12/25/08: Day 61: Part Two

We had our family friendly improv show tonight. It is my week to do the lineups and as I mentioned we didn’t have our show on Christmas eve like we thought we would. Since we had it today I didn’t really need to change anything. I write part two basically to tell you about one game that cracked me up. Out of 6 games, it was the second and I wish it was the last…but it was an audience volunteer game that had potential to be “just okay.”

The game is commonly known as Bedtime Story, but I called it Christmas Story.

Side note. I’m with Ben Johnson on this one…I say Merry Christmas to people and not Happy Holidays. I don’t get offended when people say Happy Chanukah to me. I don’t celebrate it, but I understand it is what that person celebrates so I say Happy Chanukah back. Anyway…get over hating places that have only Christmas trees or only Chanukah menorahs. Done. Back to the show.

Christmas Story. I started off saying there are a lot of Christmas stories already like Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman. I needed a volunteer who was talkative and 10 or under. There was a lot of people pointing to kids who didn’t look like they wanted to do it, but then I saw two parents pointing at their boy who had his had stretched up in the sky. I think he said his name was Aaron…maybe Eric. “Err” something. He hopped up on the bench and I told him not to move while I got a suggestion. He froze into a “I’m not moving” pose and killed the audience. Off to a good start. I asked for a suggestion of a title and got “Monkeys in Space.” This, for whatever reason, is a suggestion I have heard a lot in my years of improvising. Even before the movie Space Monkeys. Weird.

So, I told Aaron the story “Monkeys in Space: Christmas Version.” The game is kind of like ad libs. I act like I’m reading him a story and ask him questions that he answers. Meanwhile the other actors are acting out the story and sometimes talking while I wait to jump in. I’ll try to tell the story:

Hey Aaron, did you get some good presents this year?
Yes.
Have you heard about the Monkeys in Space who deliver presents to the good little boys and girls?
No.
Well I have the story book right here. Monkeys in Space: the Christmas version. Long long ago there were monkeys in space who delivered presents to boys and girls. How long ago did they start doing this?
Ten years.
That’s right! They had been doing it since all the way back ten years ago. What was the captain of the space monkeys’ name?
Chicken.
Captain Chicken the monkey was there ready to deliver presents. What did he look like?
A peanut. (Brett walks more like a peanut)
As he was getting ready his two space monkey friends came in. What were there names?
Ten and One.
(some dialogue by Brett, Jen, and Deanna)
They wanted to deliver presents but something was missing that stopped them?
Their motorcycle.
There was no way the space monkeys Chicken, Ten, and One could deliver the toys without their motorcycle.
(dialogue)
It was an evil plot of their enemy! What was their enemy’s name?
Monkey.
The evil Monkey! And what was Monkey? A monkey? Or a person? (I was hoping he’d say Chicken)
A fish.
Evil Monkey the fish wanted to stop them from delivering presents!
(dialogue and confrontation of the three monkeys and Mike as Monkey the fish)
Monkey the fish had a secret weapon he was going to use on Chicken the monkey and ten and one. What was it?
…a fart.
A Fart!
(Dialogue of the battle)
When King Monkey the fish farted what happened to the water?
It exploded.
And what did Chicken, Ten, and One do?
They went into the water.
Chicken, Ten, and One the monkeys went in the water after Monkey the fish. They had him now that they had survived his fart. They could save Christmas! What happened next (thinking they would all live happily)
They all died.
(dialogue as Brett, Jen, and Deanna drowned and As Mike got shot because he wasn’t dying)
They had delivered presents for ten years and it all came to an end. The End.

Christmas!