Oct 21, 2009
Blogs I Read: Improv Everywhere
I’m sure many of you have heard of the sensation that is Improv Everywhere. Basically they set up all kinds of hilarious improv scenarios in the midst of everyday life and surprise the heck out of people.
One of my fanatasies in high school was for an impromptu musical to start in the hallways of McDowell High School—people everywhere bursting into spontaneous song and dance. Can you tell I was a musical theater person? It really wasn’t cool back then, but I’m glad for Improv Everywhere making my dreams come true vicariously.
My favorite:
Their blog is cool because you don’t get bombarded by tons of stuff, you just periodically get a laugh at their newest, creative scheme.
hey molly! you’re great :)
my senior year of college, my friends and i actually made this happen on one of our school’s metro buses — we sang “i say a little prayer for you,” with everyone having different parts strategically seated around the bus. it was pretty memorable :)
thanks for sharing their videos — they are hilarious!
emily
AWE-SOME! People who actually had the guts to pull of the skit in real life.
We love improve everywhere. My wife and are are laughing ourselves silly. I love the one where they dress up in khaki pants and blue shirts and go and hang out in a Best Buy store. When security called the police, they were told it’s not against the law to wear khaki pants and blue polos in a Best Buy store. Classic!
That was… beautiful! I mean it!
While in hgh school, I used to go to the thespian meets and recite prose. I wasn’t all that great and I’m not all that inclined to perform. But I loved watching the improv at these meets! Wow! Some of those guys were great!
When I was first married, my husband and I used to break out in spontaneous song. We were so poor and in love and everything seemed to be an opportunity for a ridiculous musical number until we couldn’t continue for laughing so hard! We still break out in song now and then. I’m just saying, your dreams can come true if you have a willing partner! No audience needed, but I just bet you could find a willing audience!
Thanks for sharing this which was new to me!
Blessings to you and especially as you spontaneously break into song and dance!
Oh Laurie, you have NO idea… there could be volumes FULL of our spontaneous singing and dancing at this house. I always wonder if we’re the only ones who do it! Good to know there’s at least one other crazy family out there!
thats awesome! totally made me laugh!
Oh Moll – The Bodes do it too – and we probably count as two families. Right now its anything by Celtic Women. Big dramatic movments and a total slash of the lyrics. Know those benches in the kitchen – just call them our stage!
I haven’t thought of Improv Everywhere for a long time. Thanks for pointing to their blog! I’m so happy.
(And don’t you think they should do more stuff in Minnesota? I don’t know of the patrons of an L.A. mall are all that impressed by the happy. But if they tried that at the MOA, they’d get a standing ovation.)
Weehaw! I applaud!
And I am encouraged to know there are other happily married “thespian couples”!
That was great but I was a little put off by some of the reactions. How can you not smile through that? Like having a musical interlude while eating lunch is SUCH an inconvenience. People need to let go a little!
To provide a possible explanation-I am a complete rules follower and I get super uncomfortable in a situation where it looks like rules (like public disturbance, sitting on a food counter) are being broken and I could be a witness to the aftermath, even if it is just mall cops. I think the relief on people’s faces once they saw the mall cop involved might justify this explanation. The realization that this is all just in fun and I wont get in trouble.
Molly! I love that you love Improv Everywhere! I grew up with the guy (Charlie Todd) that created it & have been following/aware of his antics for many years… it doesn’t actually have anything to do with me, but I still appreciate you promoting him/them! :)
and did you see the latest one?
http://improveverywhere.com/2009/10/20/grocery-store-musical/
so fun!
it’s the people’s faces who aren’t involved. priceless
i saw one where they did Michael Jackson’s Thriller at the mall. I have been wanting to learn that whole dance for years…how much fun would that be to perform that at the MOA!
This is awesome! Seriously– this is my new favorite blog…so funny! thanks for sharing!
that was great. I nice laugh after a long day. I think I’ve seen one of there videos before. Did they also do a mall “performance” where a bunch of them just stopped like statues for a minute or so, and then continued on there way?
That was fantastic!
Wow…that rocks.
this is why we are friends. A conversation happened just yesterday at Trader Joes about how all the staff would TOTALLY be down for this. I was smiling so hard someone actually said “I have never seen such a pure smile!! Look how happy you are!” It was true.
I suggested “Once you’re a jet”
any ideas? We are honestly thinking of pulling it off.
All I have to say Karla is this…”I’m totally in” – maybe we could even persuade Anders to join us.
Thanks for this blog recommendation! I cannot wait to watch other videos.
Hi. Have a look at the T Mobile ad filmed at Liverpool Street Station in London on YouTube. Search ‘T mobile liverpool street’. Sheer genius and the best flashmob I’ve seen. Brilliant. I love they way that they disrupt the status quo!
So funny! I’d seen this video before but didn’t realize there was a blog of that kind of stuff! I just saw the new grocery store one they posted and I wished I was there. I, too, was a musical theater teen despite it’s uncoolness — growing up I’d go around the house belting out tunes from old musicals or Disney movies, then when I was in high school I was Eliza in (a very small production of) My Fair Lady and it was like the pinnacle of my life. Now whenever I try to belt out songs around the house my son just says “No sing, no sing!”. Oh well.:)
I LOVE THIS!! I think, Molly, that we should try and pull this off sometime…I know that Mari would be “in” – what a hoot!!
love it
You know those flash mob things (like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k If you haven’t seen it watch it, and I SWEAR you will weep). It’s my dream in life to be in one some day. To the point that I’ve sort of organized one in my head. (I think maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that publicly. Hushing now.) ;)