Renton, WA— Saturday night at the Renton Civic Theatre, the audience laughed so hard at least one person left saying their stomach hurt. That’s not a warning; that’s a recommendation.
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Take 5 Improv brought their Director’s Cut show to the theatre at 7:30 p.m., filling the house with about 30 audience members and roughly double that in laughter. The concept is simple: five performer-directors pitch short “movies” built entirely from audience suggestions, the crowd votes, and the surviving films get developed further — round by round — until one final scene closes the night. Every show is one of a kind, and Saturday’s won’t happen again.
The evening opened warmly before the first scene was even performed. Cast members mingled in the lobby as guests arrived, setting a tone that was less “sit down and watch” and more “you’re part of this.” Rebekah Schroeter, stationed at the concession stand, announced to me she was an expert in popcorn and had popped it herself. For the record: it was good.
Yichao took the stage to introduce the fellow ensemble before the main event began. Cast members Minki Bai, Rebekah Schroeter, Kyle Henick, Amalia Larson, Camilla Franklin, and Chris Wong rounded out the performers, with Noah Samuels on piano and guitar providing the musical backbone for what would turn out to be a surprisingly song-heavy evening.
Yichao started by asking the crowd to clap if they had been to a previous show. Nearly half the room clapped. A father seated nearby told me his daughters had begged to come back after seeing the group perform at Luther’s Table last month.
The first half of the night produced five audience-driven films. Rebekah directed Icy Skiing, an alleged Lifetime Original Christmas movie inexplicably set at a lodge on top of Mount Everest. Camilla brought D Eucalyptus, an Oscar-worthy saga about a boy with a one-letter name who would become a superstar. Amalia directed Shallow Sea, a nature documentary in which the cast became animals— the physical comedy alone was nearly enough to earn its spot in the finals. Kyle offered Capybara Minus One, a not-Godzilla film featuring a three-person capybara beast and a fictional Renton mayor who refused to evacuate the city. And Minki directed Wyoming Jones and the Legend of the Flannel Desk, a would-be blockbuster built around an IKEA item.
Highlights came fast. In Wyoming Jones, Rebekah sprinted across the stage as a booby trap, declaring “I’m a boulder!”. Then, shortly after in the same motion: “I’m your ex-girlfriend you broke up with and never told.” Kyle played a boy in D Eucalyptus whose mother, played by Rebekah, gave him a single-letter name because she ran out of ideas, then sang “You’re Bigger Than the Sky” with genuine commitment to the absurdity.
The audience voted after the first round, narrowing the field to Icy Skiing, Shallow Sea, and Capybara Minus One. During intermission, two audience members could be overheard comparing notes. “These are all good ideas,” one said. “They’re all our ideas,” replied the other. “Obviously they’re good.”
The second round cut the field to Icy Skiing and Shallow Sea, and the comedy only escalated. In Icy Skiing, Minki’s character confessed to once being engaged, like Amalia’s character, who then immediately commanded: “Sing about it.” Camilla delivered a song about being a third wheel that included the lyric: “Why does Santa’s sleigh have wheels, and why am I the third one?” The third installment of Icy Skiing, subtitled now, in a jab at the competition, “less crabs, more love”, featured Amalia’s standout line: “I can’t fib to ya, I broke my fibula.”
The energy in the room was something close to what you get watching a great episode of Bob’s Burgers. The absurdity, the cast’s energy, the never-ending laughter— except the people making you laugh are right in front of you and the whole thing disappears when the lights fade.
Shallow Sea ultimately won the final vote and closed the evening to great laughter, and applause.
Take 5 Improv returns to Luther’s Table on April 17th. If Saturday night was any indication, this will be a show worth attending. You can learn more about this performing arts group at take5improv.com.
Director’s Cut Performance by Take 5 Improv, Photo Gallery by Renton Signal
