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by Jonathan Bender

Everything about an ImprovBoston experience is intimate. The staff buzzes
around before the show checking the lights and sound, and the theater is a small blackbox in which the audience can't help but be involved in the production. ImprovBoston specializes in longform and strives to explore the boundaries of improv. Thus, it was safe to assume that ImprovBoston's approach to the stock characters of a seventeenth-century Italian comedic style, Commedia dell' Arte, would be anything but classical.

In this spirit the style of Commedia dell' Arte merges with the techniques of film director John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Beuller's Day Off), and the audience is treated to Commedia dell' High School. In this unique twist, the stock characters of the '80s teen film are imbued with the characteristics of real people that the audience knew back in high school. The show on November 16th featured a female overachiever, a popular male jock, his female counterpart, a geek, a spaz, and the mysterious new kid.

The opening montage literally sets the scene with brief glimpses of the characters getting ready for their day at school, as set to your favorite eighties tunes. In fact, the entire show is underscored by the popular hits of the eighties. The music featured is readily identifiable and mirrors the emotions on stage. Sound effects also played a large role in the show with several gags being enhanced by offstage members with a microphone. One hilarious bit had a singing greeting card repeatedly opened for varying amounts of time. The lighting posed some technical difficulties for the troupe as the house failed to kill the lights at the proper times on several occasions. Scenes were either allowed to stray beyond their clear endings, or cut off because of a premature blackout.

Ah. . .back in the good old days. . .

The plot line is well established early, as overachiever Laura, played by Elise Becker, is in love with popular jock Skipper (Cliff Zawasky). Ms. Becker's sunny optimism is foiled by Mr. Zawasky's bluntness and love of sports. His indifference spells doom for their six week relationship and she is dumped for the more popular Liv (Marquerite Bergel). Ms. Bergel adopted a deep voice to contrast the shallow jock persona that was well suited to her role. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Naomi (Christine Flynn) as the spazzy friend of Laura - a bundle of energy and motion. The subplot was arguably even stronger than the primary line as Zabeth Russell playing Terez D'Wayne was the highlight of the show, a female geek who wants to be a weatherwoman. Her entrances and exits left the audience in hysterics while effortlessly keeping the plot moving. Ms. Russell ends up as tour guide/stalker for the mysterious new kid in school Chad Cocanowski, played by Blake Moloney, who excelled in this role. Mr. Moloney's performance was strong, as he wove numerous audience suggestions into the plot. It was highly enjoyable to watch his character attempt to escape the clutches of Terez and seek the comfort of Laura's arms.

The true beauty of longform is when it grows beyond the audience's original suggestions to become a series of interconnected scenes, and the cast of Commedia dell' High School remained true to the style and never broke character for an easy joke. They concentrated on creating clear plot points, developing scenes, and reacting within the makeup of their character. A majority of the humor was derived from their sharp take on the films of the eighties and the audiences' delight in seeing how characters reacted in certain situations. This was strengthened by the cast's brilliant use of callbacks. Mr. Zawasky's character wore a captain's hat throughout the performance and it served as a running joke that he never took off the hat, even during his various athletic pursuits.

The only scenic flaw in the entire show occurred during a scene in a card shop, which broke down with four people on stage. Most improv troupes struggle when four people are on stage attempting to negotiate a scene; however, the skill of this cast proved evident in their recognition of the breakdown. Ms. Becker and Ms. Flynn quickly broke into a pantomime conversation and allowed the audiences to shift their focus to Mr. Zawasky and Ms. Bergel. A potential scene killer became only a minor hiccup that was forgotten before the end of the scene. The primary and secondary plot lines were brought together when a romance began to develop between Laura and Chad. In between his flights from Terez and her pining for Skipper, Chad teaches Laura to play soccer in preparation for her match with Liv. The audience's investment in the show was clear, and they collectively sighed when Laura and Chad almost kissed, as Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" played in the background.

The climax of the show was well timed when Laura won the soccer match between Laura and Liv for the love of Skipper. The audience buzzed over her anticipated rebukes of Skipper and cheered when Chad kissed her. The ending of the show was equally memorable, as Chad declared that his life was complicated, and Laura responded that she was simple.

The audience left feeling as though they had witnessed a movie, a well-scripted movie, and this is a testament to the skill of this troupe. The characters were strong and true, a necessity for a style that is so dependent on the commitment of its actors to the scene. Hopefully this show will have an extended run as it allows one to enjoy the '80s high school
experience, whether you were there or not.

Editor's note: Mr. Bender has performed as a guest performer at ImprovBoston several times.