Pearl Street Up and Down

Tonight the plan was for catching a show together at the Trident at 8:30. Since I get off work between 5 and 6 o'clock, I figured I could take in another show before the comedy improv. Plans changed after I heard from DJ. Now we were taking in two shows, after a quick bite at Illegal Pete's (mmm good).

IP's is at 15th and Pearl. We walked down to the Boulder Co-op at 19th and Pearl to see w/e, a one man dramatic piece (picture above). I really liked the way the story unfolded, and how the characters interrelated. The actor, Robert LaRonde, had an amazing grasp of kinesthetic sense as evidenced by the transformation between Miles and Cynthia. Miles' near frenetic pacing and Cynthia's tentative smile stayed with me.

Afterwards, we walked back down Pearl Street to the Trident (at 9th). Along the way a busker was performing for a small crowd, balancing something on her chin. She had a chain demarking the stage, one of the yellow plastic kinds. DJ told me about another performer he had seen, who did an amazing Zip Code trick. He had a chain outlining the continental US and asked for audience members to tell him what Zip Code they were from (preferably out of state). He would unerringly place them in the correct home towns and fill the map with the folks watching the show.

We got to the Trident with plenty of time, and we got some drinks. One of the performers we had seen on Sunday had just finished his set and was staying for the next one. I said hi and told him how much I enjoyed his show. He remembered me and DJ from the other night (most of the venues are very intimate, we're talking inches not feet from the stage at times).

The improv, Comedy a la Carte, was done by Mile Hi-Larity, a local Denver improv troupe. We had an MC and four players varying from Jeopardy to guess the activity with a twist. As always, audience participation was manditory. Occupations, outdoor activities, and favorite colors tumbled over each other vying for promenince and the chance to be chosen. One of my favorite improv activities is always Rewind, and they did a good job with a trucker piece. One I hadn't seen before was Flashback, where the action rolls for a while then the MC calls flashback and the players act out a scene that happened before the last scene. Confusing, but definitely entertaining.

Two years in a row, Kerri and I went to Impulse Theater under the Wynkoop for her birthday (after trying abortively to see something closer to home). It was always fun and we laughed so much we cried. Under the overhang at the Trident, in a place where I was pretty sure she had never been, I could feel her with me, laughing and being amazed at the speed and hilarity ensuing before me.

After the laughter subsided, and I could breathe normally again, we wandered back toward my car, parked at 14th and Canyon. After I dropped DJ off at his car, I wound my way back through Boulder, enjoying the quiet and the cool evening air, and wondering what tomorrow would bring.

A Boulder Day

Today was the first day I got a chance to attend the Boulder International Fringe Festival up in beautiful Boulder Colorado. As I drove in along Highway 36, at an outrageous speed, I crested the big hill that opens into the Boulder Valley. The sun was out and my breath caught in my throat. I had forgotten how stunning the view coming into the valley is and for a moment I missed my 20 mile commute into the People's Republic. Then I came back to reality and just enjoyed the view.

With the super spiffy directions from DJ, I managed to find a parking spot not too far from the Dairy Center for the Performing Arts where the first performance was scheduled. The box office didn't have the Frequent Fringer pass I wanted to purchase, so I had to bum a punch off of DJ's frequent fringer pass. The fine folks at the front turned a blind eye to our slight of hand passing the card between us.

The first show we saw was A.C.E. Comedy. It was a three person show with an American, Canadian, and an Englishman. They had cute Scrabble letters on their shirts (which previous audiences took for chemical symbols, a disturbingly intelligent thought completely devoid of cultural knowledge). The show was fricking funny, at one point bologna and American cheese and mayo took part in an oddly fascinating way. Much laughter abounded.

After the fun improv comedy set, DJ and I decided to catch a dance performance next, which happened to be an hour later. We took a walk down to the local *bux and had some icy fruity drinks (mocha raspberry and bluberry non-coffee yumminess). DJ bought mine, which was very sweet (thanks again!) and we chatted about random stuff, the best kind of chatting. We walked back to the Dairy in a light rain, passing a farmer's ditch that fascinated me. I always have had a fascination with running water, and when I was young, we lived across the cul-de-sac from an irrigation ditch where I spent many pleasant summer hours both by myself and with friends.

As we reached the Dairy, Jimmy Hogg, the star of one of the shows Curriculum Vitae, handed us postcards for his show and asked us to come see him at the Trident. I already wanted to see the show, and it's always nice to be asked personally (even if it was kind of a drive by). I purchased my pass and we played the pass the pass game again (to balance the scales).

Twitch, performed by a dance troupe of seven women, had several different pieces. My favorites included the first piece with four dancers all over the stage, doing balance work off each other, and times when their arms or feet moved so fast purple tinged their skin tones. Also, the final piece, three scenes of the corporate world, where the performers went from full business attire (including the omnipresent tie) to completely throwing away the tie as the last vestige of corporateness and jumping thought the fourth wall before the lights fell. I also enjoyed the solo performances, one woman told the story of where she came from with words and dance, and another broke one of the cardinal rules of performance by having her back to the audience the entire time. She looked like a swan at times, just moments from taking off into the great blue yonder.

I picked up a full schedule and we spread it out on my trunk (watched by the heffalumps and woozles in my back window) to determine what other shows we wanted to see. We're probably going to see something together tomorrow as well.

All in all, I quite enjoyed myself. I adore live performance, and the company was marvelous.

Second City Laughs

Last week, I got a chance to see the Second City: The Red Scare down at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. A good time was had by all; there was much laughter and many smiles and nudges as we enjoyed the skits. One of my favorite sections was an improv skit with an audience member.

Grandma: I'm so excited my grandson is coming to visit today! Oh there he is! Introduce yourself to my friends, dear.

John: My name is John.

Grandma: What a wonderful name, John. It's a good American name.

Friend 1: Yes, it's a lovely name, like John Travolta.

Friend 2: Or like a toilet, John. Oh, or maybe like a ho has a John.

Grandma: Yes, such a wonderful name!

All: God Bless America!

Grandma: Are you still single, John?

John: No, I'm married. (gestures to a woman at his table, his wife)

Friend 1: She looks like she's twelve.

Friend 2: Yes, they both look very young.

Grandma: Do you all have any children yet?

John: No, not yet.

Grandma: Good! Any time you get the urge to have a baby, you just go get yourself a cat.

John: We already have two cats.

Grandma: God Bless America! Throw a sweater on the fat one and call it good.