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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent and approachable manual of comedy improvisation,
By
This review is from: The Birthday Party (Paperback)
This is an excellent manual for any improviser, no matter what level of experience he or she may have. The book is broken down into four sections:
1. An Introduction 2. The Elements 3. The Performance 4. Workshop The first section goes into the language of improv, which describes the breakdown of the scene. Character, environment, and plot are discussed in detail, as are sub-elements such as activity, attitude, conflict, specifics, point of view, and dialogue. The importance of beginning, middle, and end is covered, as is the importance of being specific. Then the four basic rules are broached: don't deny; show us, don't tell us; play the moment, and play the scene legitimately. And despite what the other reviews have erroneously suggested, the author specifically states NOT to say one-liners or make jokes. Mr. Goldberg also suggests learning from others. Without spoiling the Elements section of the book, suffice it to say that this book goes into detail about the elements of improv, CHARACTER, ENVIRONMENT, & PLOT with equal attention to detail. The Performance section goes into practical topics such as: Assembling a Troupe, Who's In Charge, Ensemble Playing, Workshopping, The Show Structure: Pacing and Variety, What To Ask For in a Suggestion, Is It All Right To Turn Down a Scene Suggestion?, The Huddle, Lighting, Music and Sound Effects, Is It Ever the Audience's Fault?, Leave Your Worries at the Doorstep, How Much of an Improv Show Is Improvised, and Originality. The Workshop section discusses: Getting Started, The Order and Choice of Exercises and Scene Setups, and a Glossary of Workshop Terms. It then goes on to describe 83 improv games! Now there is nothing wrong with Viola Spolin's works; they form the backbone of improv in the U.S.A. But this book is detailed without being overbearing about it; it's totally readable and fascinating to those who do improv...and even those who don't. Even if you are just a fan, you will find this book a page-turner. And Andy knows what he's talking about: he's been doing improv for over thirty years; he has his own improv troupe, OFF THE WALL, who still perform monthly in Santa Monica. He's worked closely with Robin Williams (they were in the same improv troupe together), John Ritter, Corbin Bernsen, etc., as well as countless producers and working actors. This book is the real work, forged from many years of experience teaching improv from a true professional. Buy it, read it, USE it. It will pay you back many times over whether you just watch improv or do improv for fun and/or profit.
8 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
How to do improv---poorly,
By
This review is from: The Birthday Party (Paperback)
In his book, Andy Goldberg attempts to go for the funny (and often fails at that). Unfortunately for the reader, this is not the way to do good improv. In fact, it will most likely guarantee bad improv. You know the kind--the "group with a wacky name, the group with matching T-shirts with their wacky logo, the group who are members of the 'Whose Line' fan club" type of improv.
If you are interested in REALLY learning improvisation, you would be better off reading "Improvisation for Storytellers" by Keith Johnstone or "Improvisation for the Theater" by Viola Spolin. If you want a book on how to be funny, a much better choice would be "The Comic Toolbox" by John Vorhaus. The only useful thing about the book is that it contains some suggestions starting a troupe, conducting rehearsals, and scheduling performances. That is not enough to justify paying for the book.
6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good for comics,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Birthday Party (Paperback)
Andy's book sticks to what he knows best, improvisational comedy, so he doesn't allow the performer much depth. Good basic improv rules and comedy exercises. Also look at "Improv! A Handbook for the Actor" by Greg Atkins and "Improvisational Theater" by Viola Spolin.
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