ComCo’s show kicked off with a scripted mock trial of the most dangerous outlaw, Edward Schlissel-Hands, played by ComCo player, Sarah Sherman, who donned two oven mitts with printout pictures of UM President Mark Schlissel pasted on them. Each of the ComCo actors then took turns testifying to “the court” as to why Schlissel-Hands should be locked up. One great acting performance especially was done by Guy Madjar, who played a bartender who can identify any victim or criminal just from looking at a picture. Together, the ComCo actors started the night off with great silliness, bring laughter to the 450 person audience at Angell Hall’s Auditorium A, the largest and most hilarious fire-hazard known to Michigan.
While many of the best jokes are too dirty for this blog (and equally could not compare to seeing it live), ComCo not only excels in crude humor but also, in the art of setting up unfortunate scenarios that prove to be hilarious. In a game called “four square,” different scenes are assigned to players two at a time based on suggestions from the audience. One example was “Six Flags” which gave life to a story of a man and his son who are riding the most dangerous roller coaster that no one has ever survived before. Games like this one prove that the more absurd and silly, the more fun you can have.
My favorite game of the show is the finale: “I like my men like I like my ____,” which uses audience suggestions to fill in the blank and then explain in the tag line of the sentence. For example, “I like my men like I like my sandwich—covered in mayo.” Many responses used hilarious euphemisms in order to complete the sentence. Examples from last night included “I like my men like I like my hot sauce – of the Latin American variety” and “I like my men like I like my pencil sharpener – ….” I’ll let you imagine the rest…
Another crowd favorite was a segment called “Dating Game.” Imitating a show like the Bachelor, one player leaves the room, while the three “contestants” stay in the room and are given personalities from audience suggestions. Contestant 1 was a spatula, Contestant 2 was R. Kelly, and Contestant 3 had a fear of apostrophes. The Bachelor’s job was to try and guess what each of the Contestants were based on their answers to his questions. As tricky as it sounds, the Bachelor played by ComCo leader John Dennehy, guessed all of them correctly! Props goes to Kelsey, who played the apostrophe-phobe and entertained the audience with the line “I don’t like my men to be possessive.” Ahhh, such fun.
At the end of the show, it was revealed to us that some of the original founders of ComCo were in the audience. What an honor for them to see how their legacy has been carried on!! I recommend going to the next ComCo show on December 5, and every one after that!!! Free laughter, fun, and appreciation for those who can think up ridiculous material on the spot – a talent that most people can only dream of.
of stresses and woes, loosen up and laugh for a bit with one of the University’s oldest and most well developed comedy groups, Comco, as they present Battle Espresso Royal. For those who have never attended an improv comedy show before, it’s a spontaneous, one-of-a-kind performance that features talented actors and comedians bouncing off one another with a quick wit and good comedic timing.
