One of my roomie's had a birthday, so we took her to dinner and then improv.
We went to dinner at a popular, well-known vegetarian place called The Naam. And when I say popular and well-known, it is very popular and well-known. It's in my old neighborhood, Kits, and a place I'd walked past many times. It's open 24 hours, so even at 3am, there is a line out the door. I had wondered what all the fuss was about but hadn't stopped to investigate back then. Turns out the fuss is well deserved.
The place is small, cozy, and warm. If not downright hot. The menu is full of good stuff. It's vegetarian, so tofu is a staple. Salads. Guacamole. Cheese. Salsa. Blueberry milkshake, made with fresh blueberries from BC. And BC blueberries are really good! I got a croissant sandwich that was fantastic. Guac, tomato, cheese. Magnificent! Of course, too, I got a blueberry milkshake. I have difficulty turning down anything made with blueberries. Had to try it!
There was live music, it being Friday night, and though she looked like she was in high school, she had a beautiful voice. Good food, entertaining conversation, good music. Excellent first part of the surprise.
The second part was a thing called the Vancouver Theatre Sports League. It's improv, but with a competitive edge. There are two teams, and they spar/compete against each other. As the site describes it:
Relying on razor-sharp wit and lightning-fast reflexes, two teams of performers are pitted against each other in competitive improv matches. Using audience suggestions to fuel scenes, teams must create totally improvised situations on the spot.
I don't remember if this was decided before I got hit in the ribs by a line drive, or after, but either way, for whatever reason, I didn't connect "comedy" with laughter and how much that has hurt the past few days. Especially since I've been amazed at how much the one particular muscle gets used for everything! Standing. Sitting. Breathing. Coughing. Sneezing. And yes, laughing.
Oops.
Theatre Sports was hilarious! I gave up trying not to laugh or putting pressure on the muscle to keep it from moving so much. Quite sore before the night was over, but well worth it.
One team requested from the audience something to build, and the answer was a sun deck. They had to do it, though, in different styles. So two of them were on the stage, performing, while the third was off stage, saying "freeze" and then calling out a different style, which this time was countries. Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Scotland, to name a few. It was hilarious. There were even pokes at IKEA which had the audience in stitches.
It was really cool to see an improve show, watch the teams come up with something often, literally, out of nothing. How do you stalk a chicken? There was a good mix of pop culture references and Canadianisms. I got most of them!
My favorite one was where one team member went out of the theatre, and with the help of the audience, the other two came up with a scenario that the missing member would have to guess. The missing member was being interrogated over his involvement in the 2011 Vancouver riots (which I still don't think was a riot). He was being accused of fist pumping with a monkey wrench in a Lululemon store. The audience had to give cues when he got something right. How they went about dropping clues was hilarious, and the missing member was able to pickup on them while delivering hilarious lines, too. I don't know how they did it, but it was downright entertaining.
It's another beautifully sunny day, and Saturday! So enough writing and being inside.