Improv at the Improv

We would like to take this opportunity to clear something up. Standup comedy and improv comedy are different. It's OK to be embarrassed. It happens to the best of us. With most of West Palm Beach's standup comedy pumping out of a place called the Improv, it's an easy error to make. And while the funnies are the same, the innate differences between standup and improvisational group comedy are massive. Where standup acts are rehearsed and perfected, improv is created on the spot, onstage, in front of the audience. With a simple suggestion from the crowd, a scene is developed in real time, right in front of your eyes. The South Florida improv scene is up-and-coming, especially since the Sick Puppies are at the helm. The Boca Raton-based improv troupe is growing so much that it snagged a coveted spot at the Palm Beach Improv, and it's kind of a big deal. Standup junkies are in for a treat when the fast-thinking Sick Puppies create dialogue and story lines on the spot as opposed to jokes that sound rehearsed. The local comedy scene is shifting, and it's time to bring improv back to the Improv. There is no better tour guide than the Sick Puppies, and if it's your first improv show, we promise they don't bite. Sick Puppies Comedy at the Improv is Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Palm Beach Improv, located at 550 S. Rosemary Ave., in CityPlace. Tickets cost $15, with a two-drink minimum. To reserve your seat, visit palmbeachimprov.com. Visit sickpuppiescomedy.com, or call 954-667-7735.
Wed., June 25, 2014