If you’re hosting a party and you want it to be a lively one, it’s best to invite any member of Third World Improv. I’m not saying you hire one as your party host; just befriend one, and your life will seldom ever have a dull moment again. And then invite him or her to your party. You get him to enliven your bash for free.
The finale: The ensemble of Third World Improv
Improv performers don’t work with a script; they work with the situation handed to them. Most times they’re just given a single word to create a story, with each member of the ensemble spontaneously expounding on the plot like in a relay race. Every line has to be riddled with punch lines capable of having the audience laughing and falling off their seats.
To do improvisation, one has to be witty, and quick to react. Well, at least during a performance, they’re like that. We caught a glimpse of what the presentations will be like when the members of Third World Improv launched “Brave the New: The Manila Improv Festival 2023” at the open gardens of Ayala Malls Circuit Makati.
Organized by Third World Improv, this year’s festival will be the first one since the pandemic ended. Performers from South Korea, Slovakia, Australia, Israel, India, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S.A. will be showcasing their talents during the festival. Thus, this year’s festival promises to be a big event with a total of 14 shows, 70 acts, and 12 workshops taking place at Circuit Makati.
Third World Improv instructor Aryn Cristobal says they’ve been in touch with their foreign colleagues through Zoom. They held online presentations throughout the lockdowns. But now that the pandemic is over, the real face-to-face shows must go on.
Aryn Cristobal (second from left) served as host during the press preview of the Manila Improv Festival.
Aryn, who also happens to be a member of the all-girls improv Musical Megawatt team at New York’s Magnet Theater, said that many of the foreign improvisers are shouldering their own airfares and accommodations. Others have their own sponsors. It would be interesting to see how their brand of humor compares to that of our local troupe.
The ensemble of Third World Improv offered a sample of their comedic chops during the press preview. At the entrance, a receptionist gave each of us a piece of paper and asked us to write down the title of any song that came to mind at that moment. I wondered if they were testing my own spontaneity, which has since faded away with age. The song I thought of was Pure Imagination by Leslie Bricusse.
Improv performers don’t work with a script; they work with the situation handed to them
Later during the show, we learned that the song titles would be used in a skit—a spoof of beauty pageants, with the contestants hilariously played by male improvisers. During the Q&A portion, each participant picked a piece of paper from a box, which carried song title. They started their answer to the question at hand with that title. My song wasn’t chosen, much to my chagrin. Apparently, they chose Tagalog titles, which were more in sync with the humor of the skit. (Hmmm.)
Anyway, the beauty pageant was a riot, and we the audience got to choose the winner. Much of the presentation was uproarious and largely wholesome. Rest assured their brand of humor isn’t of the disgusting comedy bar type. The entire ensemble gave it their all. They deserve to have a wider audience, perhaps on TV where they could take over the inane noontime shows.
The festival kicks off on September 7th at the theater of Ayala Malls Circuit Makati. It concludes on September 10th with the closing show, “Laos and Found.” It stars Gabe Mercado and Janet McBride.
For the schedule of shows and ticket inquiries, check out the Facebook page of the Manila Improv Festival.
Wrestling mania
My first close encounter with a real honest-to-goodness wrestler happened during the Bangkok International Film Festival almost two decades ago. Festival organizers had the media attend various film screenings. We were corralled into the premier of a Thai martial arts movie held in a glamorous theater called La Scala. I recall its name because it exuded images of opera stars and elaborate set reproductions of 18th century Seville, and not a martial arts movie whose title I forget.
What happened before the movie started was unforgettable. Two ushers escorted a young Thai man to his seat, which was next to mine. He looked dapper in his tux; the reporter next to me whispered he’s probably the star of the movie. Then suddenly, Hulk Hogan appeared from the wings, and marched on stage and down the aisle. It was as surreal as a weird dream, and he went on to deliver what was often expected of him. He raged and challenged anyone to a match (“Who wants to fight ME?!!!”). He spotted the man in the tux next to me and bellowed, “Are you laughing at ME!?”
He was just two feet away me, and what an enormous sight he was. Depending on one’s point of view, he looked like a giant Viking out to conquer the Orient or a Nordic King Kong captured and brought to Thailand as part of a circus act. He picked up the man in the tux, carried him to the stage and threw him on the floor. The man quickly ran off stage (he was an actor alright, and a good one). Then the film’s director appeared and formally introduced Hulk Hogan. The applause was huge, and Hulk Hogan humbly took a bow. He suddenly looked as endearing as Santa Claus.
Earlier this year, theater publicist Toots Tolentino invited me to a wrestling event. Organized by the Manila Wrestling Federation, it happened at the Power Mac Center of Circuit Makati. Never to turn down a new experience in theater, I braved the long trip to that mall.
Suddenly, Hulk Hogan appeared from the wings, and marched on stage and down the aisle. It was as surreal as a weird dream
As I expected, the event was thoroughly entertaining. Like its American counterparts, it was theatrical but flavored with the Pinoy brand of humor and melodrama. Wrestlers with stage names and characters designed to mock their rivals acted out their antagonism toward each in the ring, with campy verbal put-downs prior to the fight.
Of course, everything was staged. The fights were designed to entertain and show off their wresting skills. It was an exhibition flavored with theatrics and colorful costumes. While their antics were funny, it also displayed their physical strength and prowess. What they get to do is no laughing matter. If you don’t have their build and stamina, you can’t make it look as easy as they could. Coupled with the choreography and the showmanship they project, these wrestlers have what it takes to also star in their own noontime show.
The Oracle is composed of three witches who can foresee the future. Their predictions aren’t exactly accurate, but they’re funny.
They even had their own set of villains, among them Migs Valdez (at first I thought I heard the emcee call out Mitch Valdez). Tall and supposedly obnoxious, he was like a Pinoy version of the Disney villain Gaston. He liked to put down his “weak” rivals during his monologue, only to be beaten and thrown off the ring. The audience started jeering him as they screamed in unison, “Bondying, bondying!”
And there was Crystal, a pretty and petite wrestler dressed like a dynamic superhero. Her opponents were a couple of brawny male villains, Main Maxx and Jake de Leon. Watching this demure and very feminine lady tackle the big guys was an awesome sight.
The vivacious wrestler Crystal (Photo courtesy of Crystal’s Facebook page)
Crystal had a difficult time defeating Main Maxx and Jake de Leon.
Many of the situations were genuinely comic.
Wrestler Oppa Kanto Kilabot Terror made his grand entrance in crutches. This was when the Ernest Angley segment occurred. The audience was requested to participate in performing a miracle that could cure Mr. Oppa’s disability. It was sort of like Peter Pan asking his readers to clap their hands to bring Tinkerbell back to life.
The main event had the prolific Fabio Makisig pitted against MWF founder—and drama king—Robin Sane. Fabio won the match, but the dramatics didn’t end just yet. There were some friendship issues for the winner to confront, and Fabio voiced them out to his “ex-friend” and defeated opponent. Their expert emoting gave the cast of Voltes V Legacy a run for their money. But of course, we all got to see their happy ending.
Admittedly, I’ve never been an avid fan of foreign wrestling competitions aired on sports channels. What draws us to the MWF is that they’re unmistakably Pinoy. They’re approachable and not intimidating. The event ended with first time audiences like me having a bigger respect for their dedication to the sport. As Fabio said, if you want to try wrestling you have to be 200 percent committed. It’s going be like your new religion.
The second best thing to being a wrestler is befriending one. Invite him to your party, too, and just in case a drunken brawl happens, your safety is guaranteed.
MWF holds major wrestling events at Power Mac Center twice a year. They’re holding another show on September 24 at Mandala Park, Mandaluyong City. For ticket inquiries, check out the MWF Facebook.
