WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE
Unknown - 05/09/16
On Wednesday evening, the W&J Arts Series brought a never before seen musical was to the Olin stage. Broadway’s Next H!t Musical—an improvised musical comedy, featured four improv actors, an emcee and an improv piano player. These improv professionals from New York City have the collective stage credits of the most seasoned Broadway stars, yet they travel the country improvising songs, and then a musical, from audience song title suggestions.
At the entrance to the theatre, guests are asked to invent a song title and put it into a bowl. These suggestions are periodically drawn from throughout the night as the actors present songs for the all-important “Phony” award. Along with the song, the audience is given a snapshot of the plot of the musical, providing hilarious context for their nominated performance. Though the songs are solos, they are truly group endeavors as other actors fill in other roles in these songs, such as the wife of the golf-aspiring sheep sheerer, exasperated boyfriend of a Nashville rapper, women who remind a cigarette lobbyist of his purpose and jungle animals.
After each song was performed, the audience voted to give one of the performers the Phony, and to then watch as they improvised a musical based off of that song. The winning song, “There’s No Slice in My Golf Swing” narrowly beat “My Angst, My Thighs,” and the audience was then treated to the full production of “I’ll Be in Scotland Before Ye.” This musical followed the aspirations of a sheep shearer who felt the burden of family and work weighing down his dream to be a pro golfer. Between the hilarious, albeit not always accurate, Scottish accents, the full costuming and the inventive songs, the audience was kept on their toes as they watched these four actors play off of each other’s energy and implications.
Mackie Jakobs (class of 2016) couldn’t speak highly enough of their performance and stated, “I was left completely astounded. Every single member of their troop was so incredibly talented and, after having the chance to speak with them after the show, incredibly friendly as well. I found it amazing that they were able to take their extensive classical training in music and theatre and apply it in such an impromptu and creative fashion. As the captain of our own resident improv club, they gave me, and hopefully every improviser, something to strive towards.”
Even those outside of theatre could appreciate their performance, as Seth Rimdzius (class of 2017) said, “I liked them. It was a nice change of pace from what’s usually brought to campus.”