MURRAY — It was Saturday night and I had a date set, but no idea what to do for the date. I figured we could wing it. No need to have set plans. We could just enjoy the city and figure out something to do on the fly. So, when I got to her apartment we popped open the laptop and made a roundabout search to NowPlayingUtah.com.
I like this site because it provides a fairly comprehensive calendar of events happening all over Utah. That is, if you get in your info soon enough. As a producer of theatre I’ve been a little disappointed on how long it takes to get changes made on event listings…but wait, I’ve wandered off topic.
We clicked on today’s date and scrolled down the list of events. We scribbled down the addresses of a few exhibits and then saw a listing for “And…Go! Improv” that night…here was the clincher….it was free. I figured even though we were an hour late they wouldn’t mind a few extra seats filled so we hopped in my car and made our way to the Vine Street Chapel where “And…Go!” was performing. Yes, they were performing on the stage in the cultural hall. Right there I understood why the event was free. No way could they charge admission in an LDS church building.
The show was fun! I could not believe how packed the place was. “And…Go!” apparently has a pretty large following. That may or may not be because they used to be based in Utah County until their landlord theatre closed down. I think the move to SLC is a good one. If they can continue with the audience from last night then they are bound to find a place to call home. The improv was fresh and quick. It wasn’t as clean and professional as you might expect from the likes of Colin Mochrie or Ryan Stiles, but it was fun.
However, I do have a small regret. With a name like “And…Go!” and an onstage prop of a street light blinking red/yellow/green I expected that brand to bleed through a little more to the structure of the performance. Look at Comedy Sportz, they’re incorporation of the ref, uniforms, and structure of the night really allow their company to create a strong comedy brand to market. I feel like “And…Go!” has a lot of potential, but they need to spend some time figuring out what makes their brand of improv comedy different from Comedy Sportz, Laughing Stock, Mission Improvable and the Thrillionaires. If they can do that, then this troupe can definitely make a permanent home in Salt Lake.
