Anyone who’s seen the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” will understand the concept of what’s going to happen on a Des Moines stage tonight. Two teams of improvisational comedians will be facing off in what they’re calling “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Comedy.” Shawn Wilson is a member of the group called “The Brink” and says audience participation is key. Wilson says the comedians will ask for suggestions from the audience like, “Give me a place that would fit on this stage,” like a kitchen or an amusement park ride, and based on the suggestion, an improvisational scene will be created. The twist to this evening’s show is, the event pits two teams of comedians against one another, working with the same suggestions for a score. The event will feature at least ten comedians from Wilson’s group and from another comedy troupe called The Comedy Xperiment, both based in central Iowa. Wilson says the suggestions often venture into the bizarre, like having to portray Elvis vacuuming the carpet, except the carpet is made of earthworms. He says being thrown into impossible situations and having to make sense of them is the fulfilling challenge of improvisation. The show is at 8 P.M. tonight at the Vaudeville Mews in downtown Des Moines. For more information, call (515) 243-3270 or surf to “http://thebrink.home.mchsi.com”. Wilson says tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door or $10,000,000 if you are the latest Powerball winner.
