No scripts, no rehearsed dialogues. Just four of the country’s top comics — Kaneez Surka, Abish Mathew, Kanan Gill and Kenny Sebastian — and an audience for them to draw inspiration from. That is the premise of Amazon Prime Video’s new show, The Improvisers .
For those who are thinking, ‘another comedy special?’ Mathew says, “It’s not about coming up with a punchline, but more about the chemistry between the people performing together. The ability to guess what the other person is thinking is what makes it so interesting.” For the uninitiated, improvisational comedy (improv for short) is a form of live theatre where the performers take suggestions from the audience and build a narrative on the spot. The scenes and dialogues are made up in the moment, so trust among the performers is crucial.
Anything goes
For Surka, it is the “excitement of the unknown and the adrenaline rush” that draws her in. It takes her back to where her journey as an entertainer began — on the theatre circuit in South Africa, where she grew up. “We’ve all done many live shows, but this is the first time we’ve recorded an improv act. The most challenging aspect is to keep going, as everything may not work according to plan. But you have to put out a good show and not let the energy drop,” she says.
Doing live shows help, but improv requires a different level of preparation and “collaborative understanding” adds Mathew. “We trained together for seven months before the filming itself, to hone our craft. But at the end of the day, it’s the unpredictability that keeps both us and the audience on our toes,” he says.
Upgrade yourself
The online space has given a level playing field for different types of content. So while these comics are creating shows and comedy specials for streaming services, they continue to upload original content on other social media sites. Mathew explains, “With YouTube, it is more of a playing ground where you can experiment with content. A lot more work goes into something that makes it to Amazon! But it’s easy to upload a video online. It’s tough to be good, and it’s even tougher to be consistently good.”
When it comes to the topics of conversation, Surka feels that she does not go out of her way to be controversial, adding, “ I do cover things I feel strongly about. For instance, I speak about how it is to be a Muslim person in this country. It’s something I want to explore, as I don’t understand the hatred.” Mathew concurs, saying, “The journey of a comic is one of constant growth. Right now, I know I’m not ready to write a strong political satire, so I don’t. The basic logic is, I refrain from anything that I cannot make funny.”
The Improvisers , an hour-long comedy special, is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
