Go 4 Broke Presents: BEERprov Reunion

This is for everyone who sees a group of dudes doing short form improv in jerseys and puckers up: I understand, but these guys aren't THOSE guys.

An excellent troupe that really gives the delightful feeling of a bunch of dudes who've been friends for a long time playing games together, without falling into the trap of doing anything gross or mysoginistic.

An excellent short form troupe, would absolutely watch again!

I don't often write Fringe reviews anymore, but after going to the 11:15 PM Friday night Beerprov show, I feel compelled.

Let me set the stage: we walked into a theatre at about 70% capacity, filling out some scene suggestions for a game that would kick off the show. On the stage sat a beer pong table strung with patio lights. Off to the left, a projector counted down to showtime, and six lawn chairs were lined up in a row. It looked exactly like a backyard party; all that was missing was the fire pit.

Around the five-minute mark, the countdown on the projector switched to a zoomed-in video of a beer while The Crystal Method "Name of the Game" roared over the speakers. We were then introduced to the cast via images on the projector, some of whom have gone on to do very impressive things in the Edmonton theatre space. The audience had clearly been drinking before the show, and as the countdown neared its end, you could feel that familiar mix of excitement and nervous trepidation that comes with seeing an improv show. 10, 9, 8... went the countdown, with the audience unprompted joining in to chant out loud. The lights dimmed further, and Beerprov rushed the stage to the music.

The cast then somewhat drunkenly, yet confidently, introduced themselves. They shared quick stories about the group's history, effortlessly playing off banter from the crowd and each other. It seems they’ve had a storied improv career... Okay, I thought... but can you live up to the legends you just boldly half-cut told us?

What happened next was one of the most impressive displays of an improv show I have ever seen. The production value was immense for short-form improv party games. The show was structured around the cast throwing beer pong balls into cups; whichever cup a ball landed in dictated the game the cast was forced to play. Red cups were basic games, while blue cups were extreme.

Here is a spoiler free general rundown of how the improv show went. The first game was a red cup basic game. It involved audience members providing sound effects for the scene. The audience erupted as the tension was burst as the two cast members showed they had indeed been doing this for years, and several laughs were had throughout the game. Shout out to the two audience members who volunteered and clearly understood the assignment. For game two, the ball landed in a blue extreme cup that required them to bring out mouse traps. Two cast members were blindfolded and barefoot, performing a scene based on an audience suggestion while speaking strictly in alphabetical sentences. In game three, the ball landed on a game they called "Hot Ones," where two cast members performed a scene whilst consuming multiple habanero peppers—and remarkably, they continued to build a coherent, flowing, and fun improv scene. Anyone there could tell they weren't faking it: the mouse traps snapped loudly as they were set up, and the peppers were clearly effective, leaving the performers coughing and tearing up on stage.

Several other games were masterfully played within their hour. Some involved marshmallows, a basic interrogation scene that was brilliantly solved by the two improv detectives, and one even involved a... Dyson vacuum.

I walked away from the night certain that the group must have travelled in from Toronto, and I was shocked to learn they had been in Edmonton all this time. Every single member of the cast last night was incredible, and there was not a dull improv game in the bunch. My wife, friends, and I have been talking about it in the group chat all day. FIVE STARS.

BEERprov was my first Fringe show and it definitely set the bar high! All of the performers were incredibly quick and clever which was very impressive because some of the audience suggestions were pretty wild. You could really see the great chemistry the performers had with each other and they were so good at interacting with the audience that I felt completely engaged from start to finish. They kept me laughing and occasionally gasping the whole time. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more shows from this group, they may have officially turned me into a Fringe regular!

BEERprov was hilarious, inviting, and incredibly silly. Based around short-form improv games, the five artists would take turns randomly selecting a game for them to play. At the heart of it all, you could feel the friendship the improvisers had with each other. They played off of each other brilliantly, it's very clear how much time they have spent improvising with each other over the years. If you've ever done an improv class then you'd probably recognize many of the games they played, and you would see how much skill goes into the impressive performances. The audience was howling every second because of how sharp and witty the performers were. If you love party games and you love improv, you need to see BEERprov.

Fringe is for everyone. If we stick our nose up at some brodude humour, especially when it's so tight production wise... Then that's a Fringe I don't want to live in. Improv was solid as well. Maybe one of the most impressive games of Seuss I have ever seen.