Jonathan Walker/Collegian
Members of the comedy troop Chicago City Limits finsh up their act on Friday evening. They performed toa capacity crowd.
The audience awaiting the performance of the improvisational theatre group Chicago City Limits last Friday night was vocal even before the performers took the stage. Some yawned and looked ready to keel over from sheer exhaustion. Others zealously talked with friends—attempting to communicate over the buzz of 400 waiting college students. However, once the lights dimmed and the performance began only one sound could be heard from the audience: the sound of laughter.
Soft bass-heavy rock and a sparse stage greeted audience members as they arrived in Markel Auditorium. The scenery—two microphones, four chairs and a piano—was dotted with muted yellow, orange and blue lights.
Some trying to save seats for friends were reluctantly forced to give them up, as the auditorium reached capacity. Before the performance, George Angell, chairman of Hillsdale College’s theatre and speech department, predicted the groups popularity on campus.
“This is the fourth time they have performed here, and we continue to invite them back because they have been so popular, filling Markel at every visit,” Angell said.
And the fourth full house did not seem to be disappointed.
The performance began with the troop’s pianist, Travis Ploeger, running on stage, looking around and promptly running off again. After thunderous applause and laughter, he jogged back and seated himself at the piano. Ploeger then proceeded to play a dissonant version of chopsticks and then an impressive Broadway-esque piece—afterwards in complete silence he said in a slow dramatic voice, “No soy muy caliente.”
This degree of randomness kept audience members entertained throughout the two-hour comedy extraordinaire. Using topics suggested by viewers, the five actors in the group created impressively intricate scenes without the aid of a script. With this flexibility, the members of the troop tailor-made comedy that would appeal to the Hillsdale audience.
Sophomore Kirsten Lindburg appreciated the unique Hillsdalian humor.
“I think it’s classic Hillsdale. I mean, come on, one of the categories for the Jeopardy skit was ‘Epic Poetry.’ You’ve got people screaming out ‘Oedipus’ and ‘T.S. Elliot’ for prompts,” Lindburg said. “It’s hysterical.”
And audience participation was at the heart of the performance last Friday night. From climbing over audience members pretending to be ninjas to asking them for skit ideas, the comedians asked the viewers to play a vital role in the success of the show.
Pete Aguero, one of the national touring company performers for Chicago City Limits, said the ability of improvisational theatre to change according to the audience is what makes it so popular.
“Every show is different—the energy level and interests of the audience contribute a lot to what we do,” Aguero said.
Many audience members responded positively to that approach.
“The group works together well—they have great chemistry and play off each other’s comedic styles and the audience with ease,”freshman Hillary Grachan said. “The result is a hysterical show.”
Sophomore Britain Willcock also enjoyed the performance.
“The group is extremely witty and talented,” Willcock said. “I want to be just like the big guy [Aguero] when I grow up.”
Aguero’s job does have its perks. Aguero said being on stage in front of hundreds of people is “exhilarating” and he would not trade his job for anything—even a larger paycheck.
Aguero said he enjoys watching the sea of faces in the audience as he is performing.
“There is always that guy in the front row—and even if he only laughs for thirty seconds, that’s thirty seconds he is not thinking about his lousy job or the mortgage,” Aguero said. “It’s a small escape.”