Sticking with the name that they have made famous over the last 20 years but going for what they described as ‘more casual’ jeans and shirt attire, The Pajama Men’s Improv Show is also a departure from their much-loved scripted sketch comedy.Mark Chavez and Shenoah Allen are no less comfortable with this new off-the-cuff style and are just as brilliant as they are on script. They started with a game of ‘Impronado’, a whirlwind of a scene in which the pair seamlessly dart from character to character, location to location, building to a masterful multi-roleplaying dysfunctional classroom scene. It is perhaps a shame that the audience was not relied upon more for suggestions - the sceptic wonders how much is actually improvised - but the scene was funny enough for it not to matter to any great degree.
The audience was given the chance to be more involved, though still sparingly, in the ‘Love Letters’ scene that followed, encouraged to fill the gaps left by the two men: ‘I once had to choose between a sandwich and a…’, Chavez began. ‘… monster truck!’ someone offered. ‘I was hungry but I was also looking for a thrill’, Chavez finished, without missing a beat. Allen joined in the laughter, something which happened a little too often, making the highly experienced performer appear nervous.
Just as impressive as the duo’s quick wit and array of sound effects and accents (Chavez’ Chinese the clear highlight) was their movement, demonstrated in the ‘Silent Film’ scene disappointingly cut short by an electric failure. This was dealt with superbly: ‘Silent and invisible’ Allen revised. The pyjama-less men returned, undeterred by the glitch earlier in the show, to finish on a high. Also on stage throughout was the excellent Benjamin Cox, providing live keyboard and cello accompaniment to a seriously confident and entertaining display of comedy.
