ComedySportz Philadelphia will take on teams from around the globe in an improv world championship | Theater Beat
What makes Philly funny? "Philadelphia’s humor is very smart, very fast and very grounded,” said Don Montrey, executive director of CSz Philadelphia. “It’s not a mean humor. We get some good honest laughs from people because of the truthfulness of what we are doing.”
A donkey and an elephant walked into a bar. OK, that’s an asinine attempt to start a joke which should quickly be truncated. Sigh. Those puns — so pitiful! — would surely merit a “groaner” foul, requiring an apology if uttered by an improv player at the ComedySportz World Championship starting Thursday, July 25.
At the ComedySportz World Championship, the competition is all about funny with improvisational teams from cities around the nation and across the pond striving to rank highest on a guffaw-o-meter.
What makes Philly funny?
“Philadelphia’s humor is very smart, very fast and very grounded,” said Don Montrey, executive director of CSz Philadelphia. “It’s not a mean humor. We get some good honest laughs from people because of the truthfulness of what we are doing.”
CSz Worldwide operates in more than 25 cities in the United States. and Europe. Each year, company teams gather in one city for workshops by day and competitions by night. “It’s a way to share what we’ve learned over the past year,” Montrey said.
Teams score by winning the most kudos, either from the audience, or from a “celebrity judge,” selected from the audience. Just like any sporting contest, there are referees, who insert themselves into the action in hilarious ways.
Chief responsibilities? Calling fouls, such as the groaner (the player must apologize for the bad pun), or “the brown bag of shame,” which must be donned by a player who makes a “comment that is rude, crude or lewd,” Montrey said. “We don’t want our comedy to go blue. It’s too easy and it’s not fun for everyone.”
City managers compete to host, with Philadelphia last on tap in 2010. “Philadelphia is a great tourism town,” Montrey said, and 220 out-of-towners will join 80 local participants for the games.
ComedySportz Philadelphia’s home base is on Sansom Street, but the World Championships are held at the Wilma Theater on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
New York will square off against Philadelphia for the opening match at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by San Jose vs. Houston. It’s just fun to say the word Boise, and on Friday, Boise will play the Twin Cities. Also up are Milwaukee vs. Columbus, Ohio (no disrespect, but what is funny about Columbus?), Indianapolis against St. Louis, and Philadelphia versus Manchester, England. More shows Saturday, including an appearance from Chicago’s acclaimed team.
The beauty of improv, of course, is that every night is different, although there are some standard bits, or “games” that will challenge each group. And if things go off-kilter, all the better. “That’s one of the things about improv,” Montrey said. “We embrace the mistakes and use them to create something even more enjoyable.”
More laughs
Speaking of comedy, Curio Theater Co. is presenting a year of comedies in its 2019-2020 season. “Fun, joy, and laughter – that was the goal of our 15th season and we found it,” said Paul Kuhn, Curio’s artistic director and co-founder. Kuhn co-stars in the season opener, The Mystery of Irma Vep – A Penny Dreadful, Charles Ludlam’s biting satire that will allow some ticket holders to watch the action from backstage. Philadelphia premieres I <3 Alice <3 I and Everybody complete the lineup.
A life
Two-time Academy Award nominee Mary McDonnell will play feminist Gloria Steinem in Emily Mann’s Gloria: A Life. The production’s all-female cast opens McCarter Theatre Center’s 2019-2020 season in Princeton.