BETC hosting monthly shows with the old-time improv troupe
Serving up a fun slice of the past this season is the BETC production of the King Penny Radio Show at different locations in Denver and Boulder. I caught the show on Valentine’s Day at the swanky Denver Savoy and found a full house ready to roll into the 1930s, drinks in hand. The party environment was enhanced by the fact that many attendees were wearing speakeasy-themed attire, so don’t forget to rummage around in the closet before you go.
As the title implies, King Penny is a stage version of an old-timey radio play, where actors are holding scripts and reading into vintage-style mics flanked by a piano player stage right and the foley guy left providing analog sound effects. Created and directed by Libby and Matt Zambrano, the cast draws from a dozen or so players, so every night is different. But they all have ridiculous names like Vera VonDunk (Jessica Austgen), Rose Royce (Libby) or Campbell Nudelsoop (Adrian Holguin).
On the night I went, Libby kicked things off with a couple of songs, including, of course, “My Funny Valentine” accompanied by Hank Troy on keys. I could have listened to a few more standards from such a beautiful voice, but the main event awaited: an improvised radio play drawn from audience suggestions submitted pre-show. Matt Zambrano as “Bugsy” is a hoot as an emcee of sorts — taking on a persona somewhere between a carnival barker and a mobster.
While the actors may be holding scripts, they’re really making stuff up as they go along. I don’t recall the details of the story they contrived on the night I was there, but it involved all the good stuff such as betrayal, romance, intrigue and the like.
The show also includes a guest performer, which was poet/singer Suzi Q. Smith the night we saw it. Upcoming shows will feature GerRee Hinshaw in March, Kenya Fashaw in April and the Broken Box Mime troupe in May.
As poetry readings go, Smith’s was well done. She’s an entertaining performer with lovely poems and, as someone who’s rarely experienced a poetry reading, I was intrigued. At the same time, she was brought out three times, interrupting the flow of the improv show and significantly reducing the energy in the room.
King Penny performs in other locations like Chaos Bloom Theater in Denver, and I’m not sure they have guest performers all the time. In this case with the poet, the material didn’t seem to fit with the overall vibe of the radio show — and I heard the same thoughts from several others.
That aside, the evening overall was a ton of fun, with a lively performance that engaged the enthusiastic crowd. The troupe is packed with talent and seems very comfortable jumping into the improv unknown to create something from whole cloth. It’s also a kick to see a live foley artist (Mitch Slevc) do his thing, working at fever pitch to come up with appropriate sounds at just the right time. Even when they’re not spot-on, there’s always a laugh to be had with his “doin’ my best over here!’ attitude.
The next chance to see King Penny Golden Radio Show will be March 13 at Denver’s Buntport Theatre and March 20 at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder.
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