Holy cow, it's the 9th already?! I keep forgetting to pay my rent on time... I'm a stupidhead.
Well, another Chicago Improv Fest has come and gone. As years past I hosted a few out-of-town improvisers here in stately Chin manor. Thankfully, none of them wandering into my study and examined my bust of Shakespeare or the retractable bookcase too closely. It's always fun to see this fairly insular improv community through someone else's eyes.
Dinner for Six performed at the Showcase over at the Playground theater. Their show went well.It was like someone took the hour version and edited it down for 30 minutes; you know, like they did with Love Boat and Fantasy Island in syndication (they did it first, before Ally). I was a bit worried... the first group was the ComedySportz show "Whose Chorus Line Is It Anyway?" and the second was a fast-paced wacky group from LA. I forget their name. The LA group did alot of fast scenes with CRA-Ray-Zee stereotypes and it's sometimes difficult to follow that with a bunch of two person scenes. Particularly with D46, which begins with an extended eight person scene. Anyway, it was a good show.
Later that night I caught a bunch of the Improv Till Dawn shows over at WNEP. Southside Irish was great fun. Much, much later, around 2am or so, Jethro and Kristy (I know I should really put their last names here, but since I have consistently misspelled their last names for the past several years I won't do it again. You know who they are, don't you?) hosted the festivities and were just wonderfully hilarious. Their introduction of the Noble Fool Theater ("... the best improv theater in Chicago , if you call just the South Loop Chicago..." - horrifically paraphrased by me..) was great. Then they played with the Noble Fools and did great there as well. My house guests also performed with an Insta-Team. That was fun to watch. I missed the Sunday finale and I really wanted to see that show with Scott Adsit, TJ Jagodowski, et al, but I was sick. I hear it was great though.
The Quartet show on Sunday was great. Abby Sher, Jack McBrayer, Bob Robert Dassie, and TJ were firing on all cylinders. I really enjoyed that show.
Monday night, I was asked to go to ImprovOlympic in a tie and jacket for a photo shoot. So, I went and it was fun. I decided to stay for the Armando show since it was going to be John Mulhern's last show with them. Now, before I continue with this story, a word on Mr. Mulhern:
I first met John in college, some where in the year 1987 or so. We were at Queens College back in NYC. We were both members in what was probably the lamest school sanctioned club/activity; the WNEI video club. We were supposed to be involved in video production, but we had absolutely nothing to do with the video production department of the school. Anyway, John and I were involved in some of the worst spoofs and sketch comedy that has ever existed. I'm surprised it managed to stick to the tape.(I think everyone has some "comedy" videotapes they're ashamed of somewhere... we should have a Rotten Comedy festival and run them all.)
I was down in Champaign, IL. when John came out to Chicago to take classes at the Second City. I remember him telling me about this new theater he was taking classes with.. the ImprovOlympic. A few years pass and I was leaving the radio station that I worked at. I was the "Sandman" but it was time to move on. Los Angeles or Chicago? John made a strong case for Chicago. As with most things I didn't really make the decision; it was made for me by the Fates. I had a very close call with Death (in a pick-up truck! A Pick-up Truck!!) and I decided to move in a few months. John came down from Chicago and helped me move up to Chicago. He drove the truck (since, uh, my license was about as good as my driving). He helped me load the truck.
We lived together in a studio so small that we had to jump from area to area since our stuff was all over the place. I began to take classes at both Second City and ImprovOlympic. John's teams and class shows were my primers into Chicago improv.
As time has passed, John and I played on several teams together before we both ended up on The Pat Shay Dancers. I've never been happier with a team. This is the best time I've ever had in improv and I'll hazard a guess that it's the same for him.
Anyway, long story short (too late) John has been my best friend for about a decade and a half. He's the most faithful person I know, be it to a person, a team, a theater, or even an artform. So forgive me if I wax rhapsodic.
Fellow Dancers, Rich Sohn and Angela Forfia were at IO as well. Noah came up to me and asked if I wanted to play in Armando for John's last night. Of course I said yes. We did an old-school/ASSSSCAAAT form (monologue based scenes). It was great fun. The bad thing for me is that I'm sooo comfortable with my fellow Pat Shay Dancers it takes me a bit to "warm up" to playing with other people. As a result my scenes with other people were a bit off (or I ended up being a good support person) and my scene with Angela was great (at least to me. I haven't asked her yet.)
John did all the monologues for the second act and they were insightful and fascinating. The suggestion was "disillusionment" and he told about people being disillusioned with him, and several other disillusionments in his life... one of the last sentences... "I'm not disillusioned with improv." That was sweet.
This coming Sunday, is John's last night with the Pat Shay Dancers. Special guest star Chris Day is coming back. Come on by and say hello and goodbye to Mr. M. Oh, there just might be some hot wings there to munch on.. much better than cake says I.
Anyway, John's leaving is very sad for me and his presence will be sorely missed on the Dancers and in Armando. But also, improv will be missing one of it's more fierce defenders.
Good luck in LA, John! See you soon!
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May 25, 2001
I have produced/directed over 16 shows in Chicago over the past 6 years. This doesn?t take into account teams and put together shows (one week or so). I have been in about 6 of those shows. If I'm directing, I prefer to focus on that. Besides, I learned the hard way that having your director/coach in the show makes getting notes, well stinky. I don?t know how Alan Alda and Woody Allen (I was going to write "do it" but neither really does anything nowadays) did it. Besides, as a director/coach, I like begin able to see the whole, big picture, so I haven't been in a whole of my shows. Some that I have been in have been by accident; a last minute replacement or something like that.
That all being said, I have a Slugfest next week.
The Slugfest is a great show that the ImprovOlympic hosts on Thursday nights. Two performers get 30 minutes each to do whatever they want to do. I have seen some of the best one-person shows and some of the worst one-person shows in this slot. Now it's my turn.
That all being said, I'm very nervous.
I've never been on stage by myself that long before. Just me for 30? Most people can't stand that much Jason off-stage, much less on. I wanted to do a slugfest, but dreaded it. It was only with the prodding and MAD pact (Mutually Assured Destruction) with Amber Tillett that I signed up for one. Mine is called "Jason Chin: Nerdology" and it's pretty much about how and why I'm a nerd and why that's a good thing. There will also be Great Moments In My Nerd Life. Oh, and for sitting through all that (you know, like the Salvation Army speeches before the free grub?) there will be free Marvel Comics trading cards (you might remember those if you came to see the 1997 production of the improvised Superhero Society of America.. both of ya) and some free comics. Free comics... ah, two of the best words ever. Oh, and there'll be some video clips of some of my great nerd moments.. I can't seem to find my appearance on America's Most Wanted (I get killed.. it's so cool) or my participation in the absolute worst Star Trek "parody" ever.
Anyway, I have a Slugfest next week on Thursday.
"Anyway, I'm drinking more red wine." - Vito Coreleone
Now, back to the improv
The Pat Shay Dancers are in a rebuilding phase (I have just officially used up all my sports references.) We lost Chris Day and then John... the terrific Dan Sipp will be sitting in with us for a bit. Right now, PSD is the only improv I'm involved in, really. Oh, I'm doing the whole IO thing, but I'm not coaching or performing with anyone else and it feels weird. I'm really itching to play some more right now... damn the sleep and let slip the dogs of freeze-tag. This will change soon.
PantsHappy is going to New York for the UCB Del Close Marathon and we're very excited about that. I love staying in hotels and I'm looking forward to seeing Pat Shay shower. Must remember to erase that. There's a ton of Chicagoans going out there and I hope to gather a group of people to head on over to Nobu, the Japanese restaurant where Iron Chef Japanese Morihito Morimoto works. I looked up their menu on-line and it's very expensive. Mmmm.. sushi. Boy, I'm very hungry right now and all I have are these sausage balls. I had no freaking idea what sausage balls were 7 days ago, but Amber has been regaling me with tales of Southern cuisine. I've never seen anyone so excited about collard greens. That gal ain't right.
I wish I updated this page more. I don't want to just fill this page with my daily life; I only want to update when I have something (relatively) interesting to relate. I mean, I could fill this sucka with tales of comics and Dungeons & Dragons and Buffy and West Wing with a smattering of improv instead of the other way 'round, but no one wants to read that shite.
One of the reasons I love David Letterman and his show is that he's one of the few television hosts that still does research. When something in the news intriques or puzzles him, he researchs it and then brings it up on the air. Whenever he has a newsperson on air he discusses current events. That is cool. I miss Bob Costas.
from the 1978 classic Superman vs. Muhammad Ali-
(Ali is bloody and beaten by an alien boxer.. he's barely standing as round 3 begins..)
EMPEROR RAT'LAR: Ali, I have an announcement...or rather a proposition! Obviously you are about to be beaten senseless! Therefore, according to the terms of our agreement, missiles will rain on Earth!
ALI: Don't be too sure, sucker!
EMPEROR RAT'LAR: Hence, I offer you an alternative... if your governments agree to deed the peoples of Earth to us as our slaves, we will spare them! There is no other alternative!
ALI: Slaves?
EMPEROR RAT'LAR: Yes!
ALI: Everyone? No! There is ANOTHER choice, sucker! I can WHUP him!
Obviously, since I'm writing this and you're reading this in English and not Rat'Larian, Ali wins.
I have several improv shows I want to do right now. Some forms running around in my head that I would love to see up and realized. Will I get a show or two before year's end? I don't know. I hope so.
Oh, before I go...
The other night Peri Gilpin was on Conan. She comes on and goes on and on about how much she and her husband love the show and how they can't get to sleep without watching the show. She loves all the characters... especially the Misogynist Bear. Conan corrects her, "You mean, the Masturbating Bear." She's a rube. That being said, Misogynist Bear is freaking hilarious! I love that idea and the name. My next improv team will be named Misogynist Bear. I'm going to start a home business selling the Misogynist Bear to people on-line. Dial 1800-MIGBEAR. "Misogynist Bear." Heh. Me laugh.
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"What was shooting Josh? A joke? He's my son! What have I ever done to Your Son except praise Him?!" - President Jed Barlett, ranting at God in the West Wing season finale.
