Improv lineup dishes up a whole lotta laughs in downtown Denver

On a recent Saturday night, OnStage Colorado contributor Toni Tresca and I decided to see what Rise Comedy is all about. Formerly known as Voodoo Comedy, Rise is what you might call a full-time comedy club, with an impressive slate of shows, workshops and classes most weeks from Wednesday through Sunday.

Located on a bustling section of Denver just off Larimer Street, Rise Comedy has a well-stocked bar, an 80-seat main theatre and several other rooms for its classes teaching newbies standup and improv.

Rise has many recurring programs, from traditional open-mic nights to themed improv shows like “A Bad Play Done Terribly,” “Elevate Women’s Jam,” “Hit and Run: Musical Improv” and more. Compared to more traditional comedy clubs, Rise relies much more on local and in-house talent than touring comedians. That results in reasonably priced tickets (starting at $16/show) and a mix of talent ranging from experienced performers to some newer to the art of standup and improv.

Toni and I captured our thoughts in a conversation after seeing four of the evening’s five-show lineup. Here’s what we had to say:

Alex: We were out at Rise Comedy this past Saturday night. We saw Improv Happy Hour, featuring Intrusive Thoughts and Beige on Beige improv teams. Then we saw Blockbuster, another ongoing show with a regular team that takes a suggestion for a movie and works off that for long-form improv. After that, we saw Necromancer and Benign Nuisance, which are Rise Comedy house teams. We wrapped up with Dynamic Duos. What did you think overall of the evening at Rise, Toni?

Toni: I thought it was a pretty fun evening overall. Like any improv, some of it was really fun and hit well, bringing back bits that were started at the beginning of a set, while some fell on their face a little bit. But that’s the beauty of live improv — that spontaneity and never knowing what you’re going to get. It was just fun to be in the room and watch people create. There were definitely a lot of people from the Rise Comedy improv and comedy community in attendance with us in the audience.

Alex: It got me thinking about the nature of improv itself. It’s like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. The teams come out hoping they’ll find that thing that they can really glom onto and expand on. I think a really good example was the shark bit from the Intrusive Thoughts team.

They created a whole story about sharks off the coast of Boston. They were talking like these Southie sharks, and then one of the guys decided that a hammerhead shark would be a good way to raise the stakes. The other sharks were doing the usual vertical fin hand-over-the-head, but he came up with how to portray a hammerhead shark by holding his fists by his temples. Then there were all these jokes about “look me in the eye” and the hammerheads juggling, orienting themselves so they could see.

Toni: And the beauty of that set was it started with a suggestion of a donut when they asked the audience to name a guilty pleasure. We were at a Voodoo Donut Shop, and it was about this manager who hated his job, training a new employee. But gradually over the set, it just evolved into this comedy of manners, which was pure delight of just everything that improv could be.

Alex: I was literally crying-laughing it was so damned funny. And they had another great bit in the donut shop where one of the customers turns out to be a therapist and he starts counseling this young woman on her first day worried about getting the cinnamon just right on the donuts. Then the shop owner jumps in for some help too.

Toni: That group was very strong. What were some of the others we saw?

In addition to performances, Rise Comedy also hosts classes on improv, sketch and standup comedy | Photo: MacKenzie Palmer

Alex: There were Necromancer and Benign Nuisance at eight o’clock. Benign Nuisance had a great bit with one of them playing a dog. Somehow, he’s gone for several years and returns to find his owner has replaced him with a cat. He says, “Who the fuck is this?” and the guy playing the cat is cozying up to the owner cleaning himself and basically sticking his tongue out at the dog. Hilarious moment.

Toni: That one was really good too. It had a lot of really rich returns to the themes they came up with.

Alex: Benign Nuisance also had a woman playing an HR “Business Partner,” which is the bullshit name corporations give HR people. That definitely resonated with the crowd.

Necromancer had a lot of fun with some Amish bits, Tron, fax machines and stuff. They had a guy on keys and sound effects that added to the whole thing.

Toni: Yes, they did this wide-ranging escapade about the Amish community and a couple of guys’ journey to escape. They run into this other Amish guy who owns the last Blockbuster, and it’s a really hilarious exchange. There were some good, really interesting uses of the improv form, particularly with Necromancer. In between their scenes, they were doing monologues to kind of ground each of the perspective where they, the person was journaling and their diary.

Alex: Yep that was a great technique that worked very well. There was also a running bit about a Shoo-Fly Pie, which was described as a disgusting blob of molasses — which it is. And they played other inanimate objects like pants and films.

Toni: They had these more introspective moments in between these and absurd scenes where you really got to know everybody from the Amish characters to the pie who is on the roof waiting to be devoured. It really was a lot of fun.

The Beige on Beige improv team at Rise Comedy | Photo: MacKenzie Palmer

Alex: Beige on Beige had a great running bit about these dumbass cops who love to smoke cigarettes, and they hit on this bit where they could do a sort of Vulcan mind meld by blowing smoke into the other’s mouth. It was weird but funny.

Toni: It was, and they had another one where one of the cops had a gun so large and long that it took several people to set up and fire. What about the third show we saw, Blockbuster?

Alex: This is a recurring show, long-form improv, where the team takes an audience suggestion for a movie. I think the one we saw was a musical about cops. It was pretty solid with some good laughs, but it felt like they didn’t quite click.

Toni: And the last show we saw was three duos, male-female teams. I don’t think any of them really hit any rich comedic veins.

The Rise Comedy scene

Alex: Let’s talk about Rise itself. So, unlike most comedy clubs with table service and a two-item minimum, Rise is set up like a more traditional theatre space, with teeny tables between the rows for drinks. There’s some way to get them to bring you a drink but most people just go up to the bar between shows.s

Toni: Yep, and they have three different training rooms in the back that they just upgraded earlier this year so that they can do their stand-up classes, improv classes, and things like that. That’s really their bread and butter, the mix of education with these live shows, which are often performed by the people who they train through their education program.

Alex: It’s like a self-perpetuating system of comedy.

Toni: There’s this funny joke in Bojack Horseman that improv comedy is kind of like a cult because you have to do the in-house training program to get on the stage. That is kind of how the system works at Rise Comedy. And we saw some pretty strong teams the night we went. I think the teams that didn’t work were just the ones that weren’t listening to each other quite as well.

Alex: It really is a team sport. You’ve got to pay close attention to what your teammates are doing at the same time you have to focus on what funny shit you’re going to come up with yourself. It’s a really challenging form of performance, but the payoff when it works is huge. An audience can see it come together in real time and appreciate the cleverness and skill unfolding before their eyes.

Toni: It’s really a great example of a comedy club you’d want to hit somewhat regularly. That team that didn’t seem so great one night might kill on another night.

Alex: I’d definitely be a regular if I lived nearby, but I have to say it’s not the easiest place to get to and park. It’s right near Coors Field.

Toni: And we didn’t realize it but that night there was a Rockies game, so we both ended up paying $25 or $30 to park.

Alex: On the other hand, that is a really hot part of town. It’s fun to be down there. We had dinner at Marco’s Pizza beforehand, which was great. And there are plenty of other places in the area to eat at before the Rise Show.

Toni: And most nights you’ve got your pick of between two and five shows. And your ticket doesn’t just get you access to one show — you can stick around for a bit without having to pay anything extra, which is pretty cool. Rise is definitely trying to get people in their theater, and the shows are pretty well attended.

Alex: Yeah, for sure. You can kind of wander in off the street, get a ticket, see an hour of comedy or stay longer, have a drink, whatever.

One last thing I wanted to mention: It just so happened that there was a photographer there the night we went, and she was kind enough to share some of her shots for this piece. So a big shout-out to MacKenzie Palmer – thanks a ton!