This was an event so unique it warrants my first ever blog post. It was basically an unintentional clash between two sides of the entertainment industry; the talented and unrecognized vs. the marginally talented, corporate-controlled, and obscenely lucky.
The Armando works like this (much simplified): one performer starts with a monologue and a group of improvisers take ideas from the monologue and turn them into a string of scenes. At some point, "Armando", (the monologist) breaks in, delivers another monologue, and the string of scenes starts again. Normally, Armando is one of the talented group of improvisors, and the monlogues, although primarily meant to give ideas to the other performers, are just as impressive and hilarious as the scene performances.
Unfortunately for "Armando" tonight, every one of his monologues centered around his life as an American Idol. He was telling stories of how he just went to the audition on a lark, and a few months later, he now has a nationwide tour, an album coming out, and sponsorship deals with Coke and Ford, among others. All the while in front of 8 or so of the most talented improvisors in the country, each who have to put YEARS into their craft to get a tiny chance at a even a small fraction of the fame that American Idols stumble into every month. (or however often the show is on.) And a crowd of fans/students who hoped to follow in their footsteps. A storm was brewing...
Predictably, when the improvisors got their turn after the monologues, it was a comedic bloodbath. Initially, we felt sorry for Armando, since he clearly had no idea (and didn't seem to understand) what he had gotten into. But he dug his own grave repeatedly by (1) claiming he had improv and comedy performance experience, and (2) claiming he was still "keeping it real" while telling stories about the crazy times and success he's had as part of the most soulless corporate "entertainment" franchise in history.
Some highlights include:
1.) A rambling story of his peformance history being in an acapella group, beatboxing, and being in an "improv jazz ensemble." NB: Apparently he does not play any instruments--it was a mystery what he contributed to this ensemble. He made it repeatedly clear that these were his "real" interests, and he's just doing American Idol "to have fun." I certainly don't begrudge him his success, but his incessant need to have us believe he's not "into the whole American Idol thing" while simultaneously explaning all the massive corporate sponsorship deals kind of dropped his credibility through the floor.
Related Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Hey big boy...I'll do whatever you want... I'm normally not into prostitution, that's not my thing, but seriously...Anything. You. Want."
2.) We learn that although he totally has improv experience, character comedy is really his 2nd love after singing and beatboxing. In fact, he's created a character for the American Idol tour called "Bob Boberson", in which he ostensibly plays a redneck security guard (I assume still wearing a trendy sideways pageboy hat), and greets fans, "in character." NB: You know he's "Bob Boberson" and not American Idol #22234AKSU because his voice is an octave lower. Watch for "Bob" in your town! Also, he's played a number of other characters for the numerous Ford and Coke commercials, in which, apparently they dress up American Idol contestants in funny costumes. Watch for them on your TV!
Related Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Why, everyone, I cannot dine with you, for I am not a patron at this restaurant, but an ACTOR, playing a patron at this restaurant! I was tricking you this whole time, thanks to my ACTING!"
3.) He and his buddies love to make comedy raps. In fact, they're online. They've written a comedy rap about Chuck Norris. And a comedy rap about Snakes on a Plane. And a comedy rap about Harry Potter. (As you can imagine, this is when the crowd started to turn. It is yet another testament to the unfailing politiness of Midwesterners that everyone just threw up a little to themselves instead of hurling rotted vegetable mattah and whipping up some tar and feathers.)
Related Wholly Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Hey Kid. F**** YOU!"
(This was amazing. The story about the comedy raps was given directly after the intermission, and there was one player who had missed the first act. As soon as Armando finished, this one player calmly strode on stage, sat down, and started the first scene of the second act with this line, her first in the entire show. I'd like to think she went on stage, mind completely blank except for this one thought that had been boiling in her head the during the Idol's entire monologue, and made it into her grand entrance. Naturally, she and her scene partner then picked up and turned it into a great scene, but for one moment, she caught the mood of the entire audience.)
4.) When asked about his influences, he started out listing Prince and Michael Jackson. Fair enough. But, at this point, in his last monologue, he couldn't leave well enough alone, and wanted us to remember that he was every bit the comedian as well as a pop sensation. So he went on to list his comedic influences as well: "Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Jackie Gleason...the greats." (NB--I would venture to guess that there is nothing you could do to anger a true comedian more these days than tell him that Robin Williams is one of the all-time greats. This comment elicited some audibe gasps of horror from the crowd. Again, I can't overestimate what a spectacular disaster this was.)
Related Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Robin Williams" coming onstage, declaring he was here to steal everyone's bits, and then repeating the best jokes from earlier in the show.
This all probably makes it seem that it was a tremendously uncomfortable evening, but it was absolutely riveting and one of the funniest shows I've seen. The majority of the show was not dedicating to skewering this poor kid, and the performers did thank him profusely for coming and played along with some of his more ridiculous ideas. They roasted him but sent him on his way with a pat on a back. In all, it just seemed like he was a completely clueless kid who had no idea how much he kept putting his foot into his mouth--but he can cry all the way to the bank.
However, it certainly created a singularity of purpose that I've never seen from a show with this many people. The improvisors were the absolute cream of the crop in Chicago (possibly because the show was being filmed). In the midst of putting their usual excellent performance, they delivered an outstanding comedy review torching everything wrong with the corporate-fueled entertainment industry, that had probably screwed over each of them repeatedly. All at the expense of one of the industry's poster children that the Fox network had (presumably) unwittingly sent to the slaughter.
The Armando works like this (much simplified): one performer starts with a monologue and a group of improvisers take ideas from the monologue and turn them into a string of scenes. At some point, "Armando", (the monologist) breaks in, delivers another monologue, and the string of scenes starts again. Normally, Armando is one of the talented group of improvisors, and the monlogues, although primarily meant to give ideas to the other performers, are just as impressive and hilarious as the scene performances.
Unfortunately for "Armando" tonight, every one of his monologues centered around his life as an American Idol. He was telling stories of how he just went to the audition on a lark, and a few months later, he now has a nationwide tour, an album coming out, and sponsorship deals with Coke and Ford, among others. All the while in front of 8 or so of the most talented improvisors in the country, each who have to put YEARS into their craft to get a tiny chance at a even a small fraction of the fame that American Idols stumble into every month. (or however often the show is on.) And a crowd of fans/students who hoped to follow in their footsteps. A storm was brewing...
Predictably, when the improvisors got their turn after the monologues, it was a comedic bloodbath. Initially, we felt sorry for Armando, since he clearly had no idea (and didn't seem to understand) what he had gotten into. But he dug his own grave repeatedly by (1) claiming he had improv and comedy performance experience, and (2) claiming he was still "keeping it real" while telling stories about the crazy times and success he's had as part of the most soulless corporate "entertainment" franchise in history.
Some highlights include:
1.) A rambling story of his peformance history being in an acapella group, beatboxing, and being in an "improv jazz ensemble." NB: Apparently he does not play any instruments--it was a mystery what he contributed to this ensemble. He made it repeatedly clear that these were his "real" interests, and he's just doing American Idol "to have fun." I certainly don't begrudge him his success, but his incessant need to have us believe he's not "into the whole American Idol thing" while simultaneously explaning all the massive corporate sponsorship deals kind of dropped his credibility through the floor.
Related Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Hey big boy...I'll do whatever you want... I'm normally not into prostitution, that's not my thing, but seriously...Anything. You. Want."
2.) We learn that although he totally has improv experience, character comedy is really his 2nd love after singing and beatboxing. In fact, he's created a character for the American Idol tour called "Bob Boberson", in which he ostensibly plays a redneck security guard (I assume still wearing a trendy sideways pageboy hat), and greets fans, "in character." NB: You know he's "Bob Boberson" and not American Idol #22234AKSU because his voice is an octave lower. Watch for "Bob" in your town! Also, he's played a number of other characters for the numerous Ford and Coke commercials, in which, apparently they dress up American Idol contestants in funny costumes. Watch for them on your TV!
Related Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Why, everyone, I cannot dine with you, for I am not a patron at this restaurant, but an ACTOR, playing a patron at this restaurant! I was tricking you this whole time, thanks to my ACTING!"
3.) He and his buddies love to make comedy raps. In fact, they're online. They've written a comedy rap about Chuck Norris. And a comedy rap about Snakes on a Plane. And a comedy rap about Harry Potter. (As you can imagine, this is when the crowd started to turn. It is yet another testament to the unfailing politiness of Midwesterners that everyone just threw up a little to themselves instead of hurling rotted vegetable mattah and whipping up some tar and feathers.)
Related Wholly Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Hey Kid. F**** YOU!"
(This was amazing. The story about the comedy raps was given directly after the intermission, and there was one player who had missed the first act. As soon as Armando finished, this one player calmly strode on stage, sat down, and started the first scene of the second act with this line, her first in the entire show. I'd like to think she went on stage, mind completely blank except for this one thought that had been boiling in her head the during the Idol's entire monologue, and made it into her grand entrance. Naturally, she and her scene partner then picked up and turned it into a great scene, but for one moment, she caught the mood of the entire audience.)
4.) When asked about his influences, he started out listing Prince and Michael Jackson. Fair enough. But, at this point, in his last monologue, he couldn't leave well enough alone, and wanted us to remember that he was every bit the comedian as well as a pop sensation. So he went on to list his comedic influences as well: "Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Jackie Gleason...the greats." (NB--I would venture to guess that there is nothing you could do to anger a true comedian more these days than tell him that Robin Williams is one of the all-time greats. This comment elicited some audibe gasps of horror from the crowd. Again, I can't overestimate what a spectacular disaster this was.)
Related Unsubtle Improv Scene: "Robin Williams" coming onstage, declaring he was here to steal everyone's bits, and then repeating the best jokes from earlier in the show.
This all probably makes it seem that it was a tremendously uncomfortable evening, but it was absolutely riveting and one of the funniest shows I've seen. The majority of the show was not dedicating to skewering this poor kid, and the performers did thank him profusely for coming and played along with some of his more ridiculous ideas. They roasted him but sent him on his way with a pat on a back. In all, it just seemed like he was a completely clueless kid who had no idea how much he kept putting his foot into his mouth--but he can cry all the way to the bank.
However, it certainly created a singularity of purpose that I've never seen from a show with this many people. The improvisors were the absolute cream of the crop in Chicago (possibly because the show was being filmed). In the midst of putting their usual excellent performance, they delivered an outstanding comedy review torching everything wrong with the corporate-fueled entertainment industry, that had probably screwed over each of them repeatedly. All at the expense of one of the industry's poster children that the Fox network had (presumably) unwittingly sent to the slaughter.
1 comments:
Hi discof!!!! Hope to see you soon!
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