WrestleslamMania III, & Gravid Water in NY Press

March 19, 2008, 10:45 pm - [ Category: NY Shows ]

COMEDY: BALLSY AND BAWDY
Plenty of themed alt-comedy for the risk averse

By Nate Sloan

So They’re Into... Sports Entertainment!
The WWE is pretty hilarious on its own, but the UCB Theatre’s wrestling federation, the UCBW, pays such good attention to the details of the genre, it feels less like a satirical mockery and more of a hyper-hilarious homage to the dramatic sport. Just like real wrestling, there are shocking heel turns, referees who are distracted by shiny objects and promos that get you pumped. The announcers, Ben Rodgers (The Captain) and Eric Scott (TT Billingsworth) are so easily excited by all the action, it’s impossible not to get caught up in their hysteria too. Leave the Papa Roach Special Edition iPod at home, the UCBW is the only distraction you need.
WrestleSlamMania 3
March 22 UCB Theatre, 307 W. 26th St., 212-366-9176; Midnight, $5.; Cage Match at UCBT; Thursdays 11pm, $5.

So They’re Into... The theater!
Theater people may have already happened upon blurbs for Gravid Water, a show featuring professional stage actors spouting memorized lines from real plays while a superstar improviser makes up the other half of the dialogue. It sounds like a train wreck on paper, but the results don’t seem to stray too far from the script. The secret? To put it in context, if someone in real life says, “How are you?” you probably wouldn’t respond with, “Chicken Pot Pies are delicious!” There are only a couple ways for an improviser to logically take his or her side of the conversation, so the scenes unfold naturally with a touch of quirky charm.
Gravid Water
March 31 at UCB Theatre; 8, $5.