…In Bed, is a one-off short form improvisation performance as part of the NZIF Spontaneous Showcase range. …In Bed invites the audience to experience a loosely structured set of random improvised scenes that all occur in and around -you guessed it – bed!

Improvisers from Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch and as far afield as Melbourne and Sydney are directed by Brendon Bennetts (Christchurch), who has performed at NZIF every year since it started. He explains at the beginning of the show that we spend a third of our lives in bed, but rarely do we get to see the events that happen in and around bed play out onstage.

Despite some of improvisers meeting only a few days ago, they all manage to come together, work as a team and ultimately make magic happen (in bed). It is a joy to see them so comfortably intimate with one another.

The moments that sing are when the improvisers are visibly comfortable and natural with one another – here they are able to listen and respond to each other’s body language and find a way of butting heads or creating a twist in the scene together. The monotonous moments occur when the scene becomes too enclosed and wordy, or lacking in energy onstage.

Overall, the momentum is maintained by Bennetts, along with the supporting improvisers, as they leap in and out of the bed, changing the scene, keeping the audience warm and engaged throughout.

The premise of the show outlines that it will deal with, “love, sex, and relationships in a truthful, playful, and sometimes silly way.” While this is the case in most scenes, other more surprising moments involve a teenage debating team experiencing their first truth-or-dare game at a sleepover, a 28-year-old leaving the nest for the first time and even two secret agents desperately trying to seduce each other with code language. The scenes range from absurdist, to sweet, to straight-out hilarious with tasters for all to enjoy. 

One of our personal highlights is a slow-motion scene where the couple decides together (without exchanging words) whether it is ‘sexy time’ or ‘sleepy time’. To the right of them are the analyst-commentators, relaying the information to the audience in a David Attenborough-style manner. As the couple, maintaining eye contact, seductively throw pillows off the bed, you think the scene is heading towards ‘sexy time’. Yet with clumsy footing on the bed (note this is still in slow motion), the female partner rolls off and lands on her face, leaving the male partner ruing his luck. The extremity of facial expressions, contrasting with the commentary, has the audience in hysterics.

This particular scene is a great example of how the improvisation works best when there is a certain arc or twist to the scene. This allows the audience to read in between the lines or be surprised at the journey the scene has taken.

This show was a delight to watch. With such a well-versed, diverse and giving cast, Bennetts’ …In Bed is an experimental success. It is a fun and ridiculous show – who knows what the next …In Bed will bring. 

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