Review: 'Detroit Neutrino Project'
Guerilla comedy invades Ann Arbor, film at 8
It's a Saturday evening in August. You and a date – or a friend, it really doesn't matter; heck, you could even be by yourself – are strolling the hustle-bustle streets of downtown Ann Arbor. You turn a corner – or enter a store – and without warning, a maniacal group of people with a video camera brush past you, shoot a scene and, just as quickly, disappear.
No, you haven't been drawn into a fraternity prank. Rather, you've just encountered the guerilla filmmakers of the Detroit Neutrino Project who are hell-bent on completing their latest assignment. Why the rush, you might ask yourself? Because there's an audience anxiously waiting to see it at the nearby Improv Inferno!
It's an intriguing blend of "on-the-fly" filmmaking and improvisational comedy, and its debut last week as a regular Saturday night feature at the Inferno showed great promise. The overall package, however, still needs fine-tuning.
The concept – created by New York's Neutrino improv troupe – is quite simple: Three teams of improvisers are given a theme or a title, props borrowed from the audience and a camera. Their job is to go out into the streets and create an original 45-minute movie.
All of which takes place while the audience waits to see the finished product.
Each team shoots three segments of the story, the plots and characters of which seemingly have little or nothing to do with the others. After each scene is shot, it is immediately hustled back to the Inferno and shown. A final scene ties the various threads together.
The potential, of course, is that one or more of the plotlines will suck. Or, quite possibly, the birth of a masterpiece will be witnessed. So part of the project's excitement, then, is the eager anticipation of what is yet to come: Will they fail, or will they knock your socks off?
The opening night's result, as you might expect from any improvised material, was a mixed – but still funny and creative – reel of video.
For their inaugural comedy, the title given to the "improv-ographers" was "Why, God, Why?" The props handed them were the petrified skull of a baby mammal, a necklace from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" and a large hook, the type that might attach a shoulder strap to a gym bag. And out of their fertile minds came the tales of a man searching for the perfect "apology" present to give his girlfriend; a wife who arrives home unexpectedly and discovers her husband cheating on her – with another man; and siblings who are reunited many years after one's supposed accidental death.
While the improvised videos were great fun, what needs re-thinking is everything else connected to the show.
Opening the evening with a pre-made original video is a cool idea, but not a slow-paced drama that ends with a tragic death. Whatever starts the show should build excitement in the audience, not stun and depress them. (The table next to me was quite vocal with their objections to the video.)
There was also an interminable wait between the times the teams left and when the first video was screened. Instead of having the audience watch a swirling graphic for 10 minutes or so – and leaving people to wonder what the heck is going on – why not stage some live improv to keep our attention?
Plus, shouldn't the three teams have been introduced to the audience at some point during the evening?
And to REALLY encourage competition among the teams – and to keep the audience actively involved in the program – why not have us vote for the team with the best plotline and video?
Finally, who was the woman with the flash camera that took numerous pictures during the video screenings – and why wasn't she stopped immediately after she started? It was obnoxious, disruptive and totally distracting.
"The Detroit Neutrino Project" is staged every Saturday in August at 8 p.m., then every Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. in September and October at the Improv Inferno, 309 S. Main Street in Ann Arbor. $10. 734-214-7080. http://www.improvinferno.com.
The Bottom Line: Improv meets the 21st century: A fun and intriguing concept, but with a few wrinkles that need ironing out.
Tidbits: Theater News from Around Town
Women directors showcased at festival; new boss at BoarsHead
ITEM: After a rousing inaugural celebration last year, "Pandora's Box Fest" returns Aug. 12-14, but at a different venue: Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre.
The powerful weekend of theater, film and art showcases the work of local women directors and craftspeople.
Directors this season include Alison Christy ("Linda Her" by Harry Kondoleon), Margaret Edwartowski ("Greg Likes Me"), Shannon Ferrante ("Tested" by Daniel Roth), Carolyn Hayes ("Untitled" by Carolyn Hayes), Jennifer Nischan ("Pancakes" by Peter Morris) and Annie Palmer ("Final Curtain for Foley's Freakshow" by Joseph Zettelmaier).
Tickets to the event are $15. All proceeds will benefit Help Kids in Need.
For reservations and information, call the Ant at 313-365-4948.
ITEM: A woman who began her professional life in theater at Lansing's BoarsHead Theatre comes home Sep.1 as its new artistic director.
"I am thrilled to be returning to Lansing to take the reins of my favorite theatre," Kristine Thatcher said recently. "I grew up in this organization. BoarsHead gave me everything I needed to make a creative and productive life on the stage."
Thatcher has acted and directed in a host of theatres across the country, but maintains, "BoarsHead is and always has been closest to my heart."
Since leaving Michigan, Thatcher has worked in New York and Chicago as an actress, director and writer. She has been a proud member of the 2001 Tony Award winning Victory Garden Playwrights Ensemble since 1996. Her work has won many awards and much acclaim.
"Kristine Thatcher is a perfect fit for the BoarsHead," said Paul Shaheen, chair of the BoarsHead board of trustees. "She is a top-notch professional, she knows Lansing and the BoarsHead well and she can hit the ground running. The BoarsHead has a lot of good momentum right now and Kristie will help us gain even more."
