There’s an odd little black box theater in the middle of a strip mall in midtown Tulsa.
It has a punk rock aesthetic blended with the feel of a cool dad’s finished basement. Jackalope Comedy Theater is a vibe: it’s the perfect spot for a quirky improv comedy play like Whistlebridge.
Rehearsal
The show's creator Natalia Rossi made some final adjustments during Friday night’s rehearsal.
The play lampoons “Bridgerton,” a romantic show set in 1800s England. Rossi loves Bridgerton but does think it is easy to make fun of.
“Romance is just easy to parody,” Rossi said. “Cause it’s, it is so warm, and heartfelt, and fun and it’s just easy to make that jump into comedy.”
Rossi created the show with her writing partners Haley Cypert and Nicole Vance. Their team is called Lady Improv. Rossi did Whistlebridge previously as a scripted play but decided to make it improvised.
“It’s exciting this way because you don’t know what’s going to happen and you have that freedom to play. Whereas a scripted you do have room to play, but not as much,” Rossi said.
The characters in the play are like those in “Bridgerton,” but who’s performing each role changes every show. Performers pull characters' names from a hat to decide who will portray which character.
“In a normal show, I might come in as several different characters throughout the show and they kind of are like a dying star,” Whistlebridge improviser Ben Harper said. “Where you show up and you burn as bright as you can and then that character’s done with.”
Tonight, Harper performed as the debutante at rehearsal.
The performers add some fake mustaches and white gloves to the props to make it easier to know who’s playing who.
Despite this worry, it’s not the most concerning thing. In less than 24 hours the group of performers will again have to build a farce from scratch onstage. But next time they’ll have an audience.
Nearly showtime
It’s 30 minutes before showtime and roughly 40 audience members have arrived at Jackalope.
The capacity crowd came with their own alcohol, as is the theater’s policy. Cases of cheap beer and coolers filled with hard seltzers make the laughs flow easier. The audience is ready to connect with the performers onstage, but for now they start singing along with the live music pre-show.
The clock ticks ever closer to showtime. Keyboardist Chris Porcelli and Allison Johnston play “Mr. Brightside.” The crowd accompanies the instrumental arrangement by singing aloud.
Showtime
The crowd is at fever pitch. Whistlebridge begins.
Laughs come at a breakneck pace like when tonight’s debutante, Ryan Castle, decides to be a muscular carriage builder.
“I see my bulging veins coming through my gloves as, once again, part of the perfect package,” Castle said.
Rossi plays the mother character with two smelly bachelor sons that she’s trying to get married off.
“I also have a fine gentleman that smells a bit like cabbage but in a good way,” Rossi said while the audience laughed.
The other son smells of pine. A scent more suitable for the debutante, but the problem is he’s the rake.
Jack Dean portrays tonight's rake character, a promiscuous bachelor that seems disinterested in the debutante until she wins a fist fight against the evil duke.
After the fight, it’s time for a happily ever after ending.
“For now, and for the foreseeable present, I commit myself to you. Take me away,” Dean said as the rake.
The muscular debutante carries her beau away into holy matrimony using her bulging arms. This is the ending for tonight’s show, but the best part about Whistlebridge is every crowd and show is different. Tonight’s debutante Castle feeds off the changing energy.
“There’s a connection, you can feel it in the air. The audience is there,” Castle said. “They’re with you. They’re listening to what you are saying, and they are going to follow you wherever you and the team go.”
The cast and musicians of Whistlebridge made a parody of 1800s romance from scratch. They’ll have to make it up all over again one more time this Saturday.
