Octavarius

Octavarius is an improv troupe with a lot of tentacles—nine to be exact. That's a hefty number of performers tackling a single stage at once, but this talented group of improvising cephalopods performed impressively as one brain at Octavarius: So Nefarious, which opened last night at the ComedySportz Theatre in Lakeview.

Here's how their show works: Each week the group stages a night of comedy around a single theme (last night was space) and incorporates it both into the show and into their performance—a long form set in which in an opening leads to a smorgasbord of scene work augmented by games. Opening acts, which last night included stand-up comics Jamie Campbell and the ferocious Junior Stopka as well as improvising ladies Boner Petite, provide further fuel for this energetic night of comedy. In truth, the space theme only partially worked. The show opened with the singing of the national anthem, and later, a futuristic version of it, both pointless. While comic Campbell admirably incorporated the theme into his set, it was distracting at other times and led to some occasional fumbling for the two members who emceed the show.

But the real treat of the night was watching Octavarius perform totally infectious, 100% supportive improvisation. Long form can be a rough ride for audiences in the hands of amateurs. But these guys (and one lady) took the suggestion "armpit" and ran with it full throttle starting with a very playful courtroom-style opening in which ensemble members used objections as a way to argue for monologue time. This morphed into 30 minutes of solid scenes in which a working R2-D2 robot (there's that space them again) was hilariously featured as its own character. The ensemble darted in and out of playful scenes incorporating frequent callbacks to the opening, sly pop culture references and a confidence to break the rules of improv when appropriate. From a staging of Barbie: The Musical to a D.I.Y. miniature golf course these guys ruled the room with heaps of energy.

Most impressive was their continuous support for each other especially when scenes lagged. There was one moment, for example, where the scene was required to continue in the style of an action film and the players onstage seemed stumped as to where to take it. So another guy rolled onto the stage as a boulder and took it in a whole new direction. This quick-witted assistance helped the group over and over again. I would've liked to have seen a couple of members take the lead more (with this much support, there's no way their ideas will fail), but I'm otherwise enthusiastic. More improv shows should be this much fun. - Time Out Chicago

Octavarius is an improv troupe with a lot of tentacles—nine to be exact. That's a hefty number of performers tackling a single stage at once, but this talented group of improvising cephalopods performed impressively as one brain at Octavarius: So Nefarious, which opened last night at the ComedySportz Theatre in Lakeview.

Here's how their show works: Each week the group stages a night of comedy around a single theme (last night was space) and incorporates it both into the show and into their performance—a long form set in which in an opening leads to a smorgasbord of scene work augmented by games. Opening acts, which last night included stand-up comics Jamie Campbell and the ferocious Junior Stopka as well as improvising ladies Boner Petite, provide further fuel for this energetic night of comedy. In truth, the space theme only partially worked. The show opened with the singing of the national anthem, and later, a futuristic version of it, both pointless. While comic Campbell admirably incorporated the theme into his set, it was distracting at other times and led to some occasional fumbling for the two members who emceed the show.

But the real treat of the night was watching Octavarius perform totally infectious, 100% supportive improvisation. Long form can be a rough ride for audiences in the hands of amateurs. But these guys (and one lady) took the suggestion "armpit" and ran with it full throttle starting with a very playful courtroom-style opening in which ensemble members used objections as a way to argue for monologue time. This morphed into 30 minutes of solid scenes in which a working R2-D2 robot (there's that space them again) was hilariously featured as its own character. The ensemble darted in and out of playful scenes incorporating frequent callbacks to the opening, sly pop culture references and a confidence to break the rules of improv when appropriate. From a staging of Barbie: The Musical to a D.I.Y. miniature golf course these guys ruled the room with heaps of energy.

Most impressive was their continuous support for each other especially when scenes lagged. There was one moment, for example, where the scene was required to continue in the style of an action film and the players onstage seemed stumped as to where to take it. So another guy rolled onto the stage as a boulder and took it in a whole new direction. This quick-witted assistance helped the group over and over again. I would've liked to have seen a couple of members take the lead more (with this much support, there's no way their ideas will fail), but I'm otherwise enthusiastic. More improv shows should be this much fun. - Time Out Chicago