chuckography

Spoleto Time Again .....

FRANKENMATT sounds a little like the name of that famous monster made of spare human parts.

Or a great sandwich with hot dogs, cheese and noodles.

Actually, it's an improv team I saw last year and two guys I looked forward to seeing again during the 10th annual Spoleto Fringe.

Their 10:30 pm show did not disappoint.

Sheer energy for a solid hour of ad lib, based on a 3-word phrase "taste and smell" thrown out by the audience at Theatre 99.

I retired 5 years ago but this year I get to post reviews on The Digitel. The last two years I was a "SpoJo" for the Post and Courier during the 17-day festival of the arts.

The paper invited a large group of onliners to come down from Syracuse, NY to blog, tweet and FaceBook as Spoleto Journalists.

I have been to Theatre 99 many, many times but apparently, never on a Sunday evening. The ticket-taker was telling someone they couldn't sell beer on Sunday but there was a filling station a block away that did. I had time to go there for BYOB.


The 9pm show was by Chicago's The Reckoning.

Improv begins with an idea or theme suggested by the audience and is carried out by the creative people onstage.

The one word thrown out and accepted was "Sushi."

The bare stage was transformed immediately - in our minds - to a small Japanese restaurant.

Very small. Tiny. Cramped.

Tables crammed close together. Funny setting.

As the group performed and entertained for an hour, I noticed persons sitting nearby were glancing at my cold bottle of beer.

Plan ahead people.

[Click on the pictures to see a larger image. Thanks.]

Labels: Frankenmatt, persons vs people, SpoJo, Syracuse, The Reckoning

posted by chucker @ 3:24 PM