This evening I went to Upright Citizens Brigade to watch Amy Poehler do some improv. If I was to judge this evening against my expectations, I would be sorely disappointed. Instead I was treated to a joyous experience - I got to see a group of incredibly talented improvisers play and sing songs that meant something to them.
There are few things worse (in performance) than bad improv. The performers look and feel a lot like I did when I got pantsed in the 7th grade in front of all the girls I had crushes on. The thing that I love about UCB is that most of the performers are so battle-worn that they are relaxed nearly to the point of indifference.
Seeing these zen-master improvisers step out of their comfort zones to sing to a packed house was beautiful. Their voices weren't perfect, their eyes were cast at the ground, and they often forgot to plug in their amp cables - but it was evident that they loved what they were doing and even though they were terrified they were doing their thing.
Paul Rust sang a great original piece about sharing a first kiss in a bedroom populated with hand-me-down furniture. Amy Poehler sang a gorgeous rendition of Blue Bayou. However, the singular moment of the evening was when Sean Conroy sang Johnny Cash's version of NIN's "Hurt". At first the audience giggled, "Surely he wouldn't try to fill those shoes?! It must be a joke." But it quickly became clear that he was singing this song in earnest. The laughter stopped, the crowd fell quiet, and then collectively leaned in. Everyone telepathically agreed that this was something special, a ballsy attempt that should be honored. Sean Conroy may not have had the gravitas of Johnny Cash, but for this evening he was our man in black.
Seeing these talented improvisers work in another medium really humanized them and inspired the heck out of me. Just be glad you aren't my neighbors listening to me howling like a hound-dog along with my out-of-tune ukulele.
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