Zamboni Revolution’s performance Friday night in Jabberwocky Caf never ceased to deliver the laughs through jokes and scenes about the Vagina Monologues, nervous disorders or the elderly. The student improvisational comedy troupe, however, failed to meet its standards from previous performances.

Zamboni successfully crafted scenes that were both imaginative and uproariously absurd. For example, any performance that includes an intervention for a man who pantsed people too often is either brilliant or criminally insane.

‘I think their format is really smart and brilliant,’ said Caitlin Brodnick, a junior acting major. ‘It’s so enjoyable to watch, I’m cracking up the entire time.’

Zamboni Revolution was not afraid to take risks during its performance either. One of its scenes made use of slapstick humor, which is neither easy to pull off nor necessarily safe in a live performance.

The actors also reincorporated themes from previous scenes to enhance their performance.

‘That was pretty good how they used the same events, names, or situations – it reminded me of Seinfeld,’ said Mary Anne Broccolo, a sophomore communications design major.

The characters the actors created were just as inspired as the scenes themselves. By far the best character of the night was a damaged animatronic squid from Disneyland played by Monica Hoge, a Zamboni Revolution performer and junior film drama major.

‘They get into character and they can stick with that character pretty well,’ Broccolo said.

Amazingly, the performers never created characters so bizarre that they were not able to still bring their characters to life through talented acting, strange voices and emotive facial expressions.

Some of the scenes, however, were just as much about upstaging the other actors with progressively wilder and louder characters as they were about being funny. Consequently, at times the show would spiral into a confusing shouting match of witty one-liners that was simultaneously funny and far over-the-top. More subtle humor interspersed throughout certain scenes, or perhaps fewer people on-stage, would have elevated Zamboni Revolution’s performance from merely a good performance to a great one.

Friday night’s performance marked the return of two Zamboni members who had spent the last semester abroad: Dan Gurewitch, a junior television, radio and film major, and Jon Moses, a junior television, radio and film major.

‘They’ve really helped maintain everything, it’s really fun having them back,’ said David Young, director of Zamboni Revolution and a senior television, radio and film major.

Zamboni Revolution’s next performance will be as the opening act for the Upright Citizens Brigade’s show in Goldstein Auditorium Friday at 8 p.m. Its next solo performance will be Saturday at 8 p.m. in Perc Place.

Zamboni continues to perform this semester despite the fact that the Student Association cut its funding, said Josh Simpson, troupe member and a junior television, radio and film major.

‘It’s kind of lame,’ Simpson said.

Zamboni found a way around not getting funding, though, Young said. Once Young found out that Zamboni’s funding had been cut, he arranged for Zamboni to perform in Jabberwocky Caf where it is free to do so. Zamboni Revolution was literally forced underground by SA.

‘It’s a great venue, and not many people know about it,’ Young said.

Published on February 13, 2005 at 12:00 pm