N2O, Connecticut College’s only short-form improv group, kicked off the year with their opening performance on October 16th. They had another show this past Friday’s FNL.
With the departure of recent key members – such as last year’s leader Karl Langberg, actor Jeff Church, and David Kelly (currently abroad in Scotland) – the group had big expectations to be met. After all, these guys were some of the most popular showmen on campus, and there certainly was some question on what the shows this semester would be like.
The group was always great, but with the departure of these fine fellows, things, for better or worse, would certainly be different.
It turns out that their most recent show was a huge hit, gathering the same attendance as usual (that means, all seats taken up, people sitting on the aisles because they have nowhere else to sit).
New on the scene were two freshmen, Hailey Fyfe and Quinn Menchetti, and sophomore Anders Neilsen. All three triumphed in their first performances. Fyfe, in the first dating game, gave a dead-on impression of Keira Knightley.
Their subsequent show, Friday Night Live, which performed last night in Cro’s Nest, was once again filled up beyond maximum capacity (1/3 of the audience was standing). While not as long and extensive as the first show (this one clocked out to about an hour), it was still packed with laughs and entertainment.
One of their funniest skits included a game called “The Academy Awards”, where three performers take place in a scene of a fictional movie that has not been made yet. As they make the scene up as they go along, if the bell ever rings, one of the three performers has to begin an Oscar moment type speech.
While the FNL was not the best N2O show I have seen, these two past shows have proved a lot for this comedy troupe.
The important thing to realize is that they are back.
With funnyman Will Brown screaming (everything this man says is just hilarious), Elizabeth Krieg using her wits and instincts (which always seems to create something humorous), and the triumph of new members and recurring performers, I would say N2O is in for one hell of a season.
One thing to take note of is that improvisational comedy, unlike a play, is a very hard thing to describe. What makes improv so special is that it is a moment that you had to be there, and if you missed it, then it’s gone forever, but if you caught it, then you’re there.
As one of the most interactive forms of theatrical performance, it’s always great that this group gives it their all and puts up truly awesome, hilarious shows for us, and the students love to go, because they love to be entertained. It is here that they can forget about their problems, whatever they may be, and just enjoy a unique, enthralling, and ragingly hilarious performance.
