Comedy Intelligence Agency (CIA)’s Improsaurus strike gold once again in this extremely funny and entertaining show which also has the added attraction of taking the piss out of improvisers.

Within the hour-long performance two teams of two compete in a final impro showdown having beat 99, 98 or 47 other teams (hell, it’s improv, it changed each time!) for the title for the next 365 days. But like a delicious layer cake we get more than we bargained for when the action between rounds, thanks to the ‘backstage camera’, is seen and the relationships, jealousies, loves and pressures of high level stardom take their toll.

Our MC de jour, Malcolm, has a sweet boy-next-door quality that endears him to any audience – though he needs to project; we at the back had a bit of difficulty there. Robbie Ellis – current Mozart Fellow and improv muso for Wellington’s ‘The Improvisors’ – brings his best game, excelling with offers and support now that he’s hit the big time.

Our improvisers for the night are Truby, Caitlin, Jerome and Abby who, in each round from the classic games such as Alphabet and Arms to the more open genre scenes, provide strong story lines with a wonderful peppering of great comic hit lines.

There’s very little point in describing scenes that will never exist again except to say that the audience offers elicited at the beginning for each character were beautifully folded and developed throughout the arc of the evening.

Being an old bastard who was around at the beginning of Theatresports I have to say that it is incredibly satisfying to see that the women of the troupe are some of the strongest players I have seen around NZ and overseas. Indeed it’s the guys who need to keep up here. Abby Howells, in particular, is a consistent star who delights with strong characters, stories and off-the-wall advances that drive the story to wonderful places.

Improsaurus has a regular monthly gig at the Fortune Studio with long form impro ranging from current favourite Jane Austen to This Is Your Life. In the past year they have been getting better and better and the shows through this year achieve a high level of story, playing and entertainment that is now at a world class level. Impro Showdown is no exception – this show would easily brush shoulders with shows around the country and overseas. 

Get off your couch and go see these Dunedinites kick improv ass not just to support local artists (blah, blah, blah) but because you’ll be bloody glad you did!

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