Forever Alone: Review of a Revue

Promotional Image for the Revue Premiere

I love comedy. One of my favorite things to do is watching an improv show or participating in one. When I heard that one of my improv class teachers was in a show separate from the regular Comedy Sportz San Jose events, I eagerly went downtown to watch. I definitely enjoyed what they had to offer that night.

When I came to the theater, I picked up a business card advertising the event. On the front was a man in a suit holding a red balloon in the middle of a park. His face was obscured with the “Forever Alone” face you might have seen on the internet. The back of the card contained the following message:

Lonely? Seeking human companionship? We invite you to ignore your O.K. Cupid profile, hire a cat-sitter, and change out of your sweat pants o attend a social event where you will sit in a single room and interact with a group of complete strangers. Together we will revel in the joy, heartache, and strangeness that make up human relationships. With the Laughingstock Sketch Co., for at least this one night, you won’t be Forever Alone.

The show started out with a preview of what was to come. The cast members were all dressed formally reminding me of the shows I saw at Second City back in Chicago. Music and individual dancing led to suggestions about the sketches they were going to do. For example, they discussed the sketch for the Christian theme restaurant among other titles.

The multiple sketches were entertaining enough to keep the audience interested. All of them were about awkward social interactions, from being a new hire at a new business to inviting the devil over for dinner. My favorite part involved the improv sections they added for audience participation. The performers allowed the crowd to bid on the suggestions for a scene. Even though the winning bid was a scene about chilidogs, the performers integrated other suggestions like unrest in Egypt. In the end, they quickly revisited some of the sketches and left the theater to much audience applause.

 “Forever Alone” is performed the fourth Saturday of the month at Comedy Sportz San Jose at 9:30 p.m. Buy tickets for $10 online or at the theater in downtown San Jose at 288 South Second Street, conveniently located next to a parking garage. I’m planning on seeing it again soon, and you might want to as well.