![]() I’ve seen several improv shows where the performers start to lose a bit of their energy and gravitate towards more unoriginal characters or storylines - this was absolutely not the case. However, I think the best part of Middleditch and Schwartz is the comedic brilliance that still comes through in their improvisation. I cannot begin to imagine how much expertise it must take to be able to formulate an hour-long show with a whole storyline and multiple characters, while also performing in front of hundreds of people. Improv in its basic form already requires a lot of vulnerability and precise comedic timing. I’ve delved a little into improv myself (before COVID, of course), which only makes me more appreciative of the high level of skill and technicality that Middleditch and Schwartz have shown. It was evident to me that the comedy duo had the perfect amount of chemistry to work well together, constantly bouncing off of each other, as well as maintaining the high energy necessary for an improv show to be a success. But, from the very beginning of the first episode, I was captivated and already laughing. Improv, especially, can be a hit or miss. I have seen both Middleditch and Schwartz excel with scripted comedy - Middleditch in Silicon Valley and Schwartz in Parks and Recreation - but I wasn’t sure what to expect seeing them tackle such a difficult comedy act. Usually, however, such shows are not long-form nor recorded to be put on Netflix, which is what makes this comedy special so impressive. setting and characters) and then the rest is, well. For those unfamiliar with the logistics of an improv show, the performers engage with the audience for a storyline prompt (e.g. This completely original Netflix special features comedians Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, who perform an hour of long-form improv, entirely unscripted, every episode. This show had the upbeat and engaging energy of a live improv show because that’s exactly what it was! Middleditch and Schwartz is a collection of the duo’s performances on tour, which was recorded pre-COVID, and it is the funniest comedy special I have seen in a very long time. However, I was excited to come across the newly released comedy special on Netflix, Middleditch and Schwartz. The spontaneity and ridiculousness of improv are simply not replaceable by Netflix stand-up comedy features. Sitting at home all day, there are several things I miss engaging with: concerts, festivals, open mics, and above all, live improv shows. “The story comes out of putting obstacles in people’s way and then concluding their paths, and then everything else is for fun.Ben Schwartz (left) and Thomas Middleditch (right) are a dynamic improv duo. “It can be a lot happening, where people are going up into each other buttholes to go back in time… or we can have a show that’s literally just one scene about two brothers in their beds talking about their lives before they go to sleep,” he said. “In the first five minutes of the show when we’re trying to figure out what it is, we want to have it so flexible that it can be whatever it needs to be,” Middleditch said. ![]() It involves several emotionally complex characters with interwoven storylines - and all of their inspiration comes from briefly interviewing audience members about their lives.Īlso Read: Stars Who Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus (Photos) And then I ride away on an electric skateboard, which is pretty cool.”Īll joking aside, what Middleditch and Schwartz pull off over the course of an hour-and-20-minute show is a complete story arc they create out of thin air. “And I flick it at their chest, and then I do a D-X from ’90s WWE, and then I bring in a Wolfpac from WCW, I’m doin’ em all. “Typically, when I wanna take it outside of Hamilton, which I sometimes do, when someone’s like, ‘Hey, how do I do improv?’ I light a cigarette, and I go, ‘You just gotta have it, kid,'” Middleditch said. But I think Thomas explains it in mostly ‘Hamilton’ songs,” Schwartz said. “It’s starting with nothing, and then we build off each other until we’ve grown out this entire world and we can play within the world. He was interrupted by Middledtich bursting into the song “The Room Where It Happens” from the musical Hamilton. Also Read: Ben Schwartz Tells Us Exactly What Jean-Ralphio From 'Parks and Rec' Would be Doing in Quarantine (Video)
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