Dustin Hoffman, famous for method acting, once famously said that when it comes to Shakespeare’s work, “you can’t improvise this shit.”
Daring to prove him wrong, Blackout Theatre, in its all-new, late-night Improv show “Che-Kspeare: Improvised Shakespeare” manages to produce hilarity at its finest.
Thous and thees and numerous other Elizabethan idioms are liberally sprinkled through the actors’ speech. All the hallmarks of classic Shakespeare are deftly made up on the spot. Doomed love? Check. Men playing the helpful and wise (and often frisky) servant ladies? Check.
High drama, malevolent scheming, tragic mistakes, bawdy humor and characters soliloquizing to the audience in the middle of their scenes with someone else?
Check, check, check, check and CHE-ck.
Have no fear, the “Shakespeare” is undeniably there.
Best of all, the show is unrelentingly, uproariously funny.
The Blackout members take a setting and a few details from the audience, giving them space to discover the characters, conflicts and general designs. Once the “play” gets going, the laughs come fast and often.
It only gets better as the momentum builds. The terrifying thing about doing (and sometimes seeing) improv is that the stressful creative responsibility is on the performers. In the moment, there is no script, set or anything to fall back on, besides maybe a chair.
Luckily, the members of Blackout are no chumps. They nimbly jump from scene to scene, twisting familiar Shakespearean archetypes like the comedic Nurse or the plotting Richard III into hilarious caricatures, all the while building a miniature Shakespearean narrative.
The night I saw it, the story also had a clever local flavor.
It is clear the performers are good at what they do. Jokes or moments that fall flat are quickly obliterated by new, bolder ideas, and any line or idea with potential is explored and used to the fullest.
Leonard Madrid shines throughout at simply everything he does — whether constantly name-dropping figures from classical literature (a habit of Shakespeare’s) or just good, old-fashioned physical humor. Madrid elevates every scene he’s in, challenging his fellow improvisers to keep up the pace.
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They don’t disappoint.
Barney Lopez and Heather Yeo both make excellent use of physical comedy, and Jeff Andersen had me in stitches with his subtle, deadpan delivery.
The whole company works together wonderfully. The actors thrill their audience and tell their story with the exact mix of chemistry, cooperation and inspiration that good improvisation requires.
The only disappointment of the night is when the play ends, but it’s hilariously achieved in typical Shakespeare fashion. When the lights come up, you want more.
After all, this many laughs can be hard to find, especially in a half hour, and you don’t want them to end.
Improv done well is a joy to see, and at $6 a ticket, there’s no excuse not to go see it.
While Shakespeare may not have written it, he’d probably have enjoyed it.
CHE-Kspeare
Improvised Shakespeare
Vortex Theatre
2004 1/2 Central Ave. S.E.
June 25 and July 2, 11p.m.
Tickets $6
To reserve tickets, visit vortexabq.org or call (505)-247-8600
