A week ago last Friday the Bastion got the chance to check out two shows by pH productions. The first was pHamily at 11 pm, a totally improved musical. Geez, it was fun. The cast took lots and lots of suggestions, and the audience, loosened up from the spirits they brought in, roared out their preferences. Each cast member was uniquely funny, and no one castmember dominated the show. It’s just a shame that the musical we saw, about Amanda Dangle, her occult father, and her well-troll boyfriend, will never be performed again. The Bastion stomped down on her friends foot really hard in a fit of laughter- once audience members are injuring each other you know the show’s funny. The show’s cast was Brad Norman, Tristan Tanner, Molly Hall, Jason Geis, and Vinnie Lacey. Admission was 10 dollars.

At the end of pHamily, we got the wonderful surprise that everyone who had come for pHamily could stay for free for pHrenzy at 12:30. It must be the case that everyone in the city has heard about pHrenzy already, because the theatre quickly became packed. The format of pHrenzy is that 8 improvisers do 8 rounds of short scenes with a secret rule they will be judged on. For the first four scenes a castmember is kicked out of the show for violating the secret rule, but for the last four the audience gets to vote on who leaves. The winner gets a trophy, and lots of admiration. There was much less audience participation asked for in this show than in pHamily, but the audience still clapped and hollered through the whole show. It was difficult to single out improvisers to kick out of the show because each one was exceptionally funny and skilled. But when you’re drunk and someone hands you the keys to the fate of an improviser, you do what you got to do. The “Vote ‘em out!” aspect gave the theatre the energy of a pro-wrestling event.

You can find college students packed into bars all across the country, but late night BYOB improv shows are a uniquely Chicago phenomenon. The friends the Bastion brought couldn’t be characterized as improv junkies, but nonetheless swore they had found their new Friday night spot.

-Carrie Callahan