The Scuds bring us improv comedy in (literally) epic portions. Behind the scenes they limber up their spontaneity with traditional theatrical games (zip, zap, zoop anyone?) because once they enter a “harold” (the official term to describe their form) there’s no holding back.
Each “Haroldic” journey is about twenty minutes of loosely linked scenes, each more outrageously funny than the last.
Quixotic, this band of brothers and sisters galumphs through the dangerous but fertile desert of the unknown. They don’t fall back on used stereotypes like anarcho-syndicalist peasants or killer rabbits; their characters are diverse and original, for example the carnivorous luggage channeled by Katie Lynch or the mad inventor of the Bumbershoot Extreme, an umbrella equipped with a rain-drop obliterating machine gun.
One member describes their show as “a comedic theatrical adventure into the wacky whimsy minds of Katie, T-Pain, M-Diggity, Mark Walberg, The Sniper and a few others who can’t settle on just one nickname for themselves”.
No pop culture reference is too tacky and no scene is too ‘far out’ to bring back. Amidst the unexpected twists of each scene there are strong relationships formed between characters, giving the Scuds a completely different feeling from N2O.
Friday was their first show of the year, only the second one since the Scuds burst back onto the scene during the final week of classes last spring. They came back from a two year hiatus when membership fell to one.
Michael Jude, the longest running Scuds member, has kept the tradition of long-form improv on campus and hopes this latest resurgence will last a long time. The five seniors went out recruiting this semester and brought 3 new freshmen on board (rumors of the initiation ceremonies are absurd). The group is meshing well, as their successful show attests.
If you missed Friday’s show do not despair! There will be more opportunities this semester to ride with the Scuds to spectacular worlds using only two throw-able chairs and mass intelligence laser projection (aka spontaneous creativity).
