A Port-a-Potty. Dentures. Kanye West. And a goth.
Yeager Recital Hall featured all of these things at Instant Laughter’s fourth annual Homecoming Weekend performance Oct. 17-18. The short-form improv troupe performed a variety of hilarious games to a packed student, faculty and alumni crowd.
Games ranged from “Russian Roulette,” where a scene is acted out repeatedly until it can be done in ten seconds, to “Questionable Behavior,” where dialogue can only be said in question form.
The show was solely built upon audience suggestions, which made the performance even more impressive because the players could not prepare scenes ahead of time.
The audience would be asked for random objects, celebrities, high school stereotypes and locations. For example, even if a player’s depiction of Kanye West was not entirely accurate, their drive and commitment to each character portrayal convinced the audience that they really were, in fact, watching Yeezus before their very eyes.
At the beginning of the performance, the players transformed the show into a pep rally introduction, cheering and applauding each player onto the stage.
Throughout the show, the audience was bursting with laughter, often from the extraordinary talent of standout performers sophomore Fergie Philippe-Auguste, senior Sam Jones and sophomore Spencer Hodges.
In addition to these performers, all of the Instant Laughter players brought their own unique talent and strong improv skills to the performance, putting on a highly interactive and engaging show.
The show had some dull moments, like during the game “What Are You Doing?”
The audience provided an action, such as throwing a ball, and the player would act it out, but instead say out loud a different action, like “throwing confetti into the air!”
Some players, like Jones, were quick on their feet and came up with genius ideas for the action of table tennis, but other players’ jokes fell flat, which led to the faint sound of throats clearing and polite laughs heard through the audience.
A highlight of the show was “Elon Speed Dating,” where Jones had to guess different players’ weird traits, like blinking constantly, acting like Beyonce and being a fortune teller.
The audience especially loved when Hodges appeared onstage as a woman obsessed with feet. Her quick wit and ingenious physical comedic responses added to the hilarity of this particular game.
Toward the end of the show, senior Kelsey McCabe, whose quirky humor and charm brought an excellent addition to the show, playfully strummed a guitar on stage, thanking the audience for coming to the performance. This led to a full-cast rap/ode to Sam White ’61, a participant in Performing Arts productions while a student at Elon.
An annual scholarship that White created in 2007 is given to students majoring in theater studies or musical theater, as well as the “Sam White Theater Award” that recognizes student achievement in theater.
It was clear that the Instant Laughter troupe has a very strong bond. Throughout the show, they would hug and high-five to keep the energy and excitement alive. Their ability to bounce ideas off each other on the spot and play up each other’s improv strengths made each performer shine in his or her own way.
Instant Laughter was a perfect introduction to Homecoming Weekend because members of the Elon community were able to experience a live, interactive form of comedy that further proves the talent and versatility of students in the Performing Arts Department.