That Moment When You Don’t Pee Your Pants

If you’ve got an evening to kill and are looking for something fun and light with somewhat original and spontaneous energy, go see Jet-City Improv’s Blak Cloud. This show is an interesting experiment combining the qualities of improvisation and humor with the story in The Crucible, a recognized literary work of art, but the execution of the performance left me wanting more and feeling like I’d just watched an acting exercise, not a play.

In seeking to describe an experience that’s neither overwhelmingly good nor bad, it becomes difficult to explain the grey areas of comedy. It’s easy to describe the curiosity and interest that come with experiencing a live improvised play, and the sparse moments of laughter did lift my mood and spirits, even if only momentarily. It’s more difficult to describe when the performance doesn’t seem to connect completely. A humor-driven improvised show comes with the risk of letting you down ever so slightly when you don’t have that moment when you think you’ll pee your pants because you’re laughing so hard. Maybe it was an off night, or there wasn’t enough audience participation, but I wasn’t sold completely on the combination of improvisation and literature within a play.

The great thing about an improvised show though, is that you always have a second chance to get things right and make them better, something to consider when deciding to see this show or not.

Blak Cloud
Jet City Improv
Through November 22