Presented by Awkwardly Quiet
Reviewed 11 March 2018
Improv shows rely on the audience giving ludicrous suggestions and/or telling the actors what character they should be, and hanging the whole thing on popular television/movies/genre – right? WRONG!
In the main, they are and they are usually hilarious. However, in Two Idiots, No Script highly skilled Improvisational artists Lizzy Mace and Andreas Sodermark perform true improv and make it up as they go along, without any help from the audience.
The title, Two Idiots, No Script, is two thirds incorrect – there is no script, but Mace and Sodermark are very far from idiots. They are both polished in improvisation and both obviously extremely skilled actors.
Using only three chairs as their set, these two excellent performers proceed to play out little vignettes that one performer will start with either a stance, a look, an action, or verbally. There is no story line as neither performer knows where the other will take them. However, there might be a link cleverly thrown in to some of the scenes: on the night reviewed, mobile phones popped up every now and then and an intriguing existential phenomenon made an appearance once in a while. No two shows are ever the same!
Where this type of ‘true’ improv varies from what we have come to expect is that where we expect the dialogue to keep flowing from the actors’ mouths, Mace and Sodermark have a unique way of making silences speak volumes. Less is indeed more many times in this show. Another difference is that the emotions of the scenes vary; some hilarious, some deeply moving and some just downright weird (but in a fun way).
True improv is an art and Mace and Sodermark are Da Vinci’s at it.
Reviewed by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods
Rating out of 5: 5
Venue: Gallery Room at The National Wine Centre
Season: Until 16 March 2018 (no performance on Thurs 15 March)
Duration: 50 mins
Tickets: $12 – $20
Bookings: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/two-idiots-no-script-af2018
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