Last Waltz for Rodgers

It was the end of an era last night, as the Improvables took the stage at Rodgers Memorial Theatre in Centerville for one final show - last one for 2010 and last one at RMT, anyway.

More than 130 paying customers, plus a handful of family members and friends getting in via comp. tickets (I would have to estimate the total crowd size at close to 150), showed up for our send-off performance, and it was good to hear their enthusiasm, laughter, and cheers throughout the evening. I took the stage with Biz, Bryan, Ian, Jana, Scott, and Steve, along with Grant and Parker on music and Jeff in the tech booth.

Among the many games played were fan favorites "Late for Work," "Advice Panel," "Town Hall," and "Greatest Hits," as well as "Musical Fairy Tale," for which I was assigned to sing the country music portion. Scott followed soon after, with an operatic number:



One of the other highlights of the evening was playing "Slide Show," perhaps our number-one requested fan favorite, for which two audience volunteers - including my niece Kylee, who turns 13 years old today - joined us on stage. Here is a shot of the obligatory - and always very funny - slide that was turned upside-down:


Yesterday was, in fact, a day filled with Improv; earlier on, in the afternoon, Biz, Guy, Ian, Steve, and I performed at an assembly for an estimated crowd of 500 to 600 students at West High School - alma mater of President Thomas S. Monson, among other famous Utahns - in Salt Lake City. We were impressed with the extraordinarily outgoing treatment we received from WHS faculty and student leaders, and though there was some good-natured heckling and rowdiness during the show, the kids responded positively to it and enjoyed themselves a lot.


I'm glad to have discovered, now on a firsthand basis, that WHS is not the gang-infested, profanity-filled, graffiti-covered cesspool that some people make it out to be. It's actually a very pleasant place.

I managed to capture this very impressive spit take by Biz during the show:


Though the Improvables will be taking a brief leave of absence as we prepare move to the new CenterPoint Legacy Theatre, we will be back in February 2011. I'm glad that the powers-that-be are still letting me do this (alongside no fewer than five family members at one time or another) and that I get to be associated with not only some of Utah's most talented performers but also good people and great friends - both on and off the stage.