Enmore Theatre hosted the fun night of improvisational comedy that was Celebrity Theatresports. The performers brought their skills to Sunday night’s entertainment and fundraiser for CanTeen, the charity supporting young people affected by cancer.
In Theatresports teams of four improvise a short scenario in which they display their comedic and acting skills and earn points towards becoming the evening’s winner. This creates scenes where the audience learns about teaching orangutans to play table tennis, interior decorators dealing with a house without a bathroom, a mining protest can lead to an unusual love story and a school reunion is a lot like a room full of animals.
Some of the best comedy of the evening was slapstick. The actors have little time to respond to the scenario they are thrown into and physical theatre is a surprisingly humorous technique that was widely and skilfully used. The scene where only one actor could sit, stand, lie down or kneel was lots of fun, the sloth was especially memorable and when lots of performers became a kettle cord the audience erupted in joyous laughter.
A primary schoolroom was given the film noir treatment and the nervous schoolboy and a vindictive nun, excited by the thrill of giving detention, can now be envisioned in a whole new light.
With six teams each doing several short segments the evening has lots of variety. There was opera, Shakespeare, a trip to Disneyland and a homage to Steamboat Willie, a save the world song including a Dylan impersonation and of course lots of mime.
I thought one of the funniest scenes involved a shy young couple nervously flirting with each other before it was revealed they were brother and sister. The second reveal was even more breathtaking. In a clever conceit their parents had come to inform them they were adopted. Consequently the siblings moved beyond flirting, much to the audiences’ delight.
The presence of Benita Collings enabled her group to do the sex education episode of Play School. They nobly tried to be coy and restrained until Big Ted burst in and announced with great panache that he was horny.
Celebrity Theatresports 2019 was a varied and fun evening that raised awareness and funds for the childrens’ cancer charity CanTeen. The winner was ‘Trapezey Does It’, featuring Michael Gregory, Thomas Cocquerel, Jane Watt and Andrew O’Keefe.
Celebrity Theatresports 2019 was directed by Julie Dunsmore.
Performers included Adam Spencer, Benita Collings, Matt De Groot, Rob Carlton, Andrew O’Keefe, Jioji Ravulo, Nicola Parry, Daniel Cordeaux, Monique Dykstra, Michael Gregory, Jane Watt, Lisa Rickets, Thomas Cocquerel, Jeromaia Dettoo, Muray Fahey, Peter Berner, Ele Dawe, Rob Johnson, Kate Coats, Oliver Burton, Jane Simons, Theo Muray, Linete Voller and David Callan.
The evening was hosted by Ewan Campbell and Josie O’Reilly. The fabulous Gep Blake provided the music.
Featured image : Michael Gregory, Andrew O’Keefe and Dan Cordeaux flex their Theatresports talents.