Foolin’ and Carolin’

F HOF and MerOn Friday we had the first Royal Fools improv comedy show of the year at CVCA. We had a good crowd of around 100 people, which was quite good considering the roads were a little slick from some early evening snow we got.

I like this group of Fools. I’ve had more raw talent in a group before, but the chemistry and enthusiasm in this year’s group is among the best I’ve had in ten years of coaching the Fools. This was the first show for many of the group (14 of the 18 Fools are new this year, although only 15 of the Fools could make this show; so, 11 of the 15 had their first show).

We had a very good show. As an added fun bonus, we had musical improv for the first time ever in one of our shows. A CVCA alumna from 2009 had done improv in college, and she wanted to practice her musical (piano) improv skills. Allie was back in the area and she asked if she could help out, which I was thrilled with. We were able to add real music to Foolish Idol (a singing competition game where both contestants lose) and we added a musical game, “Sing It!”, where I could yell, “Sing it!” at any moment during the scene, and the last thing said on stage would be the first line of a song. These games added a fun aspect to the show. Allie also joined in on a couple of improv games, and she is really talented, so that was great. The show went about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and we had a fun time.

 

Matt in helmetSaturday was “Mer’s day,”, and she shocked me by taking me to Canton, to the Football Hall of Fame. She had won tickets to the Hall at last spring’s auction at CVCA, and she needed to use them or they would expire. I had been to the Hall about 17 or 18 years ago, but the Hall had just finished a major renovation in the last year, so it was a new experience.

The recommended tour through the Hall is well laid out, and the information is presented well, and there are a number of interactive exhibits. The Hall was not crowded, and we took our time poking around. There were three live presentations – one on defunct football team names, one on the history of the football helmet, and one on curious items from the storerooms. Those were intimate and fun. We did miss the theater portion of the Hall – it was closed when we got there, but that was okay – we had a good time without feeling harried, and I never lost sight that my wife took me to the Football Hall of Fame.

Mer in shoulder padsIn the evening, we got together with our colleague Brandon and his wife Jen to go see Actors’ Summit’s production of The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of ‘A Christmas Carol’. It is a farce on A Christmas Carol, and since Brandon had just directed Carol at CVCA, I really wanted him to see it.

It did not disappoint. The “ladies” of the play were all played by men, and the only male part was played by a woman. There were fun sight gags, like one lady who kept getting more and more hurt throughout the play, and the woman in charge appearing in every scene with her purse still in tow. It was completely ridiculous, and I loved it.

After the play, we headed south with Brandon and Jen and met them for dessert at Waterloo. Restaurant. At least that was the plan; it seemed like everything we tried to order was “fresh out” and we would have to try again. After three tries, we finally all got something to eat, and the entire process extended our visiting time together. After dessert, we headed home after a full, but happy, day.

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