Cheesy, corny, silly, and satirical: PVCC Theatre Department’s Absentee Ballad
Absentee Ballad began on the first of November at 7:30 p.m. like any good college production, with members coming out, introducing themselves with names not present on the flyer, fully aware that multiple names had been misprinted and attempting in the moment to alleviate the problem with humor and charm. It was definitely an endearing start to what would end up being a pleasant evening of laughs and improvisation.
Sitting in the Maxwell Black Box Theatre of the V. Earl Dickinson building, it was heartwarming to see fellow students take this small stage and begin the show one by one with what I could only surmise was an improv exercise. It took a moment to discern what was occurring, clearly a drill of some kind. However, it was embarrassing how long it took before I put together exactly how the scene was supposed to be interpreted. Two individuals took the stage, one would act out a scene, while the other would ask what they were doing. The first would state a completely different task, unrelated to the movements being performed, and the second actor would begin to mime out the action described by the first actor. As time progressed, these little back and forths would fall into scenes of their own.
The next piece of the show felt much more scripted and even if the actors were forming the story on the fly, there was no way for the audience to tell. As the show progressed, it was hard to determine which parts had been scripted and which were merely being played off the cuff. This only exhibited the talent and hard work that went into creating an improv show.
A highlight of the show was undoubtedly when the audience was asked to create a family driving to a rally, as well as aligning an ailment to members of this dysfunctional family. While certainly comedic at first (especially with the audience being allowed to doom this fictitious family), I eventually found that the disorders we (the audience) had given the actors may have been too severe as the performance began to devolve.
A more structured moment of improv and audience participation which flowed more smoothly was when the performers were tasked with acting out scenarios around shops, selling items specifically dictated by the audience. As there was more room for a concrete narrative, and fewer cast was at play at any given moment, this part of the show worked a lot better.
Overall, the juxtaposition between the comedic improvisation and the reflection on the current political circumstances clashed at times, but more so as a result of the chaotic and unpredictable nature of improv. The thought that went into the show was undeniable, even if moments went over my head or fell flat due to scenes falling into chaos at the drop of a hat.
