“Chesapeake Bay! Mike Tyson! NAAARRRWWAALL!” Dozens of audience members screamed in unison. To the untrained ear, this haphazard mix of utterances would seem like a trio of misled nouns, but to an Idiot, these could all be simple synonyms. Sheer Idiocy never fails to please, harvesting sounds like wild cotton and threading every syllable onto a loom to imbue meaning into plain nonsense. The renowned comedic troupe lured in a full house on Friday, September 18 and proved yet again that the best things in life are free.
Whether you snuck into Mother’s to catch a priceless “sensual manatee” impersonation or to simply unwind after a long week of classes, Sheer Idiocy’s latest performance was a true testament to the power of improv and how a little spontaneity can work theatrical wonders. Friday’s agenda was sure to satisfy all tastes, from an unconventional sales pitch, to a game that can be described as “Live Mad Libs.” As with all Sheer idiocy routines, the audience was asked to contribute an assortment of nouns, adjectives, and verbs, to which the eager viewers gladly complied. I never thought I’d live to see the day I would hear the words “osmotic,” “kilts,” “zamboni,” and “narcolepsy convention” inhabit the same room, but I was proven wrong. The Idiots ended up with strange phrases such as “sensual manatee” and “callous mighty blowfish” which they were to use in a charades sales pitch. “Ten shoe la evolved into sensual?” and midair swimming prompted “Sea cow … manatee!”
A matchmaking game was next on the list, featuring some of the most awkward suitors to ever propose: a scientist with bad knock-knock jokes, a mustache specialist who was half-fly, half-man (who buzzed at every question until he was half-dead), and a Starfleet captain who obsessively collects silverware (including the elusive 1919 Spork for all you enthusiasts out there). The Starfleet captain/silverware fan emerged as the new groom-to-be, dubbed “super-rich fantastic man” by the judging Idiot.
Other highlights of the night included clashes between confused protestors (who ended up protesting protests), timid bloggers (troubled by the effects of more posts per comment, i.e. the “reverse blogging phenomenon”), and the heroic exploits of Payroll Man, aided by his trusty sidekicks Utility Belt, Falls-Down-When-Touched-Man, and Abnormally-Exaggerated-Arm-Gesture Man.
Mad Libs is always fun on paper, but seeing it on stage is even better. With suggestions from the audience, the Idiots produced dialogues such as: “For added help, we need … my grandmother’s house. Thank goodness I brought my bologna and Bedazzler! Pacman in water is a highly volatile substance.” Sheer Idiocy members acted out their vacation memories to much hooting and tittering: vampire hunting with Kanye West, yodeling with Chewbacca, and strange poses at the baggage claim. In short, it was a natural, unrehearsed, and seamless feat.
If laughter truly is the best medicine, I’d definitely prescribe Sheer Idiocy. Honestly, these guys are just being too modest … they’re geniuses!