FRINGE BENEFITS
          -Beau Summers

An improvised show is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna  get. With the Changing Jennifers, you can at least be assured of a great night  of laughs and a complimentary drink. In brief, four guys take suggestions from  the audience and act out a series of improvised scenes. 

The show starts  with a few theatre games, including a game where players are booed from stage if they fail to answer a question with another question. The show finishes with a  good old, cabaret style sing-a-long. You shouldn't be discouraged about improvisational comedy because if like me, you despise the television show Thank  God You're Here. Here the performers actually work together to build a story, rather than just set each other up for hit or miss one-liners. 

After the  warm up games, the audience were treated to Changing Jennifers' Half Twelve  format, where six suggestions from the audience were incorporated into a 30  minute yarn. Imagine a story set in New Zealand, in the middle of the global  financial crisis, featuring a secretary who studied anthropology and enjoys  cuddles in bed. Somehow a vertical grill and mini sheep were thrown in there  too. Confused? Well so were the performers, but that all added to the highly  entertaining story. 

Unfortunately the brief half time interval did not serve the performers well. They seemed to lose the momentum gained in the first half and scrambled for an ending to their strange tale. In no uncertain terms, the guys conceded to the audience that this  was not their best show. However, I still left with a smile after an hour of  good laughs, so I would love to see them at their best. The great thing about Changing Jennifers is that you can go back next week and get an entirely different show. 

The dark, cosy atmosphere of La Boheme is a fantastic  setting. The performers kept the energy high and pace frantic. During the occasional moment of awkward silence, you could hear the cogs turning and feel  the audience willing the performers on. The standout performance was by Dan, whose characteristics are reminiscent of Dave Hughes, minus the annoying voice. 

Improv is not hard to enjoy. Finish this sentence, "Next Wednesday at 7.30pm, I will be..."