Metro Detroit got a whole lot funnier Nov. 12 with the opening of Go Comedy! Improv Theater in fabulous downtown Ferndale.
Filling the gap left by the closure of Ann Arbor's Improv Inferno and The Second City's decision to close its resident company, Go Comedy! serves fives nights of laughs in a newly renovated building that includes a fully stocked bar and an applause meter.
The aggressive schedule is anchored by "Go Comedy! All Star Showdown," which plays twice nightly every Friday and Saturday. The concept is simple, but fun: Two rotating teams of three improvisers battle each other for laughs through three rounds of competition, with points for the best work awarded by the evening's host. The team with the most points at the end of the show wins.
But that's not all. Before the competition begins, each improviser picks an audience member to play for, and those lucky customers take home fabulous prizes if their improviser is on the winning team.
The always-genial Dave Davies hosted the 8 p.m. show this past Saturday night, a role he's perfected over the years. Battling for supremacy were teams Animal Cops (Scott Myers, Jaime Moyer and fill-in Garrett Fuller) and Bachelor Party (Bryan Lark, Michael Hovitch and Chris DiAngelo).
Each round had four made-up-on-the-spot sketches, using verbal and written suggestions from the audience.
Interestingly enough, the opening and closing sketches ("Challenge in a Minute" and "Innuendo") seemed to generate the loudest laughs, while "Acro-nimbo," "Rap Attack" and "Play Book" were close seconds. A rare few were simply ok.
Each highly skilled improviser had several moments to shine – and a few had points taken away for rules violations. (F-bombs are not allowed at the 8 p.m. family-friendly show, for example.) But Animal Cops won the night, thanks in large part to Moyer's hilarious portrayals – especially the cheek-pinching grandma in the "Grand Master Pro" sketch.
REVIEW:
'Go Comedy! All Star Showdown'
Go Comedy! Improv Theater, 261 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale. Every Friday & Saturday at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets: $15. For information: 248-327-0757 or http://www.gocomedy.net.
