Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Impromptones take cues from audience
MUSIC/THEATER: Improv lyrics, spontaneity make for wacky
performance
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
When the night begins with "I’m wealthy and I’m good in bed,"
things are bound to get interesting.
The audience suggested the opener and, without missing a beat,
James Thomas Bailey, Jeff Davis, Joe Whyte and piano man Michael
Pollock concocted a musical number that warranted such spontaneous
lyrics as "Hey baby I’ve got wealth / And did I say I’m good in
bed." Granted, it didn’t rhyme, but the night was still young and
the Impromptones were just warming up.
The Impromptones, who can be seen Monday nights at the Cinegrill
in Hollywood, are a musical improvisational group. Think
ComedySportz with music. Dressed in black pants and shiny blue
tops, the three clean-cut crooners and an ivory tickler compose
hilarious songs from audience suggestions.
While the extemporaneous lyrics may not have the depth of
Shakespeare, and the impromptu tones may not be as musical as
Webber, this energetic bunch makes us laugh at their unharmonious
moments, acknowledging the difficulty of their task.
All song topics, and even some musical styles, in the show are
determined by audience members. James (a short blond, Jeff
(curly-haired and lanky) and Joe (the self-effacing Impromptone)
play well off each other in creating their head-bobbing
ditties.
Jeff is the most adept of the three, as his contributions drip
of schmarmy confidence and off-color humor. Joe doesn’t seem as
polished, as early in the evening he needed to take an extra
measure to produce the necessary lyrics. But his ability to laugh
at himself keeps him in step with the other two. And James keeps up
while repeatedly adding physical humor to the songs, pantomiming
appropriate visual gags.
The three form a perfect chord as they not only produce humorous
lyrics but also improvise sweet-sounding harmonies. At times, the
three J’s will interweave three spontaneous and separate melodies
that musically fit as well as if it came straight out of a Sondheim
musical.
Aside from the occasional glitches, the Impromptones were on
beat and in tune this Monday night. The singing trio lost no time
in starting the show. The night continued with the four musicians
keeping the songs coming.
In one particularly challenging Irish tune early in the evening,
the musicians sang about what audience member Genevive learned from
her mother. Each verse consisted of three lines, with Jeff doing
the setup, James following it up and poor Joe having the difficult
task of tying the verse up with both rhyme and reason.
In this number, Jeff created the challenge when he sang, "She
knocked on my door."
"Said, ‘Darling, what did I tell you,’" James chimed in.
And after a worried look and quickly running through all the
door-rhyming words in his head, Joe brilliantly concluded with,
"You stupid little whore." Then, through their approving laughter,
the audience joined in on the chorus, "Oh lid dee did dee did dee
did dee / Did dee did dee diii."
Moments like these left the audience both laughing and amazed.
In a solo act, Jeff took on the role of an elevator-riding lounge
singer, producing such uproarious lyrics as, "One, two, three,
four, five, six / I’ve met some swinging chicks / While we’re
between floors / Get down on all fours."
And it’s not just the singers who are skilled at coming up with
musical creations at the drop of a hat. In the middle of the
evening, Michael demonstrated his playing prowess as he performed a
duet with audience member Teresa, who just bought a new house. The
man behind the piano seemed to compose around Teresa’s random
notes, playing with great ease and lyricism.
But the highlight of the night came at the end when the
Impromptones created a 15-minute pop opera out of an audience
member’s St. Valentine’s Day experience with Carlos the security
guard. Accompanying their clever lines were campy, hysterical
characters the three prove they know how to flex their acting
muscles. This raised the comedic level yet another octave
higher.
Who says that people can’t just burst into random song?
CABARET: The Impromptones play Mondays at 8 p.m. through May 18
at the Cinegrill in the Roosevelt Hotel. Must be 21 and over or
accompanied by a parent. Tickets are $10 with a two-drink minimum.
For reservations or more information, call (213) 871-1193.
Davidson Choy Publicity
(Clockwise): Michael Pollack, Jeff Davis, Joe Whyte, James
Bailey.