powered executive and the latest thing: office births. The Letters to the Editor routine started off slowly but warmed up to a great finale where the ensemble apparently effortlessly merged all the letters they’ve been reading, creating new and very pointed meaning. There were a couple of the worrisome moments David worries about, one of which was, unfortunately, the last -- a concluding monologue about advent calendars that seemed surprisingly cloying.

A sentence I overheard someone say:

DF: "The 1812 people sure are a terrific ensemble." (OK, I'm the one who said it.) And they are! Whatever my reservations about the various scenes and sketches, the six performers (Tony Braithwaite, Mary Carpenter, Jennifer Childs, Scott Greer, Dave Jadico, Peter Pryor and music-meister Jim Ryan) are as funny and lovable as anyone could wish. A number of them are ComedySportz veterans. (Tony B. is also a veteran theology teacher at St. Joe's Prep, which must be its own brand of improv comedy.)

TZ: A woman walking into the theater, seeing me and saying, "Omigod, omigod, it's Toby," and then walking by without saying hello. This also could have appeared above as "something that scares me." I didn't actually hear David say the sentence above since I saw the show a different night, but I know he meant it, as do I.

Noun:

DF: "Expectations." I guess that's the real problem. For me, the 1812 Christmas shows have become the kind of holiday favorite that can help me cope with a season of overcrowded malls, transportation delays and inedible turkey dinners with well-meaning relatives. Indeed, their two vaudeville shows -- and last year's homage to the great comics of the '50s and '60s -- remain the kind of theater memories I'll keep for years. By any other standard, Something Wonderful would have been just what the title promised. And it was often amusing and charming. It's just that my expectations were so high, that the much looser, more hit-and-miss nature of this year's show was a bit of a letdown. Oh well, that's Christmas for you. There's always next year …

TZ: Ditto. But that's not a noun, is it? (What part of speech is "ditto," anyway?) Being Philly's most beloved theater company has its pressures, especially since 1812's mission is to be funny all of the time. If the annual show is always structured as an homage to some famous comedians from the past, maybe it's impossible to mimic or mirror old-time improv stars, because of the very nature of the beast. These contemporary and very talented comedians are performing material not quite their own, and yet it's not really a script, so Something Wonderful is suspended between two worlds. So, OK, this Christmas they were funny only some of the time. Some of the time is quite a lot these days, no?

Something Wonderful Right Away

Through Jan. 4, 1812 Productions at the Adrienne Theater, 2030 Sansom St., 215-592-9560

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