culture

A hostage situation at the Ancon Theater?

Guild's younger generation attracts
a crowd --- actually, six crowds
review and photos by Eric Jackson

As you might expect in any meeting between an Afghan envoy and a White House aide, the conversation might get onto the subject of "the terrorists." Put Varoon Anand into the former role and Matthew Addis in the latter, and there might be a misunderstanding: "Which terrorists? The ones we oppose or the ones we support?"

So it went on the sixth and last night of Improv 8, like the previous five performances, a sold out show. But this was improvisation, largely pursuant to the audience's suggestions, so it was different from every other night. Moreover, each night's cast was eight people, but there were 11 cast members, with three rotating out on any given night.

Addis, with his often dry British humor, playing straight man to Anand at full outrageousness, is something we have seen before at the Ancon Theater. They're both very good actors, and the prospect of catching such stuff is a big part of the new Guild generation's appeal.

Do we have to have a star system in a community theater group like the Theatre Guild of Ancon? In a certain sense, although the talents are uneven, the chemistry is the cast. But in another sense, the outstanding players in this ensemble have been Amit Nathani and Varoon Anand. Nathani is busy crossing over onto the Spanish-language stage playing a gigolo in Boeing, Boeing, which left Anand as first among equals in this show. But he's not a guy to rise up by pushing others down. Under the direction of theater professional Danielle Scott, these improv nights have been occasions for all the actors to sharpen their skills.

A set of six learning experiences? That too. But this was the main show, the first time that the Guild had sold out every show like this in many years. It's a scene that has caught on and is gaining momentum. No telling where it will end, but this reviewer suspects that a few years from now we will be remembering some of these people "back when," before they have established international reputations in other venues.