Rathskellar Strikes Comedy Gold

It was standing room only in Harland Cinema on Saturday night as Rathskellar Presents: You're Not My Real Dad's! left audience members doubled over in fits of laughter. Rathskellar, Emory's improv comedy troupe, and Dad's Garage, an Atlanta comedy group, worked together to improvise hilariously outlandish situations.

Dad's Garage was formed in Atlanta in 1995 and has since grown to be the most acclaimed improv group in the city, entertaining more than 30,000 audience members a year.

For anyone who has seen a Rathskellar show (and if you haven't, you definitely should), Saturday's performance was similar but definitely more dynamic as a result of the collaboration with Dad's Garage.

Rathskellar never fails to render a few laughs by using varying accents and odd physical movements to tell a made-up-on-the-spot story that somehow makes perfect sense.

This show was no exception to the norm but was made even more special by the addition of three comedians from Dad's Garage: Tommy Futch, Rueben Medina and Perry Frost.

Though all of the Dad's Garage comedians were fantastic, my personal favorite was Futch because he unapologetically expressed himself through emotional and engaging dialogue.

His believability in each and every character that he portrayed made it impossible to take your eyes off him.

The night began, as every Rathskellar show does, with its Emperor, College junior Josh Jacobs, engaging the audience. The first half of the audience was asked to shout out their favorite breakfast item; the second half of the audience was asked to shout out their favorite color.

Then, the entire audience was asked to scream the dirtiest thing they could think of to encourage and remind people that Rathskellar runs a "no-smuck" show.

"New Choice," an improv game where a bell is rung and the improviser must pick a new phrase for the phrase said right before the bell, was the first game of the evening.

In this case, Dad's Garage's Rueben Medina and College junior Neel Ghosh teamed up for a nautical-themed game.

The duo was hilarious together as they were able to bounce off of each other and make transitions seamlessly.

From Ghosh inviting himself into Medina's boat to Medina's discomfort towards the idea of Ghosh using his towel, the two had a charismatically witty banter.

Ghosh and Medina later paired up for a game called "Music On-Off," in which a character must switch from saying to singing his or her lines on cue. In the game, Medina and Ghosh played sisters, and they were flawless.

From brushing their hair to putting on mascara to commenting on the fact that the mirror made them look fat, the two were perfect together.

Throughout the entire sketch, the laughter from the audience never died down.

Another improv game (and one of my favorites) is called "Song Styles." Frost, College sophomore Rebecca Han, College junior Ali Reubenstone and College senior Kristie Denlinger all participated. From reggae to country to spicy Latin music, Reubenstone and Denlinger made up lyrics to the tunes all following a goldfish theme.

Frost and Han played the roles of radio commentators and they definitely provided some entertaining commentary to accompany the musical stylings.

Reubenstone was especially on point with rhyming lyrics and interpretive dance moves.

Following "Song Styles" was a film noir sketch with Jacobs and Frost.

The sketch took place at a laundromat and was insanely hilarious.

Jacobs delivered his deadpan lines with sharp accuracy, and Frost did not miss a beat in her responses.

An interesting talent of Jacobs's is his ability to incorporate musings from earlier in the skit and even from other sketches entirely. This interconnection between sketches made the entire program flow together fluidly.

 

Another fun improv game that brings in audience participation is called "Confessions."

Once again, anyone who has been to a Rathskellar show knows how this game works, but essentially audience members write confessions down before entering the room and the improvisers incorporate the confessions into their sketch. Reubenstone and College junior Julia Weeks acted out the roles of an annoyed, inconsiderate personal shopper and a fabulously wealthy client.

While "Confessions" is usually a laugh-out-loud sketch, this one was less entertaining than previous games.

The final improv game of the night was a long-form that included all members of both Rathskellar and Dad's Garage.

Though there were many funny sketches, it was a little difficult to follow as the sketches kept changing quite quickly and then picking up again a few minutes later. Nonetheless, seeing all members on stage and getting to experience all of their talent was enjoyable.

Overall, the evening was an astounding success both in terms of the turnout and the content. Rathskellar was as good as ever, and the incorporation of professional improvisers made sketches that much funnier.

A much-needed break from the stressful onset of final exams, Rathskellar provided a comical compilation of sketches that left everyone wishing they could improvise their way through finals.

For those who missed Saturday's show or for those who just can't get enough of the immense improv talent, Rathskellar will be having their final show of the year on April 28 in Harland Cinema.

– By Annie McNut

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